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Post by donr on Aug 9, 2017 11:17:44 GMT -6
I finally got a chance to put up the Townsend Sphere microphone I bought last year and was shipped during a period of heavy touring for me. It's a stereo mic, with a multipin jack split out into front and back XLR cables. It's designed to be monitored through the UAD Sphere software, and recorded into a linked stereo channel. With the software, the mic sounds like a mono mic, with adjustable pickup patterns and off axis and proximity adjustments available both real time and after the fact for all mic models. If you don't monitor through the software, the two capsules appear left and right. It can also be used as a point source stereo mic. My first impression was it was a good sounding mic, I liked what I was hearing through the cans as I set it up. The mic has four white LED's inside the head basket that indicate phantom power to the two capsules, a neat touch that looks good in subdued lighting. I did a quick demo, voice and acoustic guitar together, the mic about half way between them, about a foot away, no pop filter or screen. Then I listened back, selected the U67 model and adjusted the axis and proximity and filters to taste, and added a bit of sweetening with UAD Manley Vari-mu, UAD Pultec and some Slate 480 plate. I didn't try to make it loud, the RMS is -22. It's a fair example of the sound of the mic. The different models sound distinct, but likely not as different as the modeled mics themselves. www.dropbox.com/s/tidat8amjhggg4f/Sphere%2067%20In%20Thee%20mix%20copy.mp3?dl=0Here's the same performance with a model called Sphere Direct. It had more bass so I rolled off some on the Pultec. www.dropbox.com/s/79qj8udebipkch7/Sphere%20Direct%20In%20Theemix%20copy.mp3?dl=0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2017 13:57:57 GMT -6
Dude! First of all, I have always dug this tune. The chorus just kills and it's a treat to hear you do it here acoustically. Personally, I kinda prefer the way the 67 sounds on your voice and the Sphere Direct on the guitar. For my taste, I feel like there's a tiny bit of mid honk in your voice on the Sphere Direct I hear especially whenever you sing the word "myself" in the chorus that I'm not crazy about. Overall, the 67 emulation kinda jumps out a bit more for me.
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Post by wiz on Aug 9, 2017 15:28:56 GMT -6
Same file I think donrcheers Wiz
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Post by M57 on Aug 9, 2017 16:13:16 GMT -6
Same file I think donr cheers Wiz It's the same link/url.
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 9, 2017 17:22:13 GMT -6
How freaking cool is it to have Buck Freaking Dharma posting tunes here...
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Aug 9, 2017 18:26:52 GMT -6
How freaking cool is it to have Buck Freaking Dharma posting tunes here... What really sucks is when Don's in town and your to sick to go hang! Hey Don did you get the Broken pot fixed?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2017 18:51:10 GMT -6
Holy crap. Are they really the same file twice? Kids, that's what I get for not sleeping for 2 nights in a row. I still love it. LOL.
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Post by ChaseUTB on Aug 9, 2017 19:53:17 GMT -6
Holy crap. Are they really the same file twice? Kids, that's what I get for not sleeping for 2 nights in a row. I still love it. LOL. Get Some Rest 🤠 You can only lose sleep, not make it up..
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Post by donr on Aug 9, 2017 20:23:23 GMT -6
I'm just feeling my way around this mic and what it may do. I think I worked it a little close for not using a pop filter, and it went into the Apollo without any Unison pre's or any processing to DAW. Just clicking through the models, the 67, 87, and C12 seemed useful to my voice, the 47 would work with some EQ. I want to try it with another pre-amp. Sphere recommends if you want saturation, to run the model software first, but I'd like to try the Stam 1073 on it. The neatest feature of the software to me was the ability to alter the proximity and axis orientation after recording. I liked the sound of the mic about 60º off axis oddly enough it smoothed out both the voice and the guitar. I also settled on a loose cardiod pattern and slightly less proximity than spec'ed for the mic. I was also pleased with the sound of my room, after the Jeff Hedback treatment was installed. I could hear no glaring evil at all, even as the room retains some life and room sound.
I want to try it as a stereo mic. It's possible to use two different mic emulations in the stereo mode too.
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Post by donr on Aug 9, 2017 20:33:57 GMT -6
How freaking cool is it to have Buck Freaking Dharma posting tunes here... What really sucks is when Don's in town and your to sick to go hang! Hey Don did you get the Broken pot fixed? Eric's talking about the Volume pot on the Cheeseberger, the guitar in my avatar. It broke off the circuit board after 19 years. I was able to order a new board and control pots from the guy that supplied them to Steinberger orginally. I bought a couple spares too for the future. I played Kansas City a couple weeks ago and missed seeing Eric. We met the last time I was there with Boston.
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Post by donr on Aug 9, 2017 20:36:52 GMT -6
Same file I think donr cheers Wiz It's the same link/url. You're right, I'll fix the url tomorrow to the other file.
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Post by keymod on Aug 10, 2017 3:15:06 GMT -6
Is the software useful/available without the mic? IOW, say someone has a hardware clone of one of the modeled microphones. Does/can the software help zero-in the clone sound to perhaps a more realistic offering?
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Post by Vincent R. on Aug 10, 2017 4:57:31 GMT -6
Is the software useful/available without the mic? IOW, say someone has a hardware clone of one of the modeled microphones. Does/can the software help zero-in the clone sound to perhaps a more realistic offering? I'm curious about this as well.
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Post by adamjbrass on Aug 10, 2017 7:47:06 GMT -6
Where can you purchase one of these? Is it only on the Kickstarter? Thanks,
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Post by Johnkenn on Aug 10, 2017 8:56:48 GMT -6
Where can you purchase one of these? Is it only on the Kickstarter? Thanks, Believe sweetwater carries them
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Post by adamjbrass on Aug 10, 2017 9:16:28 GMT -6
^cool, thanks!
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Post by ragan on Aug 10, 2017 9:44:12 GMT -6
I finally got a chance to put up the Townsend Sphere microphone I bought last year and was shipped during a period of heavy touring for me. It's a stereo mic, with a multipin jack split out into front and back XLR cables. It's designed to be monitored through the UAD Sphere software, and recorded into a linked stereo channel. With the software, the mic sounds like a mono mic, with adjustable pickup patterns and off axis and proximity adjustments available both real time and after the fact for all mic models. If you don't monitor through the software, the two capsules appear left and right. It can also be used as a point source stereo mic. My first impression was it was a good sounding mic, I liked what I was hearing through the cans as I set it up. The mic has four white LED's inside the head basket that indicate phantom power to the two capsules, a neat touch that looks good in subdued lighting. I did a quick demo, voice and acoustic guitar together, the mic about half way between them, about a foot away, no pop filter or screen. Then I listened back, selected the U67 model and adjusted the axis and proximity and filters to taste, and added a bit of sweetening with UAD Manley Vari-mu, UAD Pultec and some Slate 480 plate. I didn't try to make it loud, the RMS is -22. It's a fair example of the sound of the mic. The different models sound distinct, but likely not as different as the modeled mics themselves. www.dropbox.com/s/tidat8amjhggg4f/Sphere%2067%20In%20Thee%20mix%20copy.mp3?dl=0Here's the same performance with a model called Sphere Direct. It had more bass so I rolled off some on the Pultec. www.dropbox.com/s/tidat8amjhggg4f/Sphere%2067%20In%20Thee%20mix%20copy.mp3?dl=0Sounds nice, Don. I think that 67 tone fits your voice well. Cool to hear this tune stripped down like this too. Good song.
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Post by donr on Aug 10, 2017 9:45:07 GMT -6
Is the software useful/available without the mic? IOW, say someone has a hardware clone of one of the modeled microphones. Does/can the software help zero-in the clone sound to perhaps a more realistic offering? The software is for sale on the UAD store for $199. When you buy the mic you get a coupon which makes it free. I don't know if it's available outside UAD. The software is written for the mic, a LDC stereo mic with two capsules 180º apart and two discrete outputs. Theoretically you might get similar intended results with two of any mono mic in a 2 channel back to back configuration, addressing one side of the two but recording both. I'm thinking with any of this tech, it's not so much how close to the reference model the mic sounds, it's whether what you're hearing and recording is pleasing and useful.
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Post by donr on Aug 10, 2017 14:14:15 GMT -6
Here's another Sphere comparo, before I leave for another five days on the road. Mic into Apollo Twin, linked Stereo. Into DAW. Just vocal, a chorus of "Burnin' For You." In the DAW playback, UAD Sphere software, into UAD 1176AE 8-1, UAD LA-2A Silver, each shaving 1-3 dB off the peaks, UAD Pultec just touching 5k on the broad side, and just attenuating 60z about 1 ½. Typical voice flattering. DP Masterworks limiter shaving another 3-5 dB on the bounce. I bounced a clip of each mic model, tweaking it to get what I thought was the most useful sound on my Focal CMS65's. The surprises to me were the 49, the 57, the 87 and even the 451. No surprise was the 67 and the C12. The Coles I wouldn't sing into, even though I could balance the response with tweaking. And No DSP was pretty good too. Unpack this folder in the Finder or the Windows equivalent and you can switch back and forth rapidly. www.dropbox.com/sh/tbuu8vz22jpibip/AADnqiZzizobuB8Ajxh7VkL-a?dl=0The weirdest part was tweaking the pickup patterns on playback. Put it from cardiod to omni, and you can hear my room in omni with any mic model. Dang. Get a couple of these mics and you could re-balance an ensemble after the fact of recording.
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Post by wiz on Aug 10, 2017 15:03:02 GMT -6
Here's another Sphere comparo, before I leave for another five days on the road. Mic into Apollo Twin, linked Stereo. Into DAW. Just vocal, a chorus of "Burnin' For You." In the DAW playback, UAD Sphere software, into UAD 1176AE 8-1, UAD LA-2A Silver, each shaving 1-3 dB off the peaks, UAD Pultec just touching 5k on the broad side, and just attenuating 60z about 1 ½. Typical voice flattering. DP Masterworks limiter shaving another 3-5 dB on the bounce. I bounced a clip of each mic model, tweaking it to get what I thought was the most useful sound on my Focal CMS65's. The surprises to me were the 49, the 57, the 87 and even the 451. No surprise was the 67 and the C12. The Coles I wouldn't sing into, even though I could balance the response with tweaking. And No DSP was pretty good too. Unpack this folder in the Finder or the Windows equivalent and you can switch back and forth rapidly. www.dropbox.com/sh/tbuu8vz22jpibip/AADnqiZzizobuB8Ajxh7VkL-a?dl=0The weirdest part was tweaking the pickup patterns on playback. Put it from cardiod to omni, and you can hear my room in omni with any mic model. Dang. Get a couple of these mics and you could re-balance an ensemble after the fact of recording. Hi donrreally interesting. I really liked the 67 87 and C12. Suprpisingly I thought the 57 sounded really good as well, and immediately thought that in a dense rock mix it might be the best choice. All of them, sounded really good though... what preamp is used? We have come a long way from Antares Mic Modeller which is the first thing of this type I remember using/hearing. I really liked the sound of the 67 8). I can see this thing being really handy for someone who works like I do...alone and doing all the music by themselves...same with things like the kemper and all this virtual stuff. You start a song thinking its one thing, and it becomes something else, having the luxury of being able to shift that vocal recording from the above coles to the 67 or C12 to 57 would be a great thing. Also, doing lots of vocalists it would be handy as well. Nice to hear you sing bud... 8) cheers Wiz
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Post by wiz on Aug 10, 2017 15:04:19 GMT -6
What I would love to hear when you get back from touring if you have the inclination....
Record yourself walking around the mic from say a distance of 5 feet and post that...in omni and cardoid and fig 8 for the mic models... that would tell us about off axis response
cheers
Wiz
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2017 15:25:44 GMT -6
Yeah man. Now that I've had at least 3 whopping hours of shuteye, the 67 and (to my surprise) the 57 were my faves here. I liked the 451, too but not sure if it would be my choice for your voice in a guitar-heavy mix. I'm a big sucker for sound files of folks tinkering with different mic types and settings so, please, feel free to post any of your experiments with the Townsend. I'm very intrigued.
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Post by donr on Aug 10, 2017 16:24:23 GMT -6
The pre's were Apollo Twin Silver, with no Unison plug. You could use two of any pre, as long as you have UAD interface or DSP to run the software and calibrate levels if the pre's don't have detents. Then you need UAD to use the software after recording.
Without the software you can use the mic as a stereo mic, you address the edge of the capsules. The software allows you to blend any combination of models when you use it that way. I haven't tried it yet.
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Post by donr on Aug 10, 2017 21:34:27 GMT -6
Here's the Townsend Sphere mic with the phantom power LED's lit. It's like singing into a little juke box. In the background is WA-76 serial #001. I must have got sent that by mistake!
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Post by NoFilterChuck on Aug 11, 2017 5:43:01 GMT -6
A mic with an LED??? If I had that, I could raise my rates 10% because the sound would be 10% better!!!
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