jes
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Post by jes on Jul 28, 2021 11:50:49 GMT -6
as in, am I barking up the right tree?
Pre-pandemic, one of my bands recorded at a studio with a Neve 8058 console. Sounded great (no shocker there).
I recently tracked drums for myself for the first time in over a decade due to the pandemic. My wife and I did it--she's the drummer, also a bit of a sound nerd. We learned that with our mics and her kit/playing, she likes the Great River NV500s better than an API3124 or an AMS Neve 1073DPA on her drums, though the Neve is a close second (GR got overheads, Neve got kick and snare).
The GRs are mine (500-series) and I'd like to get a few more 500-series Neveish channels to be able to do it again (it was a lot of fun). Given that we liked the 8058 and the Great River best, would the AML 1081s be a good bet? I realize a board has an EQ and TONS MORE TRANSFORMERS in the audio path than a simple 500-series preamp. My other "good" pres are a Chandler Germanium (holy outside kick drum mic, batman) and a Hairball Lola (thinking about a 2nd of those as well), and I use an RME Fireface UCX as my interface.
Or, are there other 500-series pre that are Neveish but stack well and have a bit more highs/speed to them, like the Great Rivers? If they weren't two spaces each, I'd be thinking about more of them. But the AMLs look like a hell of a deal. Or should we be looking elsewhere? If so, where?
TIA!
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jes
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Post by jes on Jul 28, 2021 12:01:07 GMT -6
Oops -- maybe should have posted this in the AML ez1081 thread right below. Sorry!
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Post by rowmat on Jul 28, 2021 16:37:43 GMT -6
I realize a board has an EQ and TONS MORE TRANSFORMERS in the audio path than a simple 500-series preamp... The primary reason for using a 1081 is its EQ ESPECIALLY on drums. A chocolate nut sundae is not going to taste like a chocolate nut sundae without the chocolate and the nuts. |
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jes
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Post by jes on Jul 28, 2021 19:08:18 GMT -6
Thanks. Any recs for a GR-like preamp?
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Post by mike on Jul 28, 2021 19:34:05 GMT -6
I don't know anything about the AML 1081, but have the impression after reading a number of 1081 threads and engineer comments over time, that there are two common reasons for those who want a 1081, 1. Those who want one for the flexible 4 band EQ, and 2. depending on the source and mic combo , those who prefer the class AB preamp to track vocals etc with over the class A
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jes
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Post by jes on Jul 28, 2021 19:43:49 GMT -6
Thanks. It’ll mostly be vocals and drums. But there’s always the possibility of guitars.
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Post by rowmat on Jul 28, 2021 20:20:49 GMT -6
I don't know anything about the AML 1081, but have the impression after reading a number of 1081 threads and engineer comments over time, that there are two common reasons for those who want a 1081, 1. Those who want one for the flexible 4 band EQ, and 2. depending on the source and mic combo , those who prefer the class AB preamp to track vocals etc with over the class A I have a pair of Neve 33114’s which are similar to the 1081 (same Class AB preamps and similar EQ albeit a three band version with the main difference being smaller output transformers. The Neve Class AB preamps are more present (one could say more ‘HiFi’ sounding) than the darker/thicker Class A Neves. |
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jes
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Post by jes on Jul 29, 2021 8:25:59 GMT -6
Thanks. That's what I like about the Great Rivers -- a little faster. So what do you use the 33114s for vs other choices?
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Post by nudwig on Jul 29, 2021 9:56:08 GMT -6
If you wanted to stay 500 series and still get you some multiple transformer action you could do the AML's then followed by the LTL Royal Blue colour module in a Mr Focus host, though you're then back to 2 slots this offers a lot of flexibility and speed in tracking (tilt filter especially). Other options I see are the LTL Chroma with a Royal Blue or just biting the bullet and going to rack units. Great River, AML and Louder Than Liftoff all play nice together in my setup.
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jes
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Post by jes on Jul 29, 2021 11:20:46 GMT -6
Thank you! One other question on the AML, and pardon if this is dumb but better to admit stupidity than fake intelligence on an online forum: when AML says "fully assembled and tested" that means fully built and ready to put into my rack, right?
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Post by nudwig on Jul 29, 2021 12:11:20 GMT -6
Thank you! One other question on the AML, and pardon if this is dumb but better to admit stupidity than fake intelligence on an online forum: when AML says "fully assembled and tested" that means fully built and ready to put into my rack, right? That's how I understand it as well, I have the 2ru units with eq so mine came assembled. |
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jes
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Post by jes on Jul 29, 2021 14:55:05 GMT -6
Thank you.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2021 19:26:54 GMT -6
I don't know anything about the AML 1081, but have the impression after reading a number of 1081 threads and engineer comments over time, that there are two common reasons for those who want a 1081, 1. Those who want one for the flexible 4 band EQ, and 2. depending on the source and mic combo , those who prefer the class AB preamp to track vocals etc with over the class A I read this a lot. And yes, the EQ is amazing. Both of those reasons are true. But for some reason, the amplifiers in the 1081, and its counterpart the 31105, have become the victims of internet reductionism. It seems once a few "Reverb guide to Neve modules"-type pieces got out there, and fewer and fewer people have direct experience with those desks, the scope of "useful applications" for the 1081 seemed to become undeservedly diminished. Think about how many hundreds of brilliant-sounding records were tracked on those desks. Some of the received wisdom you read, now that many 8078s, 8048s have been sold and parted out, feels very rationalized by our cork-sniffing current age. But people weren't sniffing corks back then, it was something else entirely! I like a dark, squishy class-A Neve pre as much as the next guy, but 1081s sound incredible on everything. |
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Post by rowmat on Jul 29, 2021 20:23:25 GMT -6
I don't know anything about the AML 1081, but have the impression after reading a number of 1081 threads and engineer comments over time, that there are two common reasons for those who want a 1081, 1. Those who want one for the flexible 4 band EQ, and 2. depending on the source and mic combo , those who prefer the class AB preamp to track vocals etc with over the class A I read this a lot. And yes, the EQ is amazing. Both of those reasons are true. But for some reason, the amplifiers in the 1081, and its counterpart the 31105, have become the victims of internet reductionism. It seems once a few "Reverb guide to Neve modules"-type pieces got out there, and fewer and fewer people have direct experience with those desks, the scope of "useful applications" for the 1081 seemed to become undeservedly diminished. Think about how many hundreds of brilliant-sounding records were tracked on those desks. Some of the received wisdom you read, now that many 8078s, 8048s have been sold and parted out, feels very rationalized by our cork-sniffing current age. But people weren't sniffing corks back then, it was something else entirely! I like a dark, squishy class-A Neve pre as much as the next guy, but 1081s sound incredible on everything. Neve 8078 Class AB |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2021 20:25:10 GMT -6
I read this a lot. And yes, the EQ is amazing. Both of those reasons are true. But for some reason, the amplifiers in the 1081, and its counterpart the 31105, have become the victims of internet reductionism. It seems once a few "Reverb guide to Neve modules"-type pieces got out there, and fewer and fewer people have direct experience with those desks, the scope of "useful applications" for the 1081 seemed to become undeservedly diminished. Think about how many hundreds of brilliant-sounding records were tracked on those desks. Some of the received wisdom you read, now that many 8078s, 8048s have been sold and parted out, feels very rationalized by our cork-sniffing current age. But people weren't sniffing corks back then, it was something else entirely! I like a dark, squishy class-A Neve pre as much as the next guy, but 1081s sound incredible on everything. Neve 8078 Class AB (cue the sound of air-horns going off in rapid succession) |
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