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Post by bowie on Dec 25, 2016 13:53:00 GMT -6
I find it's much easier to say, "It's not about the gear", when you already own nice gear.
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Post by bowie on Dec 24, 2016 12:48:26 GMT -6
Free video for paid members? Or, free, free?
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Post by bowie on Dec 23, 2016 14:58:26 GMT -6
Top of the line $5000 mbp.... around 6 hours for "office" use... 2TB SSD upgrade $1400 😂 I personally don't get it but I know they have their audience... As the fellow said, "you don't need to be paying this much for computing power these days". I recently helped my friend install his DAW on the last gen MacBook and I didn't care for it at all. He expressed his embarrassment that things were glitchier and slower than on my 5 year old PC which we were performing the same commands on, with the same DAW. He had the portability though so there's that.... though that's the only time it's left his office desk I believe.
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Post by bowie on Dec 22, 2016 19:32:10 GMT -6
Aside from the obvious speculation, consider the fact that whoever buys it from you is going to have the same concerns, but worse because you'll be passing on the story that someone else told you. I always consider these things when purchasing and make sure that I won't be losing money when I go to sell.
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Post by bowie on Dec 22, 2016 14:12:31 GMT -6
I'm trying to figure out what it is. Do you download their tracks and mix them? I usually call that "work" but maybe I'm misunderstanding.
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Post by bowie on Dec 21, 2016 16:19:29 GMT -6
I love SDC shootouts on acoustic. Must have listened to every one I could find before finally deciding to sell off a bunch of mics and get the Schoeps CMC6 platform this year. Absolutely no regrets. Being a tone freak, I used to fuss so much with positioning that the time spent would sometimes affect the take, especially when self-recording. With the Schoeps, the sound is just "there". Glad I finally gave up on fighting with the 184s. Good mics but the freq response was all wrong for the way I mix acoustics. I have a pair of Schoeps CMC's with MK4 capsules. Which capsule do you use on acoustic guitar and what is your placement? I have found that the standard 12th fret placement always is too bright when I use my Schoeps about a foot away, even worse when closer. So, am not completely directional with the mic. I like it better off axis. Also, if I get anywhere past two feet I have trouble with getting enough gain out of my Schoeps for my preamps. I like them best as overheads. They really are great for capturing the kit and particularly the cymbals. My experience is a bit different. I've got the 41 (supercard) and 5 (switchable omni and card, but slightly brighter than the #2 and 4). The 41s sound very natural to me, not bright at all, and I even add a little top sometimes. The omni and card in the #5 have the slight boost that I would normally add in a mix. I personally like the Schoeps at about 2' away and I'm usually between 1.5' and 3' on acoustic with these mics, either in X/Y or spaced at the hole and 12th. I will often do 1' away with other mics but it sort of kills the vibe in the Schoeps for me. It really comes alive, both in tone and dynamics. Gain hasn't been an issue at all, even with my somewhat noisy Millennias. With all that said, I've only had them for a short while and have only been using them on my 12-fret dreads, which are big, loud, and fat sounding. I could see the Schoeps maybe sounding sharp on something like a Taylor, or smaller guitars, or anything naturally bright. FOr me, the Schoeps don't do the same off-axis smoothing that you get from other mics because the Schoeps seem to retain a lot of the tone when off-axis. They don't roll off quite as much, in my experience. That can be good or bad. I like it because I want my instruments to sound exactly how they do in my room. I could see it being frustrating if you're trying to soften up the top end though.
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Post by bowie on Dec 21, 2016 14:30:09 GMT -6
the modified mk012 works for me too but doesn't have the depth of the schoeps. I've always liked the mk012, but it still surprised me relative to the other mics. I thought it was voiced most closely to the schoeps, but sounds flat and 2D in comparison. But in a busy mix... it could easily fit the bill. I was also surprised that I liked the stock mk012 better on the strummed parts. It's warmer and has a bigger bottom than the modded version, which easily wins on the finger picked part for clarity and detail. I think I'll keep one of each, or maybe just buy another pair since they're so cheap. I really liked the Schoeps here.... they seemed to have a little more of a 'sound' compared to the DPA, but it's a nice sound for sure. A little more bottom, and a bit more upper mid forward. DPA's felt a bit more neutral apart form a slight lift up top. But then again, in some cases 'neutral' can equate to boring and lifeless... Cardioid mk4 seemed better for this guitar/room with a bit more focus and clarity. Agree on the KM184's too.... definitely emphasizing some odd/unpleasant frequencies. Even the inexpensive Oktava's easily beat them on frequency response, and pleasing tone. Yeah both the Shoeps sound "right" to me. Not much need for anything else. On second and third listen, I almost prefer the mk2 because it really is the most natural. Depends on the kind of mix this guitar would be used in. The mk2 for a sparse mix, the mk4 for dense (maybe even needing some hpf). But the Shoepes are the clear winner here for me. The thing I discovered in using the Schoeps is that, in clips you hear online, they can sound a bit like the Oktava 012, or any number of SDCs, but using them in person it's another experience entirely. The behavior is different and the ability to communicate what you're hearing in the room (a sense of depth and intimacy at the same time) is something I've only found in a few high-end SDCs. For me, it's a fairly natural and highly textured sound, but seems to flatter everything in a "musical" (pardon the crass, meaningless audiophone terminology) way. The various capsules are interesting because it's not like flipping through patterns on a mic where the freq response shifts drastically. This is more like adjusting how much of the room you want in the track, without changing the fundamental tonal balance of the instrument all that much. For me, there are few "bad" mics. Everything has an application. But, once in a great while I find gear that just clicks with me and I think, "Where have you been all my life??" These are very much a joy to work with.
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Post by bowie on Dec 21, 2016 14:02:32 GMT -6
Heads up; the emails DHL sends to notify you of duties look like poorly written spam/pishing emails and they won't deliver until you respond. I ignored them for a month until I realized a package was late and then found out DHL was about to send it back to Germany. bowie, do they look like this? I am waiting on something from them, and if this is legit, it certainly does look like every other spam. Precisely. I'm glad you posted that because I really wanted people to understand what I was talking about. They looked like that and I believe one I received from a supervisor (a "last notice") which had several font colors and screamed "unprofessional". DHL doesn't seem to realize how spam-weary Americans are. There's no way in hell I was going to open the attachment or respond, until I realized I was missing a shipment. Even then, I didn't go through the email, I just called them and inquired.
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Post by bowie on Dec 21, 2016 1:31:44 GMT -6
Here's my question to Mr. Bowie (glad you joined the forum). Who is your apprentice that you are training that I can contact when you decide to hang it up and retire? You obviously are THE tube authority and I hugely respect that. I've been meaning to get a hold of you to buy a few tubes. But what am I gonna do when people with your knowledge go away? You'll be screwed! Ha ha! Absolutely kidding of course. There are many people out there who know a lot about tubes. Quite a few of them have more technical knowledge than I do about electronics in general. Though, (without trying to sound boastful) I probably do a lot more listening and comparing tubes, and I might be one of the few tube guys who thoroughly understands pro-audio. I think that's how I found this niche market (or it found me), because I'm able to communicate with engineers in great detail. And, then there's that customer service stuff too. As long as people keep asking for tubes, I'll keep wanting to find good ones for them. Retirement is a long way off as I'm relatively young for this type of work (40) and tube money doesn't afford one early retirement. If I don't land as a musician or inherit the family business, I'll be happy to do this for a while to come, supplementing income with gear building, repairs, and engineering. You bring up a great subject though, which is the wealth of technical knowledge that is disappearing. It's particularly concerning in the mic field. We lost an asset to the gear building community when Oliver A passed a couple years back. I think a lot of guys in niche fields do the most demanding work by themselves, and sometimes even work alone, meaning there is a lack of passing on info and technique.
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Post by bowie on Dec 20, 2016 23:45:09 GMT -6
I love SDC shootouts on acoustic. Must have listened to every one I could find before finally deciding to sell off a bunch of mics and get the Schoeps CMC6 platform this year. Absolutely no regrets. Being a tone freak, I used to fuss so much with positioning that the time spent would sometimes affect the take, especially when self-recording. With the Schoeps, the sound is just "there". Glad I finally gave up on fighting with the 184s. Good mics but the freq response was all wrong for the way I mix acoustics.
I still like certain LDCs on acoustic, including 414s. Would love to try the DPA 4011s. It was between them and the Schoeps but the modularity (is that a word?) won out. SE made a modular SDC, the 'SE4', which I still have and like. They sometimes go ridiculously cheap on the used market these days. Crazy air on that one so it's a nice contrast to the Schoeps, though it's not on "that" level.
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Post by bowie on Dec 20, 2016 14:13:13 GMT -6
It's clearly tongue-in-cheek. I thought it was clever, almost an inside joke for musicians. If you didn't get it, think along these lines;
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Post by bowie on Dec 20, 2016 13:59:39 GMT -6
I can't really help but here are some random questions… a) What are you planning of getting or at least how much does it cost? (Is it a mic or a console?) b) Can you not find a dealer in the US? Even if the price is a bit higher in US, it might be cheaper considering customs and shipping. c) Have you asked the German dealer about the costs involved? Just thinking out loud really A) Pair of small items. Pair would cost $1500 in the US, $1050 after shipping from the German dealer (website shows cost of shipping to US). B) If customs aren't involved, I'd be saving 1/3rd the price. Probably a bit better price than buying used here in the US (if I could even find them used). C) Haven't talked to the dealer. Figure it's best to have my ducks in a row and cash in hand for the purchase before contacting the dealer. You're right at that point where it might be cheaper to have them shipped separately rather than together. That's what I would do at least. I'm not speaking of tax dodging either as the courier fees alone (which kick in around $2k in my experience) are often more expensive than the extra shipping charge. It's always good to talk to the exporter but, to be honest, few of them are able to keep up with the import duties in other countries. People often ask me what they will be charged but when I ship internationally, which I do on a weekly basis, I'm given zero info about what the customer will see in terms of duties. You may want to ask the seller who they ship with, then contact the courier to inquire about duties and fees.
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Post by bowie on Dec 19, 2016 14:27:27 GMT -6
It's not exactly gear, but I import cases of tubes from Germany and the UK a few times a year and here's what I've found. If it's around $1,500 or less, I've never had duties charged at the time of receipt. On shipments valued $2k or more, I've been charged every time. To give you an idea, it's been between $65 and $160 on $2,500 deliveries. Some of that covers duties, some of it is the fee that the courier charges themselves for the processing (just a cash grab). To pay the duties, you either get an email in advance allowing you to pay online, or you cut the UPS/Fedex/DHL person a check when they bring the package to your door. Heads up; the emails DHL sends to notify you of duties look like poorly written spam/pishing emails and they won't deliver until you respond. I ignored them for a month until I realized a package was late and then found out DHL was about to send it back to Germany.
Now, from what I understand, whether or not you are charged duties at the time of delivery, you are still technically obligated to cover these duties and report them. I don't think that there is any agency actually pursuing duties from anyone other than large importers. But, if you want to have your ducks in a row, you may want to look into it.
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Post by bowie on Dec 18, 2016 15:59:21 GMT -6
Thank you all for the kind words. It's truly humbling to have such support. Tube selection is a tricky thing. People tend to think of them a bulbs, that they're either "good" or "bad", but there are many, many factors at play. Rather than just recommending specific types, I'll try to give a general primer that gives a bit of a "bigger picture" view of tubes and tube selection.
NOS vs Modern; Tubes are something of a novelty today compared to times when they were powered the world, and governments were putting serious money into tube development. Countries like Russia and China (which produce the majority of tubes today) never caught up with the US and Europe when it came to tube technology, nor did they inherit the techniques used. It would seem simple enough to reverse engineer such things in today's day and age but, with little R&D budget for tubes now, the quality is lacking these days. Not just the designs, but the labor, materials, and the fact that environmental regulations have changed the game a bit too. This translates into things like a much shorter lifespan, diminished bandwidth, smearing of tone, less detail, poor saturation characteristics, etc. Modern tubes can sound just fine so don't take this as a flat-out dismissal. But, quality has changed. Just buying NOS isn't an easy solution either though. Prices are escalating every year while good ones get cherry picked and bad ones are re-circulated into the market. Not all "NOS" brands were good to begin with. There are plenty of mediocre vintage tubes. And, noise and other issues plague vintage and modern tubes alike. There are times when buying NOS is preferable, and there are plenty of situations when it makes sense to go with modern production instead. Just two examples; if your high-end mic takes a 12AT7, it completely makes sense to get a good NOS piece. If your low-end guitar amp needs EL34s, I highly recommend modern options as NOS EL34s have become painfully expensive and most of what is left out there is used or B-stock.
Criteria; Even seemingly identical tubes from the same batch can vary in "strength" (including how they bias at various voltages), noise (hiss, hum, crackle, microphonics, etc), tone, health (gas, cathode leaks, etc), and certain other behaviors. It's helpful to know what the circuit requires. For instance, let's take an amp. An expensive, low noise selected British Mullard 12AX7 might sound beautiful in an input stage. But, if it's not balanced, it could be a poor choice for the phase inverter stage of the same amp, and would be a big waste of money. Likewise, a great tube selected for the phase inverter might be too noisy for the input stage. In pro-audio, our biggest struggle with tubes is noise. You'll see tubes advertised as "low noise", but keep in mind that the major consumers of tubes are casual guitarists and home stereo enthusiasts. Their gear usually doesn't have anywhere near the same noise sensitivity as something like a mic and they aren't seriously compressing, EQing, and amplifying the signal several times in a row through mixing and mastering. A tube that's severely noisy in a mic might sound dead-quiet in a Fender Champ. This can be problematic for the audio engineer who is buying tubes as the standards for "low noise", as defined by most tube dealers, falls far short of what the engineer might need and dealers usually don't have the equipment to detect low level noises. You may have heard mic techs saying they went through something like 10 tubes to find an ideal one. I recall a conversation with a major mic manufacturer who asked me about 6072 selection. He had acquired several hundred from a supplier and was shocked that this "microphone tube" (as it's often called) had such a low yield. In most cases, low level tube noise is normal and the tubes are useable in most gear. Certain types of gear, more specifically, certain portions of those circuits, just require a very careful selection of tubes.
Testing; I've tested thousands of tubes and the longer I do it, the more complicated it seems to get as I'm always finding other ways in which a tube can go wrong. I miss the days of blissful ignorance when I would stick a tube in the tester and it would tell me how strong, and/or noisy a tube was. I quickly found that the results somehow weren't translating in application. Unfortunately, the vintage units that make up 99% of the testers out there do a poor job at determining tube strength, matching, noise, etc. If you have the technical savvy, you can test the tubes in the actual circuit (the gear) but that's a bit beyond what most engineers are willing or able to do for each tube change. Good testers, that will run the tubes at real-world voltages and meter it accurately, will run several hundred dollars. Even then, you'll find many quirks in each tester that make them untrustworthy in certain areas. At nearly $3k, you can get a digital Amplitrex tester that you can program to test at the bias points you will see in-circuit, it runs the only decent gas and leak test I've ever seen, and will give very accurate testing and matching. But, you still have to have to know how to interpret the results. It has quirks of it's own. It can't detect low-level noise that's relevant in pro-audio. Can't check the quality of tone. And, you can't get around the fact that tubes do not start at "100%" and go down to zero. Determining strength and life requires a lot of experience with various types and brands (as well as some educated guessowrk). To complicate things, tubes change as they burn in initially. They may drift in strength, become quieter, noisier, the tone changes, etc. I've seen perfectly matched pairs drift to being terribly matched after just a few hours. Also, tone can vary as well, even when the tubes look identical. I don't say these things to dissuade people from getting into testing their own tubes. I think it can be fascinating, and a lot of fun. The above are just some of the things I deal with on a day to day basis when screening tubes for pro-audio applications.
Acquiring; Full disclosure; I deal in tubes. But, I will make every effort to give you unbiased advice here and people can feel free to speak up if they disagree. The 3 main ways of buying tubes will be to either; 1) find or buy untested/minimally tested and do the screening yourself, 2) get them from a dealer who has done normal level testing and see if they are satisfactory in your gear, 3) get them from a gear tech who screens them in the actual gear or something similar. The price of the tubes tends to go up as you travel from option 1 to option 3, though it never ceases to amaze me the number of high-priced/minimally tested tubes out there too. The reason this all isn't easier is that most dealers have no interest in setting up the type of equipment required to screen tubes for pro-audio use. It's much easier to do normal testing and deal with returns than spend the money and time on screening. It's hard to stay profitable when you require a lot of equipment and have low product yield (as my wife frequently reminds me).
If I can answer any questions, just let me know. I love sharing information on forums but I don't feel right about self-promoting on them so if anyone wants to inquire about specific brand recommendations or about buying tubes, please email me at ProAudioTubes at aol.com instead. -Christian "Bowie" Whitmore
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Post by bowie on Dec 16, 2016 17:15:22 GMT -6
Get the AMI bodies. I've purchased them twice and they are a great option for those who want a competently made, no delays, no surprises, no screwing around kit for their project. The basket is nicely shaped and beautiful (none of the bloated look I've seen in some poorly made ones). The plating has held up over the last couple years. I really like the P2P acrylic platforms. Just be very careful with the heat or they will spiderweb. I followed Oliver's advice on recreating the original wiring loom layout and it turned out fab, with very low noise. For tubes, I've tried several preferred the Phillips/Sylvania 5840 (some of which are labeled for Raytheon). The first kit I ordered came with Panasonic caps, which I normally like, but upgrading them opened up the top end.
Sound-wise, I'm still experimenting with parts but it's definitely got an M49 vibe. Pulls a lot of information out of the room and brings it forward in a big, dreamy way without being muddy. Mids are intimate. Highs roll off a little but you mostly notice it when A/Bing against other mics. When solo'd, the presentation sounds reasonably balanced and smooth. Don't expect a hyped top end like most modern mics have. Much of the tone will depend on the parts you use but Oliver's 5840-based schematic is solid and recommended. Don't go the AC701 route with a DIY M49.
If you're looking for a mount, I would avoid the Peluso yoke mount. I've been unhappy with it and received no reply from the company about my concerns.
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Post by bowie on Dec 15, 2016 21:06:59 GMT -6
I fought with Reaper for a couple years until finding Studio One and have never looked back. Don't get me wrong, I liked Reaper better than PT, but it's ultimately no where near as intuitive for me as Studio One. With Reaper, I had to look up how to do every procedure I wanted to do, same as when I learned PT. In S1 the majority of things are laid out where I would expect and I rarely have to look up instructions.
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Post by bowie on Dec 14, 2016 15:02:05 GMT -6
Buy this book, Melody In Songwriting by Jack Perricone. Berklee Press Apparently it forms the basis of the Berklee songwriting course. It's a fantastic book, I use it when teaching songwriting to students, it goes very deep, breaking down a few famous songs. But the author provides lot's of excellent examples based on little exercises which are every bit as good as looking at famous songs. The stuff on Bass Melody Relationship is just fantastic and thought provoking. Over the years, I have broken down and analyised hundreds and hundreds of hit songs, and yet I still got lot's of great tips and concepts from this book. Highly recommended :-) That sounds like just the thing I'm looking for. Just ordered one.
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Post by bowie on Dec 13, 2016 13:23:53 GMT -6
BTW, I've got a pair of low mileage AKG 414 EB's with brass capsules. What would be the highest and best use of those capsules and or mics? Probably just keep them stock. I have an earlier version of that mic and love it on make vocals and larger acoustic guitars. As far as mic graveyards go, I tend to sell anything that hasn't been used in a while. I get a guilty/nervous feeling if I find myself hoarding. It's caused me to sell a lot of guitars, mics, etc that I really liked. Can't play em all I guess.
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Post by bowie on Dec 12, 2016 17:17:35 GMT -6
I do this a lot and will often just use clips or, in smaller spaces, just the tension from a partial wrap around a turret. Never do this in a power section or some area that will cause damage or failure if the connection fails. If you hear noise or low gain, the connection needs to be improved. But, generally you can test out coupling caps without soldering.
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Post by bowie on Dec 12, 2016 14:11:40 GMT -6
I've read a number of songwriting books over the years but was wondering if you've seen any that serve more as song studies; breaking down popular songs, showing what makes them clever. Most books focus a chapter on each component and will mention certain songs as examples. I want to see the songs themselves dissected and explained. Thanks!
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Post by bowie on Dec 9, 2016 23:13:38 GMT -6
Would love to hear some more recommendations. I prefer speakers for my own performance but it's sometimes just not acceptable (particularly with a metronome track on a vocal/acoustic song). Well, that's why they make mechanical metronomes with a moving wand or electronic ones with a flashing light. Well, Bowie, I understand you're a pretty handy cat with an iron - make something out of a set with a dead side. It's just a minor mod to the plug end and chopping off the dead side. I have seen some one sided headsets but they're primarily cueing phones for djs. I've tried the flashing type and they just don't work out for me, but thanks. And, you're right, I really should DIY a 1-ear can. I have a couple of old sets I can use for this. Not only do I need them for myself, but I've had a lot of clients that like them on one-ear only and the other side often distracts them as it slips off their head. In fact, I'm looking at an old set as I type this and I bet I can keep the frame and cushioning ring for stability, and just core out the driver and housing to have a good sized opening. This should be fun.
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Post by bowie on Dec 9, 2016 23:03:15 GMT -6
Christian, welcome. The tube I bought for my mic from you is excellent. The tubes for my headphone amp, also superb. They're not 1 ear, but I reiterate in this thread, that I love my Focal Spirit Professionals. They are just a tad tight new, and I do not have a large head. (I bought a new pair, when my original pair had a problem.) But, I will gladly tell anyone who wants to know, what I learned about, if I want to decrease the tension on my new pair, should I choose. Chas! Was just thinking of you yesterday when helping someone with their headphone amp and GT rack gear. I'll looks into the Focals. Thx for the recommendation.
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Post by bowie on Dec 9, 2016 23:00:32 GMT -6
Would love to hear some more recommendations. I prefer speakers for my own performance but it's sometimes just not acceptable (particularly with a metronome track on a vocal/acoustic song). I have the DT880s which create the same problem as a speaker. And, some closed AT's which still leak too much. I'd actually like to find something with just one ear. I know I've seen them before (maybe in aviation). Is there anything like that with decent enough sound for tracking? We have Beyer DT770's (closed back) which are pretty common for tracking. They do have somewhat hyped low's and highs but are never-the-less still decent sounding and IMO are much better than our Sony MDR7506's which were jangly harsh and not very robust. We also have some ATH-M50X headphones which are smoother in the highs than the Beyers but I find them rather bass heavy. The DT770's are very comfortable and do seal better around the ears than the AT's and Sonarworks also offer an EQ calibration plugin if you want a flatter response. The Beyer's also stand up well to pretty high levels. Thanks. I really love my Beyer cans and earbuds and have been leaning toward the 770. I hate to spend that much on tracking cans but I can use them elsewhere and I think it may be one of those inevitable purchases where I buy them and then wonder why I wasted 3 years thinking about it but not doing it.
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Post by bowie on Dec 9, 2016 20:30:02 GMT -6
Would love to hear some more recommendations. I prefer speakers for my own performance but it's sometimes just not acceptable (particularly with a metronome track on a vocal/acoustic song). I have the DT880s which create the same problem as a speaker. And, some closed AT's which still leak too much.
I'd actually like to find something with just one ear. I know I've seen them before (maybe in aviation). Is there anything like that with decent enough sound for tracking?
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Post by bowie on Dec 8, 2016 14:23:10 GMT -6
For a while, I was so active on there it was a part-time job. Have found some AMAZING deals. Now, I hardly bother with CL any more. It's changed and I can't drive across town just to take a roll of the dice that I might save a few bucks. I've come across so much gear with hidden issues, faked guitars, etc. Even selling, I get about 9 people saying they're going to come by for every 1 who actually does.
I don't recall all the lame excuses but I have an interesting story; about 3 years ago I wanted to buy a motorcycle so I contacted several people who advertised theirs as "runs great". I said, "If it's in the condition you say, and you can ride it over here, I'll pay your asking price." Throughout the week I had half a dozen people agreed to this and say they were on their way. Only one successfully made the ride. It's been a great bike.
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