ribbon and pres suggestions?

  • Thread starter Thread starter iivanov88
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vicenzajay said:
I LOVE the Karma Audio K-6 run through the Seventh Circle Audio N-72....just love it. And it would seem to fit the description of the OP's desired sound as well.

No, the Karma isn't a boutique ribbon mic...but I have found that it is incredible on vocals (especially female vocals) and guitar cabinets...unbelievable sound from my Traynor YCV50 Blue to be honest.

Just my .02 for a solution that is in your price range new...the N-72 will run you a little less than $500 if you buy it already assembled and in a case...the K-6 is currently at $299 (been on sale for about a year I think)...I think you'd be pretty happy with this combination, and the N-72 will be a great Neve-ish pre for many other applications as well.

Jay
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so I can buy that pre assembled? what is characteristic of neve?

the reviews on the K-6 look promising, people seem to say it has a 50's sound, which I really want.

I will probably buy an sm7 and an ev re20 anyway because I need two more mics to put on toms, and will also use them for other stuff. I just want a ribbon to have a variety and see what they're all about.

so I will have these

Rode NT5 pair (OH, acoustic guitar, etc)
Shure sm57 (snare or mounted tom)
AKG D112 (kick, other bass stuff)
Akg 3000C (vocals, room, etc)
old Akai on high hat

and newly purchased would be
EV RE20 (floor tom, anything else)
Shure sm7 (mounted tom, kick? (I heard beatles used it on the kick)
Karma K-6 or something else? (anything)

and if I follow vicenzajay's advice, the N-72 pre

I have a MOTU 8pre interface and will also be getting a portastudio and maybe tape machines to use these mics on as well.

does anyone have any recommendations or comments on this setup? I really like older recordings, especially late 70's martin hannett stuff as well as 60's stuff, and lo-fi guided by voices/sebadoh sound as well. with that in mind, would this mic combination be alright?
 
N-72 pre...

Yes, several builders sell the N-72 preassembled in a case...I bought two of them in a very nice case for about $980 total including delivery.

Check ebay as the builder that did mine sometimes lists SCA prebuilds there....I think he's a member here as well...I'll try to get you his username (I'll have to go back through my correspondence).

I would love to do the DIY thing, but I simply don't have the time right now...in about 4 years though I'm planning on really getting into building all my own stuff. This was an easy way to get into a very nice pre at an accessible price.

Try out www.seventhcircleaudio.com and read about the N-72 design. They really worked at capturing a Neve-ish circuit with this design.

Do a quick search here on the K-6 as well...Kidvybes is also a big fan and has some good advice, etc. on the microphone.

I've been very impressed (maybe I'm too easily impressed). For me it filled a niche in the mic cabinet that wasn't filled....and I'll never use anything else on my wife and daughter's voices either...it's magic for them.

Jay
 
i have owned royer r-121, coles 4038s, shinybox 46, and cascade fathead II. all of them are nice, and i would not say any one of those is significantly different from the others. i dont think you can go wrong with a shinybox 46, fathead I or II, or the cad trion - all are excellent deals and all sound nice and smooth.

for an affordable preamp, you might consider the studio projects vtb1 - it has up to 72dB of gain, and harvey gerst uses one with his vintage rca 77dx.
 
jnorman said:
i have owned royer r-121, coles 4038s, shinybox 46, and cascade fathead II. all of them are nice, and i would not say any one of those is significantly different from the others.
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Stunning......


Royer and Coles no different from a Fathead? :eek: :confused:
 
soundchaser - please reread "i have owned..." and take my comments for what you will. sure, there is a slight difference in the way these ribbons sound, but they are all basically ribbon mics, and they all sound like ribbons, perhaps the coles being the most "ribbon" like in terms of tonality. the royers and coles are both built like tanks, quality wise, and surely have the reputation, if reputation is what you wish to buy. god knows i have spent plenty of money in my time buying "names" - i have also owned schoeps cmc64s, DPA 4011s and 4006s and 4061s, gefells, a variety of neumanns, and many many others.

that being said, of the ribbons, i probably like the shinybox the best, though i think the fathead is the best buy for the money. any of them will give you a quality ribbon sound when you are trying to smooth out a harsh source. i do lots of woodwinds and strings, and ribbons can be just the ticket for those instruments.

fwiw, i have never miced a guitar amp, since my business is based around mostly classical gigs, in case that affects how my comments are interpreted.
 
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