[RMJAZZ]

Originally Posted by imo

I can get a lot of juice out of a question like this actually. Sam Cooke has always been my favorite singer, and a huge influence on my singing. I prefer his Soul Stirrers era stuff to his pop vocals, but the way he is able to eke out emotion in the middle of such a sophisticated presentation is pretty spectacular.
I have chased mics and preamps, looking to get some of the response that he gets when he opens his voice up. Of course it is his voice, but also the way the mics, tube preamps, and the tape react to the midpush of his voice is COMPLETELY different than the way it would sound in a modern studio. I love the brash sound that comes out, partially the focus of his voice, and partially the gear pleading for mercy. When i hear this, it really pulls at my emotions.
I have found that i get the best results with tube mics in reverberant rooms, going into tube preamps. BOth of mine are DIY, but have nice saturation when you lean into them. I don't record to tape, so i don't have the luxury of that, but i'm able to get some of that energy using a couple of stages of pre's, maybe a light touch of LA2A, gainstaging it to bring in some crunch.
I love my Neve pres, but that is yet another sound to me. Fizzier when pushed, sounds like transistors, as it should.
Sam Cooke--yeah..
Ian

For the pre...try and LTD1 or a TG MKII (Chandler Limited), if they don't get you that Sam Cooke sound you don't have a Sam Cooke textured vocalist. The sound you are chasing is in the guy's voice, not the pre amp. Back then, they most likely used a Neve 1073.