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Advice on a stereo rig for $1000-$1500.
Greetings!
Years ago I had a recording set-up that worked quite well for me that I sold for family reasons. I am now looking to replicate that rig, but would like some advice on what might serve me best before I make the leap. What I had: Neumann TLM193 (a pair, my goto for most everything run through the ART) Groove Tube 6tm (an awesome mic for vocals in some cases) AKG 414 B-ULS Earthworks SR77 Stereo pair ART Pro MPA Mic Pre What I typically record: Vocals, a range of acoustic stringed instruments, woodwinds (mostly sax), hand percussion, sounds of the world. So should I just go with what I had, or do others think there are better choices in the same rough price range? I love real, present sound, which the Neumann's through the ART gave me for what I could afford, and I love to work in stereo when possible/practical. Thanks, Peter. Here's an example of one of my pieces with the type of sound I like best: https://soundcloud.com/wootzy/the-way-she-smiles Last edited by GuitarinBb; 04-02-2018 at 08:36 AM. Reason: spelling, completing list |
#2
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A used TLM193 is going to run about $800 at minimum. Figure $400 for the Groove Tube 6tm Another $800 for the AKG 414 B-ULS And about $180 for the ART Pro MPA Mic Pre That puts your at almost $2200. So is that your budget or is it really $1500?
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Jim 2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi 2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood 2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar 2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce 2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce 1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos. YouTube |
#3
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Yes, you can't replace that list of gear for $1,500. In addition, a home studio requires additional gear - nearfield monitors, headphones, mic stands, cables, a desk, room treatment, a computer, recording software and recording interface. Fortunately, there's good equipment these days that's fairly inexpensive.
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#4
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Thanks, Peter. |
#5
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Thanks, Peter. Last edited by GuitarinBb; 04-02-2018 at 08:41 AM. Reason: spelling |
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Today for that money you could get an excellent pair of SDC's for guitar and a good LDC for vocal New price or some outstanding good used pieces .
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Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Sonoma 14.4 |
#7
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Remember that I am recording vocals, a range of acoustic stringed instruments, woodwinds (mostly sax), hand percussion, and sounds of the world. I want to be able to render all of these as live and spacious as I can, and I'm not sure a pair of SDC mics will do that. I play a lot of saxophone and I add it to many of my guitar/vox pieces. |
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Consider some general thoughts on recording. If are recording and mixing multiple instruments and sounds it may not really be all that desirable to have it all recorded with an LDC single or especially LDC pair. For example consider that one of the quickest ways to render a recording into flat two dimensional , over crowded, and lacking space and definition is to have every track recorded in stereo. It is the too much of good thing situation. IMO the multi instrument recordings that I have heard that have the most live spacious and detailed sound are recorded with a combination of mono and stereo tracks Also consider for example one of the most preferred mics for professional recording of symphonies is a matched pair of Schoeps SDC's .... just some food for thought ... For me personally I think the combination of SDC and LDC give more flexibility. And good LDC for vocals is more often than not, also good at recording acoustic instruments as well as location recording for world sounds Some of the best solo acoustic guitar recordings I have ever heard were pairs of SDC and some were actually a pair of SDC left and right and a single LDC up the middle So of course do what you think best but you asked for alternatives suggestions for what you did have.. good luck
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Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Sonoma 14.4 |
#9
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#10
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Check out Peluso microphones, they make a number of well-built microphones modeled after Neumann and Schoeps designs. You can usually find a deal on them used. I don't think they give up much (or anything) to the originals. I have a pair of CEMC-6's that I love for guitar and that are very versatile little mics.
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#12
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I am very, very happy with the Warm Audio mics I have (the WA14 and the WA87). You might look into them.
I was never very happy with the Pro MPA II that I had; I didn't like how it colored the sound. Very happy with my Focusrite ISA Two and my FMR Audio RNPs. The former is great paired with certain mics and the latter is great for clean, mostly-uncolored sounds. Happy to share you some video/audio of the WA14 being used in the living room. Or of anything I mentioned that might be featured on some recording. |
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I would ask why you are going to buy an ART Pro VLA??? I thought you were looking to buy a stereo preamp not a compressor? If you meant a Pro MPA II, I can say the newer models are even better sounding than the originals as they run the tubes at higher voltage. Some cork sniffers will cringe at the idea of using a cheap Pro MPA with such good microphones but a few years ago Sound on Sound did a blind test of microphones and the Pro MPA II was consistently picked as one of the best sounders with pres costing much more!
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/pick-preamp If I were just looking to do some good home based recordings I would look a the Neumann TLM102 as a cost effective microphone. They are getting fabulous reviews. Check out these Neumann videos to get an idea (watch all the videos)... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aivxxQLK9Qw Another good microphone choice for a GREAT all-rounder is is the Violet Amethyst which is now available at a great price... https://violetmicsus.myshopify.com/p...f-the-amethyst The downside is that they typically make them to order, and have a few week wait. But, they are great microphones! I own MANY high end microphones and the Amethyst Vintage hangs with them all! Another mic getting some great praise in your budget range is the 3U Audio GZ67FET LDC or the Warbler 127C SDC. These mics are built to at the same or higher level of quality as the more expensive Pelusos! Do a google search on 3U mics and you'll be surprised at what people are saying about these mics. For me I personally like LDC mics over SDCs especially on aggressive strummed rhythms which to me is harder to record than a finger-picked piece. But when I want detail in delicate acoustic guitar recording I also like combining an multipattern LDC in Fig 8 with a LDC or SDC cardoid mic in a M/S recording setup. |
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But in general terms the next question would be what interface do you currently have and does it have any pre's ? Because currently many of the entry level and second or third tier up from entry, have pretty good mic pre's already onboard ...
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Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Sonoma 14.4 |
#15
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I'm wondering if you'd get more useful recommendations if you gave us a better sense of your gear acquisition plan. Such as:
Are you trying to build up gear that is fairly 'balanced' in their level of performance, or are you more concerned about the performance of 1 or 2 components (i.e. vocal mic more important to you than preamp, etc). Are you planning on building up gradually with components you plan on keeping, or are you trying to cover all your needs now, and upgrade in the future if necessary? Is your budget for your initial needs or for the entirety of what you want to acquire? Depending on how many mics you need at a time, and the mic sound you are after, mics with interchangeable capsules might be appropriate. For example, 3 Zigma CHI head amps can be combined with any of 4 LDC capsules or any of 4 SDC capsules. Their head amps come either with or without transformer output. If you are primarily focused on one or more LDC mics, but want a low cost SDC (or two) for occasionally use, you could look at the Line Audio CM3 (subcardioid sdc with a very flat frequency response and good off axis response). I just picked up a few. It's sounding very good for my son's initial use on violin (he hasn't used it yet on acoustic guitar or sax). I'm also intending to try them on bell choir, small vocal choir, and grouping of 2-3 vocalists at church for live reinforcement but haven't done that yet.
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Chuck 2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi 2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz 2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi Last edited by ChuckS; 04-03-2018 at 08:05 AM. |