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Post by adamjbrass on Nov 4, 2019 14:55:17 GMT -6
The 170R has better technical specs, when compared, It has higher headroom before distortion, lower self noise too..overall less character of sound, IMHO and very versatile for different things. The u89 has always been “a more versatile” U87 to me, Technical specs, sure. I've seen a lot of things with great technical specs that I didn't like much.
How does it sound?
un hyped. |
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Post by drbill on Nov 4, 2019 21:53:33 GMT -6
For the OP : B-ULS's. Don't like em on OH. Why? Because I don't like the way they sound, and other mics sound so much better.  |
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Post by Mister Chase on Nov 4, 2019 22:35:22 GMT -6
I feel like it's pretty rare that I hear about the Phoenix DRS series of equipment. Maybe I am wrong. I don't run into many folks who know what it is, and it's my favorite stuff, pretty much. When places like Zenpro run a sale, you get a wicked deal, too. I think they were running the single channels with EQ for around 569 bucks or something recently. It was crazy. Actually I checked and the sale is still on. Stereo units for 1299 as well. They do something pretty unique, I think.
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Post by sean on Nov 4, 2019 22:42:08 GMT -6
I think the Daking FET II / 91579 compressor gets overlooked a lot. Did some A/B’ing and found it to work better than anything else I own for locking a vocal in place and imparting a little transformer magic. I think for the money they are hard to beat.
Also, really been loving my TK Audio BC-1S on drum buss or overheads (especially if there is too much snare). I’d like to try their new version with the THD function
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Post by Vincent R. on Nov 5, 2019 6:11:11 GMT -6
I’ve been using the Lauten Atlantis FC-387 a lot lately on my Christmas album. It’s become my friend and orchestrator Jack’s go to microphone. I’ve now heard it on cello, violin, trumpet and I gotta say after just using this microphone that I am very impressed. I imagine a pair of these would get an amazing amount of use as a studio’s workhorses. It has a bit of a Neumann U47 FET kind of sound in the Neutral voicing. I’ve been cutting scratch vocals for the album with it. I did a vocal on it using the Gentle Mode and man did it have a great sound for my operatic vocal. None of the thinness I always feel my U87ai has. I more recently did a vocal in Forward mode for a jazz track. It sounded great. I actually preferred it’s sound and versatility to the TLM170 I used to have. I know, I’m crazy. I have a feeling I’ll eventually have a pair of these.
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Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2019 11:58:07 GMT -6
I think the Daking FET II / 91579 compressor gets overlooked a lot. Did some A/B’ing and found it to work better than anything else I own for locking a vocal in place and imparting a little transformer magic. I think for the money they are hard to beat. Also, really been loving my TK Audio BC-1S on drum buss or overheads (especially if there is too much snare). I’d like to try their new version with the THD function Love my pair of FET II's. I'd honestly like to have a couple more. Super versatile. I have the TK BC501 500 series version of that compressor. It's rad. The THD function is pretty cool. I typically just leave it on. Definitely brings the mids forward and softens the top end in a noticeable way, but it's quite subtle. More like you miss it when it's gone rather than being really aware of what it's doing when it's on. |
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Post by chessparov on Nov 5, 2019 13:41:12 GMT -6
Do you guys regard the Focusrite ISA One, as somewhat underated?
Thanks, Chris
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Post by shoe on Nov 6, 2019 18:45:16 GMT -6
I have a few nominees, myself.
Shure Unidyne IV
Hairball Fet Rack (1176 clone kits)
Dangerous Audio Compressor
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Post by Guitar on Nov 8, 2019 13:20:00 GMT -6
Just got a second Tascam UH7000. These are seriously underrated.
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Post by lpedrum on Nov 9, 2019 10:40:16 GMT -6
Probably half my gear was once "under-rated". Many have become "over-rated" with time, so I'll skip those. Some of the classic STILL under rated pieces that work fantastic : API 550 A-1's - still love these over the much touted alternatives. DBX 510 Sub Harmonic Generators Serpent SA3a's - getting next to impossible to find em now though.... ACMP 73/84's as someone mentioned earlier. Heavyweight sleepers Mr. Focus modules. Killer. LOVE the tilt/focus EQ among the myriad of Colour options.... Yamaha D1500's Yamaha E1010's Studio Technologies AN-2 Stereo Simulator. That 80's Prince sound. Weight Tank Comps and V72's. These things are STILL skating under the radar. Not sure how.... Aphex 661's. Long touted as killer. STILL pretty far under the radar As someone mentioned - KT2a's. Really nice. Like them very much alongside my custom 2a's with the best of the best And then there's the mics..... Neumann TLM170's. Oktava 012's. Still great for a cheaper 84 sound. KM53's. WAAAAAY under the radar, although not inexpensive MJ modded Oktava 219's. Still a working man's bargain 545's. The MJ modded 205 ribbons. Killer! CAD M177's. Poor man's tom condensers. Micro Baby Amps. SUUUUPER Killer Love em. 000 Martins, particularly the 18's. Best sounding recorded guitars. Not inexpensive, but everyone tends to head towards 28's. the Rogue Dobro's - very decent for killer price Seagull merlin's - I call these money guitars. Cause they make me money on the cheap. Those cheap Monoprice tube amps. Pretty nice, and can be modded. That all that comes to mind right now.... Re the 545, any discernible difference between the Mexico and USA made? Sonically how would you describe a comparison with a 57? |
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Post by Guitar on Nov 9, 2019 10:55:52 GMT -6
lpedrum even the two mexican 545SD I have sound quite a bit different. One has a silver label and the other a black label. I was trying to try an old one but I got "tricked" in the sale, seller didn't take a picture of the Made In Mexico label conveniently enough.
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Post by lpedrum on Nov 9, 2019 12:21:06 GMT -6
lpedrum even the two mexican 545SD I have sound quite a bit different. One has a silver label and the other a black label. I was trying to try an old one but I got "tricked" in the sale, seller didn't take a picture of the Made In Mexico label conveniently enough. A USA one just went for $55 on eBay. Just wonder if I should hold out for one of those. There’s very little online comparing Shure USA mics to Mexico even though some claim they’re different. |
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Post by drbill on Nov 9, 2019 14:03:39 GMT -6
Probably half my gear was once "under-rated". Many have become "over-rated" with time, so I'll skip those. Some of the classic STILL under rated pieces that work fantastic : API 550 A-1's - still love these over the much touted alternatives. DBX 510 Sub Harmonic Generators Serpent SA3a's - getting next to impossible to find em now though.... ACMP 73/84's as someone mentioned earlier. Heavyweight sleepers Mr. Focus modules. Killer. LOVE the tilt/focus EQ among the myriad of Colour options.... Yamaha D1500's Yamaha E1010's Studio Technologies AN-2 Stereo Simulator. That 80's Prince sound. Weight Tank Comps and V72's. These things are STILL skating under the radar. Not sure how.... Aphex 661's. Long touted as killer. STILL pretty far under the radar As someone mentioned - KT2a's. Really nice. Like them very much alongside my custom 2a's with the best of the best And then there's the mics..... Neumann TLM170's. Oktava 012's. Still great for a cheaper 84 sound. KM53's. WAAAAAY under the radar, although not inexpensive MJ modded Oktava 219's. Still a working man's bargain 545's. The MJ modded 205 ribbons. Killer! CAD M177's. Poor man's tom condensers. Micro Baby Amps. SUUUUPER Killer Love em. 000 Martins, particularly the 18's. Best sounding recorded guitars. Not inexpensive, but everyone tends to head towards 28's. the Rogue Dobro's - very decent for killer price Seagull merlin's - I call these money guitars. Cause they make me money on the cheap. Those cheap Monoprice tube amps. Pretty nice, and can be modded. That all that comes to mind right now.... Re the 545, any discernible difference between the Mexico and USA made? Sonically how would you describe a comparison with a 57? lpedrum - honestly I have no idea. I never even checked until you mentioned it. Mine are made in the USA. |
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Post by chessparov on Nov 9, 2019 14:58:50 GMT -6
Ask Jim Williams sometime. He KNOWS they're somewhat different. Other things equal "USA made" = better fidelity.
My local Buddy's USA 57, is an excellent vocal mic for me, particulary for Rockabilly or Clash style Pop Punk.
$55 is a steal if that 545 was in good condition, or better.
Chris
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Post by lpedrum on Nov 9, 2019 16:33:30 GMT -6
Ask Jim Williams sometime. He KNOWS they're somewhat different. Other things equal "USA made" = better fidelity. My local Buddy's USA 57, is an excellent vocal mic for me, particulary for Rockabilly or Clash style Pop Punk. $55 is a steal if that 545 was in good condition, or better. Chris It appeared to be in fine condition. To digress for a moment from the thread topic, I find eBay way better for purchasing old mics than Reverb. On eBay once you look beyond "Red Background Guy" its mostly just regular folks trying to offload stuff, not fellow musicians on Reverb claiming "secret weapon for hit records!" and pricing it to languish for months. I like Reverb and have had good luck there with some items such as guitar pedals. But every old mic I've bought lately (quite a few) has been on eBay (or Craigslist). |
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Post by chessparov on Nov 9, 2019 16:43:45 GMT -6
Yep. I'm thinking of ditching my MXL V69me, and getting the Soyuz Launcher to use more dynamic microphones, at home.
It actually has a nice/"vintage-y" type of tone-even with the stock capsule & tube.
I have to admit I kinda dig FET condensers, where you can hit the ground running right away (versus tube warmup).
Unfortunately, It's not practical for me to leave a tube mic up 24/7, at home.
Chris
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Post by shoe on Nov 9, 2019 18:56:54 GMT -6
Hmm on the topic of 545s, I've actually only used vintage USA ones, but they are fantastic. I find them much less harsh and peaky than current SM57s, anyway. A flatter sound that's a bit more mellow. I like to blend it with a Beyerdynamic M201 on guitar cab.
Incidentally, they are also really good on saxophone, which surprised me.
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Post by Guitar on Nov 9, 2019 20:26:35 GMT -6
Hmm on the topic of 545s, I've actually only used vintage USA ones, but they are fantastic. I find them much less harsh and peaky than current SM57s, anyway. A flatter sound that's a bit more mellow. I like to blend it with a Beyerdynamic M201 on guitar cab. Incidentally, they are also really good on saxophone, which surprised me. I agree with that description. My Mexi 545SD Unidyne III sound the same as what you described. I prefer SM57 on voice, but 545 is great on many other sources like a guitar amp as an obvious example. I haven't tried them anywhere than these two sources yet, perhaps I should get out more. Get them out more. |
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Post by rowmat on Nov 10, 2019 16:39:42 GMT -6
Another vote for the Aphex Compellor.
I have both the original 300 model and the later 320.
Transparent leveller, compressor, limiter all in one box and the silence gate is great to prevent noise when the signal drops below the threshold.
The Compellor is especially good for retaining the natural tone of acoustic instruments and vocals even with high amounts of gain reduction.
Often disregarded because of its lack of character but that is the very point for using it.
Can be had cheap.
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Post by shoe on Nov 10, 2019 17:02:53 GMT -6
Hmm on the topic of 545s, I've actually only used vintage USA ones, but they are fantastic. I find them much less harsh and peaky than current SM57s, anyway. A flatter sound that's a bit more mellow. I like to blend it with a Beyerdynamic M201 on guitar cab. Incidentally, they are also really good on saxophone, which surprised me. I agree with that description. My Mexi 545SD Unidyne III sound the same as what you described. I prefer SM57 on voice, but 545 is great on many other sources like a guitar amp as an obvious example. I haven't tried them anywhere than these two sources yet, perhaps I should get out more. Get them out more. Yeah, I was really surprised how well they work on sax (and probably brass as well, I would think). Beat out a lot of more expensive LDCs, even. Though the Heiserman H47Tube was my overall favorite. |
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Post by chessparov on Nov 10, 2019 17:37:58 GMT -6
H47 tube is the heavy artillery. Chris |
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Post by Ward on Nov 12, 2019 12:51:35 GMT -6
Do you guys regard the Focusrite ISA One, as somewhat underated? Thanks, Chris Quite the contrary. Even describing it as average is over-rating the pale imitation of an actual ƒ preamp. |
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Post by chessparov on Nov 12, 2019 13:20:44 GMT -6
Wow! Since I take your evaluations very seriously... That's very interesting!
Chris
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Post by johneppstein on Nov 13, 2019 15:06:12 GMT -6
A lot of Focusrite stuff is grossly overrated. The company is something of a poster boy for unwarranted coasting on your laurels, in this case on the reputation they garnered when the company was still run by Rupert Neve - which was a long time ago.
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Post by chessparov on Nov 13, 2019 18:48:26 GMT -6
Sounds like AKG...
Chris
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