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Post by mikec on Dec 1, 2019 14:27:09 GMT -6
I had the foot controller when I had my Kemper and I pretty much never used it. When I sold the Kemper and got the AXE III I did not get the foot controller and so far don't miss it. My live playing are acoustic gigs and I have one basic acoustic setting for the AXE when I use it so I don't have a need to do switching on the fly.
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Post by mikec on Nov 30, 2019 16:46:20 GMT -6
Congrats. The AXE FX is one of the most used pieces of gear in my studio. It also works great as a recording interface if I just want to quickly record some guitar or bass ideas and don't want to fire up the entire studio. I also use it every day in my guitar practice due to its built in metronome. Oh yea, it also sounds great. One of my favorite presets is number 125, Dual Clean. I just changed the reverb to one of the studio reverbs and added a second scene with the drive turned on. It sounds incredible. The new DC30 preset that Cliff built is also really nice.
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Post by mikec on Nov 29, 2019 16:13:42 GMT -6
Wiz, how would you characterize the differences between the bri’s analog and digital outs while mixing ? I'm not Wiz, but I used to run my Bricasti analog. When I got my 2x6 SE card for my Apogee Symphony I starting running it via the AES digital I/O to free up a couple of the analog lines. I can't tell any difference between the two. Not saying there isn't but my ears can't hear it.
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Post by mikec on Nov 20, 2019 17:30:41 GMT -6
The new 11.0 firmware and the updated presets are killer. I was even able to put one together that is really close to my Two Rock Bloomfield Drive. I can't say enough good things about the AXE III and the support from the company and AXE community. I love my tube amps, but if it ever came down to owning just one amp type device, right now I would have to say the AXE hands down. I almost wish I didn't already have one so I could get that deal they are offering with the AXE and foot pedal bundle. My wife has even become addicted to using it with her electric violin.
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Post by mikec on Oct 29, 2019 8:39:29 GMT -6
I have a matched pair of Retro Powerstrips that have stayed in my stable when other gear has come and gone. I have them set up with a patch bay so I can use them for tracking and use the line in for mixing. Although I've not owned the Aurora GTQC, I have owned the GTQ2 and the GTC2 and these are two pieces I would love to have back and regret selling. I don't think you would be disappointed with either.
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Post by mikec on Sept 23, 2019 10:07:30 GMT -6
I love my AXE FX III. Sold my powered Kemper and Kemper pedal board after getting the AXE. It even gets more use than my collection of tube amps.
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Post by mikec on Aug 2, 2019 8:01:22 GMT -6
Two Audioscape 76As. Should be here tomorrow! Can't wait!! Rantastic 76s!! Remember a6 r5 on the Audioscape is a7r7 on a classic or other clone. The Audioscape really is that fast! Beautiful tone. My second 76A is on the way and will be here next week. Looking forward to having a pair of them.
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Post by mikec on Aug 1, 2019 16:26:45 GMT -6
The “unsafe components” comment in the article I read is intriguing. We’re these the rocket launcher models? Seriously, what would be unsafe components that are not on other guitars. Maybe the robotic tuning could cut off a finger if it was under the high E string and it malfunctioned.
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Post by mikec on Aug 1, 2019 12:23:32 GMT -6
Not to start a war with anyone here but I have four Echopark guitars that I would put up against any Gibson or Fender custom shop guitars. I've actually sold all my Gibson and Fender Custom shops after getting my Echopark guitars. Just like the GS forum, there are a lot of people on the GP forum that have never owned one, but just want to bitch and complain about pictures they've seen. It's the typical internet theme, you hear a lot more from people who want to bitch than people that are happy and satisfied. That's not to say that I don't covet my other guitars from builders like Tom Anderson, Nik Huber, Collings, McPherson, National, and a few others. With that being said, it is kind of fun to visit the Echopark threads on the GP site to see some of the guys over there work themselves into a tizzy and heaven forbid if anyone wants to comment on having a different experience or personal opinion. Kind of reminds me of what is going on in other parts of the world today.
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Post by mikec on Aug 1, 2019 10:16:49 GMT -6
Audio Technica ATH-R70x. Looking forward to testing them out. Happy with my ATH-M50x, but hoping an open back might be a little less fatiguing and more linear for when I'm tracking in spaces where I don't trust the monitoring environment (weirdly often around here). I was lucky enough to win a pair of AtH-R70x headphones in one of the TapeOp drawings a while back and they have become my favorite headphones. Very light and comfortable and sound great.
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Post by mikec on Jul 27, 2019 9:44:07 GMT -6
I met Gabe at Echopark early on and own 4 of his guitars. None cost even close to $20K, but they are better than any Gibson I’ve owned including the custom shop 59 reissue I sold because it paled in comparison. I think everyone is entitled to protect their intellectual property but If Gibson would start making decent guitars consistently again they wouldn’t need to file law suits to compete.
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Post by mikec on Jun 28, 2019 11:02:13 GMT -6
Just picked up the SSL 4000E for $29. Just playing around with it, I think I could mix an entire song with just this plugin. Well, this and my Bricasti. Okay, this, my Bricasti, and my Silver Bullet. Wait, this, my Bricasti, my Silver Bullet, and my Audio Scape V-Comp. Oh wait...never mind. But I really do like this plugin.
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Post by mikec on Jun 21, 2019 10:51:59 GMT -6
After a couple years of not using Logic and really dedicating myself to Pro Tools, I've been working on a project in Logic and really enjoying using it. Once you get past a few differences in mindset, I am finding Logic really fun to work in. I just used the De-Esser and was very impressed on now transparent it sounded. Even though I have several de-essers including Fabfilter, UAD, and probably some others I don't remember, this new Logic de-esser could easily become my go to.
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Post by mikec on Jun 18, 2019 10:12:20 GMT -6
Wha?!? That’s brilliant! Man, that sounds handy as hell. Pryamix does this too. However does not have built in delay compensation...for some dumb reason. mikec does Logic's Hardware insert do delay compensation? or and least a ping and the math for you? And can you bypass it within the software? Pryamix does a bypass which is so nice I wish PT did that. John - open his wav file folder, select all wav files that start with the song name, right click, select "rename "xxx" items - xxx being the number of wav files, find - enter "name of song" and "replace with" - nothing - leave blank or put in - or boom, done. Yeah I use A Better Finder Rename 10 for stuff like that. It works amazing. Was $30 bucks and SOOO worth it. Blackdawg, yea Logic's I/O plugin has a ping button that will show you you how many samples it adjusted to and you can edit it from there if you choose.
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Post by mikec on Jun 18, 2019 9:54:24 GMT -6
After having Logic on my computers for years and messing with it a little every once in a while, now that I've really dug into it, I am finding a lot of things that I now wonder, "why doesn't pro tools do this". Using hardware inserts for example, I find the I/O plugin with Logic much more advanced than pro tools. I hate that with pro tools you need to use a 1:1 I/O on your interface, ie: out 1 has to go back to in 1. With Logic's I/O plug I can go out any channel on my interface and back in on any channel, they don't have to be a 1:1 match. I also like that I can adjust the input and output signal level in the I/O plug to easily control how much signal is going into and out of the hardware. Wha?!? That’s brilliant! Man, that sounds handy as hell. Yea, it's really great if you use an interface that has a different number of ins than outs. Since I use a Symphony with 2x6se and 16x16 cards, my ins and outs don't match up 1:1. With pro tools I have to go into the apogee control software to manipulate the I/O to trick pro tools in to thinking my I/O match up. Logic is much simpler in this respect.
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Post by mikec on Jun 18, 2019 8:24:39 GMT -6
Logic keeps coming up with excellent updates for free. Of course they'll eventually redo it and charge for it, but I've used it for eight years and paid only $200 the first time. The only negative thing I can say regarding Logic is if you need heavy vocal tuning, buy a plug-in. Logic's Flex Pitch is iffy. Their free plug-ins sound at least as good as Waves, and I think better most of the time. So there's some really useful things built right in. Automation works well. After having Logic on my computers for years and messing with it a little every once in a while, now that I've really dug into it, I am finding a lot of things that I now wonder, "why doesn't pro tools do this". Using hardware inserts for example, I find the I/O plugin with Logic much more advanced than pro tools. I hate that with pro tools you need to use a 1:1 I/O on your interface, ie: out 1 has to go back to in 1. With Logic's I/O plug I can go out any channel on my interface and back in on any channel, they don't have to be a 1:1 match. I also like that I can adjust the input and output signal level in the I/O plug to easily control how much signal is going into and out of the hardware.
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Post by mikec on Jun 18, 2019 7:24:03 GMT -6
I bailed due to avid pricing a while back and went to logic, no regrets! That's good to hear Kcat. I know there are others here that also use and are happy with Logic. I've been a long time Pro Tools user and even though $99 per year seemed high for what Avid has been delivering I stayed a loyal user. It looks the last annual maintenance fee I paid will be my last to Avid. I started mixing a project last week with the latest Logic software and now I am wondering why it has taken me this long to make a switch. Logic does everything I need and I don't get charged every year to fix bugs. As a bonus I found Logic also integrates much better than Pro Tools with my Symphony MKII and with my Komplete Kontrol S61 MKII. We are lucky that there are so many great choices now in the DAW world. I still really like the Pro Tools workflow, but I'm not too old to learn new tricks.
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Post by mikec on Jun 17, 2019 6:57:23 GMT -6
I have the Sonarworks calibrated HD650s and they've become my favorite mixing headphones. For pure comfort, lightweight, and great sound the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x headphones are also some to check out. I probably never would have discovered these if not for winning a pair in one of the Tape Op give aways.
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Post by mikec on Jun 16, 2019 8:54:27 GMT -6
So with the Silver Bullet, if you were only planning using it on the 2, doesn't it make more sense to go with chroma or some other mojo inducer, or is there a reason that it's better to put the compressor in the insert and not before or after the SB? Not to make this a Silver Bullet thread, but for me it is one of the most if not the most flexible pieces of gear in my studio. It lives on the mix bus, but since I have mine wired into a patch bay I also use the preamps heavily during tracking. I also use it as a hardware insert if I want to run something through it to print back with some mojo.
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Post by mikec on Jun 16, 2019 8:20:09 GMT -6
Silver Bullet with an Audio Scape bus compressor on the insert, Pro L 2, and sometimes either a stereo matched pair of RS124s or Retro Powerstrips depending on what I am working on and how lazy I am.
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Post by mikec on Jun 14, 2019 10:51:26 GMT -6
Welp...amazingly.. someone the 6386 edition has been in stock for a few days...I told myself I'd buy it if it was still in stock today. And by god it still was somehow. I'm a man of my word. Purchased You will not regret it. It has become one of my all time favorites for bass and vocal.
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Post by mikec on Jun 14, 2019 10:34:46 GMT -6
Yes, I use Pro Tools, Symphony MKII, and a late 2012 Mac mini quad I7. The little apogee remote works great for adjusting volume on the Symphony, changing speakers, switching from speakers to headphones, monoing speakers etc. My Symphony is not in easy arms reach so I rarely touch the front panel, but the remote is always at my finger tips. Hi Mike, Thanks for all your info! Are you using the Thunderbolt version of the Symphony & not the Pro Tools version? If so, would it be because you're running Native or because you're going in via AES? And is there an "advantage" going TB instead of PT even if one has PT HD (or HDX)? Ariel
Ariel, I am using Pro Tools native so my Symphony is the Thunderbolt version. I think if I had PT HD or HDX I would have the Pro Tools card installed in my Symphony, but for my needs Pro Tools native is getting the job done. I have no problem running a low buffer of 32-64 in Pro Tools 2019.5 when tracking so latency has not been an issue unless I am going back to overdub something and have a bunch plugins active. I also don't use a lot of virtual instruments and if I do I usually bounce them to audio once I am happy with the midi track. All and all I've been very happy with the Symphony and Pro Tools setup.
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Post by mikec on Jun 13, 2019 16:44:31 GMT -6
I guess you don't use PT because the remote, I believe, will only work with the TB version? And do you set the different output volumes to the 2 stereo monitors & the 1 headphone via the front panel? I think I'm ready to go with the Apogee. Was deliberating between it, the Crane Song Quantum, & the Dangerous. The Crane Song, realistically, is available 6 months - the earliest - from when one orders it & it only has 2 outs, as opposed to the Apogee's 6. So, I'd need a monitor controller. The Dangerous Converts come in either AD or DA & the 2 units end up costing way more than even the Quantum. Yes, I use Pro Tools, Symphony MKII, and a late 2012 Mac mini quad I7. The little apogee remote works great for adjusting volume on the Symphony, changing speakers, switching from speakers to headphones, monoing speakers etc. My Symphony is not in easy arms reach so I rarely touch the front panel, but the remote is always at my finger tips.
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Post by mikec on Jun 13, 2019 14:46:31 GMT -6
This is the setup I have. I started with the Symphony MKII 16x16 and a couple of months ago added the 2x6SE module. Sold my Dangerous Dbox and now monitor everything through the 2x6SE module. The summed feed from my 2Bus+ also returns to my DAW via the 2x6SE. After using the Lynx Aurora, Metric Halo ULN8, all of the black face Apollos, and other various interfaces, I am very satisfied. I have my Symphony racked in a dual bay Argosy rack that sits next to my recording desk and I never hear the fan run on my Symphony. How do you monitor exactly? Taking 6 outputs from the DB25 directly to the speakers (or via a patch bay)? And do you program the settings via the front panel? Thanks in advance. I have the 16x16 I/O card all running through a Switchcraft 9625 patch bay with other outboard. I do all my monitoring off of the 6 analog outs on the 2x6se card. Four of the outs go directly to speakers and the other two go to a Sennheiser IEM system. I use the Apogee Remote to control the Symphony for switching speaker and headphone switching and other monitor control duties.
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Post by mikec on Jun 6, 2019 22:35:05 GMT -6
Agree, I actually prefer it over UAD ocean way.
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