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Post by cowboycoalminer on Sept 23, 2013 22:10:20 GMT -6
is taking a shit on me. Not yet a month old and channel two sound horrible with so much noise it's unusable. I'm afraid to send the damn thing back and get it replaced cause channel 1 sounds so good, I'm afraid it won't be the same.  Sweetwater said they would exchange it but I hate this kind of haste. Expected with vintage gear but not so much with new gear... But if it takes it, I'll keep trading in to keep one. This thing is still amazing. |
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Post by sozocaps on Sept 23, 2013 22:13:00 GMT -6
I think they had some kind of power supply issue... I would contact them directly and see if it's a known issue.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Sept 23, 2013 22:27:37 GMT -6
Dang, that ain't chump change you spent getting that Cowboy. Is it really that much better than the ToneBeast or your Martek?
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Post by sozocaps on Sept 23, 2013 22:32:15 GMT -6
I'm sure they will fix it, how much did BAE have to quality control when it first came out. And they still have 500 rack power supplies issues ?
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Post by Johnkenn on Sept 24, 2013 6:44:54 GMT -6
I had a problem with the first 1073-500 I had...and Alto replaced it without me having bought it from them. So - great customer service. I had several problems with Aurora Audio, and I held it against them - granted the customer service was not anywhere near as responsive...Also had problems with BAE. I'm beginning to think these things just happen. There are a TON of parts in these things. Lots of chances for things to go wrong. If they're willing to replace, I'd do it in a second.
BTW - my 73jr has occasionally suffered from drop outs...but I always attributed it to the Power Supply. Hasn't happened much, but I actually think it might be something to do with how the unit is using the power. I agree though, these are stellar units - so good that I can work with any and all problems.
That being said, I've never had one single problem with one of Jeff Steiger's units.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Sept 24, 2013 13:30:29 GMT -6
Dang, that ain't chump change you spent getting that Cowboy. Is it really that much better than the ToneBeast or your Martek? Better than anything I've put my hand to, Martin. It's the benchmark to which all others are measured in my book. |
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Sept 24, 2013 13:32:01 GMT -6
BTW, Sweetwater is going to drop ship another unit. How's that for customer service??
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Post by svart on Sept 24, 2013 13:40:53 GMT -6
You might pop the top on it if there isn't any warranty stickers and see if there are any board-to-board connectors. Try disconnecting and reconnecting a few times to clean the contacts to see if there was just a bad connection.
There isn't much to the 1272/1073 design that would go bad unless the power supply was blowing stuff up.
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Post by Mark Kano on Sept 24, 2013 17:52:07 GMT -6
My BAE came with a scratchy line button that was causing the gain to jump around about 10db in the middle of performances. Was driving me crazy (and hurting my ears). BAE support was totally rad though and walked me through cleaning the switch. Saved me on shipping and time out on the unit as it was used. Summit on the other hand is a bit sloooww, and charging $95 per hour for repairs. Does that seem steep?
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Post by Heritage Audio on Sept 25, 2013 4:57:02 GMT -6
is taking a shit on me. Not yet a month old and channel two sound horrible with so much noise it's unusable. I'm afraid to send the damn thing back and get it replaced cause channel 1 sounds so good, I'm afraid it won't be the same. Sweetwater said they would exchange it but I hate this kind of haste. Expected with vintage gear but not so much with new gear... But if it takes it, I'll keep trading in to keep one. This thing is still amazing. Send us an email . Sounds like it can be fixed without leaving your place. |
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Post by Martin John Butler on Sept 25, 2013 8:29:49 GMT -6
Found this at the purple site, a shootout between the Heritage DMA73, BAE 1073MP, AMS 1073DPA, Martech; www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/836754-here-1073-clone-shootout-bae-ams-heritage.htmlI get the beauty of the Heritage, but I liked the vibe of the BAE. When I judge something like this when listening to files, I'm aware that if I had all these in my possession for a while, I might eventually favor one that wasn't my first choice. That said, the BAE makes me imagine as I listen. I call it "dreaming". When something sounds right to me, I float with the mood of the writer and performer, feeling the emotional content deeply. I'd rather feel it than analyze the sound any day. This happens all the time when you listen to the Beatles, just atmosphere all the time, you just melt into the music. |
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Post by svart on Sept 25, 2013 9:35:44 GMT -6
Heh, I can't really hear all that much difference in the clips on the purple site at all, except for the 4th unit. None of them offended me to the point that I wouldn't use them.
I'll stick to my original BA283+carnhill Neve preamps though.
I think people should keep in mind that even original Neve 1272/1073/1084/etc sounded pretty different from one unit to another unit that it almost makes this type of shootout pointless.. Neve era tantalum caps, transistors, polystyrene caps and resistors had such a wide range of tolerances compared to today's available parts.
I think the point is that if the clones at least have the vibe, then that's all that matters.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Sept 25, 2013 14:00:39 GMT -6
I agree. My take is these Neve pres are all good. After that, I think it's a matter of taste. My ear loves the Heritage.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Sept 25, 2013 14:49:51 GMT -6
Haven't looked at the results so here's my favorite without knowing which is which. Number one is my favorite. That said, that could indeed be the worst mic choice for that guys voice in the history of audio. Certainly didn't do any of these fine pres any favors.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Sept 25, 2013 14:56:30 GMT -6
Just looked at the results. This goes to show how much variance there is in shootouts. MY DMA sounds more like number one only it's hard to tell with that mic. Mines way smoother than one through one of my good mics. The only true way to shootout 4 pres is to make a 4 way split cable to each one. Then even THAT would be flawed on the 73's becasue they have such a range of coloration from clean to driven.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Sept 25, 2013 16:23:35 GMT -6
Tricky, I know, but I liked # 1 too.
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Post by svart on Sept 26, 2013 7:09:32 GMT -6
I'd like to know what the A/D used was, as well as the DAW. The tracks sounded very dull and lifeless compared to what I get through my neves and Alphalink.
That's another reason why I personally don't care for shootouts. You can't account for all the other stuff that happens to the audio beyond the one or two pieces of gear being tested..
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Post by Martin John Butler on Sept 26, 2013 7:45:13 GMT -6
I can appreciate how all the factors that can skew shootout results, in essence, nullify the results, but I really enjoy them, and find them useful. I've often been able to hear certain things that help me make some difficult decisions. I've found mic shootouts that were done at the same time particularly telling. Of course you never know for sure until you've had something for a while, but sometimes the shootout results clarify things enough to help you take the plunge.
If you listen to the audio lab rats, you'd never make a decision. If I have two mics, stick them in the same place at equal levels, I can hear enough of their character to decide which one I prefer. I'm sure it's similar with preamps. Could you repeat your findings in a blind test, I doubt it, that's a different thing altogether, but can you pick the sound of a preamp when comparing side by side, of course you can.
Also, sometimes having a piece for a while reveals things that weren't obvious at first, but become crucial later, like how a pre might sound after multiple tracks have been done. Subtle differences can become pronounced. That's why I love cowboy's tracks when he posts them, he's listened carefully and worked with the gear, and his work backs up his opinion.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Sept 26, 2013 15:40:20 GMT -6
So many different factors play into every tool choice. Even one that probably only serious pros consider- the key and register of a song. Take the same vocalist on the same mic and pre. If it's a tune that stretches him or her it might not be a good combo or fit. And the reverse is true, it could be perfect. You musical gurus know a note is simply a spot on the frequency spectrum. So there really is no "one" this or that is best for everything. However there are some tools that recordists use that they can get familiar enough with to get what they want. This to me is the big reason we try and find the flattest mics and smoothest pres. They work on most anything. This Heritage pre is defiantly one of those. I haven't found a source or a mic it doesn't like.
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Post by lolo on Sept 29, 2013 5:52:16 GMT -6
Just Re-Recorded a vocal for a song I wanna pitch.
CV4 - Heritage 73jr - capi VP28(line)- JLM LA500.
On the strip, Added waves CLA 2A, a bit of verb and mono delay and it sounded ready.
Sold my BAE for the Heritage, cant be happier.
Also extremely impressed with the JLM comp
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Post by Martin John Butler on Sept 29, 2013 8:49:49 GMT -6
Cowboy's right, but it does take some discipline, and a mic closet ;-) , to look at the range of the vocal and choose accordingly. The very first song I did with the Apollo was rushed. Somehow, my wife Janet and I decided it would be nice to give the guests at our wedding a CD. I woke up one morning with an entire song in my head. That hasn't happened in decades. It was very simple, along the lines of songs like Stand By Me. The thing was, it was perfect for a wedding. I felt like I'd written Happy Birthday, the song is so obvious and commercial, unlike my usual work.
At that time, ( June 2012), I'd never worked with a DAW before, and never used a plug in, so it was a huge stressful leap, to think I could produce a record at home, in three days, yet I didn't even know how to instantiate a plug-in!
It was a duet, so being my first time recording with the Apollo, and having a deadline, we sang together, trading lines. The key was low for me, and high for Janet. I didn't have a preamp then, and the Blackspade U17 mic I had just bought, though definitely a workhorse that pretty much sounds good on almost everything, didn't quite work for Janet. With the key being high, it sounded bright and thin for Janet's vocal, mine was OK. If I was doing that again, I'd have a track for each vocal part, or two different mics at least. Janet needed something softer, like the CV4 or a vintage Neumann.
The thing is, when the song is in her range, the U17 sounds great. We did a test for some producers in L.A. Janet had worked with before. They sent mp3's and Janet sang along, I then sent the rough's back to L.A. They needed to see if Janet's voice was the right fit for the project. After hearing it, they thought the sound was so good, complementing the micrpohone sound specifically, they asked if we could just do the vocals here, instead of them flying Janet from NY to L.A.
So, it wasn't the mic, it was the key, cowboy is definitely on the money here.
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