compressor/pre/DI question... and la 610

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Peck

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So, I'm looking to start my outboard collection and I was looking at the following gear for starters

lexicon reverb of some sort (irrelevant for this question), dbx 160 a compressor, rnp preamp (which leads me to another question... if I have a preamp do I still need a DI box for recording bass or does it substitute for a DI box), and a good DI box for bass if I still needed to

basically i am looking to buy a pre, compressor, and DI box to record bass...


BUT< 1. do I even need a direct box if I were to buy a RNP preamp?

2. MY main question! What about the option of buying a UA LA 610 channel strip, instead of all of these cheaper components separately.... I'm a big fan of getting good professional equipment the first time around if possible, and it seems that the LA 610 would do all the functions of the RNP preamp, DBX compressor, and DI box together. any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Ua la-610

I have a 610 and I love it! I pair it with a Shure SM7B vocal mic and it works wonders on my rather dynamic (loud) voice. Very smooth combination with lots of detail and character. The compressor section is simple, but very effective.

I also use the Hi-Z line input for bass and it works great. I also use it to warm up some digital samples by patching my virtual instruments out and back in for "reamping". Great tool.
 
cool. thanks man. That's funny, because I just bought an sm7 shure mic. I haven't even used it yet. I've been too busy with other crap. But anyway, I appreciate it. The only other thing I started to look at now... was the mk2 classic la 610 which is a couple hundred more. I might look into that some more. Thanks!
 
6176

ok, now I'm looking at the 6176 channel strip. Is it a different preamp and compressor?

I see it's two channels, so it seems like a good idea if you can afford it, but is the tone completely different from the LA-610?

If anyone cares to answer, thanks in advance.


There are way too many freaking options when you're building a studio! :eek:
 
I'm going to answer your question with a different opinion: I'd skip the 6176 for now. I'm sure it's fantastic...it's the 610 preamp with an 1176 compression circuit, so how could you go wrong...but for the same $2,400 you could get a lunchbox with two are three fantastic modules, then you could keep adding to it over time. Much more flexible. At this point in the game you don't want to have all that money tied up in one piece of gear.

Frank
 
I have an LA610...

...and love it. It is warm and sweet. However , I wouldn't want it to be my only pre. When you start stacking lots of layers of stuff that all uses the 610 it starts to get a bit mushy. Especially if you use a ribbon or an sm7 or something that needs a lot of gain. It's a great pre/comp but you would want something else to go with it like a grace, great river, or even an rnp. jmho Dave
 
Hi Peck -

It's counter intuitive, but I recommend you buy the components separately. Learn one piece inside and out, and then add to it. Resist the urge to "finish" your setup. It's not a flower arrangement. :)

Get a quality stereo pre, you won't regret it. Many come with line in for DI. I have a Great River MP 2NV, and bass guitar in the DI is awesome. Don't get caught up in the "clean" vs. "colored" stuff for now - it's pretty esoteric and won't really matter until you start stacking many tracks. Having a varied selection of pres is nice, but nobody ever likes a song for the mic pres.

Compressors are not created equal, and depending how you want to use them, I'd recommend different ones. The differences in sound between the 160A and an 1176 and the 6176 are fairly vast.

I'd stick with plugs until you develop some opinions on the sounds you like best, and then buy the best comp you can afford.

A good swiss army compressor is Empirical Lab's Distressor. It does "distressor" like nobody can, and it can do a reasonable job at just about everything else.

Caveat Emptor
 
My two cents -

The LA-610 has two strikes against it. One, the 610 preamp is mediocre at best, and the "LA" part is a stripped down LA2A, and not nearly as good as a real LA2A. The 6176 has a great comp in it, but still suffers from the 610 preamp.

If you want suggestions, you need to list what your going to be using it for, and what kind of budget you have. The RNP is pretty great for the price. I'm a big GR fan (if I had to go with one pre, that would be it), and I'm a bigger 1176 fan - if your gonna have one compressor, it's the one to have - Purple makes the best non-vintage one around, the MC77.
 
Ok, so I'm kind of embarrased to admit this, but I was confused about what I was getting with the 6176. I didn't realize the difference between it and the LA-610 was the type of compressor.

To be honest, I thought it was a stereo compressor and pre... thought it was a little cheap for that much stuff... :) forgive me, I'm still learning this stuff.

So, I am layering bass, vocals, a Moog Synth, electric/acoustic guitar, and piano. Those are the instruments involved. And I'm really just looking to get a good stereo compressor and preamp. (separate or one piece)... but my budget is kind of low for all of that. So, I'm thinking I might start looking at some cheaper gear to accomplish my task.

budget is $1500 for all that (stereo comp and pre).

rnp? rnc? i don't know... kind of lost actually... :)
 
Peck said:
budget is $1500 for all that (stereo comp and pre).

rnp? rnc? i don't know... kind of lost actually... :)
Click to expand...

If it were me, I'd get an RNP or something along those lines, and buy a used mackie UAD-1 card if you have a PCI slot available. It will come with the LA2A and 1176 Plugs. Both are fantastic sounding.
 
I've tried a lot of stuff in this general price range and I'm a big fan of the Langevin Dual Vocal Combo. If you can find a good deal on one used ($1100 or so), it's a great deal-- it combines their dual preamp/eq with their ELOP compressor. There are two versions-- the later one lets you use the pre/eq sections and limiter sections independently from each other.
 
NL5 said:
.....The LA-610 has two strikes against it. One, the 610 preamp is mediocre at best, ....
Click to expand...

Respectfully disagree. I have owned one for the last three years. I like and use the pre lots. Yes the optocomp is the weaker link, especially as you turn up the gain, so in high gain situations I usually byp the comp. I wouldn't want the LA610 as my only unit but it is my go to vox and acoustic instrument pre. The comp sounds great on bass once you tinker with it a bit. jmho
 
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The UA stuff generally come with kinda crummy tubes now... JJ's IIRC. I had an m610 that sounded noticeably better after I swapped out the JJ 12ax7 in there (though it came with a NOS JAN GE 6072a)
 
up-fiddler said:
Respectfully disagree. I have owned one for the last three years. I like and use the pre lots. Yes the optocomp is the weaker link, especially as you turn up the gain, so in high gain situations I usually byp the comp. I wouldn't want the LA610 as my only unit but it is my go to vox and acoustic instrument pre. The comp sounds great on bass once you tinker with it a bit. jmho
Click to expand...

Hey - no problem. It all a pretty subjective thing. :D

However, I have used a ton of great preamps and compressors, and that includes a LA-610. I found that particular piece of gear to be sub-par. One of the few higher end pieces I would say that about. In fact, the only other one would be the Neumann U89 - pretty uninspiring as well. Some people like the 610, I just ain't one of them. the funny thing is, you kinda hit on my problem with it. It's kind of mushy - and not in a good way. Also, I have a UAD LA2A plugin that too me sounds better than the T4 comp in that unit. Neither sounds as good as a real LA2A, but that neither here nor there.

Anyway, back to the OP's question. You have a ton of options. Kojdogg's might be a good option - I have no experience with that particular piece. If you upped your budget a few hundred and went used, you could swing a GR MP-2NV and a Mackie UAD card. At that point, if your pre/comp combo was holding back your recordings, you wouldn't need anyones advice on what gear to buy..... :D
 
Thank you for all of your suggestions. I'm going to take some time to look into each one of them. They all look like good quality equipment. Thanks again.
 
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