Deciding on first high end outboard piece, Would love advice

Welcome, what a great problem to have !

If it is mostly for you, could you tell ua a little more about your voice and preferred mike and pre?

Are you open to other gear options ?

Stick around and start reading . .. in a year or two you'll have $100,000+ in outboard gear like the rest of us.

The Nail is my favorite compressor on vocal bus, it's not a super euphonic piece, it's trick is right in the name, nails the vocal in place.

Nope, my instrument busses get a variety SSL-style VCA comps, an Audient, Wes dione or Tegeler Creme, no Phoenix or Gyraf in the house. Breaking out the vocal bus is primarily to use the Nail over the VCAs.

 

The SB mk2 is a great starting place for sure.  They can ship with the 4000 style bus comp as of this week, and very soon with the Locomotive variance-mu which is what I'd suggest for the OP.

THanks for the reply. That is great feedback. I have just looked into the SB and what the mk2 with modules has to offer,. it looks very promissing.

The AudioScape Opto Comp is a can't miss choice.  It's their clone of the the famous LA2A and arguably as good or better than the current UA model.  Simple to use.  Perfect for vocals.  And probably money left for another piece of gear too.  

I have the Thermionic Phoenix Master Plus and the The Swift EQ on my stereo bus.

Both are absolutely superb pieces and I bought mine when I had no budget restrictions, they just won the day sonically.

Almost all my outboard is tube gear, I’m not a huge fan of solid state outboard, save for SSL VCA and some pre amps like Neve, Millennia and AEA.

So I’m biased towards tube gear, as it matches my sonic goals.

The Phoenix will double as a really fantastic vocal, bass and acoustic guitar tracking compressor.

Good luck with your decision.

My 2cents would be since u have a really nice channel in the front end, the most impact you can bring to your sound palette at this point would likely be investing in your mic locker. Mixing wise, you already mix with great plug ins and it seem to me you are itb, so I wouldn’t start to mix that up. If you are not set on going hybrid, a hw unit in the mix will make less of an impact than you think. Put your money on the front end for bang for the buck. Now if you are looking for something your front end strip does not offer, for example another type of compression, a tube pre and what not, it could be reason good enough to invest in an alternative unit.

I feel you are maybe in your introduction going the wrong way into it:

“ THe goal is to have a unit that just gives me the musicality and sonic quality that takes my mixes (and preferably also vocal tracking) to the next level”

Tracking is everything. When you get that right, you can rethink your mixing entirely and that becomes the easy step. If tracking is not quite there, no tools will make up for it in the mixing stage. So looking back, trying to set myself in your boots with what you have going for you, I would solely be looking at the front end at this point for variation since there is something in your workflow that doesn’t please you and you are looking for something else. I would not know what exactly to suggest as I do not know what you feel should be taken to the next level.

Thanks! that's some very solid, insightful advice. Makes me rethink my priority's.  I do plan on going hybrid so here would be my new goal introduction:

“ To increase my front end in sonic variations (great tip) , and preferably look for units that may also be applicable in a hybrid setup”

So the TC rooster2 would make more sence to look at then the TC the Swift as does the Silver bullet previously suggested.

I am going to think about second vocal mic. I have been planning to just get a sm7b voor dub and backing vocals for the variations and having the lead vocal sound stand out more. 

I have sung in allot of different great mics, and always love the u47 sound on my voice as well recently. Would be good to think of a great mic for female singers as well. Only the u87 never did it for me on my own voice though. 

I forgot that I do own 1/3rd of a R88 stereo ribbon mic. I share it with to other friends. 

Thanks to everyone tuning in to this thread. I'm getting great advice. Hope it helps other guys in my situation too.


Feel free to share some gear suggestions both veritily frontend and hybrid setup type units and mics.

I'm interested in the chandler mics as well but have no experience with them.

You really have to try these units out in your own room with your own music.

My personal production goals are that big 3D soundscape Dave Gilmour, Genesis, Cold Play, Sting .... etc achieve.

So I run my mix into an RMS755 (VCA SSL style comp) > The Phoenix > The Swift.

The RMS 755 gives me control over the envelope of the groove then the Phoenix adds size and gloss and the Swift can take me anywhere I want to go.

I'm leaning towards top down mixing these days as it's a great way to work for my genre of music.

If I was only able to buy one Thermionic unit I'd go for The Swift, it's an amazing extremely versatile stereo EQ.

It has Bax shelves, passive inductor mids, a Maag syle air band and unique presence band - there is NO plugin EQ even remotely close to The Swift.
The Swift is proper old school classic studio EQ and a little goes a long way unlike DSP plugin EQ where one seems to need way more gain than seems correct.

Eventually you can add a vari MU comp like The Phoenix.

I'm a huge fan of Thermionic for me, they make the best sounding tube gear out there for my taste in music production irrespective of budget.

Got clips?
Even with dem lowly UA Plugs?
LOL!
Chris