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  #1  
Old 01-20-2019, 08:24 AM
guitaniac guitaniac is offline
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Default Slate ML-2 TD Training Mic Satisfies

A used Slate ML-2 mic arrived yesterday and I'm happy to report that I'm getting excellent results with it, with respect to training ToneDexter WaveMaps. I had some fun training WaveMaps for five guitars, and I also used it as a vocal mic for some "live" recordings where ToneDexter provided the guitar track. I can hear a bit of guitar bleedover on the vocal track, but the guitar sound in yesterday's recordings is a least 80% ToneDexter.

In any event, it appears that I finally have the setup I need for home recording songs with ToneDexter. Here's an old John Gorka song from his days of contributing to the Fast Folk compilation albums of the '70s and '80s.

https://soundcloud.com/guitaniac/joh...tor-soul-cover
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Old 01-20-2019, 11:24 AM
Petty1818 Petty1818 is offline
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Those ML-2 mics are hard to come by. Haven’t been in stock in months. I emailed Slate and was told more were coming but that was two months ago. Unfortunate because they are losing a ton of business.
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Old 01-20-2019, 12:08 PM
guitaniac guitaniac is offline
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Sweetwater got a shipment of ML-2s in this past week, though they might all be spoken for.

I had ordered one back in September, but the October ETA passed and the November ETA passed. The last ETA they gave me was February. I figured the February ETA was probably grossly optimistic as well, so I jumped at the chance to pick up a used one last Monday. Surprise, suprise, the Sweetwater rep called me two days later to tell me they'd just arrived (in mid January). LOL. I was going to wait 'til my used ML-2 was actually in my hands before cancelling my order, but the Sweetwater rep beat me to it. He was very cheerful and polite, and gave me the impression that they'd soon be sold out of ML-2s again.
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Old 01-20-2019, 12:48 PM
shufflebeat shufflebeat is offline
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Good to hear a progress report.
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Old 01-20-2019, 02:04 PM
The Kid! The Kid! is offline
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It says it's a digital mic. Does it need to be hooked up to a computer?

Also: has anyone compared it to a Shure SM81 for the Tonedexter training?
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Old 01-20-2019, 02:12 PM
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James May James May is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Kid! View Post
It says it's a digital mic. Does it need to be hooked up to a computer?

Also: has anyone compared it to a Shure SM81 for the Tonedexter training?
"Digital mic" refers to the fact that the Slate software allows this mic's signal to be manipulated with their software to emulate other mics. The reason this mic works well for that is that it has a nice flat response, i.e., blank canvas. You don't need to use their software or a computer. Just plug it into the ToneDexter.

It is close to an SM81 in response, but not exact. An SM81 is somewhat flatter with extended lows and highs. But, the differences are small and for purposes of training Dexter, The ML-2 offers excellent performance, and is economical. I too wish they could keep them in stock!
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Old 01-20-2019, 06:07 PM
The Kid! The Kid! is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by James May View Post
"Digital mic" refers to the fact that the Slate software allows this mic's signal to be manipulated with their software to emulate other mics. The reason this mic works well for that is that it has a nice flat response, i.e., blank canvas. You don't need to use their software or a computer. Just plug it into the ToneDexter.

It is close to an SM81 in response, but not exact. An SM81 is somewhat flatter with extended lows and highs. But, the differences are small and for purposes of training Dexter, The ML-2 offers excellent performance, and is economical. I too wish they could keep them in stock!
Do you think the SM81 is an "upgrade" because of the flatter response, extended lows, and highs, or are those differences small enough that it doesn't matter.

Also: if you have a decent headphone recommendation for training?
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Old 01-20-2019, 06:19 PM
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James May James May is offline
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Originally Posted by The Kid! View Post
Do you think the SM81 is an "upgrade" because of the flatter response, extended lows, and highs, or are those differences small enough that it doesn't matter.

Also: if you have a decent headphone recommendation for training?
I don't think the difference will matters for live performance over practical speakers in real rooms. For studio work, or with good headphones, you might here the difference under controlled conditions.

I like the Audio Technical ATH-M50X headphones. Hard to beat for $150. They are a little bright, but pretty flat and that's what counts most in judgement calls.
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Old 01-20-2019, 08:23 PM
The Kid! The Kid! is offline
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I don't think the difference will matters for live performance over practical speakers in real rooms. For studio work, or with good headphones, you might here the difference under controlled conditions.

I like the Audio Technical ATH-M50X headphones. Hard to beat for $150. They are a little bright, but pretty flat and that's what counts most in judgement calls.
Thank you.

In addition to live work, I've been using for studio session work and I love it. I get to record from the control room now, which is nice. The engineer this week loved it.

Last edited by The Kid!; 01-20-2019 at 08:40 PM.
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