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Post by popmann on Jan 14, 2014 12:53:40 GMT -6
I was thinking the other day about how most gear I like and use has been more a "nuance proven over time" kind of thing...or is some kind of gear-like my monitors that simply "won the shootout/passed testX"--which is king of "gear as function" which is my overwhelming attitude towards it...but, flies against what a lot of yoose guys want to talk about. So, I got to thinking what is it that I've ever fallen in love with right away. First is JohnM's Inntertube87i with the "history"...it is still "the perfect" vocal mic for my so imperfect voice. Rolff--you have my number if he ever decides to sell.  I won't belabor that point, since it's SO specific--other IT87s? Nope. Fine mics. But, something unknown to all "got done" to the capsule during it's "colorful history" that makes that, combined with Stayne's head amp, da f'n bomb for me. Second is less unique...the first time I dropped a Royer 121 in front of my amp, I LITERALLY hit one chord in the headphones and started looking around the studio for what to sell to afford my own. The backstory I guess--it should be noted I was an electric guitarist before all other instruments watered me down ...and grew up recording to tape. 456 was so forgiving I could point my 421 or 57 at the speaker and press it into the red, and it came back between fine and great. Since switching to digital, MAN, I was struggling. I'd gone through preamps...and AD conversion and LDCs as distance mics--and blending them in with the close dynamics...rolling off highs...etc...I always came up with "ok"--but, I have really nice amps and guitar. The tone in the room KILLS anything I'd ever gotten to digital...drop the 121...BAM...sound like my amp in the room. Backside letting in just enough room to not make it claustrophobic...front side not distorting the transient pick attack like condensers tend to...and not having "that dynamic sound" like moving coils tend to... Third isn't recording gear exactly. My 62RI Precision. It IS recording that mattered though. I was fine with any number of basses (and I mostly played fretless for a decade or so)...but, when it came time to record via DI...I remember plugging in the 62 (bought used), and by the first chorus of the first song knowing what my bass recording (again to digital) "issue" was--wrong basses for "that sound". I've subsequently added an AmStd P5 when they first went all passive (08?)...and it sounds fine....good...arguably interchangeable to some degree and with the sometimes necessary low B, but there's just something about that 62 that just "speaks" better. I saw an old fretless P for sale a while back and thought I should pick it up to have THREE Ps...ha...call me "three Ps and a tube DI" guy. Beyond that, I'm not sure I have more of these stories...though I guess VCC and double sample rates was what got me to abandon my comfortable old hardware recorder. But, that is a cumulative combo of both. I was already in LOVE with 88/96 (and I really don't seem to care which) on the hardware...the computer offered virtually unlimited tracks at that rate, but an inferior sounding mixer. Enter VCC (and some reverse engineering on my part of the Akai) that leveled that playing field in kind of a separate but equal way. Anyway-I don't know if that counts since it's two things...not horribly gear specific...more of a digital audio paradigm thing... But, I figured it would be a good topic for people to share THEIR stories. ie...not intended to be a thread about MY stories so much as sharing mine to encourage others to share THEIRS. What piece of kit was love at first hear for you? |
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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 15, 2014 8:03:49 GMT -6
I would say the Retro Sta and 176 were like that for me...unfortunately, whether I have one depends on my ability to afford at the time.
The Kemper was pretty stunning too. Now, whether it sounds as good a Sampson era Matchless cranked to 10 with every mic you want at your disposal - is debatable...But for my uses, it's blew me away.
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Post by svart on Jan 15, 2014 12:31:11 GMT -6
The R121 is good, but didn't strike me dead on the spot. The Gefel UM70S and the Gefel M930's that I own did. Knockout. End of game.
I can't say I've had that much of a reaction to rack gear, although I've definitely grown into a number of items as time has elapsed and I've learned how to use them better.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 15, 2014 12:54:31 GMT -6
First is JohnM's Inntertube87i with the "history"...it is still "the perfect" vocal mic for my so imperfect voice. Rolff--you have my number if he ever decides to sell. I won't belabor that point, since it's SO specific--other IT87s? Nope. Fine mics. But, something unknown to all "got done" to the capsule during it's "colorful history" that makes that, combined with Stayne's head amp, da f'n bomb for me. Any more details about this? Few things that come to mind right off the bat... Nightpro PreQ3's air band. Just got it last week, but as soon as I added a touch of air to a mix, there was a clarity that had been missing. Really eye opening. This Fender Jazz - I picked this up in October or so I think. Exactly the sound that I was looking for. Very reminiscent of the sound that a friend gets from his 78 jazz that I love. Plays and sounds great. Ampeg V4 - Insane amount of throaty bass available at reasonable volumes. Not quite the thunder of an SVT and not the warmth of a B15, but an awesome sound in it's own right. DW drums - Always sound great wether I'm mixing or playing. GML 8200 - Amazing, clean, flexible eq. |
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Post by svart on Jan 15, 2014 13:15:00 GMT -6
Can someone explain the air band to me? It's just a very high shelving frequency? Why does it matter when in mastering, someone usually LPFs above 12k anyway?
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 15, 2014 13:42:02 GMT -6
Air band is a high shelf with selectable 2.5k, 5k, 10k, 20k, 40k frequency points with a super wide slope. I think it effects signal 2.5 octaves below. I've found that a little boost at 20k brings an awesome amount of clarity. Definitely sounds significantly better/clearer than doing a high shelf on my Midas or BLA EQ.
Are mastering engineers really doing a 12k LPF? Why would that be?
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Post by svart on Jan 15, 2014 14:14:46 GMT -6
A lot do some kind of LPF. 12k-15k is not uncommon. Gets rid of the fizz and hiss that most would find fatiguing and objectionable. Besides, most mix engineers do not boost anything north of 12k. As they used to say, boosting 12k+ is the sign of an amateur. Clarity comes from the balance of the mix, not from EQ. As I do more and more mixes, I agree with this more and more.
Anyway, most compression schemes like MP3/MP4, the first thing they do is hard LPF around 12khz and hard HPF around 50hz.. So it sounds like using the air band thing would be a total loss these days as CDs go away and compressed audio is the new normal.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 15, 2014 14:26:18 GMT -6
I'll have to print a mix with air and one without then drop them into itunes and see what happens.
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Post by popmann on Jan 15, 2014 15:45:47 GMT -6
First is JohnM's Inntertube87i with the "history"...it is still "the perfect" vocal mic for my so imperfect voice. Rolff--you have my number if he ever decides to sell. I won't belabor that point, since it's SO specific--other IT87s? Nope. Fine mics. But, something unknown to all "got done" to the capsule during it's "colorful history" that makes that, combined with Stayne's head amp, da f'n bomb for me. Any more details about this? Well, the history part, I'll skip because I'm not sure how much is true...suffice to say they haven't always owned the mic...but, it's "just" an old 87i with the Innertube guts/PS you can still buy from Stayne today. I talked to Stayne a while about it--same thing other than pinouts for the AI and i...but, they use different capsules. The AI with Innertube mod was "fine"...but, nothing that made me tear up. So, no one really knows if it's a stock 87i cap or if the previous owner had it "tweaked"--but, I've never met another mic like it. It's really bright. Shy on the bottom. Like a C12 with a little Neumann'y mid push. talking to Stayne, I think the IT amp is a variant on the C12/251 amp....but, he's got something in there to somehow EQ away the "classic Neumann" traits of the cap. The huge low midrange bump is gone. The upper mid zing is there but kinder. I did a record where literally what you hear in the finished mixes is IT87>Millenia>La3a. Done. But, in the end? It's a financial thing. They didn't want to sell when I had the money...and I realized that no one but me could tell the difference in the end result--and it was more valuable to have a mic here consistently on premise that worked. That's actually the thing about gear that I repeat and many don't listen. It makes less difference in the end result than it does in how easily/quickly you get there. But, that's not to poop on the parade of GAS....onward and upwards...what gear has everyone fallen in love with on first hear? |
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Post by Johnkenn on Jan 15, 2014 16:29:19 GMT -6
That's actually the thing about gear that I repeat and many don't listen. It makes less difference in the end result than it does in how easily/quickly you get there. Very true statement... |
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Post by unit7 on Jan 15, 2014 17:43:06 GMT -6
90% of my rack were love at 1st hear. Perhaps Analoguetube AT101, Cartec EQP-1A and Elysia nvelope stands out. Plugins: Heat for ProTools, everything Soundtoys and most recently the Lexicon PCM reverb bundle.
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Post by matt on Jan 15, 2014 18:35:25 GMT -6
I have to say, every piece of my primary recording chain: Notre Dame, Ventura, STA, and B2. I didn't get them all at once, but every time I added a piece, I had another AH-HA moment. The problem is, it never ends. Now I want/need better monitors and a B2 for DA. Gonna be another expensive year.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Jan 15, 2014 21:08:21 GMT -6
Sta Level. Stunning from day one. I've got a lot of great gear but that's one I'll never part with. Plus I was having some tube trouble and Phil sent me a whole new NOS set and I didn't even ask for one. Then proceeded to follow up with not one but two e-mails to make sure I was satisfied. Can you beat that?
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Post by Martin John Butler on Jan 15, 2014 21:53:01 GMT -6
My Martin D-41 Custom Turbo. There are only 11 ever made to the exact specs, 2 in sunburst, and I picked the better of the 2. I was looking for a good quality working acoustic electric, one of the around 2k Martin models and wasn't satisfied, then my friend put "The Cannon", ( as it's occasionally called) in my hands, and it must have been what it's like for a violin player to play a perfect Stradivarius, just jaw dropping disbelief. I couldn't afford it, so I left it there. I went to all the music stores in NY, and tried every single expensive Martin available, really, every single one, and not one sounded like mine. I went back to the Mandoline Bros. store on Staten Island, and left a deposit, convinced I'd regret it every single day if I didn't get it. I'm still glad I did. Attachments:
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Post by Martin John Butler on Jan 15, 2014 22:07:50 GMT -6
This is a long read. but just in case you're interested.. Mine has a 1 7/8" inch nut. They made the neck a little smaller for the general public, I prefer mine, so it's really two of a kind now. It's sort of a dream team of Martin's best guitars all rolled into one, and my back and sides are are made of Brazilian rosewood. Below, from Mandoline Bros:
Adirondack top & bracing, 1 3/4" nut, Indian rosewood back & sides, 1/4" advanced X forward shifted scalloped braces, bone nut and saddle, black ebony fingerboard & bridge, Geib style hard shell case.
Going back over thirty four years we have been working with the C F Martin Guitar Company to produce guitars (built by Martin) that this most famous acoustic guitar company does not build. Fact is, we initiated both the C F Martin Custom Shop and the worldwide notion of the “Reissue” guitar back in 1977 with an unprecedented order for 250 D-28 Herringbone Reissues and 91 D-45 Reissues. These original guitars have become legendary. We now present you with an extremely special instrument, one that we consider to be one of this revered company’s finest dreadnought guitars – a guitar that they, themselves, do not make and to the best of our memory have never made as a Limited Edition. That is: a Martin D-41 “Turbo,” festooned with abalone top inlay and abalone soundhole border but with an internal structure and wood choice that makes it better sounding, better looking, and, darn it, exceedingly collectible. Normally a generic Martin D-41 is a great guitar – crispy and clean in every register, yielding great depth of tone, sustain and sonority. But we felt it could be improved – so we have had Martin place the internal braces in the “Advanced X, Forward Shifted” position to allow a greater area of the top to vibrate unimpeded, and we have them use Adirondack “Red” Spruce for the face, just as they did on their prewar guitars; we have them use one-quarter (1/4”) inch Adirondack bracing instead of the standard 5/16” for much greater volume. In addition, this latest incarnation of the D-41 Turbo has a couple of surprises – The neck is made from genuine mahogany, and the fingerboard and bridge from blackest ebony.
In a time long ago, 10-plus-years-back (but not any more because now they place a considerable monetary premium on this sanctioned material), we had them build this type of instrument with back and sides of Brazilian rosewood! You already know that Brazilian is on the CITES Treaty schedule as a flora that cannot be exported from the country whose name it bears; the paperwork requirements required to ship guitars made from it internationally are arduous. Few (very few) new Martin guitars are made from said Dalbergian distillation. Nevertheless, this baby utilizes the very material that comprises the most idealized phylum for the purpose of making a six-string instrument into a vibrating vessel of vigorous velocity, a tone locomotive unlike any other. We no longer have C F Martin Company make these in Brazilian -- now they’re made in East Indian and Adirondack – but they remain quite impressive and less than half as expensive. We are providing you a once-in-a-decade opportunity to please yourself in ways that you may never before have thought possible. No, not that way. We call it a “Turbo-Charged” dreadnought because every note you play on it sounds as humongous, the response as visceral, the feeling of pride in ownership induplicable, as what you feel when you stomp on the accelerator of a turbo-charged racing automobile. Seeing it, playing it and hearing it will, we vouchsafe you, be an eye and ear-opening experience.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Jan 15, 2014 22:18:04 GMT -6
My second gear epiphany was my Peachtree Audio Nova integrated amplifier. I had a friend who had two stereo systems, on cost $65,000 and one $45,000. Now, before you get all huffy, he was the least pretentious very wealthy person I'd ever met. Had very little in the way of conspicuous consumption, but what he did have, was high quality. I helped him choose the components and loved the $45,000 system the most. If you ever hear Avalon Eidelon Diamond speakers, you'll know why. I needed a new stereo quite a while back, heard this little $1400 integrated amp, and when paired with the right speakers, it gave me 99.5% as much pleasure as my friend's system, and still does.
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Post by Guitar on Jan 16, 2014 0:22:00 GMT -6
Big Muff - the iconic fuzz of fuzzes
A few other fuzzes - Colorsound One Knob, Wooly Mammoth, a custom one my friend made the Sea Monster. Fuzz in general.
When I heard this through the MXL R40 ribbon mic, I had that experience Popmann described, yes, that is it.
And through the Eminence Cannabis Rex speaker, with vintage American tube amps, such earthy tones.
I've got too many guitars and amps to have a special experience with just one. That weird Epiphone Masterbilt acoustic was special, best of 5 I tried, only good one actually, but it started to warp and I had to send it back :-( Still on the search for the perfect acoustic guitar, hoping the Taylor GS Mini will fit the bill.
API preamps - the standard for me, love that sound, and the many variations, my definitive preamp of choice
KSM137 and KM184. What cheap and mid/high priced SDC should sound like. Took so much trial and error to find these.
Techincs cheap turntable, wow, fidelity! balls! blew my shitty digital systems out of the water, ripped me a new one
Emotiva DC-1 DAC, brought my digital FINALLY to where the vinyl was getting so easily. I have hope for digital, I have seen the dark side.
Panasonic car CD player with Ford speakers...the standard. Picked it out of one of those retail store wall racks of various units on display for testing.
AKG K702 headphones... I thought there was no hope in head-fi, but I found some.
The analog modeling VST EQ plugins. Time to buy hardware!
Lexicon PCM Suite - OH! in the box reverb can be good! there are many others these days.
FMR RNLA - hey wait a second...why do my drum overheads sound so smooth
My friend's Gretsch Renown drum kit. KABOOM. Going to have to save up for some good shells of my own one day.
Yamaha DX7 synthesizer HOLY SHIT. Aphex Twin's mellower side in a box. Synthesizers in general!!!
I'm sure I missed some. As you can tell I get excited about gear.
Hoping to DIY some fancy rack gear this year to add to this list. and get further and further out of the box.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2014 23:35:27 GMT -6
i'm younger than a lot of you, so my experience is limited. but that Shannon CV4 is just bananas on everything i try it out on. |
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Post by Ward on Jan 17, 2014 9:05:02 GMT -6
The R121 is good, but didn't strike me dead on the spot. The Gefel UM70S and the Gefel M930's that I own did. Knockout. End of game. I can't say I've had that much of a reaction to rack gear, although I've definitely grown into a number of items as time has elapsed and I've learned how to use them better. I'd dare to say you 'hear' the way I hear then. The Royer 121 is widely proclaimed as being the most natural sounding microphone on the market, and one that "hears like your ears do". I don't really agree with that statement. When I'm recording guitar amplifiers, I usually mic one speaker with a 57 or a 421 and the other with the Royer. The Royer is very seldom the only mic used in the mix, often times it is at about 30% the volume of the dynamic. It adds body and thickness but it doesn't hear like I hear. Not at all. The Gefell M930, OTOH, does indeed sound very natural and hears the way I hear. It is a magnificent and often overlooked tool. I know some legends, like Michael Wagener (whom I respect), swear by the Royers on guitar amps... but that must be a matter of taste, not one of necessity for us all to follow like sheep. |
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Post by svart on Jan 17, 2014 9:19:01 GMT -6
I do find the R121 sounds really really good on small fender amps, which tend to lack thickness and have a shrillness. Champs, princetons, etc. It just works right. On larger amps, it's waaaay too muddy on it's own, unless I turn the bass down on the amp, which makes it sound tinny, or I set the mic back a couple feet and move it around a bit for a nulled room mode (or else the figure 8 sounds strange and phasey). I can definitely make it work, but it's NOT the set-and-forget mic that most have proclaimed. It's a great mic and better than most but I have to admit that it doesn't live up to the hype.
Wagener does a trick with his R121 that you might not know. He runs them into lower impedances, like 300 or 600 ohms instead of 1.2k-2.4K that most preamps have these days. This knocks a lot of the low end off the mic's response and makes it a bit more "flat" sounding in front of a booming speaker. If you look at his positioning in pictures, he also sets the mics like an inch from the dust cap of the speaker. This also keeps the bass frequencies from developing, as there is not enough room to move enough air to recreate a deeper tone. Both of these together seem to give a much more usable signal. I've played around with both and I think it can be done, but I still find myself going back to the UM70S on the cabinet. 8in back, pointing about midway between the dustcap and the surround. BOOM. done. Sounds like the amp everytime. The rest is up to me setting the amp up correctly and helping the player get his tone.
I actually got the UM70s because I was always using one of my M930's on guitars but I needed them for overheads at the same time! The UM70s is a little more rolled off in the highs so I can do a lot less HPF on guitars and stuff. The M7 capsule just sounds good on everything.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 17, 2014 9:42:35 GMT -6
I agree with Ward and svart on this one. I dig the Royers, but need a blend of 121 and 421/57. The 121 adds some meat and the dynamics give some sizzle. |
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Post by popmann on Jan 17, 2014 13:46:14 GMT -6
Rather than belabor the point. I'm gonna be that guy who quotes himself. But, I figured it would be a good topic for people to share THEIR stories. ie...not intended to be a thread about MY stories so much as sharing mine to encourage others to share THEIRS. What piece of kit was love at first hear for you? I would thank those who are participating with their stories. |
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Post by Ward on Jan 17, 2014 14:15:15 GMT -6
The first time I used my Telefunken CU29 Copperhead, it was love at first hear. It reminded me so very much of my old Neumann UM57 but without the noise. Now it's only a single pattern (cardioid) Tube-powered LDC but it has "the tone". It's amazing on rock vocals and acoustic guitar. It isn't quite as mid-forward as any of the various Neumann U87s I own or have used, but it is still mid-forward and has a stunning response on both far ends of its reach.
It's a great tool and highly recommended. I own a LOT of microphones, 79 in total, and it ranks right up there with the best of them. Well, in close proximity anyhow!
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I won't belabor that point, since it's SO specific--other IT87s? Nope. Fine mics. But, something unknown to all "got done" to the capsule during it's "colorful history" that makes that, combined with Stayne's head amp, da f'n bomb for me. 
