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Old 09-18-2011, 03:01 PM
alohachris alohachris is offline
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Honolulu
Posts: 2,430
Default Mahalo Stephen

Aloha Stephen,

Mahalo a nui for sharing those very nice wav. file samples with us. I really like the music you chose & the playing. It was a slow, complex piece of varying tempo that allowed me to easily hear the overtones & space between the notes. It was very accessible too & longer than most samples so one could really hear different passages & notes a couple times/variations around to more accurately assess the differences. Bravo.

I listened to the samples at least five times each through Adam AX7 near-field's, AKG 240 Studio cans & Daedalus 803 mid-fields. Very Nice Sound & quality recordings, Steve.

First, I was curious as to why you chose to pan 25% L-R in mixdown. I've heard other recordings from you doing the same thing. Is it because it is difficult to equalize channel levels in A/B spaced pairs mic'ed at two feet out? I know I have trouble with that issue (I use other patterns, primarily, because of it). It was more noticeable through the headphones.

The three samples were as different as they can be from one another. Still, they are, as you say, "Different flavors of nice." Ha!

The CMC641/MDP-1a combo sample seemed to emphasize the trebles a bit. Some trebles even sounded a bit nasally. I am unaccustomed to hearing that from that rig because I use that combo almost everyday. The trebles & transients sound a bit smoother to me at home. I felt that the bass was slightly less focussed on some notes. Again, was that because of more room from 2 feet out? The 641 hypers should be able to handle that. The mid-range sounded less emphasized, slightly imbalanced - but minor. Still, the notes were accurate, natural & very detailed, Of the three, it sounded the second-most open in overall acoustic sound. Nice recording.

The M295/dbx 786 combo sample is my favorite of the three. It is SO musical, balanced & easy on the ears. You're so right about the "magic made by elves" quality of that 295, Steve. Is it the metal diaphragms? Nothing was over-emphasized or unfocussed. It sounded So Open & revealed more about the guitar than the other samples (which guitar was that Steve?). The trebles were bell-like. Basses were tight, but not too. Mid's were just perfect. It rings through the frequencies. Great acoustic sound & track. A pleasure!

When I hear the name "Josephson," I think "bright" but very good mic's. It's the same with "Rode," almost harshly bright among entry-level mic's. Listening to your third sample of the the Josephson 606A/KA22 mics, ADK AP2 preamp combo, Stephen, did little to change my opinion. Though it sounded much smoother than any Josephson I've heard, the overall effect was much brighter, more compressed & tighter sounding in comparison to the other samples. It was, however, the most focussed sounding of the three samples with great sounding basses. But it also almost had the effect of raising the pitch, that compression effect. As with all your equipment, one hears detailed, very accurate & nice with this combo. But it was my least-favorite of the three samples because it did not sound very open overall & wasn't particularly smooth.

Again, Stephen, mahalo for sharing those great clips with us. It is always a real treat to hear you play. And you always make me think twice. So, what is the "trick" or obvious wild-card that I've overlooked in this assessment. Ha!

Mahalo a nui,
alohachris

Last edited by alohachris; 09-18-2011 at 03:23 PM.
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