garww
New member
haha. I can tell you much isn't happening with physical strength, today . but ya play wit the pre, compressor and adult content thing
2017...whats everyones fav Vocal rack gear...hardware? software? clean or crunchy?
TAE
All you have is now
This /\
And this /\
KEEP IT SIMPLE..... Get it sounding right in the room before you push record...."Fix it in the mix" should be a last resort....
I do love the POD farm tools and have been able to get very nice sounding vocal tracks via that very simple tool, a cheap interface and Reaper
CoolCat
Well-known member
we can read the different vocal setups and often its pretty simple. over the years, being a slow learner it has come round to the mic, room mainly.
the PodFarm and Gearbox is like the cheap version of UA Apollo I assume. I'd like to compare a UA to this UX8 sometime, I have a feeling the PoDFarm 2, 24bit and has updated the plugs over the past 20yrs. To be honest I dont hear a lot of difference in the Gearbox(oldest) vs PodFarm (newest version). Reading on that recently the HD rack gear wasnt much different per a few.
my vocal thing today is KSM27>interfacePreamp>PodFarm(Neve73)plug ...a little gate to remove the window ac noise. then love the Klanghelm comps mainly because they are so simple to run and cheap.
i recorded a little this weekend for the first time this year it seems, maybe second time but I admit a few times I wish I just had the mic into a outboard/channelstrip and Line IN....and to the DAW skipping all the Plugs and mouse.... for those fast scratch pad moments.
this is the thing for me the "vocal mic" needs to do an acoustic too and be able to be hit with the end of the Jazz bass head a few times...
Something About You by ccb | Free Listening on SoundCloud
the PodFarm and Gearbox is like the cheap version of UA Apollo I assume. I'd like to compare a UA to this UX8 sometime, I have a feeling the PoDFarm 2, 24bit and has updated the plugs over the past 20yrs. To be honest I dont hear a lot of difference in the Gearbox(oldest) vs PodFarm (newest version). Reading on that recently the HD rack gear wasnt much different per a few.
my vocal thing today is KSM27>interfacePreamp>PodFarm(Neve73)plug ...a little gate to remove the window ac noise. then love the Klanghelm comps mainly because they are so simple to run and cheap.
i recorded a little this weekend for the first time this year it seems, maybe second time but I admit a few times I wish I just had the mic into a outboard/channelstrip and Line IN....and to the DAW skipping all the Plugs and mouse.... for those fast scratch pad moments.
this is the thing for me the "vocal mic" needs to do an acoustic too and be able to be hit with the end of the Jazz bass head a few times...
Something About You by ccb | Free Listening on SoundCloud
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arnomusicman
New member
I just upgraded some of my outboard gear. For recording I got a SPL Goldmike mark 2, a TL Audio Ivory 2 Voice Channel 5051 and a Joemeek VC1Qcs. I am going to pick up that last one next Saturday.
Recording into a Soundtracs Topaz Project 8 32ch console and then through my ECHO AudioFire12 interface into Cubase Pro 9.5
For mics I got sE Electronics 2200a, Gemini III, Neumann TLM102, Blue Baby Bottle SL and Avantone Pro CR-14 and other.
Recording into a Soundtracs Topaz Project 8 32ch console and then through my ECHO AudioFire12 interface into Cubase Pro 9.5
For mics I got sE Electronics 2200a, Gemini III, Neumann TLM102, Blue Baby Bottle SL and Avantone Pro CR-14 and other.
CoolCat
Well-known member
Sounds like a fun time getting those through the paces.
I found the old Joe Meek stuff to be much more interesting, the new stuff more like my interface preamps.
The compressor and eq....
really curious on the SPL, I about pulled the trigger on that once in GC used but its a pricey guy.
noticed the CR14 Ribbon, that would be sweet into the SPL I'm guessing?
I found the old Joe Meek stuff to be much more interesting, the new stuff more like my interface preamps.
The compressor and eq....
really curious on the SPL, I about pulled the trigger on that once in GC used but its a pricey guy.
noticed the CR14 Ribbon, that would be sweet into the SPL I'm guessing?
CoolCat
Well-known member
just grabbed a LA610mk2, after searching for tube and some dirt vibe hardware (GAS 
) and realizing my "favorite" I can muster up to-date is still the LA2A plugin in Gearbox/PodFarm with the stock interface pre's and my KSM44.
...Its simple and I like it.
The LA2A plugin and the saturation sound had me looking at the GAP COMP2A hard. I wonder does the hardware sound even better? No way I can afford a LA2A for now...but also, a preamp was still needed which pushed it so close to a price of a used MikeE EL9 or LA610, which is $1000+/- used, so I had to include those in the list. The real dirt is the compressor, the color of the pre's dont seem to come close as to what the compressor does to a vocal or bass track.
So the LA610 has a 610 PreAmp, mic impedance, eq, and the LA2A squashvibe comp. (not as aggresive as a 1176 Ive read)
Used $1000+/-, the other top two were a)another MikeEL9 and b) a old rare Brick pre+GAP Comp2A.
Seems LA610 has been out since 2005 so 13yrs of units has put a good amount of used on the market, but Ive never had one in the house. They seem to hold value well bottoming out at $900 MK1 and Mk2 around $1100. Bstock $1300 and Astock $1600 ...so not bad for a Pre+Comp.
Some concern for the right mic with the 610.
Reading the cons of the 610, an old-school design, someone wrote its best with a Ribbon or lower sensitivity/output mic versus maybe a high ouput mic...so my KSM44 might not be the best? However Im not recording Snare hits and I'm not recording really loud anything. So possibly not an issue. Im not super clear on Headroom and Design stuff.
Looking through the archives of gear on HR, the gear reviews go back nearly 10yrs?
how time flys...
Seems the Robot-Gear Reviews flood the section these days and none to minimal comments. I wonder what and if plugins have greatly effected gear needs, especially in the HR world? plugins are so powerful and cheap and great sounding and basic home computers can run so much due to memory and speed is so high.
I need to go sell a set of monitors, I dont need two...ciao
) and realizing my "favorite" I can muster up to-date is still the LA2A plugin in Gearbox/PodFarm with the stock interface pre's and my KSM44....Its simple and I like it.
The LA2A plugin and the saturation sound had me looking at the GAP COMP2A hard. I wonder does the hardware sound even better? No way I can afford a LA2A for now...but also, a preamp was still needed which pushed it so close to a price of a used MikeE EL9 or LA610, which is $1000+/- used, so I had to include those in the list. The real dirt is the compressor, the color of the pre's dont seem to come close as to what the compressor does to a vocal or bass track.
So the LA610 has a 610 PreAmp, mic impedance, eq, and the LA2A squashvibe comp. (not as aggresive as a 1176 Ive read)
Used $1000+/-, the other top two were a)another MikeEL9 and b) a old rare Brick pre+GAP Comp2A.
Seems LA610 has been out since 2005 so 13yrs of units has put a good amount of used on the market, but Ive never had one in the house. They seem to hold value well bottoming out at $900 MK1 and Mk2 around $1100. Bstock $1300 and Astock $1600 ...so not bad for a Pre+Comp.
Some concern for the right mic with the 610.
Reading the cons of the 610, an old-school design, someone wrote its best with a Ribbon or lower sensitivity/output mic versus maybe a high ouput mic...so my KSM44 might not be the best? However Im not recording Snare hits and I'm not recording really loud anything. So possibly not an issue. Im not super clear on Headroom and Design stuff.
Looking through the archives of gear on HR, the gear reviews go back nearly 10yrs?
how time flys...Seems the Robot-Gear Reviews flood the section these days and none to minimal comments. I wonder what and if plugins have greatly effected gear needs, especially in the HR world? plugins are so powerful and cheap and great sounding and basic home computers can run so much due to memory and speed is so high.
I need to go sell a set of monitors, I dont need two...ciao
Attachments
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arnomusicman
New member
Don't know. I do not know the 'really' old Joemeek stuff. What I got are I think the latest productions of the old Ted Fletcher stuff. Made in England and still the large very green ones. I got an SC2.2v4 compressor now, and the VC1Q channel strip.
Still have to test many things in the studio. Upgraded a lot recently and hardly time yet to work with it. In several weeks I will change my Soundtracs Topaz Project 8 24ch for the 32ch version and reconnect everything (do not have enough inputs now on the 24ch (48 inputs). Then I got time and enough inputs to test everything. Looking forward to that mid april
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arnomusicman
New member
So, not tested yet unfortunattely. I got the SPL Goldmike mark 2 on Ebay Germany for a nice price of about € 530.
I got several mics in a short amount of time, and have to test them all (terrible :0 ). A Neumann TLM102, a Blue Baby Bottle SL and a Avantone CR14.
And still got to test the piece of resistance as well. The sE Electronics Gemini III tube mic
Got to test everyting with the TL Audio Ivory2 5051, the Joemeek VC1Q and the SPL Goldmike mark 2.
CoolCat
Well-known member
I can relate. I grabbed a LA610mk2 and its not been plugged in for going on 3 weeks? or more...
maybe today. GEAR-ADD lost focus
Ive never owned the "really" old Joe Meek either, but the bright green Ted stuff is really cool.
you have a lot of new gear to turn on.
maybe today. GEAR-ADD lost focus
Ive never owned the "really" old Joe Meek either, but the bright green Ted stuff is really cool.
you have a lot of new gear to turn on.
cavedog101
Well-known member
ALL of my preamps are the best for somthin......
Main vocal is usually - Choice of mic according to need> Groove Tubes ViPre > LA2A or Grace 502> 1176 > PT HD.
So the answer for me is "hardware"
Main vocal is usually - Choice of mic according to need> Groove Tubes ViPre > LA2A or Grace 502> 1176 > PT HD.
So the answer for me is "hardware"
CoolCat
Well-known member
groove tubes, thats an interesting piece ...
cavedog101
Well-known member
There's nothing like it.
D
db9091
New member
I think the "clean" sound of Abbey Road had a lot to do with using a new solid state mixing board. Just read that they were a bit upset at the change in their sound and it took a few weeks for them to all get used to it. But to your point, pretty much ALL recording done during their period was "simple" compared to choices today, so even on out-there songs like Tomorrow Never Knows, Walrus, etc that had more to do with arrangement of the song and bringing in new "instruments" (ie tape loops, backwards loops, radio) than the recording techniques, which Geoff revolutionized (although I dig Norman Smith's work very much)
As to the point of this thread, I recently went back from plugins to hardware for a tracking vocal chain.
I started with TLM103->LA610->Presonus FP10 to..
Apollo Twin using Plugins (Neve 1073, LA2A)
Then a hybrid: Slate VMS to Line IN on Apollo to Neve 1073 etc.
Now back to hardware:
U87ai->BAE 1073 DMP->Neve 551->BAE 500C->DBX 520->WA2A->split to M3000 for Reverb going S/PDIF to Interface & LINE IN to Interface from WA2A. The interface now is Apollo 8
(which I needed to switch the M3000 to ADAT since the Apollo 8 can't do S/PDIF over the Optical port.)
I must say, over any mic I've used, the U87ai is fantastic, working on vocals & acoustic. The BAE 1073 is fantastic for those and Bass DI. I'm very happy with the results. It's a clear UP from the VMS system, too, which was a step up from the TLM103->LA610 believe it or not. Well, in some ways it was. Otherways, the plugins can't do what the hardware preamps & compressors can do as authentically. And the Neumann is way better than the Slate microphone on any setting IMO. It was a good system (VMS) but there clearly is an UP to your game when you go to better studio-time-honored gear. (This is the ai, haven't toyed with a straight up U87)
But I can now get anything from Broadcast sounds to easily mix-ready tracks that sound fantastic and professional and sit there just right (just add a touch of plugin reverb. I use the M3000 for some special uses or just monitoring, which I CAN do in the Apollo as well with no noticeable latency)
It was a lot of money, like $5k vs $1k for the VMS and some change for the plugins of course, plus the original TLM103-LA610 was about $2.5k
I like plugins for Mixing, hardware for Tracking now.
CoolCat
Well-known member
interesting set of gear history comparisons.
$5k is a full blown standard gear dang....but if every track could go through it probably gels nicely.
Seems a lot say that Tracking/hardware....Mix software. The hardware just gets out of the way when being creative.
I would imagine the full on Apollo plug set is very nice too.
the old U87 iconic piece of gear, the 1073 and (W)LA2A is common but the Neve 551 and DBX520 is a little more custom chain gear.
I guess Im at the $2.5k range now, although buying used it was less. The $1k for the LA610 isnt that big if you figure $500 Pre/$500 comp...plus eq and DI tossed in.
$5k is a full blown standard gear dang....but if every track could go through it probably gels nicely.
Seems a lot say that Tracking/hardware....Mix software. The hardware just gets out of the way when being creative.
I would imagine the full on Apollo plug set is very nice too.
the old U87 iconic piece of gear, the 1073 and (W)LA2A is common but the Neve 551 and DBX520 is a little more custom chain gear.
I guess Im at the $2.5k range now, although buying used it was less. The $1k for the LA610 isnt that big if you figure $500 Pre/$500 comp...plus eq and DI tossed in.