Just wondering what you guys are using. I just realized today I've been using the same two for the last 9 years(Neve 1073 or Api 312). Once in a while I tried different things(Manley,Fearn,Avalon,Focusrite), but its funny I always come back to these two. I guess I was wondering if you had the same experience. I'm thinking of trying something new again and was wondering what are some pres people are using on vocals.
Comments
So, how about the avalon 737SP? I know at least some of you fol
So, how about the avalon 737SP? I know at least some of you folks have em out there, what with all the hype these things had for a couple of years. Now that the dust has settled, and people have had time to put them through their paces, where do they tend to shine best? I have been using mine on vox, but I have some vintech/neve and API stuff on order, and I'm wondering if my avalon is going to start collecting dust. In fact, I've even considered selling it and getting one of those damn vintech 1073's. But I am a fickle SOB, and trying to quit the habit. I'm just now beginning to acquire cool pre's, so until now, my avalon has been my primary pre, and it gets A LOT of use. Interestingly enough, it has really been a life saver DI/pre/eq for quick and dirty marshall JMP1 tracking (the Marshall amp simulator box). When I don't have time to mic a cab, this combo rox. But admittedly, I have little to compare the 737 to.
So, trying to stay on topic, what do you all think of the ol' 737 for vox, vs. say a 1073 clone (I ain't even gonna consider the real deal)?
CS
Originally posted by miketholen: haven't heard the manlev voxbo
Originally posted by miketholen:
haven't heard the manlev voxbox yet but I have heard the manley version and it leaves MUCH to be desired.
like everything that makes a great tone.
I would love to hear about the manlev version though. :w:
I gotta stop posting and 2:00 AM! Mike, I know you don't like ManleY stuff, but I'd like to see your place some time. I'll be in Chicago for Thanksgiving.
Originally posted by miketholen: haven't heard the manlev voxbo
Originally posted by miketholen:
haven't heard the manlev voxbox yet but I have heard the manley version and it leaves MUCH to be desired.
like everything that makes a great tone.
I would love to hear about the manlev version though. :w:
Mike,
If you heard my serial #0006 dual manley(it has some funky name stamped on it, along with the manley name) you would change your mind. Amazing!!!!
Completely different tone than the new ones. You are right.
Dan Spitz
Producer/mixer
Mike, If you heard my serial #0006 dual manley(it has some funk
Mike,
If you heard my serial #0006 dual manley(it has some funky name stamped on it, along with the manley name) you would change your mind. Amazing!!!!
Completely different tone than the new ones. You are right.
Dan Spitz
Producer/mixer
really?...huh. cool.
what's different?
why did they change?
too bad.
I would really like to like the manley stuff but for god's sake it's just not worth the dough. :w:
Originally posted by Marc Edwards: What's everyone's experience
Originally posted by Marc Edwards:
What's everyone's experience been with the Millennia?
Very clear and open on the solid state line. The tube transformerless series has as nice hint of softening (the optional Telefunken tubes make a big difference in the sound of course). The STT-1 line channel is the ultimate. Tubes or SS or any of the signal path (Pre, EQ, compressor, Deesser). The Opto compressor is extremely fast (2ms attack!). The thing that really blew my mind was the transformer that is able to be switched in or out...the low end just blows up in Neve fashion, but still retains the clarity. I think a pair of STT-1 would be my Desert island signal path. See it here for pics and info:
http://
Good Luck!
Hey Scott, You think the VMP-2 (peavey) is good (and it is), tr
Hey Scott,
You think the VMP-2 (peavey) is good (and it is), try the VCL-2 compressor by AMR Peavey. It is even better. Even warmer sound. It's also all tube model with and el op comp and transformer ins and outs with tons of head room, 2 channel designed similar to LA2a's and almost the same as the Manley el op which is over twice as much. They put a link switch in mine for an extra $30 so I can use it as dual mono or stereo.
I think its great that we now have a Manlev and a Manley. No mat
I think its great that we now have a Manlev and a Manley. No matter what, if its made in Russia or China, it MUST be better sounding than a Manley!!
My favorite and most used pre is the Forssell CS-1. Its designed / hand-build by Fred Forssell, who designed the top end Millennia pres (and stopped doing so when they "cheapened" his designs. The CS-1 is without question the best channel strip I've ever used.
Next are the Graces, which will always be just wonderful.
tc electronic GoldChannel and a Focusrite ISA110. I recently ad
tc electronic GoldChannel and a Focusrite ISA110.
I recently added the 110 after a lot of research and posts on these very forums. It has a crunchy, aggresive sound that I like. The tc has been my workhorse and has done the job for a good while. I haven't gotten the comp I want to use with the 110 yet but was looking at the UA1176LN until I saw all of this stuff about the Peaveys. I'll be looking at those now.
OneMan
Hey OneMan Just so you know the Peavey is a great compressor bu
Hey OneMan
Just so you know the Peavey is a great compressor but it falls along the line of other all tube el Op compressors (LA2a or Manley el op). To me it is one of the best deals on the market. The 1176's however, are very different (for one the attack and release settings and no threashold). 1176's are very aggressive and are dark sounding where the el op compressors are more warm for lack of a better term. If you are looking at a 1176 check out Purple Audio's they have a better name than the UA and give you a 3 year warrenty.
Mike
Originally posted by sjoko: Fred Forssell, who designed the t
Originally posted by sjoko:
Fred Forssell, who designed the top end Millennia pres (and stopped doing so when they "cheapened" his designs.
I believe that Fred had a hand in the tube designs (not the SS), and many design changes have been made since his departure by the MM team. I don't see how Millennia could have been "cheapened" in any way from it's past performance, since it currently is one of the best sounding units on the market. YOMV.
Originally posted by sjoko: Its designed / hand-build by Fred F
Originally posted by sjoko:
Its designed / hand-build by Fred Forssell, who designed the top end Millennia pres (and stopped doing so when they "cheapened" his designs.
To clarify, Fred did not design the "top end Millennia preamp," the HV-3, nor has Millennia "cheapened" any products. Where did you hear this nonsense?
(...I can think of two people :( )
Fred was employed by Millennia for two years. During that time, he did the original circuit design for the NSEQ-2, TCL-2, and M-2B. He also made a significant contribution to the new Origin circuits, but resigned before completing the project. The Origin that I finally approved to ship (nine months later) was designed by a team which includes myself, Larry Boyle, Mike Johnson, and Chuck Gray.
Millennia has made a number of sonic and electro-mechanical design improvements to the NSEQ-2 and TCL-2 since Fred's resignation in 1999, including one very recent and significant improvement to the TCL-2 opto-compressor which has top engineers like Bob Ludwig calling it his "reference analog dynamics processor" (Bob has recently acquired eight channels of TCL-2).
You know, we've been on the receiving end of a bit of 'competitive rancor,' and selectively-placed rumors. I wish they would stop, but I guess they're to be expected. Fred now sells his own equipment and I encourage everyone to check it out. We have always wished Fred the best of success in his business, and will continue to do so.
Sincerely,
Ah Jees, this whole subject feels really awkward to me. Sjoko
Ah Jees, this whole subject feels really awkward to me.
Sjoko does not speak for me, but I am happy that he like the CS-1.
Some of what John La Grou said is true (from my prospective), but I want to clarify a couple of other things that he said.
True, I did NOT design any of the IC based products the MM sells, like the HV-3 or the Mixing Suite. I want to make that VERY clear. I don't do IC based analog designs, only discrete JFET and vacuum tube designs.
True that my final version of the STT-1 was revised by MM. The version I signed off on did not have an audio transformer in it. I don't know the nature of any other changes to my complete STT-1 design that MM may have made during the 9 months between my departure from MM and the shipping of the product.
True I worked at MM for two long years. During that time MM introduced and/or sold the M-2a, M-2b, NSEQ-1, NSEQ-2, the TCL-2, and the STT-1 Origin as products. It has been two long years since I left. During that time MM has announced two products-- a phono preamp and a MS decoder. While these products may use the JFET amp I designed (or not), I didn't design them.
To clarify, MM and John played no part whatsoever in the circuit design of the Class A discrete JFET amplifier used in the TT products, nor in the design of the Vacuum tube amplifiers used in these products. All of those circuits were designed by me (often guided in the process by my mentor Bascom H King) years before my involvement with John La Grou.
The circuit design of what MM sells as the TCL-2 dates back to 1978 when I designed it for a tube based guitar preamp I designed for Jim Messina. I evolved that circuit over the next 20 years mainly working on the time constants, ratio control, and GR meter tracking. MM/John La Grou played no part in that process. I have continued to refine the design of that circuit with my new products.
Lastly I want to say that I learned a lot from my involvement with John La Grou. But none of what I learned from that involvement, either during my time working for him or since, has anything to do with circuit design. I did no real circuit level research and development during me time at MM. I am glad that my designs are still being well received by people in this industry as the core of some MM products. I'm glad John is making a living selling those products.
While it is difficult to compete with ones own past design work, I embrace that challange. Having designed those circuits, I know their good and bad points as no one else can. I liked those circuits or I never would have allowed them into my product designs. IMO, I'm designing much better circuits now, because I learned from doing those old designs. That's why I did them in the first place, to learn. But John had no part in the design of them.
I don't really feel that I need to (or that I am)complete with John. He is heading in a different direction than I am. That's why I opted to leave his company and restart my own. I continue to make and design the best sounding equipment that I know how to do, no holds (or expense) barred. It's expensive to do that and it results in an expensive product. And it's hard to run a company on anything but a very small scale selling that kind of equipment. That's what I'm now doing and it is working well for me. I wish him all the continues success and luck.
And I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Cheers,
Fred Forssell
Originally posted by John La Grou:
To clarify, Fred did not design the "top end Millennia preamp," the HV-3, nor has Millennia "cheapened" any products. Where did you hear this nonsense?
(...I can think of two people :( )
Fred was employed by Millennia for two years. During that time, he did the original circuit design for the NSEQ-2, TCL-2, and M-2B. He also made a significant contribution to the new Origin circuits, but resigned before completing the project. The Origin that I finally approved to ship (nine months later) was designed by a team which includes myself, Larry Boyle, Mike Johnson, and Chuck Gray.
Millennia has made a number of sonic and electro-mechanical design improvements to the NSEQ-2 and TCL-2 since Fred's resignation in 1999, including one very recent and significant improvement to the TCL-2 opto-compressor which has top engineers like Bob Ludwig calling it his "reference analog dynamics processor" (Bob has recently acquired eight channels of TCL-2).
You know, we've been on the receiving end of a bit of 'competitive rancor,' and selectively-placed rumors. I wish they would stop, but I guess they're to be expected. Fred now sells his own equipment and I encourage everyone to check it out. We have always wished Fred the best of success in his business, and will continue to do so.
Sincerely,
This is for John La Grou, if you are still out there. I am most
This is for John La Grou, if you are still out there. I am most interested in your mentioning that a "recent and significant" improvement was made to the TCL-2. I'm an owner of (what I assume to be) a pre-improved model of the TCL-2. I love the unit - I chose it after A-B'ing it with a number of other high end units borrowed from Rick Scott at Parson's Audio. (I'm giving the plug because you also mentioned him in another thread as an all round great guy.) My question is - can you be more specific about these new improvements - and are they significant enough that all of us "vintage" TCL-2 owners should be thinking about some kind of retrofit or upgrade?
Originally posted by littledog: This is for John La Grou, if yo
Originally posted by littledog:
This is for John La Grou, if you are still out there. I am most interested in your mentioning that a "recent and significant" improvement was made to the TCL-2. I'm an owner of (what I assume to be) a pre-improved model of the TCL-2. I love the unit - I chose it after A-B'ing it with a number of other high end units borrowed from Rick Scott at Parson's Audio. (I'm giving the plug because you also mentioned him in another thread as an all round great guy.) My question is - can you be more specific about these new improvements - and are they significant enough that all of us "vintage" TCL-2 owners should be thinking about some kind of retrofit or upgrade?
DS:
I received your e-mail first and already replied in detail.
If anyone else is interested in a TCL-2 update, please
contact us at the factory.
Best,
Anyone using the Focusrite ISA430? I've read about it and not on
Anyone using the Focusrite ISA430? I've read about it and not only Mr. Neve designed it but also it gives you a nice flexibility like spliting the section and use it as 2 seprate unit (using the EQ on a vocal and the compressor on a guitar in a single unit). Looks like a great deal for all in one box. :roll:
johnlagrou, post: 7379, member: 771 wrote: Fred was employed by
johnlagrou, post: 7379, member: 771 wrote: Fred was employed by Millennia for two years. During that time, he did the original circuit design for the NSEQ-2, TCL-2, and M-2B. He also made a significant contribution to the new Origin circuits, but resigned before completing the project. The Origin that I finally approved to ship (nine months later) was designed by a team which includes myself, Larry Boyle, Mike Johnson, and Chuck Gray.
fred01, post: 7381, member: 50220 wrote: Ah Jees, this whole subject feels really awkward to me.
Sjoko does not speak for me, but I am happy that he like the CS-1.
Some of what John La Grou said is true (from my prospective), but I want to clarify a couple of other things that he said.
True, I did NOT design any of the IC based products the MM sells, like the HV-3 or the Mixing Suite. I want to make that VERY clear. I don't do IC based analog designs, only discrete JFET and vacuum tube designs.
True that my final version of the STT-1 was revised by MM. The version I signed off on did not have an audio transformer in it. I don't know the nature of any other changes to my complete STT-1 design that MM may have made during the 9 months between my departure from MM and the shipping of the product.
True I worked at MM for two long years. During that time MM introduced and/or sold the M-2a, M-2b, NSEQ-1, NSEQ-2, the TCL-2, and the STT-1 Origin as products. It has been two long years since I left. During that time MM has announced two products-- a phono preamp and a MS decoder. While these products may use the JFET amp I designed (or not), I didn't design them.
To clarify, MM and John played no part whatsoever in the circuit design of the Class A discrete JFET amplifier used in the TT products, nor in the design of the Vacuum tube amplifiers used in these products. All of those circuits were designed by me (often guided in the process by my mentor Bascom H King) years before my involvement with John La Grou.
The circuit design of what MM sells as the TCL-2 dates back to 1978 when I designed it for a tube based guitar preamp I designed for Jim Messina. I evolved that circuit over the next 20 years mainly working on the time constants, ratio control, and GR meter tracking. MM/John La Grou played no part in that process. I have continued to refine the design of that circuit with my new products.
Lastly I want to say that I learned a lot from my involvement with John La Grou. But none of what I learned from that involvement, either during my time working for him or since, has anything to do with circuit design. I did no real circuit level research and development during me time at MM. I am glad that my designs are still being well received by people in this industry as the core of some MM products. I'm glad John is making a living selling those products.
While it is difficult to compete with ones own past design work, I embrace that challange. Having designed those circuits, I know their good and bad points as no one else can. I liked those circuits or I never would have allowed them into my product designs. IMO, I'm designing much better circuits now, because I learned from doing those old designs. That's why I did them in the first place, to learn. But John had no part in the design of them.
I don't really feel that I need to (or that I am)complete with John. He is heading in a different direction than I am. That's why I opted to leave his company and restart my own. I continue to make and design the best sounding equipment that I know how to do, no holds (or expense) barred. It's expensive to do that and it results in an expensive product. And it's hard to run a company on anything but a very small scale selling that kind of equipment. That's what I'm now doing and it is working well for me. I wish him all the continues success and luck.
And I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Cheers,
Fred Forssell
Originally posted by John La Grou:
To clarify, Fred did not design the "top end Millennia preamp," the HV-3, nor has Millennia "cheapened" any products. Where did you hear this nonsense?
(...I can think of two people :( )Fred was employed by Millennia for two years. During that time, he did the original circuit design for the NSEQ-2, TCL-2, and M-2B. He also made a significant contribution to the new Origin circuits, but resigned before completing the project. The Origin that I finally approved to ship (nine months later) was designed by a team which includes myself, Larry Boyle, Mike Johnson, and Chuck Gray.
Millennia has made a number of sonic and electro-mechanical design improvements to the NSEQ-2 and TCL-2 since Fred's resignation in 1999, including one very recent and significant improvement to the TCL-2 opto-compressor which has top engineers like Bob Ludwig calling it his "reference analog dynamics processor" (Bob has recently acquired eight channels of TCL-2).
You know, we've been on the receiving end of a bit of 'competitive rancor,' and selectively-placed rumors. I wish they would stop, but I guess they're to be expected. Fred now sells his own equipment and I encourage everyone to check it out. We have always wished Fred the best of success in his business, and will continue to do so.
Sincerely,
What a historic thread. Here are some of the greatest pro audio designers of the world right here.
The m-2b is amazing. Thank you for making an outstanding micpre and for chiming in on RO back then.
I have been liking the Millennia Media STT-1 lately. API is alw
I have been liking the Millennia Media STT-1 lately. API is always a staple.