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Post by sean on Feb 11, 2024 23:26:36 GMT -6
A nice collection of gear I have for sale. No trades, sorry.
Samar VL37 Matched Pair: Beautiful ribbon microphones with an extended top end compared to many overheads. Sounds great on string instruments or drums or percussion. New a pair is $1999, selling the pair for $1350
Korby KAT Blue: This was Tracy Korby’s take on a U67. Originally they were cardioid only but I had Preston Tate White modify it to be multipattern since it was a dual diaphragm capsule. Great sounding mic but I have so many. This is a great vocal microphone. Knew they were around $3000. Selling for $1400. Comes with original custom flight case as well
Anthony DeMaria Labs ADL-1500: Dual channel LA-2A inspired optical compressor. Can be stereo or dual mono. I had this rebuilt by Jim Williams at Audio Upgrades and uses Jensen transformers which really opens the up and gets rid of the high frequency roll off that plagued the stock units. $2200 which is around what a stock one goes for used and the upgrades cost me over $700. It also has fairly fresh matched tubes. A stellar unit.
BAE 6 Space 500 Series Rack with Power Supply: Not much to say, it powers 500 series modules! BAE makes great stuff. Comes with original box. $375
BSS DPR-402: A really flexible dual channel compressor/limiter/de-esser/expander. The jumpers on the back make this unit capable of doing a lot! Great condition. $300
Guitar Pedals: Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, EHX Op Amp Big Muff, and SolidGoldFX Formula 76 Superfuzz. $60 each.
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Post by sean on Feb 10, 2024 22:33:12 GMT -6
Damn…I don’t think I’ve ever got a mix to have an RMS above -12…
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Post by sean on Feb 10, 2024 21:47:06 GMT -6
AML do a great 2 channel Redd 47. That would be in budget. They do? I’ve never seen an AML tube preamp kit or retail
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Post by sean on Feb 8, 2024 22:19:25 GMT -6
I enjoyed using the MOTU M4...really impressed with it for the money. I also have a Grace M900 which I use when traveling and only have headphones for mixing and editing that's wonderful but it's just a USB headphone amp
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Post by sean on Feb 8, 2024 11:56:27 GMT -6
Those headband covers work well. But, definitely buy the real Audio Technica pads and not the cheap knock offs...those don't fit great and are pretty "stiff"...had a few complaints about them especially since pretty much every studio in Nashville has M50's and musicians know what they are normally like.
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Post by sean on Feb 8, 2024 8:02:05 GMT -6
Pair of CAPI BT50’s incoming. Glad I didn’t sell my other Purple Sweet 10
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Post by sean on Feb 5, 2024 12:19:32 GMT -6
I’d love to find a Hammond A100/B3/C3 at a decent price locally. Local (hard enough nowadays even in LA, NY, and Nash) is always the hard part for these large items. The studio I work out of has a great-condition and soundingA100 that needs to be purged; as it doesn’t get used with there being two B3s and 5 Leslie’s. The owner still hasn’t tried to sell it, but been talking for a few years that he’d love to sell it for a good price to someone that really would truly appreciate it. Here in Nashville it’s tough…thought I had a line on a C3 but it ended up being a C2. A100’s pop up at good prices sometimes but usually a 3 or so hour away drive and when you price borrowing/renting a truck to move it they become less appealing fast!
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Post by sean on Feb 5, 2024 8:10:39 GMT -6
I make 3 or 4 “big” purchases a year and I think those will probably be a Chandler Zener Limiter, another Neumann U67 reissue, another Upton 251 (I like pairs!), and I’d love to find a Hammond A100/B3/C3 at a decent price locally.
Smaller stuff trickles in whenever a good deal comes along…I’ve been on a bit of a guitar buying streak lately and always on the lookout for a deal
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Post by sean on Feb 5, 2024 8:02:13 GMT -6
Picked up a pair of Rupert Neve 542…been interested in these for awhile. Also a very cheap AKG C480B with CK61 capsule. It’s pretty much going to live on hi-hat…having a pad and high pass filter instead of one or the other with the AKG C460B’s I have is a bonus. And a cheap AT4033 that I want to try as a ceiling/back wall mic in the live or drum room. Might want to go omni, and if that’s the case I’ll probably sell it or give it to a friend because I don’t need 3! And a lowball offer got accepted on a Charter Oak SCL-1...which hopefully works. Not sure if Michael Deming is still around. What a great engineer though, made some of my favorite records, shame Charter Oak had an iffy history.
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Post by sean on Feb 3, 2024 19:44:03 GMT -6
Thanks for the heads up, picked this up and their Doubler/Widener. I’ve got some old mixes that had Sonnox stuff on them and it’ll be nice for recall purposes if nothing else UA…well let’s see if I were to complain about something is that the EQ section of the Vision channel strip is a really pain to adjust…you’d think clicking on a knob and “turning” it wouldn’t be so difficult. I actually like the EQ and filters a lot but it definitely can be frustrating and I can’t imagine after 5? years since its release I’d be that hard to fix I'm with you on this. The WAVES API stuff has a very good UI. You can click on a frequency or boost or cut amount, since they are 'switched' it just jumps to whatever you click. I do wish UA would do that. Same, I love that about the Waves, it’s super quick. Also, while UA is at it they should make a stand alone 550B from the Vision strip.
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Post by sean on Feb 3, 2024 9:12:06 GMT -6
Thanks for the heads up, picked this up and their Doubler/Widener. I’ve got some old mixes that had Sonnox stuff on them and it’ll be nice for recall purposes if nothing else UA…well let’s see if I were to complain about something is that the EQ section of the Vision channel strip is a really pain to adjust…you’d think clicking on a knob and “turning” it wouldn’t be so difficult. I actually like the EQ and filters a lot but it definitely can be frustrating and I can’t imagine after 5? years since its release I’d be that hard to fix
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Post by sean on Feb 3, 2024 9:07:00 GMT -6
I really like the Bettermaker EQ plugin…I use it whenever I get something really dull and it needs a big, wide boost…but it doesn’t seem to get harsh or phasey like a lot of things.
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Post by sean on Jan 30, 2024 16:30:25 GMT -6
Picking up a '67 Fender Mustang guitar tomorrow. It doesn't have the original pick ups and it looks like someone put in Stratocaster pick ups so I order a set from Curtis Novak which were conveniently on sale! It'll be a nice companion for my '63 Jaguar
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Post by sean on Jan 27, 2024 17:31:29 GMT -6
Probably the most interesting and original analog things I’ve own over the years are the Overstayer Stereo Voltage Control…which can really change the sound of a source in musical ways without much fuss, and the Standard Audio Stretch for similar but different way. Overstayer really is probably one of the most original companies to come along. Otherwise, for better or worse, affordable CAT5 headphone systems really have changed recording. And probably Trinnov and similar monitoring software. And it’ll be interesting to see if more companies adapt the WesAudio and Bettermaker digital recall. It’s definitely appealing the more in the box I’ve become over the years
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Post by sean on Jan 26, 2024 13:56:31 GMT -6
I picked up a Pete's Place BAC500 at nice price locally, and got my J45 back. Bone nut and saddle, replaced the Grovers with some lightly relics Kluson 3 in a rows, took out the under bridge pickup and all the junk that go with it...nice sounding box!
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Post by sean on Jan 26, 2024 13:28:07 GMT -6
It's very likely Jerry Roe played drums on this. No idea if he did this at his house or in the studio. He's a Meinl guy. Hit him up on Facebook or Instagram and he'll probably tell you how it was tracked
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Post by sean on Jan 25, 2024 22:34:31 GMT -6
As insane as this sounds I'd recommend going to your local drum/music store and hitting a couple triangles. Some have nasty overtones or are a really unpleasant pitch Hmm, needs more cowbell.. I probably have a dozen different cowbells at the studio haha
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Post by sean on Jan 25, 2024 16:57:18 GMT -6
As insane as this sounds I'd recommend going to your local drum/music store and hitting a couple triangles. Some have nasty overtones or are a really unpleasant pitch
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Post by sean on Jan 25, 2024 13:12:49 GMT -6
Do you need an affordable four channel preamp? It would be hard to beat this TL Audio PA-2001. It’s a hybrid solid state and tube design. Each channel has a 12AX7 gain stage so with the input gain down and output up it can be transparent, but when you drive the input harder into the tube and dial back the output you’ll get some nice saturation. Each channel also has a high pass filter, phase reverse, and phantom power. All four channel works and sound great and the unit is in excellent condition for its age. $450. I could ship or pick up in Nashville preferred.
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Post by sean on Jan 20, 2024 7:50:45 GMT -6
I’m not personally familiar with the microphones or outboard you listed but this is usually what I do…
Mandolin: KM84 or a pair of KM84’s. Or KM54/KM56 or KM66/KM86 if they are available. Usually a GML preamp, or a John Hardy or an API (I don’t like the sound of API’s pads and a mandolin chop is often too loud and will peak without it so it’s rare I use them) I don’t compress mandolins “to tape”, occasionally I’ll use a DBX 160VU or a Distressor or an 1176 or whatever plugin to even out a chop, but honestly not often. Usually I’ll place each mic slightly off each F hole, but trying to avoid the players hand moving in front of the mics every time they chop. Hard to explain but maybe I have a picture. The sound of the mandolin comes from the bridge vibrating the top and there isn’t much sound at the neck joint, where occasionally I’ll see a microphone placed. I find you get a lot of pick noise and no low end up there. If it’s a single mic I’ll just move my head around listening to the instrument and place it where it sounds good and the player can usually adjust. That’s the advantage of a single mic placement…an experienced player can play to the microphone. Its a little more difficult if there are two because as they move the phase between the two mics changes (which apply to every instrument) Things to watch out for is the sound of the bridge plate cover, which sometimes has a high pitch “ring”. A piece of tape or a little piece of foam (or taking it off!) helps. Also, the sound of the pick hitting the top of the mandolin. It sounds like a woodpecker on a mic. That’s a technique thing and if you hear one Izotope RX is your friend!
Banjo: There are two popular “styles” of banjo tones these days…the Bela Fleck/Allison Brown/Noam Pikelny sort of muted, clean, mellow sound or the more traditional Earl Scruggs/Bobby Osborne sound. For a more traditional bluegrass sound a Neumann U87 or U67 has been my go to. The sound of the banjo is the bridge resonating the head, amplified by the tone ring, so usually I place the microphone in the open space on the below the hand and slightly above the tone ring. I’d place a microphone in the same place when I’m recording Bela or Allison or Noam but I’d go for a flatter microphone. Bela likes a U89 or Josephson e22s (he also used his personal C24), Allison likes a Coles, but I’ll usually add a second brighter microphone because in an ensemble sometimes you need a little help getting their banjos to cut through a mix. I also like an Electro-Voice RE20…works great especially when you are worried about bleed. Compression…again I usually don’t. Sometimes I’ll have to deal with a bad resonant or harsh frequency but usually just some very narrow Q equalizer will help with that. Otherwise automation is your friend. If I were to compress sometimes I’ve used my Spectra V610’s as peak limiters with success, or a LA2A. Hardy preamps usually work for me. I’d avoid overly bright microphones because you’ll get a lot of “pick noise”, especially with metal picks, which is hard to get rid off.
Guitar. Lately I’ve been using my AKG C34 a lot…Bryan Sutton was searching the internet to buy one after I used it with him on a record recently…but I’ve used KM84’s and KM86’s and KM54’s a lot too. Similar to a mandolin I like a mic on the upper and lower bouts, pointed in towards the neck. Or one at the neck joint and one down by the bridge/body. Or X/Y. There’s really no rhyme or reason to it…just whatever I’m feeling that day. GML, Hardy, or Daking preamps usually. Again, no compression. If I feel it needs it a 1176 or Daking FET II work well.
And in all honesty, good sounding recordings come from good players. Banjo and mandolin are pretty unforgiving under a microphone especially when it comes to intonation and no mic placement can fix that. So, just be diligent with that. A banjo rolling along out of tune will make the whole track sound wrong!
Thats all the knowledge I can impart at 7:30 AM as someone who records bluegrass regularly and has Grammys for it.
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Post by sean on Jan 15, 2024 15:57:18 GMT -6
I think, with your Superkick, just take the resonant head off and put a pillow or blanket in there and see if you can get the sound you are looking to achieve. I would experiment with putting a packing blanket or something over the bass drum to prevent it from causing the toms from resonating. Depending on how dead you want it, the head really don't matter at a certain point.
Remo Ambassadors with a felt strip sound great, but I wouldn't buy them for a house kit in a studio because they don't last very long. Powerstroke 3 isn't that much different from a Superkick I (single ply 10mil heads like an Ambassador but they has a inlay ring). I have a D'Addario endorsement and while I do prefer Remo heads on toms and snare a lot of the times I do like the coated Evans EMAD, with it's removable dampening rings. That combined with a EQ3 resonant head is pretty flexible for me in the studio.
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Post by sean on Jan 10, 2024 22:06:14 GMT -6
G&L ASAT Classic Custom. Pretty unique guitar…hollowbody with an added bigsby and Rio Grande pickups.
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Post by sean on Jan 8, 2024 20:14:16 GMT -6
Yeah. Think Apollo is 24 dbu. 6x6 is 12 dbu. Burl is 22dbu. It’s a pretty noticeable difference. probably because it’s usb bus powered. USB ports can only provide +/- 5v For comparison, rme Babyface pro can output +19 dbu but can only take +13 dbu on input. I'm surprised they didn't add an optional power supply, like the Grace M900 for example. Using only bus power, it doesn't have enough juice to drive, say, HD650 or similar headphones. But using the power supply it comes to life. But, the option of being strictly bus powered is handy while traveling.
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Post by sean on Jan 7, 2024 16:00:45 GMT -6
I find myself using Capitol Chambers a lot for the "long" chamber sound, and Seventh Heaven for the Bricasti chambers like the Sunset and A&M which are nice for "shorter" chamber sounds. The Hitsville does the short chamber well, which can sound cool on percussion in particular. Need to spend some more time experimenting with that one. But, the Atlantis was nice when I demo'd it but a bit pricey (I guess?) but I've been pretty blown away with the Liquid Sonic stuff. A lot of it is a bit tweaky but Seventh Heaven is instantly rewarding. Since getting it I've been using it for Chamber and Room. What kind of stuff are you using Cap Chambers on? I just haven’t felt like there were many things in the genres I’m doing that I find myself using it on. It’s does that big Sinatra era chamber stuff better than pretty much anything else out there…I just don’t find myself needing that much. Lots of background vocals, ooo’s and ahh’s, strings, and sometimes as the main reverb on a lead vocals if it’s a ballad. Otherwise I thibk it works best just feeding certain words to it. I always start with “The One” preset.
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Post by sean on Jan 7, 2024 10:54:37 GMT -6
I find myself using Capitol Chambers a lot for the "long" chamber sound, and Seventh Heaven for the Bricasti chambers like the Sunset and A&M which are nice for "shorter" chamber sounds. The Hitsville does the short chamber well, which can sound cool on percussion in particular. Need to spend some more time experimenting with that one.
But, the Atlantis was nice when I demo'd it but a bit pricey (I guess?) but I've been pretty blown away with the Liquid Sonic stuff. A lot of it is a bit tweaky but Seventh Heaven is instantly rewarding. Since getting it I've been using it for Chamber and Room.
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