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Post by kevinnyc on May 10, 2017 6:11:35 GMT -6
Looking forward to hearing your impressions! Cool. It's got some stiff competition (Serpent SA3a). If you don't love them, or at least really, really like them you'll be the first person I've encountered with such an opinion Looking forward to your thoughts on how they perform vs the Serpents...
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Post by kevinnyc on May 8, 2017 16:02:49 GMT -6
rowmat - do you have one? What do you liken it to? They mention : "The MP566 is a dual-triode vacuum tube circuit preamplifier based on a design that has been used in several famous devices from the 50's," Thoughts on that?? And/or what it emulates.... THX! I'm also interested in hearing about this pre...I have some other sound skulptor Kit and love it....this pre is on my list!
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Post by kevinnyc on May 2, 2017 8:47:45 GMT -6
I liked the clips where the male singer didn't sing sharp on the " ..Love that makes you who you are.." That F# was sharp a lot of the time, and it would bias my opinion of the mic. He's fairly in tune on the Shure KSM32, both Manleys, the Behringer C1, the Avantone CV12, the U87ai, the ELA M 251e, the Telefunken U47. He was really sharp on the AT 5040, the Lauten CLARION FC-357, the U47FET, I didn't check them all. Not to knock the singer, it's a comment on the shootout process. I wonder if a full range speaker into the mics with just one recorded performance wouldn't be a fairer comparison. I just didn't like the lesser vocal performances as well. I also tended to favor the mics that got a bit more sense of the room over those that didn't. Don illustrates the difficulty I have in ascribing any value beyond the entertainment value of listening to other people's shootouts in their environment... In addition to performance related things that skew my ability/desire to try and be objective, I also find my own creative aesthetics (often seemingly at odds with whomever is doing the shootout) to get in the way of me being able to evaluate any particular piece of gear... If I don't like the genre, performance, recording, etc., etc. ad infinitum I have a really hard time getting past my own subjective peculiarities... That said, it's never stopped me enjoying all manner of gear shootouts
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Post by kevinnyc on Apr 27, 2017 7:43:15 GMT -6
For me it's a little bit like guitar amps...Remember the early Marshalls with only one volume knob? If you wanted "that" sound you needed to play at ear splitting volume...
With the introduction of a gain and master volume control our tonal options increased geometrically...
It's one of the many reasons I love the VP28...
But like with amps, if the situation calls for a Fender I'd use a Fender...
Mic Pre wise if the situation calls for something less thick than a VP28 I'll reach for a non-CAPI pre...fortunately those situations, for me anyway, are extremely rare 😀
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Post by kevinnyc on Apr 25, 2017 4:49:22 GMT -6
Yes. If between a vp26 and VP28 I'll use the 28 100% of time. It's the same circuit so the differences would be less than say a 28 vs 312.
I really enjoy the filters on the 28....currently I'm rocking 5 vp28s and 2 vp312di working my way towards an all vp28 front end...
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Post by kevinnyc on Apr 24, 2017 15:43:13 GMT -6
For me the feature set of the VP28 makes it the clear (and superb) choice...
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Post by kevinnyc on Apr 14, 2017 16:53:43 GMT -6
Gonna build a second so I can have a pair on clean and acoustic guitar bus....for about $800 all in...
I appreciate that just like my elop....it's real hard to use it wrong....and that forgiving quality sometimes saves my ass when I'm wearing multiple hats....i.e. Performing while recording myself and others...
The slow attack push/pull knob is a nice feature too!
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Post by kevinnyc on Apr 14, 2017 10:17:41 GMT -6
Well, Apparently we share the same affliction...
For my money, anything by CAPI, Sound Skulptor and JLM audio make me extraordinarily happy....Haven't gotten into hairball yet but they're on my list...
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Post by kevinnyc on Apr 14, 2017 9:15:33 GMT -6
Otherwise the build was well documented and I don't remember any panic or befuddlement at the time...
I think at that point my other build experience included probably 3 VP28's, and a VP312 or two...
I'm REAL happy with the cp5176 though....The 2:1 is SUPER useful for a style of compression that can get "grabby."
I use it all the time before a Manley elop on vocals as my version of the 1176/LA2A combo...
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Post by kevinnyc on Apr 14, 2017 9:08:51 GMT -6
I'm rather embarrassed to admit that the calibration process eludes me...I had someone do the calibration for me...
I'm embarrassed as I have two CAPI FC526s and a JLM LA500 in need of calibration.....which hasn't stopped me from using them uncalibrated as they still sound great....
My apologies for being less than helpful...
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Post by kevinnyc on Apr 14, 2017 8:08:38 GMT -6
Isn't the A Designs hammer known specifically for its smooth high end?
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Post by kevinnyc on Apr 14, 2017 5:09:47 GMT -6
I built the CP5176 compressor. It's a beast, I love it. Very well designed kits and they were super helpful when I ran into some rookie build issues....
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Post by kevinnyc on Mar 16, 2017 12:11:34 GMT -6
Guitar amps, horns and sometimes OH's with an hi-shelf lift during tracking...
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Post by kevinnyc on Feb 11, 2017 11:03:49 GMT -6
CAPI all the way...
My first 6 space rack was the Lindell, which crapped out just after the warranty expired and I can't get a straight answer from anyone where I can get it serviced...
Built the CAPI now I can sleep comfortably at night.
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Post by kevinnyc on Feb 8, 2017 14:48:44 GMT -6
Very cool....
Was just laying in bed with iTunes on shuffle and hitting a lot of 70's tunes with nice string arrangements and realizing how much I missed it....and larger live ensembles in general...
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Post by kevinnyc on Feb 6, 2017 17:33:51 GMT -6
Just scored two pcbs....
Anyone have links to the bom?
Thanks in advance!
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Post by kevinnyc on Jan 27, 2017 6:17:46 GMT -6
What, no Fairchild?
😀
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Post by kevinnyc on Jan 25, 2017 8:39:39 GMT -6
If someone wants to give me their shitty old SSL from the 80's I'll find a way to pay the electricity bills and will somehow suffer through the preamps...
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Post by kevinnyc on Jan 13, 2017 8:03:10 GMT -6
My DIY experience had been limited primarily to Jeff's kits and a few other 500 series modules before building the rack and power supply.
I had precisely the same concerns as you do, but can assure you that the 11space rack and power supply kit is as well conceived as the other CAPI kits you've put together.....if you can follow concise and articulate directions you're golden...
Like me, you'll be incredibly satisfied with yourself and the end result....
Enjoy!
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Post by kevinnyc on Jan 4, 2017 9:53:01 GMT -6
If you watch the youtube videos and do exactly what the guy on there does its easy enough. Calibrating the q bias takes a moment the first few and can be frustrating but eventually you 'get it' and the rest of the process goes by actually quickly. what are you using for signal generating if I may ask...
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Post by kevinnyc on Jan 4, 2017 9:04:36 GMT -6
anyone have any experience with the hairball 500 series? Are they as easy to build? Do they sound exactly the same as the rack version? FWIW, I built the Rev A 500 series as my first ever DIY project. Took me a long time but I had a pretty steep learning curve due to inexperience. I love it though. Great comp. How was the calibration experience...I have a number of different builds not quite finished as a result of some psychological aversion I seem to have for the process 😜
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Post by kevinnyc on Dec 27, 2016 10:11:31 GMT -6
I would put an SM57 near the beater 180 degrees out of phase to capture click and a decent bass drum mic out in front and blend them to suit the song. I didn't have a mic stand that would work in that spot when I cut the track, but I have used that method when I encountered this before. But now that we are not linear-locked I think every DAW should just eliminate the polarity switch entirely. If phase cancellation is present, rarely, if ever is polarity reversal the best remedy. Just put the wave forms next to each other and nudge the channel with the microphone most distant from the source until the waveforms hit peak voltage at the same time. Once you figure this out, another lightbulb goes off, what if something sounds more pleasing and complex with some degree of cancellation? Think about the most amazing bass cabinet of all time, the SVT 8-ten inch comb filter factory. Now you know why i don't sleep much at night....smile... You've got the affliction bad, I see...
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Post by kevinnyc on Dec 23, 2016 17:02:48 GMT -6
VP312s on OHs VP28s on everything else....
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Post by kevinnyc on Dec 23, 2016 14:06:19 GMT -6
My mistake in presuming Sam Ash would be a reputable dealer...
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Post by kevinnyc on Dec 23, 2016 13:31:49 GMT -6
How did I know this would evolve into a warning and a love-fest for the higher-end stuff? FWIW, I'd be OK with a smaller box. The more I think of it, I can't see needing more than 6 spaces for my little home studio and home brewed recordings. The Lindell 506 and the Fredenstein Bento 6 both come in well under $400. Regarding resiliency and tight connectors, I'd probably end up racking stuff up once, throw it on a table and never move it again. We're talking LIGHT duty. Yeah, you get what you pay for, but if I'm spending $650+ for a box with nothing in it, and the major reason is for pre-amps (not to mention that I have to explain to my wife why an empty box costs $750), I might as well save a few more pennies and get a nice 19" rack'o preamps or a channel strip of some sort. I was toying with the hybrid idea and having 500 series stuff is probably the only way I could afford to make that happen, but if I never leave the box once I get in there I doubt I'll lose any sleep. I bought a Lindell 506. Shortly after the warranty elapsed it failed. I went to the store I purchased it at and they had no idea how to help me. They gave me the number of their importer/distribute r who never called me back then the number of a repair place several hours north of NYC... They told me they were a music store but had a guy who sublet space from them who did repairs and would I just call back when he was there... I finally did what I should have done from the get go.....buy CAPI and sleep well at night... The Lindell currently functions as a door stop.
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