NGD - New Gear Day!

    Quote from 808illest

    Those are very good observations, I track with reverb more now that I have an Apollo 8)


    We need samples db, saaaamples mannnn lol.

    Haha. I'm still searching for that perfect John Lennon "Day in the Life" reverb/delay combo!


    I like longer echos, not slapback. Never felt comfortable with plate. Only large ones (ie Hall) if the song is slow. Room if it's a faster song.
    The Lex 224 was the first delay in a plugin that wow'd me with such natural treatment of your source track.


    I had a TC Electronics M-One XL but only found a few good reverbs (didn't know how to dial them in) but the M3000 so far, still learning, sounds nice. We'll see.


    I need to get to work. I've been lazy Mountain Biking too much last year!

    I jumped straight onboard the hype-train and bought me a pair of Fishman fluence Pickups. The tosin abasi 6 string model to be precise. I thought that maybe they will offer a wide variety of sounds for the guitar I mainly use in my coverband.
    I bought them on reverb from a seller located in Canada because I couldn't find any German dealers or even European dealers that stocked that model. And even the normal fluence modern here in Europe were so much overpriced that I made a better deal anyway.
    I picked them up from customs yesterday and went straight to my tech.
    I will report later on how they sound.
    P.S. Don't be as dumb as me and think that a 5 way will fit in a place of a 3 way selector. Or to be honest... I didn't think about it at all.
    P.S.S. Goodbye EMGs

    Man o man, I've had some Warm Audio wo's.


    First, I get a WA-87 used from a big guitar store (shipped) and when it arrives the grill falls off. Return it and on a whim decided to get the U87ai. Done. THAT grill ain't coming off. Ever.
    Then I order a WA2A. Sounds lush with the U87->BAE 73->WA2A.


    THEN I decide to go for broke and get a faster compressor in front of the 2A to grab faster volume spikes in consonants (and I heard the combo was good)
    So I decide on the WA76 of of Reverb. Arrives DOA. Wow. That is rare for me. Reverber is very cool about it and pays return shipping and refunds it.
    I then get a B-stock from that big audio store. It arrived 2 days ago with something rolling around inside! Opened it up, it's a 100v capacitor that came loose and rolled around. Wow.
    I called Warm Audio and they said "pay for shipping here and we'll send you new units". But I figure 2 things. 1) the unit was already under warranty. 2) maybe Warm Audio Quality Control is too spotty for me.


    So I talk to the big store and decide to get a 500 series rack and compressor (my decision, they were suggesting a Daking or Drawmer)
    - Heritage Audio OST-6
    - Elysia Xpressor


    I've also wanted to get a Neve EQ for the 1073 and settled on:
    - Neve 551 EQ 500
    to put in the 500 rack.



    So the 2018 chain will be:
    U87ai->BAE 1073 DMP->Neve 551->Elysia Xpressor->WA2A->TC M3000->Apollo (split at WA2A to go LINE to Apollo, then SPDIF from M3000 to Apollo)


    That sounds like quite the rack and signal chain. Look forward to hearing the results.

    Quote from nightlight


    That sounds like quite the rack and signal chain. Look forward to hearing the results.

    I'm not used to hearing that I have "quite the rack"! haha


    One thing I've noticed over the years is that while my recordings sound better and better, its the performance that makes or breaks a song.


    There are crappy recordings of songs that being in the moment have more "feel" and "vibe" to them, and every time I try to redo them, upgrade that drum I didn't like the snare sound on, etc, it's missing that very important mojo.


    Not being a professional, I have to be in a special mood to get it right. That's what professionals don't seem to need. They can get it right from talent and experience on a planned work schedule.

    Just bagged another one of these puppies ;) ...


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    Quote from GAME-OF-TONES

    Oh they count... Otherwise what else are you gonna play with ?! Gahaha :P:thumbup:


    Something VERY else! And very exciting that I'm going to post about separately it's got me so riled up


    This is what I was on about getting me all riled up... <3 : OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFT

    Quote from db9091

    I'm not used to hearing that I have "quite the rack"! haha
    One thing I've noticed over the years is that while my recordings sound better and better, its the performance that makes or breaks a song.


    There are crappy recordings of songs that being in the moment have more "feel" and "vibe" to them, and every time I try to redo them, upgrade that drum I didn't like the snare sound on, etc, it's missing that very important mojo.


    Not being a professional, I have to be in a special mood to get it right. That's what professionals don't seem to need. They can get it right from talent and experience on a planned work schedule.


    Lol, I meant the equipment naturally :D


    You got to remember, the pros do it for a living and most of us are just hobbyists. That’s both a luxury and a curse, because while you aren’t fighting deadlines and can strive for perfection at leisure, the absence of a deadline could mean you never get it done.


    So set yourself a deadline for each song you do, a week, or a month at most. This is just the recording part. Whatever you are comfortable with and your free time permits.


    But get it done within that timeframe, @db9091, if only to have something to show to the Wife and kids, friends, office colleagues, the forums, etc :thumbup

    Quote from MuddySludge

    I just got a Rode NT4 for live jamming with Drumbo. 8)

    I put this right over Drumbo Taylor's head in my living room. I plugged in a bass and we tracked live on a Korg 3200.
    Added 3 guitars 1 pass each.
    Demo for a P.I.Theme soundtrack. I like this Mic.
    We actually got to jam on ideas instead of tweak stuff. :thumbup:

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    Toying around with the Xpressor, its not really going well with the rest of the chain.
    Originally I wanted a 1176 styled FET compressor. This is a bit too modern.
    So I talked they are special ordering a BAE 500C (1176 clone in 500 series) to swap when it comes in.


    I was all ready to send the Xpressor back but they said play with it until. So I will.
    I find it hard to dial in. It's either not compressing, or compressing and squashing the tone.
    I have to play with the High Pass Filter more.


    These new compressors come with this feature, so you can compress on the high frequencies alone and NOT the low end.
    Because only the high end is passed through to compress. This way a boomy kick or vocal/acoustic guitar rumble won't set off the compressor and start it pumping at the wrong times.


    They say the digital world was the first to start doing these things and now they are trickling BACK into the hardware! Who da thought?


    But that is where I'm coming from. My choices for a 1073 and 2A comp are from how well they sound AS plugins, but they still aren't where I feel a vocal, acoustic guitar or bass should be on tracking in.

    You have a Universal Audio interface, right, DB?


    If you haven't yet, do a trial of the 1176 compressor plugin that they offer. I find it really, really good. While I am sure it is not as good as the analog equivalent, it is amazing imho. Might save you a few clams.


    Maybe also look into a Klark Tecnik 1176 clone. I am not sure how good it is, but I was intrigued when I saw how closely it is design-wise. Based on the D and E revisions of the 1176.

    Quote from nightlight

    You have a Universal Audio interface, right, DB?
    If you haven't yet, do a trial of the 1176 compressor plugin that they offer. I find it really, really good. While I am sure it is not as good as the analog equivalent, it is amazing imho. Might save you a few clams.


    Maybe also look into a Klark Tecnik 1176 clone. I am not sure how good it is, but I was intrigued when I saw how closely it is design-wise. Based on the D and E revisions of the 1176.

    The problem with tracking a UAD2 is that it needs to come before the hardware WA2A to tame transients before being compressed by the optical. So that's out unless I do the 2nd half of the chain in-the-box.


    My fear of buying a Klark, and I've asked some stores about this and they confirm it (although I have no personal experience with Klark) is that they have gone down hill in quality since having their stuff made in China. And for that price-point, but still using good components, it's HOW it's put together that is the weak point. (ie soldering, poorly glued large components, etc)


    For example, in the same price range, but a little more, is the Warm Audio WA76, right? I ordered one used off Reverb: DOA. I ordered one new from a music store: 100v Cap broke loose in shipping and was rolling around. The company said it's supposed to be glued but it wasn't. So the manufacturer isn't even following the companies instructions. They inspect each unit in-house before shipping to stores. But I guess the 2nd shipping was too much for it. Point is: Not robust due to poor quality of manufacture. Hence my interest in going more expensive and quality-oriented than the Klark/Warm Audio range. So I chose the BAE 500C since I have a 500 Series Rack (Heritage Audio, 6 slot)


    Also, at some point, these 2U units take up a LOT of space. I can get many into a 3U 500 Series enclosure, but there are some differences when you pair down to that size. A 500 series may not sound exactly like a 19" rack unit of the same company. You have to make compromises on component layout, type and size.

    Quote from 808illest

    Picked up this 5150 today. It's a face ripper, never owned one before... gotta try it with the KPA :thumbup:



    I bought myself this shred machine to go along with your face melter


    My first shreddy guitar in 15 years. I put some Dimarzio Titans in it and i'm having a really good time with the Edge tremolo and the 16" radius fret board.
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