Fingerstyle guitar with Neve style preamp

[lukegard22]

If anyone was curious, I recieved the preamp and WOW do I love it.
I don’t care for the Silk feature when using my SDC mic on my dread. Seems to muddy up the high end. However, the preamp is really, really nice. Clean, balanced, clear. No unwanted “zing” to the higher frequencies.
While my budget for gear has been blown out of the water, the phrase “get what you pay for” seems true. The Neve price is justified.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by lukegard22

If anyone was curious, I recieved the preamp and WOW do I love it.
I don’t care for the Silk feature when using my SDC mic on my dread. Seems to muddy up the high end. However, the preamp is really, really nice. Clean, balanced, clear. No unwanted “zing” to the higher frequencies.
While my budget for gear has been blown out of the water, the phrase “get what you pay for” seems true. The Neve price is justified.

Nice when the result is positive.
BUT a word of warning The "G" in the infamous acronym "GAS" is dual function,,,, "Guitar" or "Gear" is equally interchangeable

[Trevor B.]

Yes, I was very curious. Had been following this thread with great interest. Congratulations on your purchase. It's always good to hear about positive outcomes involving high end gear.
I went through a very similar experience a couple of years ago. Fortunately, good people who knew my set-up were advising me. I wound up buying an A Designs MP-2A. I love the way it smoothes out the high end frequencies without sacrificing any clarity, especially when I record using my Gefell M300s.
Thanks for the update!

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Trevor B.

Yes, I was very curious. Had been following this thread with great interest. Congratulations on your purchase. It's always good to hear about positive outcomes involving high end gear.
I went through a very similar experience a couple of years ago. Fortunately, good people who knew my set-up were advising me. I wound up buying an A Designs MP-2A. I love the way it smoothes out the high end frequencies without sacrificing any clarity, especially when I record using my Gefell M300s.
Thanks for the update!

Yep me too

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Yep me too

Impressive rack!
Eventually a MP-2A is in my sights as well.
Are you using the IGS compressor for Tracking or after?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

Impressive rack!
Eventually a MP-2A is in my sights as well.
Are you using the IGS compressor for Tracking or after?

It is the 3 U "Mastering" version so always on my Mix BUS, but I have been experimenting a bit with tracking also.

If I remember correctly I think I used it tracking this vocal and just a tad bit, to get it sit a little less forward ( I usually have them fairly forward)

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by lukegard22

If anyone was curious, I recieved the preamp and WOW do I love it.
I don’t care for the Silk feature when using my SDC mic on my dread. Seems to muddy up the high end. However, the preamp is really, really nice. Clean, balanced, clear. No unwanted “zing” to the higher frequencies.
While my budget for gear has been blown out of the water, the phrase “get what you pay for” seems true. The Neve price is justified.

I'm glad that worked out for you. It's nice when all the pieces play nicely together.

Originally Posted by KevWind

It is the 3 U "Mastering" version so always on my Mix BUS, but I have been experimenting a bit with tracking also.

Every time I see that IGS my first thought is always "Oooh! Kevin has a Shadow Hills compressor!" Those knobs throw my brain off.

I finally got around to reorganizing my rack last week. The relocation I was hoping to have made by now probably won't happen until the spring for various reasons. Between now and then the only paid work I'm going to be doing is mastering so I condensed ab bit and put a few pieces I know I won't need in storage.

The newest addition is the Dangerous Music Monitor ST which is more about future planning than any real need right now. It's an impressive bit of gear and so far as I can tell, it doesn't color the sound at all. I love that the remote attaches with only one cable, and that the cable is long enough to reach a second work station, which is my plan on the other side of moving. It's also going to be great for when I add a pair of midfields ...also on the other side of my move... because it will let me volume match the midfields and the nearfields so I can A/B things and not have to constantly adjust the volume between the two pairs.

Anyway... here's my current setup.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by jim1960

Every time I see that IGS my first thought is always "Oooh! Kevin has a Shadow Hills compressor!" Those knobs throw my brain off.

Ya the retro style big knobs on both harkin back to the 60's no doubt

[Trevor B.]

Hey KevWind and jim1960, why do I feel like saying, "nice racks!" could get me in a lot of trouble nowadays???

[anton]

Man this thread makes me want to buy more outboard gear. All I have is a RME Babyface Pro. Maybe I should get an external pre to use with the two line inputs it has.

How about an audio sample with the new Neve preamp?

Anton

[lukegard22]

Originally Posted by anton

Man this thread makes me want to buy more outboard gear. All I have is a RME Babyface Pro. Maybe I should get an external pre to use with the two line inputs it has.

How about an audio sample with the new Neve preamp?

Anton

This is like the Devil and Angel on your shoulders:
Yes you should! Gear is fun! (Devil)
Your RME preamps are probably pretty transparent and good (Angel)

I started a thread on AGF a while ago asking for dual pre recommendations. Maybe it will help you on your search.
Thread Link

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by anton

Man this thread makes me want to buy more outboard gear. All I have is a RME Babyface Pro. Maybe I should get an external pre to use with the two line inputs it has.

How about an audio sample with the new Neve preamp?

Anton

For a while, an original Babyface was the center of my little project studio. I was running 8 outboard pres through the ADAT input, and it sounded great.

First I was using a Mackie 800R, which gave me all the channels that I needed, and sounded surprisingly good...

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/mackie-onyx-800r

you can see the babyface to the right of the laptop here...



Then after acquiring quite a few more nice pres (Manley, UA, Neve, Sebatron, etc), I ran their analog outs through through a RME ADI-8DS then from the RME's ADAT out into the Babyface which I upgraded to a RME UCX to get some more inputs/outputs .

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/rme-adi8-ds

You can see the UCX - ADI-8DS rig in this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKmM-VIBdFA

I still use the babyface in my home studio hooked up to multiple pres (Focusrite, Langevin, Drawmer, etc) through my old 800R.

[sdelsolray]

After years of trying numerous preamps for recording acoustic fingerstyle guitar, these are the two that have remained in my rack, a Pendulum MDP-1a and a dbx 786.

[lukegard22]

Originally Posted by anton

How about an audio sample with the new Neve preamp?

Anton

Sorry - missed this. I was short a specific cord (xlr female to 1/4”) so when that arrives from Amazon, I will post a track with two mics, stereo L&R. Probably won’t be until later this week.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Trevor B.

Hey KevWind and jim1960, why do I feel like saying, "nice racks!" could get me in a lot of trouble nowadays???

Na, Eddy the Elk says, " Is okee dokee man" this is a "rack "............