ACMP81s as outboard thangs

[antichef]

As I keep gushing everywhere, I finally got my group buy stuff. I'm playing with the ACMP 81 preamp/EQs and I remembered when drbill ran a mix through them. I took a song I'm working on and did that, but not the same way he did. Instead, I have the mix "in the box" and I ran it out of my interface and through the two ACMP 81s (left and right channel) and played with the input and output gain settings (both in the I/O plugin I'm using in Logic and on the ACMP81 itself) - it took awhile to get something that didn't feed back like crazy or just completely disappear, but here's where I'm at now - EQ disengaged (too complicated for me right now), input gain at about 25% and output gain at about 50% - had to lower the outbound digital gain and raise the incoming digital gain):

without the ACMP 81s:

with the ACMP 81s:

(note about the song - my 2 year old and I have decided to start a band called "antichef" that's sort of western and aggressive - we're going to get western wear and do some promo photos. This song was her idea - called "I blow up" - no lyrics yet, and this is just a scratch track where I'm playing with the arrangement - I'll reperform most of it, and she'll add vocals. This track has a real snare and hihat (miced with an AKG C451E), fake kick and crash, modeled guitar and DI bass)

 

[Marcadiablo]

It sounds a little weird for me. Sounds like if the left and rights channels are delayed from each other. Sounds almost stereo, not like the original. I cant really put my finger on.

 

[antichef]

hmm... you're right. I just re-ran the bounce, but this time with the phase reverse switch set on one of the ACMP-81s:

edit: it occurs to me how much the ITB newbs like me are shielded from by our fancy DAW software

 

[scrubs]

The 81 gave it a midrange/nasally quality. Might be useful for garage rock. It trashed up the cymbals and narrowed the stereo field a little to my ears.

 

[RAMI]

I like the first version better. The second version sounds out of phase or something. Like Marco, it's hard for me to explain, but there's something weird going on.

 

[antichef]

there's something weird going on.

That would of course be that I have no idea what I'm doing

When you say the first version, do you mean the version without the 81? Or the first of the two 81 versions (the second of the two coming in my subsequent post)?

 

[RAMI]

Oh shit. I was talking about the 2 versions in your first post. I didn't see the later post. It sounds fine on the later post. I guess reversing the phase was the soluton because it sounds really good now.

 

[Marcadiablo]

Noooooooooooow we're talking! This is with the EQ off you say? This second one has more bottom, better mid articulation. Sounds much better to my ears.

 

[ido1957]

There's a significant volume difference. The "without" sounds louder, fuller, better to me.

 

[joeym]

Like the later post better, Chef!
Nice tune, too.
Here and there you've got a couple of timing issues with the drums, maybe you can edit them a bit. Nice guitar sounds.

Joe

 

[antichef]

yeah, I'm thinking I like the without best as well -- the second with does have a cool sound, but it lower-fi.

Thanks Joey - the drum issues are because I'm not a drummer -- I'll probably re-track in stereo and/or edit. And just wait until Sophie sings!

Just to see what what it would sound like, I retracked the rhythm guitar with the ACMP-73 instead of the pre I used before, again no EQ, and it sounded kind of nasaly and flat, too (this is *without* the 81s on the output track) -- forgive the lousy performance -- it's been a long day, and this is in the name of science

I guess I'll keep picking at it - maybe I'm running the input too hot.