Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimr  Hello DrBill.
I recently purchased an Apex 205 after reading the online article about the
Apex/Coles 4038 shootout.
I am a jazz trumpet player living in the New York City area and I do a
lot of recording in a variety of settings. Usually I try to get the
warmest, fattest sound I can, and for me the Coles has always been my
favorite by far, it's just that the price is a little prohibitive.
I am now getting into some home recording, so I have two questions for
you:
1. As a trumpet player, is the mod to the 205 necessary and/ or
desirable?
2. (Completely unrelated) Recently I did a session with a Coles and at
the end of the date, I was playing flugelhorn on a ballad and all of a
sudden there was an octave below what I played in the head phones and
ON THE TAPE! Some engineer friends tell me it could have been a
problem with the ribbon, and that the track is basically a write-off .
Have you heard of anything like this, and do you think there might be
a way to salvage the track?
Many thanks for your time,
Jim |
Hi Jim!
I do think that the 205 is a good tpt mic, although I'd hazard to guess that the 4038 MIGHT edge it out a bit due to it's more midrange approach. The 205 has a more open top end that may or may not be what your'e looking for. Certainly the coles is a great mic for what you describe as the "warmest, fattest sound I can".
Somewhere in this shootout is a clip I did of trumpet section (doubled up with one player) on the 205.
I'd say - yes, the mods to the 205 are definatly worth it. That said, sometimes low tech is better. Try the mic as is right now and see if you like it. If there's anything you don't like, then I'd send it off to michael joly and tell him your exact application and ask him to tune it specifically for your uses. There's a possibility he might suggest a fathead for your application. It's a more mid-rangey sound.
Anyway, the modded 205 works great on tpt. I wouldn't hesitate to use it there for one moment.
An octave lower huh??? Bizzare. I'm not quite sure I know what you're talking about. The ribbon couldn't possibly transpose the horn down, but maybe it's floppy loose and accentuating all the lower frequencies of the horn. I'd ask MJ about that as well. If it sounds like that "on tape" I'm afraid what you hear is what you got. Unless there is some playback or processing anomoly going on.
I think the mods are roughly around $250 or so and definately worth it IMO.
Good luck!
bp