Making a step up... I assume?

M

MisterP

New member
Current hook-up:

AT4040
ART MPA-II preamp
Profire 610


I'm doing a lot of work with pre-mixed instrumentals (and trust me, I'm well aware of and have been facing the hardships of doing so), and recently decided that maybe to help my vocals "stand out in the mix", besides the regular tricks I've learned (double up the vox, chorus on one, compression on other, etc..), I figured maybe some pre-compression would help me capture a better initial take. I read lots about how hardware compression is more "colorful", and even read some counterpoints AGAINST it.. One thing that's been made clear is that a 125$ compressor won't make much of a difference in quality than the compressor that I got with Adobe Audition 3..

So I looked into some middle-high-end compression, still unsure of whether or not I even really need to make this step (you do learn to be very cautious of acquiring new gear, 600$ of cheap junk later, haha).. and on craigslist, I discover an AVALON 737 for a thousand bucks.. Now, the chap at the professional studio I used to go to used this thing for my vocals all the time.. not sure exactly what he EQ'd or set the compression to, but all I know is that he said it "sounds great", and that it did (dunno how much of it was the Avalon n how much of it was the other expensive equip he was using).

1000 bucks is a bit more than I was looking to spend, but getting this thing would not only be a screaming deal, but it may give me an overall better sound quality? Would it give me cleaner, "better" sounding vox, EQ n compression aside, than my ART Tube? I'm not worried about EQing and compression, I've learned quite a bit about it over the past few weeks and I think I can play it by ear successfully, but can anyone share with me how much of a jump in quality it'd really be?

Another reason why I'm considering this thing is because there are various artists out there who are doing the same thing I'm doing (mixing over readymade instrumentals) who use this thing, along with a mic/soundcard to the equivalence of mine, and end up with GREAT sounding production..

But once again, I'm cautious. :P
 
*If* and that's a big "if" the seller is legit, and the unit is working ok, that's almost a no-brainer. Why? It's one of the best channel strips in the business. At about $2,250 new, if you don't like it, I bet you can sell it for $1001.

The bigger question is- will it do magic? No. It's a preamp, an EQ, and a compressor, a *real* good one. Two things to consider. First, if your room sucks, and your performance and engineering skills are not that hot, it's like handing an Indy racer to a commuter. Will it make them faster? Yes. As fast as the pros? No. The second thing is that, like in auto racing, you spend 80% of the money for the last 5% of performance. In and of itself, it may not produce as big an effect as you hoped for.

There are 2 big pluses, though. The first is that that is a pretty damn good price. It's high enough that it may not be a scam, and low enough that you can resell it if you choose to, and it will *never* lose it's value. The second upside is that using top flight gear frees you from worrying if better gear is what you need to get the sound you want. If you can't get good sound from an Avalon, whatever your problem is, it isn't your preamp.

I have been using an Avalon AD2022 for about five years as my go-to preamp. Did it do magic? No. But it has never been a problem, either. I have never considered selling it, and I bet it will be in my will when I die. You can also believe that when you get one, you won't start by switching out the tubes, or modding it to make it sound better. People may tell you that it is overated or overpriced, but they'll say the same thing about a Ferrari. You'll note, though, that they never ask you if your Ferrari is fast. When you hook it up and hear a hiss, you'll pretty much know it isn't coming from the Avalon. Then you can ask where else it is coming from. It will always be the last thing in your signal chain you have to trouble shoot. I'd say go for it, if you're sure it's the real deal.-Richie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top