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Post by jeromemason on Mar 29, 2019 14:01:00 GMT -6
Man, I'm going to have to disagree with you there. I examined some of these new brushless stepper motors the other day, it was at a hobby shop (Yes, I fly RC, I'm a total geek) and these things were next to nothing and the precision that they had was insane. I really should say resolution, I don't know how they did that, but I honestly could not feel any dead space in the steps of that motor, I was blown away. I think technology will allow this to happen. P&G's are great, but technology will allow companies like SSL to use something exponentially cheaper with the same exact feel. In my lifetime I believe there will be the board I described, made by SSL, with flying faders, with DAW control/automation and it will be under $5k. I don’t doubt that the tech is available today for somebody to possibly build a better cheap motorized fader, I don’t think the market is there to recoup the development and manufacturing costs to justify doing it. The only markets left for these faders are Audio and some mil-spec replacement. I’ll bet even P&G is selling their lowend digital encoders at least 100 to one for every motorized fader, probably closer to 1000 to 1. While yes in the hobby area you are looking at retail pricing so you probably would get a better brake wholesale, you are probably looking at units bought as lots from wholesalers. For consistency and QC most would want in a fader your going to want to deal direct with a manufacturer and I don’t think your going to hit the numbers for that. Through in the cost of rejects that hit the manufacturers QC marks but not yours, the fact that your still going to need to buy Fader mechanisms from TKD, P&G or who ever now owns what was ALPs because a Fader factory build would bankrupt you. Why wouldn’t one of the established fader makers do it? A significant amount of their market wants what they already have so they want to hit the numbers they hit now to keep those clients happy and again the market just isn’t that big. I don't know man, I think there is already the tech there...... And a company like SSL would be investing in the future, putting up the R&D for a miniature high resolution motor would be peanuts to what they'd save and also what they'd be able to offer. Bottom line is this. Companies like SSL are losing not only the hobbyist and bedroom producers, they're losing the big fish now. When a guy that used to have a giant SSL4000E in his room now has a little desk with a few choice outboard pieces and a summing rig, and had to build a special shelf to put his grammy's on instead of all over that SSL console, they've got a problem. And that same guy is still getting grammy's, so now SSL has to build something that doesn't cost much more than the summing rig he's got but gives him the exact euphonic feeling his old SSL gave him. That's what SSL has to do now. I had a SSL6000E...... It took me 5 years to come up with something that gave me a sense of what that console would do, just enough to make me happy with my product, and for me not the customers sake. Hell I could do it in the box all day and still have happy customers, they don't listen to that stuff, but I do and I want my mixes to have a certain flavor and feel to them. They'll come up with something like I described and in that price range or they'll wither and die, and that'll be sad because those consoles made a shitload of references we use today to sculpt our mixes to.
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SSL Six
Mar 28, 2019 10:13:16 GMT -6
Post by jeromemason on Mar 28, 2019 10:13:16 GMT -6
Not with moving faders, while it might be possible to build it the service and support the cheap motor faders would need would be impossible to deliver with the current dealers and their reputation would take a major hit. Now you could maybe do it with a VCA system and Encoders but I’ll bet SSL knows the importance of the feel of a P&G fader to their brand. I think if they want to expand the brand a SSL version of that Audient / Focusrite brand would be a good place to start. I think the thinking at SSL is one of a Modular SSL studio and products that stand on their own and can intergrate with SSL’s summing systems. In my mind this is the dumbest thing SSL did since dumping the Xpanda. I would think that an expandable small mixer that you could add and easily intergrate EQ and comps with labeled SSL, Neve or API would be money in the long run. To most and the target for this it’s not Just the brand that’s going to sell it, it needs the look and feel. Man, I'm going to have to disagree with you there. I examined some of these new brushless stepper motors the other day, it was at a hobby shop (Yes, I fly RC, I'm a total geek) and these things were next to nothing and the precision that they had was insane. I really should say resolution, I don't know how they did that, but I honestly could not feel any dead space in the steps of that motor, I was blown away. I think technology will allow this to happen. P&G's are great, but technology will allow companies like SSL to use something exponentially cheaper with the same exact feel. In my lifetime I believe there will be the board I described, made by SSL, with flying faders, with DAW control/automation and it will be under $5k.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 27, 2019 21:08:44 GMT -6
[/quote]“I would really like to see them design a board for advanced home/basement/small room users that's easier to follow than their other various small desks. I can't keep up with all their models and what they do. I'd love for them to use their clout and experience to see how far they could go with this same concept for 3k. That would be enough to make me rethink much of my setup, and just use the desk for recording and insert some choice outboard. [/quote]
SSL could easily make a 16 channel desk that had full channel strips and a mic/line button, flying faders, DAW intergration, their mixbuss compressor and the talkback circuit all for $5k if they wanted. With how good they’ve gotten at baking boards and the fact they have all that technology that all need be done is copy and paste into the main board schematic, it could be done and they’d make good profit too. If there was a 16 channel desk and they used the circuits that made them famous, that was $5k id sell my rig and buy it.
They don’t need to do modular in something like that so it could literally just be a main PCB that had it all. And their buss comp doesn’t cost that much to make...... in this board they’ve already learned the new VCAs are just fine. They could do it, and a lot of guys like me would buy it. I’d prefer the super analogue pres too, but make the rest off a 4000 or 6000. 16 channels hitting their mixbuss and to the comp would give the feel of a large format 4000/6000. Be cool if they put a stereo channel in with the “wide” knob too. They could do it, I think in my lifetime they will at some point, they’re going to have to. ITB is sounding better and better and a lot of high up pros are full out going there, and guess what, still putting #1s on the chart. If I got handed a song that was as good as what they get handed I’d be on the charts right now, it’s all about the talent and song. They mix themselves.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 25, 2019 12:23:18 GMT -6
HMMM, one of those with a Silver Bullet on the inserts??? I think you got that backwards. It's best to treat the SB as the "console" and hub due to its multiple I/O and workflow features. I would advocate inserting the outboard into the console and not the console into the outboard. Maybe it's just me but the modern SSL sound is not what I think of when I think "mojo". Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe their Super Analogue design goal is transparency (no electrolytics in the signal path, wide bandwidth circuits, extremely low distortion specs, DC servos, etc.). On the spectrum of Clean to Mojo I'd put SSL very much towards the former. Brad The Super Analogue is definitely very very clean. Basically not there at all. I will say the guy I first worked for bought one of the first rack SSL Super Analogue channel strips, had the Pre>EQ>Compressor. I have to admit that it did sound really good because the EQ had a lot of sway over the sound, he used it on his vocal channel with one of the AKG C12 remakes (the green ones) and just dialing in some low mid, cutting some 2k and shelving 3db at around 12k...... Sucker sounded smooth and nice. The older 4000 and 6000e preamps had a sound, but I hated it. I never liked those preamps and only ever used them on like the hi hat, OH's, Rooms and other non centric sources. They were very shrill. I always mixed on the console so I used the line ins obviously, and the sound of the channel, going through the eq compressor and the summing buss, that had a sound and I wouldn't say mojo, it just made your mix open up and solidified whatever was in the center of your mix. SSL used -4.5db panning law, i know that's what you're monitoring, but it did seem to make getting a nice open mix achieved quickly. Maybe it did have some effect on the mix, I don't know, I just know that pulling all those channels through the consoles circuitry and it's mixbuss, finally onto the buss compressor, it has a sound and has a sweet spot too. You had to push your mix into the buss comp and it's mixbuss just at the right level and it would just appear. To me that was always a lot of fun, it took craft and patience but it was fun. Mojo though, I agree with you, for the SSL sound that'd be the wrong term, to me mojo is getting a color that makes you happy and the type of mojo to me changes from mix to mix. Your Silver Bullet is great for that, you've got the right circuits in there that should have anyone looking for mojo covered!
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 24, 2019 14:52:02 GMT -6
The songs fairly pop from the laptop speakers, I've yet to be able to do that as an amateur recordist. Clean with heft and heart and soul. I'd like to hear more. And you just told me what we told Bruce Dickinson on the SNL skit. Hahaha that’s classic! Good ole Bruce. And just like anything else you do, it took time for me to understand audio to make it do what I’d LIKE it to do.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 23, 2019 23:12:10 GMT -6
Jerome, I went to iTunes and listened to the Shotgun Rider tunes you mixed, they sound great. You're doing something right. : ) Well, man I sure thank you and that means a lot coming from a guy such as yourself. I am very humbled by that! I've got some more stuff coming out on that label really soon. I just mixed back to back two LP's for them and the Exec Producer I work for on that label has a crazy ability of finding some really amazing bands and artist. I'll have to remember to put a link up in the "what you're working on" section and tag you. One of the acts is this older guy from New England area, he's probably in his 60's, not a strong singer, but the guys lyrics and his idea's for production completely nullify he's not John Legend behind the mic. The other is a girl, she has a slick radio ready voice, one of the best I've mixed at phrasing and knowing how to draw you in with how she manipulates her voice, that's more pop/pop country but still awesome production and just incredible mixes. Thanks again man, that definitely does mean a lot from you!
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 23, 2019 20:54:32 GMT -6
Can we try assembling a complete hypothetical system, one that gets me the kind of weight the SSL and Neve's have under $10,000. I'll keep the Apollo as I'm OK with the new converters, but I'm open to using the Dangerous boxes for color. I like the RTZ Preamp, the Retro 176, the Neve tape sims, and that Wes Audio Dione compressor, or something similar. Some EQ I guess, but which one, Pultec clone maybe? Or am I better off getting one of the mini boards that have some vibey transformers or is it just one of the Dangerous Music boxes? I dug what I heard on the Youtube demo of the Neve and Wes Audio, and I dug Jerome Mason's system too. Or should I just look at a soundboard like cowboycoalminer and kcat have, plus some outboard? I'm leaning toward not having a board, I like a DAW and some nice outboard for tracking and the 2 bus. I enjoy some plug-ins too. And then there's the summing mixer concept, some love, some say is a waste. I'll probably see what I like, step by step and it'll take a year or two. I like what AudiScape is doing with the 2 bus SSL style compressor and the Sta-Level type compressor, so I'd like to hear those too. My formula works.... It took me 5 years to get there.... Go in this order, all hardwired in serial, not on inserts. Summing mixers are not a waste, if you get a nice clean one with high headroom and at least 8 channels there's some magic there. You want to buss out stems like "acoustic buss, electric buss, EFX buss and then two channels only for Center." Start there, and in my trial and error of this, the best summing mixers don't have any transformers but I do like a nice clean option of of 6-18db of boost in hand. The Antelope Satori is what I use, it's mainly a monitoring box, but the summing mixer in it is just spot on, they did something right when they built that section of the box. Next you want API flavor, they DIYRE EQ's after my summing mixer have the 2503 trannies in them and SL1731's. Doesn't matter if I use the eq, if they're not engaged I loose width, smoothness and punch. Next some type of SSL buss comp. The Audioscape one looks to me to be the best candidate. The caveat here is that I put a pair of 2:1 Lundhal input transformers in mine, so whatever is pushing into it is very happy, it adds an openness and large sound (this is where having the extra gain in the summing mixer helps, to compensate for the 2:1 trannies) while also getting the glue and punch from that style compressor. It's a must for achieving that sound. After that it's all about the Convert AD+ When you hit the tranny button and start to turn the emphasis you can feel the mix open up and the center getting solid and well defined. The conversion is stellar, but the circuitry around it is really special, I haven't found it anywhere else. That's all. When I load up a mix, before I ever put a plugin on a channel, I do my routing and go through that mixbuss and do a level mix, I'll reach and turn the emphasis on the AD+ until the raw tracks feel open and euphoric, then I might cut some of the 20k a little, cut some 100hz a little and boost the 30hz a little on the EQ's to give some vibe and clarity. If the mix needs grit I'll juice the Satori's summing output until I feel it, or if it needs to be slicker I'll pull it back. Depending on the dynamics are going I might juice the make up on the SSL comp into the AD+ too. That's the beauty there, just hit the Clip Guard and you can slam the AD+ as hard as you want, no overs, no rules. If I want it to be more snappy I might pull the make up on the SSL back.... There it is Martin. Man I don't know what else to say and I don't know what else I can elaborate on in how I got that sound and how I use those pieces of gear to make money, but I laid it all out, no bullshi$, that's exactly how I do it. My mixes are always solid, wide and have a lot of depth and honestly it's that way before I start really digging into the mix, just from that buss chain. I hope that helps you and anyone else out there chasing this beast. Jerome
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 23, 2019 10:43:46 GMT -6
Jerome, So for sending the digital signal to the S2 you have the 3 choices usb, etc. ?, then just send analog signal to your monitoring chain ? Yep.... a good pair of shielded RCA to 1/4” right into your monitor controller.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 22, 2019 23:15:16 GMT -6
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 22, 2019 12:22:07 GMT -6
Man, sorry but I don't have "The Facebook" anymore. Too much BS and I'm in the camp that social media is destroying humanity. Anyways, I'll be glad to run whatever files you've got through it if you'd like. Email is below. The event link was more for people who may be attending. I'll shoot you whatever files we run through after the event. Cool! Look forward to it. I think the BLA 17 doesn't have an input tranny and it's IC based, so it'll be an interesting comparison. I loved the sound clips I heard from the KT 1176, that sucker sounds just like a UA 1176 to me, really impressive. I wanted to try this one to see if it'd be a good choice in my vocal chain instead of the UA176>Dblewide II. I want something with a little more aggression and bite before it gets smoothed out by the dblewide.
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SSL Six
Mar 22, 2019 12:17:21 GMT -6
Post by jeromemason on Mar 22, 2019 12:17:21 GMT -6
There is a song on Country Radio right now and whoever mixed it most definitely had their comp set to something similar to the Six' comp settings. It's just a really good song, good lyrics, but the mix sounds awful when it's put through all that processing. I'm set this way 90% of the time. ...what song are you talking about? Man, there is a 99% chance I know the person who mixed that song and for that reason I don't ever put out specifics. I'm sure there are some they themselves don't like that I do, everyone has a preference. It's just a song that you can hear incredibly distinctive pumping on. It's like when you watch the demo videos for gear and they crank them to pump like hell and then they start backing them down until it sounds nice and even.... well it's like someone didn't back it down, just left it there pumping. Major label, song's a big hit, so maybe they wanted it that way, I have no idea, I just don't like how it sounds.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 22, 2019 11:53:36 GMT -6
Man, sorry but I don't have "The Facebook" anymore. Too much BS and I'm in the camp that social media is destroying humanity. Anyways, I'll be glad to run whatever files you've got through it if you'd like. Email is below.
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SSL Six
Mar 22, 2019 11:51:26 GMT -6
Post by jeromemason on Mar 22, 2019 11:51:26 GMT -6
This is what gets me...... The best thing the SSL 4000 buss comp had was it's auto release on the mixbuss. If that's truly meant to be a buss comp you just throw on, man why on earth would they not had put the auto release in there..... It basically stops the pumping but still let's it sound transparent like a quick release.... But, you know, when guys dial that sucker in and hit the hell out of it their mixes are going to be snappy and pumpy and when you're mixing that sounds good. Not so much when it's sent out to mastering and the put through radio processing. There is a song on Country Radio right now and whoever mixed it most definitely had their comp set to something similar to the Six' comp settings. It's just a really good song, good lyrics, but the mix sounds awful when it's put through all that processing. I guess I can't argue that if someone likes the super analog mic pre's, yes, absolutely this is a good deal. I know someone who uses the first rack channel strip they put out on their vocal chain and it does sound great.... So what do I freaking know.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 22, 2019 11:23:56 GMT -6
I'm not in the area, but I just ordered one of the Black Lion Seventeen's if you want to send me whatever it is you're running through all these. I haven't gotten it yet, Sweetwater F'd up and didn't get my order out yesterday and now I gotta wait until Tuesday. Anyways, that's kind of a rare one as I've not seen any in peoples rooms or heard anyone talking about them, so I wanted to try one because everything Ive ever gotten from Black Lion has been awesome.
Just email me the file(s) and whatever settings you're going to use and I'll zip it through.
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SSL Six
Mar 21, 2019 23:09:46 GMT -6
Post by jeromemason on Mar 21, 2019 23:09:46 GMT -6
"one of the worst sounding mixes I did was using one when I tried it out. I couldn't stand it." Surprising statement for sure. Just asking: using a B80 with BAD8's? What was the genre? I have no idea what they used to track but I'm guessing that it? I was referring to the B2 Bomber(?) D/A from Burl that's meant as your main DAC. For me, I couldn't mix on it because it colored the sound and screwed with the transients. Sounded good in the room, horrible in the car and anywhere else it was played.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 21, 2019 19:17:46 GMT -6
I had to do that once.... Violins and Violas...... I ended up stacking them and putting them in a room, kind of sounded like a vocal harmony.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 21, 2019 19:12:44 GMT -6
Lol yeah...... I didn't know you didn't have any monitors..... Hell of a deal, I paid $1,500 for them and I'm selling them for $1,100, mint, original boxes all of it. They look completely brand new, could be resold as open box or even brand new sheesh.
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SSL Six
Mar 21, 2019 19:03:50 GMT -6
Post by jeromemason on Mar 21, 2019 19:03:50 GMT -6
We have come a long way, what's impressive in these new mid - high end interfaces are the analogue front ends managing to keep up with converters. 130+dB of dynamic range with THD+N's lower than one could imagine in the past end to end is an impressive feat of engineering, plus the advances in time domain jitter reduction (yes it's all intermingled but impressive nevertheless). Here's the thing, companies throw money at what sells. Audio interfaces are a popular purchase item fully and exhaustively improved by other markets (like mobile phones, laptops etc.), throwing hundreds of millions into R&D isn't a massive concern in the greater picture. Can the same be said for a mixing desk? The short answer is no. There's a long answer but it's a somewhat dry read..! As for depth and width, if you've ever recorded an orchestra through a decent interface for me at least there's no lack of anything. It sounds absolutely incredible.! When one's lacking bleed between real instruments in a decent room with a medium that adds nothing and takes nothing away you can tend to have a rather large hole. So, we to try and patch it with distortion (or colour as some describe it).. Now I will say that I mixed a single about 3 weeks ago that was cut with all burl and shit....... I could had mixed that ITB no problem, it had the depth built right in. Now, that's from just throwing up the faders and listening with no processing. The thing I noticed was that as I started to do my work, using plugs on all the supporting instruments and EFX only saving the little outboard I have for Vox and Bass was that it started to pull back up again and it still needed my mixbuss to get it there. But, it was I'd say about 30% faster for me to mix. Plus they used really amazing preamps and mics. I like Burl for tracking, but when it comes to their D/A I just don't get why guys are into it. It colors the sound.... one of the worst sounding mixes I did was using one when I tried it out. I couldn't stand it. But, man their converters for tracking absolutely kick ass, if I was going to build a recording room I'd just fit it with all of those and not even worry with any outboard comps and eq's.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 21, 2019 16:12:13 GMT -6
Why not put a sweepable mid in each channel? Not enough space on the main board probably...... all those crazy input points and routing matrixes just to get the thing to sum 12 channels seems like a nightmare. And I know when I worked on my SSL I usually grabbed the hi shelf and the low shelf (assuming it's got the filters in it) for almost everything. The SSL 4000's and 6000's would do amazing things to snares and guitars but I only every remember juicing the top and bottom and using the filters to make a bell filter. I used the mid a lot on the hi hats and toms though. All that thing is, is a way that people can actually say they are using an SSL mixing "desk" And you watch too man, all the cats that buy those suckers will put on their sales pitches that they mix through an SSL. SSL knows that and this thing was rolled out. What pains me is I know guys in town who are on some of the biggest cuts on radio and they are totally ITB. I was just on an LP with one of them and he and I were talking about some things and I was blown away that yet another big timer was doing it all with a mouse and mostly the plugins that come with ProTools. "Yeah did you get the note about the delay she wants, I can send you the Soundtoys presets she loved 'yeah man, I don't have that, I just use the one that comes with PT." I will say this though, when the girl sent me the LP from mastering, when I listened to his against mine I no doubt heard a massive lack of depth and width, so that's some proof you've gotta get it outside the box and through some flux if you want it to have all that. Which I do, and because I like the way it sounds, I like my mixes to have a sound, but, you don't gotta have this little box from SSL to make it in this business that's for sure.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 21, 2019 15:22:06 GMT -6
With the talk about the Dangerous AD...would you not want to go with the DA before? If you can't hear what it's doing, it won't make much difference. jimwilliams gave a beautiful gift to this whole community when he lobbed the Pro-ject S2 to us. At $399 it's incredible how many people dismiss it. I couldn't even get a pro audio store manger to try one because of the freaking price! I shot it out against the Dangerous D/A which I thought was the best sounding one in their rack (they had a lot and none were under $2k) and even that Dangerous D/A couldn't touch that little $399 box.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 21, 2019 12:20:09 GMT -6
Well this is kind of interesting, I haven't looked it over closely, but perhaps this could do the trick? vintageking.com/ssl-sixMan I wouldn't do that..... It's not going to sound like a desk. Plus, all the weird ways they're having to do that tricky routing and stuff, I can honestly say that I believe that box is the first gimmick out of SSL. It's talking about a fixed setting on the buss comp.... plus that's the super analog which sounds nothing like the 4000 and 6000E consoles. If you want that sound you heard this is what you should do: First buy a passive high headroom summing mixer, the fulcrum maybe? Second, buy two of the DIYRE EQ's and put Brads opamps in them along with the 2503's from Jeffs store Thirdly, get something like the Serpent SB4000 or whatever the 500 series buss comp is they have Finally, save your money and buy they Dangerous AD+ Do it in stages man, save up, buy one at a time. Think of it as "going for that sound" and not "trying to get that sound." Because, throwing blind darts is just going to end of costing you more time and money. I just listed the formula on how I got the sound, and I didn't get it overnight, it took me years, but a lot of that was trial and error and I'm saving you from that. What I listed above will give you the SSL desk sound you're looking for, it's multiple pieces of gear subtly screwing up the audio to provide a euphonic experience that you're chasing.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 21, 2019 10:09:41 GMT -6
spare bedroom studio owners will be like "Yeah, I got an SSL equipped studio, Yo, totes pro homies" " God you're so freaking spot on man..... Some of the adds I see out there right now and how they fluff up brands to clueless artist.... I can totally see that really tight shot picture of the screen of the MacBook with the tip of the six' logo by it and then a white cone woofer from a Yamaha HS50, and in a tydyed lit dark room. Caption "soundcloud files coming soon"
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 19, 2019 21:26:17 GMT -6
It was with, cus the song he posted was a mix of mine with and without passing through his convert ad+. Yeah that was what I remembered. The Convert AD+ is really designed for mixing/mastering. I'm sure it'd sound absolutely killer on a stereo acoustic recording.... but it's magic is on the mix buss. And you're right, it opens the mix up while bolstering the center image like a console, which is why I bought it after hearing it on one mix. That's the dragon I'm alway after, how can I make my mixes sound like they came off an SSL E console, but doing it hybrid. One way was building my hybrid SSL comp, putting those Lundahl transformers in it was just one part of it, I actually put them in so it was a 2:1 config, the DIYRE pultecs and the Satori summing amp LOVED mating with that impedance. I had a Dangerous Compressor in here not long ago, did a mix on it and sent it to the producer I work for, then ran that same mix through my SSL hybrid and his words were "ditch whatever you had on the first one, don't take that SSL compressor off your buss again!" It's a lot of little factors and each time I add something to my mix buss it means it's edging me closer to that SSL E console sound, but quite honestly, I don't know if I can go any further. After I put the Dangerous AD+ in I felt so much like I did in my years behind that 6000E that I finally believe I'm there. And I've tried putting other things, VERY expensive things in substitute of what I have now and they just didn't work, didn't have that same width, depth, punch and the solid center image of the bass and vocals. The bass coming off my mixbuss sounds exactly like what the bass sounded like coming off the mixbuss of my old SSL 6000E. That was one thing I could pick out and remember extremely quickly, just has a sound. The vocal too, those consoles just had a sound, when you had the mix right the bass and vocals came off it's mixbuss in a certain way, and you also had to be hitting it just right too. So, that means I've not only got my mixbuss set up with the right gear, it means I'm hitting it just right. If anyone is wondering, it took me 5 years to get that feeling and no telling how many different combinations of gear on that mixbuss. The Convert AD+, I'll be grateful to that converter for as long as I'm doing this work because it was the final missing piece. Hope you figure it out, they might be expensive, but they're worth every penny. Jerome
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 19, 2019 19:17:04 GMT -6
Thanks for all the great suggestions guys. I just bought the new Apollo X. I haven't tracked with it yet, and while waiting for new monitors, I'm stuck listening on headphones. It seems the X series got it right, It sounds quite different to me (so far) than the older models. If I just didn't like the Apollo's converters, I'd look closely at the Dangerous gear, but figured maybe there's a way to get all that the 2 bus + does without their converters. Or maybe I'm just dreaming and it can't be done as well otherwise. I'll try to begin listening to some of the options suggested here and see if something catches my ear the way the 2 Bus + did. Do you mean my Convert AD+? I had the 2 buss + in here for a while and I can tell you the tone it imparts is miles different than the tone the Convert AD+ adds. The AD+ is much more subtle and it's color is very very slick. Also I likely had the "emphasis" running as well, which adds a harmonic tilt starting at 300hz and goes up. Just by turning that knob your mix starts to get wider and more vibrant and interesting. So it's not just about the transformers, and I don't think it uses Iron transformers, it has Hammonds which are either pure nickel or nickel/steel. I like what transformers do to a mix, but the heavy Iron sound isn't really my thing. I like transformers like Lundhal and Hammond, they're some magic in those. To get what I was doing you'd need some transformers and you'd need some harmonic magic. There are boxes out there that do it, but I haven't heard any that do it in the way the Convert AD+ does.
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Post by jeromemason on Mar 18, 2019 19:10:33 GMT -6
The Doublewide II is a heavy contender. Much more aggressive and more like a Vari-Mu should sound compared to the original Doublewide. Also gives a very nice meaty largness to what you put through it. I'd love to have one of the Weight Tanks, probably will grab one soon. I wonder if he's every going to release through dealers like Sweetwater and such?
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