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I know you guys are tired of Vintech posts but please help me out..

I've been looking in on buying a preamp for some time now
(mostly to track my music and for vocal recordings in the future)
and I've decided that Vintech is the way to go...

to tell you the truth, I have never had a chance to listen to an actual
real Neve unit, and I am not a professional engineer as well

I'm just a music student/producer who wants a better sound in my music.

I also live abroad in Seoul, Korea so it's hard to get gear here for a good price, and i'm trying to pick up a piece when i visit my friend in san francisco next week!

well first of all I need a dual unit obviously because my main purpose is to track my music.

I got into the Vintech because my friend here in korea owns a Vintech dual 1272 and i tried tracking some drum sounds through it and was surprised with the bump it gave to the sound.
(I've also tried out a few Focusrite models, the 9098, and the Avalon 737)

right now i am not sure if i should get a 1272 as well, or if should go for the 273 unit. or maybe if I save up more money, get two x73i units just for the long run...

i can't make up my mind because i have never heard a Neve 1073 unit, or the Vintech x73 units, so i am not sure how these sound compared to the Vintech 1272 unit that i heard.

here is a sample of the type of music i produce...
i used to produce mostly hip hop music like this but I am getting more
into an electronica style these days...

http://

the x73i's also caught my interest because of the eq's, but i was also
wondering if I really do need eq's since I am not a pro engineer
I don't think i should be messing with the eq's too much before the mixdown so maybe not having eq's like the 1272 would be a better choice...or if the x73's make a better sound for me, going with the dual 273 Vintech unit would be better since I won't have to use the extra $1000 for the eq's...

any comments are appreciated!

thanx

P.S. I WANT A DISTRESSOR!

Comments

RemyRAD Sun, 03/26/2006 - 20:00

I am a Neve owner and I have NO experience with the VinTech 1073. It is supposedly a very close imitation of the original 1073, of which many people have said they believe it sounds better than the original 1073 but not exactly like a 1073. You buy a 1073 and/or clone, not just for the microphone preamplifier but because of the equalizer sound it affords you.

It has a very distinctive coloration when utilizing the equalizer's. Not something you should avoid just because you consider yourself inexperienced. If you don't believe you're going to be using/needing the equalizer's during tracking or to loop your track through, to add some equalization and/or coloration of your sound, then just purchase a microphone only preamplifier like the numerous " 1272" preamplifier's available? Which were never really microphone preamplifier's to begin with but rather a line/summing class A designed amplifier, modified for microphone usage. Either way I think you would enjoy the buttery sweet quality of the sound afforded you through one of these many types of preamplifier's.

Old Neve user
Ms. Remy Ann David

anonymous Mon, 03/27/2006 - 13:40

Ask yourself if you need a 1073 or just a good-sounding preamp. If you need something that sounds good, then the Vintech will be great. If you gotta GOTTA have the 1073, then you should buy the real thing.

Unless you know the ins and outs of a real 1073, you should buy preamps that sound good and use the hell out of them. Don't worry about name brands until you have the experience and ears to justify the expense. It's far more important that you make the most out of what you have.

Listen to yourself:

I WANT A DISTRESSOR!!

A Distressor isn't an 1176 or an LA3A, but it's a damn good tool that you can use the hell out of. Think about your preamps in the same way.

And yeah, I can't live without my Distressors - money well spent!

Good luck out there,
~id

atlasproaudio Tue, 03/28/2006 - 09:32

There are two 'sounds' in the Vintech line. There is the Dual 72 (i.e. 1272) that you've heard, and then everything else. The only real fundamental difference between the 273, 473, X73i, X73, and X81 are configuration of the amount of preamp channels and how their EQ is setup, otherwise the basic sound of the units are identical (again in comparison to the Dual 72 unit). The Dual 72 is a darker thicker sounding preamp, and while it sounds very good (especially for the money, it's probably the best bang for the buck in the pro market right now), the other Vintech products are 'airier' with more high frequency content and less low frequency content, they are a little punchier (as opposed to the Dual 72 being 'softer' sounding) and sweeter through the midrange in comparison to the Vintech Dual 72 also. Hope this helps.