I've narrowed down my search...

  • Thread starter Thread starter 0-T
  • Start date Start date
Sup people,

I finally made a decision today... I ended up going to New Orleans Music Exchange, a local spot. They had the SP C-1, and I grabbed that along with a Joe Meek Q3 pre-amp.

I must say, the quality is... good, but not as great as I expected. I am impressed with it's sensitivity and low distortion, at medium volumes.

I think I'm going to end up returning the MQ3 and ordering an Art Tube PAC though. Meek's built-in compression isn't very good at all, imo. Some people here seem to not like the Art Tubes at all, but my friend with the Art Tube is able to record his vocals from speaking to shouting, and the PAC keeps the wave a consistent size. On the Meek, the wave amplitude fluctuates right along with the recording artist's volume.
 
You need to set the attack time almost to 0 and crank the compression up higher. The only disadvantage w/ the meeks is they tend to be very s . . . l . . . o . . . w to react.
 
thanks, I just tried it... the difference in wave size, from talking to shouting, is still extremely large though. =\
 
0-T said:
...the Art Tube is able to record his vocals from speaking to shouting, and the PAC keeps the wave a consistent size. On the Meek, the wave amplitude fluctuates right along with the recording artist's volume.
Click to expand...

That's just a matter of setting up the compressor properly. It sounds like you are looking for some pretty heavy limiting, not just compression. That's going to affect the sound a lot. That might be a good or bad thing. For tracking, though, I'd typically want to ease up on the compression so that it wasn't making the wave a consistent size.
 
I dunno man... in the mixing process, one of the first things done to the vocals is compression (usually done right after some mild EQing). Compression is done before any reverb, delay, or other effects are added... so if you can get some consistent compression going into the soundcard, why not go for it?
 
You might want to take a look at the Behringer Composer Pro. It's not a bad-sounding compressor at all, it's very inexpensive (around $100), and it has a pretty decent peak limiter.

If you ever get a chance to compare the two, I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts on the C1 versus the ksm27.
 
chessrock said:
You might want to take a look at the Behringer Composer Pro. It's not a bad-sounding compressor at all, it's very inexpensive (around $100), and it has a pretty decent peak limiter.
Click to expand...
If I can get a pre-amp/compressor for under $200 (the Art Tube PAC), I can't really justify buying another compressor to go with the Meek. = Is the Art Tube THAT bad?? I must be missing something.

chessrock said:
If you ever get a chance to compare the two, I'd be very interested in hearing your thoughts on the C1 versus the ksm27.
Click to expand...
Well, the C-1 is running into a Meek right now, and my friend's Shure is going into the Art Tube... so I'm not sure how accurate of a comparison I can make. But if I do go ahead and get a Tube PAC like my friend's, we'd have the same preamp. I'll let you know...
 
0-T said:
I dunno man... in the mixing process, one of the first things done to the vocals is compression (usually done right after some mild EQing). Compression is done before any reverb, delay, or other effects are added... so if you can get some consistent compression going into the soundcard, why not go for it?
Click to expand...

Uh, yah. I'm actually quite well versed in compression and how to use it. You have to realize that this stuff affects your sound. The goal of recording is to make things sound good. If you always slam your vocals with heavy limiting while tracking, I think you're probably going to end up diappointed with the end product. I often track with compression, but usually go light on it. Even in the mix, I rarely try to kill all the dynamics of a vocal performance. Sometimes that's called for, but I wouldn't do it as a general rule.
 
Well, I'm not familiar with MQ3, but I do use a Joemeek twinQcs, and I find I can stomp on vocals all I want with its opto-compressor, which I assume is similar to your unit's. Generally, when tracking, I never exceed a 3:1 ratio on vocals, and with the less dynamic cuts, I just turn the compressor off. The reason to use less compression tracking is that it limits options in mixdown. You can always stomp on a track later if you need to, but if you do it up front, it's done forever. When you're tracking, track. When you're mixing, mix. Don't try to mix while your tracking. You may find you want those dynamics later. A nice even "wave" as you say, is not necessarily desireable, particularly if you intend to outsource your mixing. And frankly, Joemeek makes a pretty good pre. Don't underestimate it.-Richie
 
It took me about a month to get the hang of the first Meek compressor
(VC3Q) owned. Keep in mind the main point of the Meek compression is
to RETAIN dynamics not to limit. The Meek (color) is nicely balanced with
the Audio RNC (clean) compressor for a variety of options.

Chris
 
just to give you guys an update, I kept the Meek and just kept experimenting with settings, and recording techniques. I'm pretty happy with the way things are coming along.

thanks to everyone who contributed some input.
 
The Rode NTK is a very sweet damn tube mic for the price!
For warm vocals, it is the shizznit, as well as for upright and electric guitar (if you're looking for a warm blues sound).
Its my prefered vocal mic.
 
MrGrooves,

Do you, or anyone else, have any comparisons about similarities/differences between the Rode NTK and the SP TB-1 tube mics? I would really like to know how they compare. Thanks.

Tom
 
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