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Post by Ward on Jan 14, 2021 19:45:28 GMT -6
If I’m tracking vocals with a ribbon I’ll usually open up the top with 1 notch on electrodyne at 10k and a touch of Pultec at 16k broad q. Beautiful natural sound. Otherwise no eq during tracking for vox. Unless going to tape. For that application, you should consider trying the AEA RPQ500. Has some very nifty shaping tools, extremely high impedances and lots of gain.
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Post by mhbunch on Jan 14, 2021 21:40:34 GMT -6
If I’m tracking vocals with a ribbon I’ll usually open up the top with 1 notch on electrodyne at 10k and a touch of Pultec at 16k broad q. Beautiful natural sound. Otherwise no eq during tracking for vox. Unless going to tape. For that application, you should consider trying the AEA RPQ500. Has some very nifty shaping tools, extremely high impedances and lots of gain. Funny, someone else suggested that pre recently. Few reasons why I probably won’t: I tried their original stand alone preamp years ago and it didn’t wow me. I sold all my 500 series stuff this year. I’m madly in love with the pres in my console - especially when paired with ribbons.
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Post by mhbunch on Jan 14, 2021 21:43:36 GMT -6
If you or anyone else want to demo the LH95, we have a pair of them at Access Analog powered by robots. You use their plugin to stream the audio to the analog units. A digital interface lets you change the settings on the analog gear remotely, and you can hear exactly what it sounds like. To get free 3 hours of demo time, reserve time on their website and use the coupon code trial-ia-lh95 on checkout. accessanalog.com/This is rad. I’ve had my eyes on this one. I’ll be doing that demo with the robots.
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Post by guitfiddler on Jan 14, 2021 22:20:57 GMT -6
I'd like to hear jcoutu1's take on this, since he uses EQ tracking vocals and is one of the few I know who does. I haven't EQ'ed a vocal since the early 90s when I started getting good microphones. In the mix? Sure. But tracking? Never. Choosing the right microphone for the voice, angling the mic to control plosives and sibilance is key for me. But YMMV, and I'm eager to not only hear what you use but how you use it with what voice and which microphone, and preamp and comps, please. :-) I posted a song in the what are you working on thread, I’ll grab the link. My vocals are impossible to control...they are out of control! Lol...I push a lot of air with my rock vocal. Currently using a Bock 241 and I think I need a Heisermann H47T for my vocal. I agree with everything you have said, and yes, I do that. Just trying to dial it in on this project. This mid tempo ballad song I’m working on now is still in rough mix stage. I can’t post just yet. Chain is Bock 241/Great River preamp(Sowter Xfmr)/Acme XLA III compressor/Dangerous Audio Convert AD+. I think I need a new tube in my Bock 241 because it’s starting to sound different, gets a little more edgy on the mids and highs, and not as full in the low mids like I liked when I demoed it. I’ve been using this mic for several years now, so I know my gear/chain/voice well. I thought if I just tweak a few 1-3 db of certain frequencies I could have the perfect sound I’m looking for. It’s close and I no longer use plugins. I use a leveler/compressor that you don’t hear and it doesn’t change the tone. Less is more is my usual approach, but there is this eq fascination that I’ve always had...lol. Currently Tweaking delay to fit the track...I think I’m going on my 5th delay looking for a sound to fit this mid tempo ballad song...lol
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Post by guitfiddler on Jan 14, 2021 22:28:30 GMT -6
Fair! You're using EQ to equalize or neutralize. That's a sensible approach. Keep this up, I might like you, we might become friends. LOL Also, FWIW, the Air Band of the Mäag stuff is bomb. I've got a 4 channel Nightpro PreQ3 (predecessor of Mäag PreQ4) and that's an awesome preamp (big Jensen transformers) with the Air Band. The Air Band is so smooth. . I used that same Nightpro piece years ago and been in search of one since. As Ward said, we might all become friends? Lol
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Post by guitfiddler on Jan 14, 2021 22:56:38 GMT -6
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Post by kcatthedog on Jan 15, 2021 5:23:11 GMT -6
The stam Helios pre/eq is on the way. Ours is available whenever if you’re handy with a soldering iron. Or I’ll solder one up for you. Get thee behind me Satan, ah,,,, is there a build thread , asking for a friend ? link ?
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Post by chessparov on Jan 16, 2021 16:48:32 GMT -6
Not enough experience with all this, to evaluate this thread's (surely excellent) suggestions.
But would the DBX 242, still be considered a Sleeper? I sold mine (mint) to Harvey Gerst, around 15 or 20 years ago. He thought very highly of it. Chris
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Post by yotonic on Jan 16, 2021 17:14:14 GMT -6
I like to run vocals through my Pultec EQP-500X. Kind of old school secret sauce I don't do much in the way of eq.
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Post by ericn on Jan 16, 2021 17:26:46 GMT -6
Great River Harrison 500 sounds amazing. It's super flexible for anything. I love the EQ2NV, I dream about having a few racks full of their mastering MAQEQNV to create a hybrid console. The GR Harrison EQ is sort of 1/2 between a generic problem solver ie SSL or Speck or a tone shaper ala Iron Age, API/ CAPI or Neve 10 series.
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Post by Guitar on Jan 17, 2021 7:10:38 GMT -6
I wonder if anyone's tried the Avedis E27 or the Chandler TG12345?
Just thought I'd throw some logs on the fire :-D
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Post by kaleida on Jan 18, 2021 3:17:58 GMT -6
I wonder if anyone's tried the Avedis E27 or the Chandler TG12345? Just thought I'd throw some logs on the fire :-D Love tracking vocals with the Curve Bender - a little goes a long way. I really like subtle boosts at 800hz on occasion for some added bite/body/intelligibility and often at 4.2k for added presence to bring the vocal forward and a shelf at 8.1k / 10k to open up the top end. The E27 I found a bit too “zingy” in the top end for vocals in a way that made them sound more obviously processed. I’m not sure if it’s the Jensen transformers, Avedis opamps or the combo, but once I heard it, I couldn’t unhear it. It was less obvious on other sources. Something Pultec inspired is hard to go wrong with!
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Post by Guitar on Jan 18, 2021 7:15:23 GMT -6
I wonder if anyone's tried the Avedis E27 or the Chandler TG12345? Just thought I'd throw some logs on the fire :-D Love tracking vocals with the Curve Bender - a little goes a long way. I really like subtle boosts at 800hz on occasion for some added bite/body/intelligibility and often at 4.2k for added presence to bring the vocal forward and a shelf at 8.1k / 10k to open up the top end. The E27 I found a bit too “zingy” in the top end for vocals in a way that made them sound more obviously processed. I’m not sure if it’s the Jensen transformers, Avedis opamps or the combo, but once I heard it, I couldn’t unhear it. It was less obvious on other sources. Something Pultec inspired is hard to go wrong with! That's interesting about the Avedis hardware. I have the PSP E27 plugin and I hear that same kind of top end in there. I guess that's how it sounds then! I am envious of anyone with Curve Bender hardware that one captures my imagination. I have the Softube and Waves ones.
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Post by kaleida on Jan 18, 2021 14:00:44 GMT -6
That's interesting about the Avedis hardware. I have the PSP E27 plugin and I hear that same kind of top end in there. I guess that's how it sounds then! I am envious of anyone with Curve Bender hardware that one captures my imagination. I have the Softube and Waves ones. The Softube version is great! Haven’t tried the Waves yet. The TG Channel and 500 series are supposed to be very similar (maybe the same?) minus all the bands / extra options, but to me it’s really all about the midrange on the CB anyway and there’s no need for all the bells and whistles while tracking vocals.
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Post by ab101 on Jan 18, 2021 14:53:07 GMT -6
If money is no object, and one is looking for a sweet top end - the Therm. Swift is fabulous. I try to do as little as possible on tracking and leave most eq on the vocal mix buss. But to each their own.
I have not tried Samar ribbon mics for vocal tracking yet, but I would imagine they would need very little eq.
An RCA 44 type would likely need eq, perhaps hpf going in and adding high end on the mix.
My 2 cents.
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Post by EmRR on Jan 18, 2021 18:06:58 GMT -6
Shoot-outs of the various things here, the Pultec (Analog Allstars EQP1S5) almost always wins for general shaping and nice tone. The mid Pultec is better for drum tracking than anything else (though I need to hack a high shelf switch into them to get more from them), The CAPI LC53A's are great with voice and guitars/strings, the 550A's with drums/bass. Everything else outboard here is a weirdo filter set, and some of those get used for HPF duties while tracking. I don't own any channel strip type pre's with EQ/etc.
For whatever reason, I find I use the least outboard EQ on my own tracks, and then maybe every outboard EQ I've got on work I get from other places. Color compensation I suppose.
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Post by lpedrum on Jan 4, 2022 22:09:08 GMT -6
I like the Chambord Audio CA-250. Based on a Sontec, but pared down to 4 bands. I use mine all over the place. Love my Chambord EQ too. FYI, his site is back up and he’s making a comp now too!
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Post by srb on Jan 4, 2022 22:24:43 GMT -6
I've been using a Chandler TG Channel 2 for the last little while...depends, though...
Just a little bump or cut here and there.
I'm really fond of it with an ADK Z67.
After the fact, though, I do really like an RND 5033 for mix polish.
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Post by teejay on Jan 4, 2022 23:40:15 GMT -6
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Post by lpedrum on Jan 5, 2022 0:12:02 GMT -6
[https://chambordaudio.com/products/ca-250-parametric-eq
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Post by bricejchandler on Jan 5, 2022 2:57:32 GMT -6
Sometimes I wish someone made a really simple , very high quality mono eq with just a hipass with 3 or 4 frequencies and a high band with multiple q options because in recent years the only eqing I've needed when tracking is opening up the high end on some microphones. Anything more radical than that I just swap mics or preamps.
I tried using my LC53s, or Tree Branch, I've used a Massive Passive, Studer eqs for this recently and just going into the line inputs of those with no eqing just changes the sound so radically, which is cool but sometimes I'd rather not impart so much color when I already love the Mic-Preamp combo and just need that extra little lift.
The Swift that AB3 talked about is probably the closest I found to what I have in mind sound wise, The curves sounds great and it seems to stay very true to the original sound. But it's just too expensive for me right now and I probably would only be using a very small part of the functions.
Maybe somebody already has something like this and I'm just not aware of it but it seems like it could be popular.
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Post by Guitar on Jan 5, 2022 9:36:24 GMT -6
Sometimes I wish someone made a really simple , very high quality mono eq with just a hipass with 3 or 4 frequencies and a high band with multiple q options because in recent years the only eqing I've needed when tracking is opening up the high end on some microphones. Anything more radical than that I just swap mics or preamps. I tried using my LC53s, or Tree Branch, I've used a Massive Passive, Studer eqs for this recently and just going into the line inputs of those with no eqing just changes the sound so radically, which is cool but sometimes I'd rather not impart so much color when I already love the Mic-Preamp combo and just need that extra little lift. The Swift that AB3 talked about is probably the closest I found to what I have in mind sound wise, The curves sounds great and it seems to stay very true to the original sound. But it's just too expensive for me right now and I probably would only be using a very small part of the functions. Maybe somebody already has something like this and I'm just not aware of it but it seems like it could be popular. How about a Massenburg EQ? Probably too expensive but I would bet it would work.
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Post by bricejchandler on Jan 5, 2022 9:50:38 GMT -6
Sometimes I wish someone made a really simple , very high quality mono eq with just a hipass with 3 or 4 frequencies and a high band with multiple q options because in recent years the only eqing I've needed when tracking is opening up the high end on some microphones. Anything more radical than that I just swap mics or preamps. I tried using my LC53s, or Tree Branch, I've used a Massive Passive, Studer eqs for this recently and just going into the line inputs of those with no eqing just changes the sound so radically, which is cool but sometimes I'd rather not impart so much color when I already love the Mic-Preamp combo and just need that extra little lift. The Swift that AB3 talked about is probably the closest I found to what I have in mind sound wise, The curves sounds great and it seems to stay very true to the original sound. But it's just too expensive for me right now and I probably would only be using a very small part of the functions. Maybe somebody already has something like this and I'm just not aware of it but it seems like it could be popular. How about a Massenburg EQ? Probably too expensive but I would bet it would work. The Massenburg is fine but I'm never been a huge huge fan of it. The studio I interned at had one and it just never real did it for me. Always liked the Gyraf mastering eq way better, the GML is a little hard sounding for my taste. I mean I wouldn't kick it out of bed obviously if one was given to me but I wouldn't see myself spending that kind of money for something that I don't love to death.
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Post by plinker on Jan 5, 2022 10:48:44 GMT -6
I like the Chambord Audio CA-250. Based on a Sontec, but pared down to 4 bands. I use mine all over the place. Love my Chambord EQ too. FYI, his site is back up and he’s making a comp now too! I'm really curious about this one. Sontec-esque is probably no slouch, and the price is very right!
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Post by drbill on Jan 5, 2022 10:53:56 GMT -6
I’m in search of a vocal eq besides my Rupert Neve 5033. Something with a little more vibe. Just trying to get some recommendations. I'd suggest you also check out a Miad LCPQ4040. Smooth, Vibey, Enough variability without being TOO much, 1RU. I love my API's, but for a vocal, the Miad is way better.
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