Advice on a stereo rig for $1000-$1500.

[GuitarinBb]

Originally Posted by midwinter

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.

I really appreciate the reference, and on first glance all the gear you mention are pieces I need to investigate. If you have sound samples that aren't too much trouble to share I would love that! Thank you.

[GuitarinBb]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

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

Yes, I meant to say PRO MPA. Thanks for all the great advice and references to mics to investigate as well. I will check them out and see what I find.

[GuitarinBb]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Sorry I don't have any experience with ART gear, so no opinion
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 ...

Aha. I have no interface, and it sounds like this is what I need much more than the ART piece or anything similar.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by GuitarinBb

I really appreciate the reference, and on first glance all the gear you mention are pieces I need to investigate. If you have sound samples that aren't too much trouble to share I would love that! Thank you.

You bet.

Here's a WA14 (their 414 clone) put to use in my living room. I believe we ran it into an FMR Audio RNP. Banjo was also recorded with it.



I can't remember the specifics on this one, but the vocals are either a WA14 or a WA87 (also into the RNP):



This cover of Tom Waits's "Take It With Me" was recorded with the WA14 on everything except the keys.

[GuitarinBb]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

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?

Excellent question, difficult for me to answer well. At this point I would like the best stereo recording rig I can find for doing live sound in my living room. I do not know if my financial circumstances will allow for me to upgrade my gear over time or not, although I'm guessing it will. However given my skill as a sound engineer (not very good at this point) I have no idea how good I will get at recording myself and may choose to focus on material, promotion, publishing, etc and work with a small studio for recording. A rig that could produce simple but professional level recordings would be ideal, and so having all pieces of gear needed be of roughly the same sound quality (though not necessarily of the same price range as reviews will sometimes bear out) would seem to be best if you follow me.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by GuitarinBb

Aha. I have no interface, and it sounds like this is what I need much more than the ART piece or anything similar.

Ah. If you're trying to record audio on a computer, you're going to need an interface. LOTS of options in a bunch of price ranges.

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by GuitarinBb

Aha. I have no interface, and it sounds like this is what I need much more than the ART piece or anything similar.

If you are going to record with a computer, you will need an interface. Most contain mic preamps, AD and DA converters and some other features. These days many interfaces have good preamps and converters and some have excellent ones. You may find that the preamps in your chosen interface are more than adequate for your needs, obviating the need for an external preamp (such as the ART).

As to mics, I completely understand your affinity for the Neumann TLM193, and your desire to use mics which are versatile. It's a wonderful mic traced to the U89/TLM170 lineage. That being said, many excellent mics have come to market in the last two decades, often at reasonable prices. Indeed, there are so many different mics available today it would take an enormous amount of time to consider all of them.

[GuitarinBb]

I have plenty to chew on here. What an awesome community of knowledge and generous input on a complex subject. Thank you to everyone who contributed so much to this conversation so far. I hope others can benefit from all we talked about, and add as we are moved to do so.