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Post by sirthought on Sept 19, 2019 10:37:21 GMT -6
Just learned about this Soyuz The Launcher today and didn't see a thread. soyuzmicrophones.com/launcher$200 It's a mic activator, just like a Cloudlifter or FETHead, but it has a transformer in it for a colored sound. Add +26dB to your dynamic or ribbon mics, running off phantom power. If you want it to work with a condenser, you'd need another external phantom power box or have a powered tube mic. On the webpage there is a sample of with and without on multiple sources, I believe recorded with a Shure 57. I think it added something nice to the capture. Almost smooths things out a bit or makes it warmer. Not a huge difference, but noticeable. Most mic activators are trying to give you as clean of a boost as possible. This one intentionally adds color and that might be something cool to have as an option. |
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Post by jamiesego on Sept 19, 2019 11:00:52 GMT -6
The mix does sound better with it in use. I would definitely give it a try but it seems more useful for home recording on an interface than a studio with racks full of preamps. On the other hand I do like low output ribbons and dynamics and I do own and use a cloudlifter.
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Post by jamiesego on Sept 19, 2019 11:14:16 GMT -6
I bet if Rupert Neve made a mic booster box and adapted the RNDI enclosure they would sell tons.
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Post by sirthought on Sept 19, 2019 11:27:24 GMT -6
The mix does sound better with it in use. I would definitely give it a try but it seems more useful for home recording on an interface than a studio with racks full of preamps. On the other hand I do like low output ribbons and dynamics and I do own and use a cloudlifter. I'd guess home recordist describes more people with $200 to spend and wanting to improve their tracking than those with racks of preamps. Yeah, I'm looking to expand my ribbon collection once I pay off some bills. It might be interesting to see what something like this adds. |
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Post by stormymondays on Sept 19, 2019 14:18:11 GMT -6
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Post by chessparov on Sept 19, 2019 21:07:43 GMT -6
They did put a Rupert Neve inspired transformer, in the Steinberg RT UR interfaces. But Soyuz probably just got $200 from me! (well eventually)  Chris |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2019 9:55:35 GMT -6
Just learned about this Soyuz The Launcher today and didn't see a thread. soyuzmicrophones.com/launcher$200 It's a mic activator, just like a Cloudlifter or FETHead, but it has a transformer in it for a colored sound. Add +26dB to your dynamic or ribbon mics, running off phantom power. If you want it to work with a condenser, you'd need another external phantom power box or have a powered tube mic. On the webpage there is a sample of with and without on multiple sources, I believe recorded with a Shure 57. I think it added something nice to the capture. Almost smooths things out a bit or makes it warmer. Not a huge difference, but noticeable. Most mic activators are trying to give you as clean of a boost as possible. This one intentionally adds color and that might be something cool to have as an option. Thanks for putting me on to this, it's a sure winner. Great price point |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2019 9:56:18 GMT -6
I bet if Rupert Neve made a mic booster box and adapted the RNDI enclosure they would sell tons. They should do a stereo DI but I really like this here |
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Post by sirthought on Sept 21, 2019 1:39:46 GMT -6
Cuckoo did a way too involved video on this thing.
It might be me, but I think this could help a bit with sibilance. Overall it looks like a handy tool.
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Post by Guitar on Sept 24, 2019 21:58:18 GMT -6
wow, that's pretty neat. seems to add a ton of low end.
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Post by lpedrum on Sept 26, 2019 13:01:43 GMT -6
Could be useful for all dynamics to help with clarity and definition. Here's a question for those with a bit more technical knowledge than myself: I have and use a Cloudlifter. Wouldn't the Cloudlifter going into a good pre with quality transformers end up with similar results? Or is there a benefit to placing a transformer in the chain (powered by phantom of course) before hitting the pre? Or put another way, is this product really only helpful when using a low to mid level interface that lacks some real iron?
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Post by Guitar on Sept 26, 2019 13:11:20 GMT -6
I think you can use any mic booster with any mic preamp and any mic.
I'm sorry if that sounds obvious but you either get what you're looking for or you don't.
This one sounds like it has a heavy EQ curve. I would wager that the Cloudlifter is flat and high bandwidth, a simple "more gain" thing.
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Post by M57 on Sept 26, 2019 14:09:09 GMT -6
I think you can use any mic booster with any mic preamp and any mic. I'm sorry if that sounds obvious but you either get what you're looking for or you don't. This one sounds like it has a heavy EQ curve... So if you don't need the boost, it's effectively a $200 piece of iron that features a passive non-adjustable EQ that you can't bypass. I'm not being judgmental, but isn't that basically what all transformers do depending on the winding ratios? ...EQ voodoo? |
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Post by lpedrum on Sept 26, 2019 14:27:16 GMT -6
I think you can use any mic booster with any mic preamp and any mic. I'm sorry if that sounds obvious but you either get what you're looking for or you don't. This one sounds like it has a heavy EQ curve. I would wager that the Cloudlifter is flat and high bandwidth, a simple "more gain" thing. What I'm asking is is there a benefit or sonic difference to placing the transformer in front of the preamplifier in lieu of just using a clean gain box like the Cloudlifter into a pre with iron? I get how the Launcher could be helpful if you're using an interface with very clean, non-transformer pres for instance. And that every transformer has it's own subtle coloration. I guess I always have questions when it comes to the "magic box" thing. |
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Post by Guitar on Sept 26, 2019 14:37:32 GMT -6
I think you can use any mic booster with any mic preamp and any mic. I'm sorry if that sounds obvious but you either get what you're looking for or you don't. This one sounds like it has a heavy EQ curve. I would wager that the Cloudlifter is flat and high bandwidth, a simple "more gain" thing. What I'm asking is is there a benefit or sonic difference to placing the transformer in front of the preamplifier in lieu of just using a clean gain box like the Cloudlifter into a pre with iron? I get how the Launcher could be helpful if you're using an interface with very clean, non-transformer pres for instance. And that every transformer has it's own subtle coloration. I guess I always have questions when it comes to the "magic box" thing. I wonder if the Launcher into a 1073 style pre would be "too much." That's a good question. It seems like this product is "aimed" at low budget producers where this is their "cool gear" that gets them some kind of fat sound. I don't see why someone with expensive gear couldn't use it though like if they want to use an SM57 on a bass amp or something. It's kind of a weird product the more I think about it. I think there's more going on here than "a transformer" I love transformers, but most of them are flatter than this sounds in the demo. Maybe it's loaded in a specific way that exaggerates the frequency response, something like a low impedance switch would work on a mic pre. It would be fun to measure one of these. Or bust one open. |
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Post by Guitar on Sept 26, 2019 14:39:16 GMT -6
I think you can use any mic booster with any mic preamp and any mic. I'm sorry if that sounds obvious but you either get what you're looking for or you don't. This one sounds like it has a heavy EQ curve... So if you don't need the boost, it's effectively a $200 piece of iron that features a passive non-adjustable EQ that you can't bypass. I'm not being judgmental, but isn't that basically what all transformers do depending on the winding ratios? ...EQ voodoo? That's what it sounds like to me in the demos. They are so vague in their literature that it becomes a guessing game. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2019 14:56:12 GMT -6
What I'm asking is is there a benefit or sonic difference to placing the transformer in front of the preamplifier in lieu of just using a clean gain box like the Cloudlifter into a pre with iron? I get how the Launcher could be helpful if you're using an interface with very clean, non-transformer pres for instance. And that every transformer has it's own subtle coloration. I guess I always have questions when it comes to the "magic box" thing. I wonder if the Launcher into a 1073 style pre would be "too much." That's a good question. It seems like this product is "aimed" at low budget producers where this is their "cool gear" that gets them some kind of fat sound. I don't see why someone with expensive gear couldn't use it though like if they want to use an SM57 on a bass amp or something. It's kind of a weird product the more I think about it. I think there's more going on here than "a transformer" I love transformers, but most of them are flatter than this sounds in the demo. Maybe it's loaded in a specific way that exaggerates the frequency response, something like a low impedance switch would work on a mic pre. It would be fun to measure one of these. Or bust one open. I have a transformerless mic and spl crimson, also have rme ufx+ they're all clean so I thought by adding iron in path may yield nice results. Is it some sort of fixed eq? Or is the color coming from transformer only? |
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Post by Guitar on Sept 26, 2019 15:03:41 GMT -6
I wonder if the Launcher into a 1073 style pre would be "too much." That's a good question. It seems like this product is "aimed" at low budget producers where this is their "cool gear" that gets them some kind of fat sound. I don't see why someone with expensive gear couldn't use it though like if they want to use an SM57 on a bass amp or something. It's kind of a weird product the more I think about it. I think there's more going on here than "a transformer" I love transformers, but most of them are flatter than this sounds in the demo. Maybe it's loaded in a specific way that exaggerates the frequency response, something like a low impedance switch would work on a mic pre. It would be fun to measure one of these. Or bust one open. I have a transformerless mic and spl crimson, also have rme ufx+ they're all clean so I thought by adding iron in path may yield nice results. Is it some sort eq? Or is the color coming from transformer only? There is a "mystery circuitry" I assume inside the silver cylinder in the pictures. It DOES require phantom power so there are probably some transistors in there, FETs, whatever. It's not a passive device. Yes, the transformer is a passive component. Nobody really knows what they are doing at this point, the product isn't even shipping yet. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2019 15:48:30 GMT -6
I have a transformerless mic and spl crimson, also have rme ufx+ they're all clean so I thought by adding iron in path may yield nice results. Is it some sort eq? Or is the color coming from transformer only? There is a "mystery circuitry" I assume inside the silver cylinder in the pictures. It DOES require phantom power so there are probably some transistors in there, FETs, whatever. It's not a passive device. Yes, the transformer is a passive component. Nobody really knows what they are doing at this point, the product isn't even shipping yet. I read there is 2 year R&D behind it so I'm guessing it should be good product. If I'm not mistaking I seen on promo video, transformer is same from their microphone lineup |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2019 18:59:07 GMT -6
Found this
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Post by chessparov on Sept 26, 2019 20:35:46 GMT -6
With the Launcher...
Vocals sound more full & present IMHO.
More "like a record" generally.
If you're also an instrumentalist,
this is even more attractive.
My understanding is that they're simulating a vintage toned console.
Chris
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Post by lpedrum on Sept 26, 2019 22:07:01 GMT -6
Nicely done demo. I'm not really digging what it's doing to either the acoustic or the drums. To my ears it's hyping the top end in a way that I don't care for. I'm not saying it would never be the right tool for a particular job. But adding "character?" Not hearing it. I guess if the goal was to make dynamic and ribbon mics sound more like a condenser mic it kinda does that. But why would I want to do that? |
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Post by chessparov on Sept 26, 2019 22:12:31 GMT -6
Poor sounding room...
Chris
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Post by Guitar on Sept 27, 2019 8:55:32 GMT -6
Nicely done demo. I'm not really digging what it's doing to either the acoustic or the drums. To my ears it's hyping the top end in a way that I don't care for. I'm not saying it would never be the right tool for a particular job. But adding "character?" Not hearing it. I guess if the goal was to make dynamic and ribbon mics sound more like a condenser mic it kinda does that. But why would I want to do that? I heard it differently. It sounds like it's taking away some 3K-8K presence, somewhere in there. IMO it's robbing the cymbals of their natural brightness. I liked it on most of the vocals I guess. I'm glad Ryan did a vocal mic shootout as well that was a nice touch. SM7B was my favorite. |
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Post by chessparov on Sept 27, 2019 15:16:35 GMT -6
With the Launcher... Vocals sound more full & present IMHO. More "like a record" generally. If you're also an instrumentalist, this is even more attractive. My understanding is that they're simulating a vintage toned console. Chris See I'm practicing to get a writing gig, at Sound On Sound. Hence sounds "like a record" above.  Chris |
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