Soundelux U-195, initial report...

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tubedude

tubedude

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Nope, havent listened yet... :)
But its here...
Wondering if anyone else has/had one, and if you have trouble getting it out of the wood box. It took me like 5 minutes to get it out. Really super crazy snug. I mean, too snug.
Nice box, nicer than the Neumann box in some ways. Really nice looking fat looking mic.
Anyone tried one out?
 
Ok, I put it back in the box, and its stuck again. That sucks, the finger holes are way too small. REALLY snug.
My other observation for now is that the switches for fat, low-cut and pad are rather hard to get to, they are very recessed. I dont like that very much. Has a nice little recommended settings card with it.
Gonna go take a listen now and see what I think.
 
One more thing I noticed... the silver ring around the top seems to block the upper 15% of the capsule, the capsule seems really high in the basket. Doesnt SEEM right, but who am I to say. I'll ask around about that one and make sure somethings not wrong.
Off to test it.... lalalala
 
I've never heard one, so no input here. I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.

Let me take this opportunity to thank you for giving me a great deal on your TLM-103. The thing sounds incredible. It is, by far, the best sounding mic I have ever tried on my voice. I'm looking forward to trying it on some other folks now. :)

I'm building a temporary booth this weekend to get me through a 3 song demo, I'm doing for guy. I bought 100 sheets of plywood at an auction. I have to get some use out of that stuff. :D

I look forward to comparing the 103 against my Stephen Sank modified Beyer 260 ribbon on acoustic geeeeetar.

Taylor
 
Glad you like it... I really feel hollow and sad about letting that mic go, I really do, I really didnt want to... I fell like I betrayed it in some weird way (I'm a weirdo) but i am on a relentless search. If this Soundelux doesnt do it for me, I'm gonna try that ifet7 out.
Did you see the serial number on it? Under 300.
Let me know how it works out, and remember I get 1st dibs on it again if you ever sell it! :)
Peace!
 
tubedude said:
Glad you like it...
Click to expand...
Yep,

I seem to remember Harvey saying at one time that it's the mic against which he compares all others when he's reviewing a mic. I can see why. The thing just sounds incredible, and I haven't even listened to it through the VMP-2 or the Sytek yet, only the DPS24's pres. I read in Tape-Op that the VMP-2 seems to be made for the 103.
tubedude said:
Did you see the serial number on it? Under 300.
Click to expand...
Yea, I thought that was kind of cool. I've got a "VINTAGE" 103. :)
tubedude said:
Let me know how it works out, and remember I get 1st dibs on it again if you ever sell it! :)
Peace!
Click to expand...
You got it.

Taylor
 
Ok, first impressions... VERY sensitive, pretty bright, Very clear...
It easily picks up breathing from across the room ,very sensitive and detailed. I could hear a lot of that cool raspiness down in the throat. Picked up alot of noises through the house and from outside. Good stuff, really.
Brigthness is there. It is a pretty bright mic, and I've noticed all mics either arent bright enough, or are too bright on my voice except for the Sennheiser e609, which is PERFECT, if it only had that intimacy to it. Damnit. This one is bordering on too bright for MY voice, but the top end is very smooth and clean, very detailed.
The fat switch: 1st thing I noticed was the definate increase in rumble and low end noise. I expected this, as it is a low and low mid boost (the shockmount is very helpful in this situation). The fat switch added the girth to my voice that I have been trying to find ( I have a thin voice, kinda nasally). I went after this mic becuase it is known to be colored and it has a big fat juicy transformer in it, also known to impart thickness and color. This setting seemed to take some high end out, but in reality, just balanced things out on my voice a little better. I started going "hey, I like this" at this point.
Then I tried the Fat switch on with the low-cut engaged at the same time, from what I hear is known as the Fletcher trick. This I liked a whole lot too. I think this is my setting.
The mic definately imparts that up close personal intimate feel, very very very detailed top end, smooth enough but just a little sibilant on me, but I can work with it. Whispering in it is very intimate like someone is right in your ear, and I can imagine a sexy voiced female singer using this mic in an effort to create a stiffy in any male listeners. Its the low mid fatness that I was after the most trying to give my voice some ass, and I think this mic does that, and it added a dose of expensive intimacy that I had not been as concerned with, but that makes it even better.
I think I have a keeper here.
If I could just get it out of the box. Its a bitch, I swear it is.
I like this mic a whole lot so far, it looks cool, and has a nice shockmount.
Compared to the TLM-103 it is much more hyped to me, and has what seems to me to be a more forward mid and smoother but brighter top. The top almost reminds me of a blueberry, just not THAT bright, but very clear. The blueberry is bright as hell.
I may not get to use this mic in a real setting for several days or even a week or two, but I will post anything I find about it. Will try it on overheads (gonna be real nice there I think) and on guitars (might be a tad bright for that, but we'll see) and I'll try to post something if I can.
Peace!
 
My Take

First off, glad to hear you got a good deal on the U195!

Next, I know EXACTLY what you mean about the foam in the box. I was thinking about putting a ribbon or something under mine and extending out the finger holes so that all you have to do is lift the ribbon and pull the mic out but at this point, I'm just hoping it loosens up a bit.

A few things have changed since the last U195 I had. One of those is the box. The box now is a LOT nicer than the old one on the outside. The old one was a cheap box that was dyed to simulate cherry. However, I liked the inside of the old better. It used to be a softer foam with a blue sating lining. Another is that the construction of the mic has changed a little. I also noticed the issue about the capsule being covered on the new one. On the old one the outer screen was a finer mesh and you couldn't see the capsule as well. Also the top of the mic is a little different shape. If you look at the promo pics on people's websites you'll see what I mean. The pics I have seen are of the older style. The newer style with the bigger mesh looks a bit more vintage.

I think you will find that while it is a bit on the bright side, it is much more tolerable than most cheaper mics that try to do this. Just wait until you listen to a track done with the U195 over and over during editing and mixing. I find that it seems to never get fatiguing. A lot of other high dollar mics out there exhibit much of the same characteristic. A high end tilt (bright, if you will) but not grating or scratchy in the least.

Keep us posted on your observations.

Jason A.
 
First... congratulations to the MENSA candidate that figured out that if you're fingers are too fat for the finger holes in the foam... putting a ribbon under the mic will work like a wet dream...

More importantly... tubedude, on the sibilance thing... try angling the microphone back a couple of degrees... and/or if you have a stand that will allow you to 'hang' the mic so it's 'upside down', I think you'll find this will reduce most potential sibilance problems.

The grill... a wider mesh is generally preferable to a tighter mesh as it imparts less of an acoustic signature. Remember, we're dealing with the capture of some pretty minute variations in air pressure here... which means that seemingly 'little things' often mean a lot.

The mesh on a microphone grill will act to the air passing it like the piling on a pier act upon the water passing them. If you've ever noticed the water passing under a pier, the water will wrap around the pilings and create all kinds of additional ripples that become part of the resultant wave... same thing with the grill on a microphone.

Finally... the 'fat switch/hi pass filter' thing can often be a life saver... it will often allow you to back off the mic a bit further and still have something similar to the proximity effect of being right up on the mic. 'Tubedude'... I would recommend that you give a shot to trying the mic a few inches farther back than seems reasonable to you.

When cutting vocals, it's not uncommon for me to take blankets and hang them over mic stands that have been extended to their maximum height... putting them around the singer and creating a sort of 'vocal booth'... then backing the singer up a foot, foot and a half from the mic. Often I will have to move the 'pop filter' thingy out a foot + from the mic so the singer doesn't fell overly uncomfortable about the mic being so far away... but the bottom line is that if you don't get too much 'room tone' in the recording, the distance can often work very nicely in your favor.

Best of luck... hope some of this is of assistance.
 
Thanks for the info!
I currently track all over the place, and my setup includes several packing blankets that allow me to get away with things I dont think I normally could.

Fletcher- how do you like the ifet7?
 
Ive had my u195 for about a year now...i bought it from nathan at atlas pro audio down the street from my place. Its an amazing mic and something Ill never part with. It is definitely not a dark sounding mic...something i found out when i paired it with my mp-1nv. However, it sounds very open and detailed. I have also found it seems to have a 3 db bump at around 12khz or so. It works wonders on acoustic and clean amps... and also sounds pretty good on my baritone voice. It is a much better deal than the tlm103 imho. It has a transformer, low cut, fat switch and a 10db cut... Many more options than one can find with the tlm103. I never had trouble with my wooden box, which might place me in the minority. Easily the best bang for the buck mic in the under 1500 range in my opinion. Don't regret your purchase, you'll keep it for a lifetime... it was a wise investment.

Best of Luck,
Scriabin
 
Thats the kind of shit that makes you feel good. :)

I havent really heard anything bad about the mic at all.

How do you like the MP1NV pair-up with it? Thats what I have been considering as my main combo.

Have you tried it on dirty guitars yet? OR overheads?
 
tubedude said:
how do you like the ifet7?
Click to expand...

I've found it to be one of the most versatile 'utility' condenser mics in my arsenal... it, like the U-195 [but in a different sort of way] are very good, multi-application tools that can often be the exact thing required in a variety of applications.

Both couple exceptionally well with the Great River MP-1NV [then again... I would be kinda biased about that sort of thing] as well as the Phoenix Audio DRS-1, the John Hardy M-1... and even the FMR Audio "RNP".

Best of luck with it.
 
at first I was having problems with the combo... I wasnt prepared for there being so much "air" in the high end. To get the sound I was after I had to email Fletcher which in turn he asked Dan Kennedy. From what Dan said, The u195 being a bright mic wasnt going to give the darkness that i assumed it would with the transformer. Dan and Fletcher gave me some starting points for the type of sounds I wanted to achieve and since then it has been a long process of experimentation. The excessive amounts of "air" i was experiencing was less a problem of the gear than my mic positioning.
The Mp1nv sounds killer on distorted guitars when you engage the tranny on the great river. I almost always keep the loading switch on for any application Ive used it on. The cool think about the great river is that when you want an uncolored signal you just have to turn down the input gain and kick up the output. However I just tend to drive the input gain hard and saturate the signal with the tranny on because I love the character of the pre driven hard.
It can sound nice and thick on vocals, acoustic or any other instance. Yet, it can go clean too.
For drums, I use a 3 microphone technique usually. I tend to use the mp1nv to drive the u195 in front of the kit. For overheads, I have loved the phoenix pres. The combo of the two pres is amazing. When you get to this level of quality its all subjective to your own personal tastes. You can't go wrong with it on overheads.

Hope this helps
 
Hey Tubedude,
Can you compare the U195 to a U87 ai as far as a small studios
main vocal mic? Seems not many around here have any
experience with the U195, so I'm glad you came out of the closet!
(a far as mics go :) )

I'm just trying to see if it would be a better "all around choice"
over a U87.

Thanks for your reply
Bob
 
Hi Bob,

Overall the U195 has a nicer top IMO. It is has a larger peak in the high frequencies than a modern or older U87, but that isn't a bad thing for a lot of sources. Vocals, acoustic guitar, overheads all rock on the Soundelux U195. It actually is also an incredible mic on low frequency sources like kick drum, toms, and micing bass guitar cabinet. Switch to fat mode for that, which is a rise in the frequencies under 400hz. If that gets too rumbly (which I haven't encountered, but it could happen if you have heavy traffic near your place), engage the roll off filter, which reduces the frequencies under 30 cycles. The U87 sounds more sterile and less musical to me, but as far as strict versatility goes, there are things that you can do with omni and figure of 8 that you can't do with just a cardiod microphone. I had a gospel group (with a hint of soul and jazz!!) in the studio today that had three female singers. It just wasn't working with three mics, so I put them on one Soundelux E47 in omni and it was a beautiful thing indeed. If you just want to base it on tone, U195 IMO...Soundelux makes incredible gear all around.

Nathan Eldred
atlasproaudio.com
 
Pretty wild seeing Nathan and Fletcher roll in after all these years here and seeing them everywhere BUT here. I like it.
Further use of this mic today and I like it even more, but the high end seems so bright, its taking me some getting used to.
I can definatley hear pop radio albums being done with this mic though. Bright, clear, poppy.
Lets go find Gascap...
 
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