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Post by stormymondays on Aug 19, 2018 11:55:53 GMT -6
Ok, so I’ve decided that I need an LA2A! Trying to decide between SA2A (which is probably out of the question due to the delays), Audio-Scape (I’m out of rack space at all so not thrilled about 3U form factor) and Golden Age Comp 2A. Very happy with their 3A and love the form factor, but I fear it might not be “upscale” enough...
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 19, 2018 8:25:14 GMT -6
I do not mean this as a criticism of anyone, but is the “hit or miss” thing (that’s become sort of Forum Lore) based on actual user experience or on the occasional allegations of sacrosanct commentators like Klaus Heyne? Again. Not throwing stones, just curious. I think I’ve only sung through two different U87Ai, and both were stellar. The one time I rented out a U67 (back in 2002) it sounded heavenly. No idea if it was well maintained or not but it delivered.
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 19, 2018 8:18:20 GMT -6
The Lexicon exists in plugin form, so consider that. And the Bricasti can be controlled via plugin.
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 18, 2018 13:32:14 GMT -6
Between my Pearlman Tm47 and aea 44 I’m totally set. 2 very different, very gorgeous sounding mics. Tell me more about the AEA 44 for vocals! Oh and great replies everybody! Keep them coming!
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 17, 2018 17:13:03 GMT -6
I wonder if the non Ai version is worth the extra price and hassle of buying vintage instead of new...
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 17, 2018 14:27:43 GMT -6
I've decided that while I love that there are a lot of affordable mics/clones that can get you 90% of the way towards a classic sound, I really need a flagship/standard/workhorse/no brainer vocal mic. The studio is geared towards classic rock / folk rock / americana. I already have the mandatory hipster SM7B (which I happen to really like, by the way). I'm looking for the kind of "first call" mic that will be right or even awesome for most singers. Then once we have that baseline, we can experiment with more exotic or cheaper mics. I'm thinking of these options: -Neumann U87 Ai. It is what it is, it's out there in every studio, it's expected. Probably the right choice. -Neumann U87 P48, serviced. It's 600 GBP more than the current U87. Not sure if it's worth the extra expense or not. -Chandler REDD. It doesn't have the same brand recognition as the Neumann but I'm sure it sounds impressive anyway. Expensive! -Neumann U67 reissue. I will need to wait a few months on it. However, if it saves me from buying two 3,000 € mics, or six € 1,000 mics, it will be money well spent. -AEA R44. I will need to wait a few months on it as well. A ribbon is probably not the right choice for my intended use, but I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. I'm using these condensers: Advanced Audio CM47, JZ Vintage 67, Michael Joly LDC "67 inspired" capsule for Oktava body. Ribbons that I've used for vocals include Stager SR-2N, Royer R101 and Xaudia Reslo Beeb. And of course, the usual dynamics. I also have the Stam 67 on order, but I think it will be more of the same.
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 14, 2018 13:20:21 GMT -6
Wow, lots of useful info here, thank you folks!!! I suppose the correct course of action here is to start with the highest impedance available at the preamp and use your ears for the rest.
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 14, 2018 4:46:11 GMT -6
I have 3 pres with variable input impedance and while it's easy enough to fiddle with it and see what sounds good, I'd like to understand the technical side.
Tree Audio The Branch II: it has a variable switch that "Controls input impedance of input transformer, selectable between 37.5 Ohms, 150 Ohms or 600 Ohms, nominal input for line input is 150 Ohms". The manual recommends 150 ohm as the default for every use (mic, line, DI). Switching the input impedance changes the gain too.
Warm Audio Tone Beast: it has a "Tone" switch that drops input impedance from 600 Ohm to 150 Ohm and raises gain by 6dB by changing the turns ratio of the transformer. Strangely enough the manual recommends the 150 Ohm setting for ribbon mics. There's a long explanation about what it does in the manual. A while ago I asked Warm Audio about this and they said "The true impedances of the mic pre are 10 times the transformer impedance, so the TB12 truly is 1500 and 6000 ohms, not 150 and 600."
Golden Age Pre73 MkIII: it has a Low-z switch that drops from 1200 to 300 Ohm. I haven't experimented a whole lot with this one.
So, what puzzles me is: why the generally low input impedance figures? Or should they be multiplied 10x for the "real" figures? Why would Tree Audio choose 150 as the default? (I've asked them, will post what they say).
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 12, 2018 16:36:36 GMT -6
To me it’s more about how much easier is to get to the final result when using a great mic, but in the end nobody cares or can tell what you used if the performance, song and mic are great.
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 12, 2018 13:36:53 GMT -6
Listening on cheap hifi speakers I don't know if the mics sound really close or miles apart! I like C the best, I doubt it's the Stam. But I have ordered one, so maybe I got lucky!!!
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 12, 2018 12:30:42 GMT -6
I finally took a listen! Ok, I haven't listened blind and I'm totally biased, but I think that if you know what to listen for, the KM84s have something going on that I haven't really heard elsewhere. I have been chasing the KM84 sound for a while. My first pair of SDC was a Joly-modded Oktavas. In fact it was a mega thread on another forum by drbill comparing SDC what made me decide that: a) I didn't like KM184 and b) the Joly mics were a pretty good KM84 substitute. I did buy a Warbler myself after a comparison against the KM84 was posted on this site. When I got it, I didn’t like it at all, so I sold it. I liked my Joly Oktavas a lot better, and even the cheap Avantone CK-1. I could appreciate the Warbler was a good mic, but it was a sideways move at best. I recently got a pair of KM84 and they are all I hoped for. Piano-like lows, no hardness (I found the Warbler a bit hard), no phasiness like the Oktavas can sometimes have. They also sound great no matter where you point them. I tried them off axis as well, playing acoustic guitar and singing at the same time on a 90 degree angle. It sounded very convincing, no strange artifacts at all. I even got an unexpected “blind” shootout of my KM84 when my studio assistant played me a demo of one of his songs, with an acoustic guitar that sounded impressively amazing. I thought it was an older recording made with the Oktava but he had just tracked it that morning with the KM84. For me there's also some peace of mind knowing that a KM84 was probably used on most of the records that I owned. It's just one variable less to think about.
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 11, 2018 2:52:31 GMT -6
If we’re talking about classic sounding guitar delays, nothing can touch the Diamond Memory Lane Jr. Four of my musician friends have already bought one after trying mine.
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 9, 2018 16:16:49 GMT -6
This video from ~2009 shows a capsule being assembled and tensioned by hand. Nice, thanks for finding that! It doesn’t look like rocket surgery to me. It would be interesting to see how they do the QC.
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 9, 2018 11:24:39 GMT -6
Not to be contrarian, but it strikes me as odd that the world’s best microphone manufacturer can’t get it right on their own star product, while somehow there are a few select individuals that really know better, know what’s wrong, and know how to fix it. I can’t help but remain skeptical. I have no horse in the race anyway...
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 9, 2018 10:20:03 GMT -6
Hey Ragan, maybe you could do an off-axis test/comparison? That might reveal some more differences, which might be relevant or not for you depending on the recording situation.
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 9, 2018 9:47:14 GMT -6
I know the man is highly respected but I’m all for blind tests and hard science. I’d eat my mic collection if he can prove all those opinions about the cable etc with blind testing.
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SDC Clips
Aug 8, 2018 13:08:14 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by stormymondays on Aug 8, 2018 13:08:14 GMT -6
I’m on holidays without even a pair of earbuds, so I haven’t listened yet. I’m very interested though! And I’m very intrigued, so I wouldn’t mind a PM with the mics, no need to know which is which.
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Trinnov
Aug 8, 2018 13:05:15 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by stormymondays on Aug 8, 2018 13:05:15 GMT -6
Yes, I think a good enough room is mandatory for any EQ correction to work.
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Trinnov
Aug 8, 2018 11:31:15 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by stormymondays on Aug 8, 2018 11:31:15 GMT -6
On the cheap side, Sonarworks did wonders for me in a professionally designed and treated room.
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SDC Clips
Aug 8, 2018 6:52:19 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by stormymondays on Aug 8, 2018 6:52:19 GMT -6
Regarding cheap mics, I wouldn’t be afraid of using my lowly Avantone CK-1 on acoustic guitar if my KM84 wasn’t available.
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 8, 2018 2:24:56 GMT -6
That's part of the problem with reference tracks. What song to pick. I have been recording and mixing all the tracks I have worked with. One for drums, one for acoustic guitars, one for bass, one for piano, etc. I have a library of my favorite well recorded songs and will choose several references for any given track, load them in Magic AB and go get them!
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 7, 2018 16:48:21 GMT -6
My advice: get the Magic AB plugin and start using references. It reallly does help!
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Post by stormymondays on Aug 3, 2018 8:59:24 GMT -6
I got the SR-2N pair. Thinking of reasons not to buy the SR-3 now!
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km84s
Aug 3, 2018 8:58:08 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by stormymondays on Aug 3, 2018 8:58:08 GMT -6
Yep, just been putting the "normal" one up in mono on the acoustic again, just sounds so good/right. Still want to shoot them out against the Warbler? I’m sure it seems like a waste of time now... Even my Joly modded Oktavas, which had won all previous “battles”, can’t hold a candle to the real thing. Although those mics are still useful.
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km84s
Aug 2, 2018 7:56:55 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by stormymondays on Aug 2, 2018 7:56:55 GMT -6
I think mine have a 2-3 dB difference but the serial numbers are very different.
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