Gearslutz.com - View Single Post - What's the ULTIMATE equipment for live vocals?

jasonraboin · 27th November 2009

I think you are looking for gear recommendations. I'll bite.

Any of the highly regarded mic pres on this site are going to be an improvement over console pres. I use the A Designs Pacifica, but other engineers use the Avalon 737. Bono (U2) uses the Manley Voxbox.

I am a fan of keeping the pre on stage, so the signal travels down the snake at line level. Once levels are set at rehearsals, they rarely need to be changed, and there is gain on the console if necessary. You just have to watch out for low end transformers in the split that are not capable of handling line level signals.

For mixes where headroom is a concern, compressing the vocal in the analog domain before hitting the A/D converter of the console is useful. I like the DBX 162SL or 160SL for this, but there are tons of great compressors out there. I don't think you want to take an LA2A on the road, but a Purple MC77 might do the trick. Depends on the singer.

I used to carry a Speck EQ for the lead vocal. Now that I'm mixing on Digidesign consoles, I use EQ3. If money were no object, I would look into an analog Massenburg EQ. Maybe put together a Weiss EQ and compressor package. That is certainly a no compromise way to go.

I think the most important non-human element of the chain is the microphone. I am an avid Heil fan. Again, this depends on the voice, stage volume level, monitor needs, etc.

You can have the best chain in the world, but if the speaker system is sub-par, poorly tuned, poorly deployed, or in an acoustically challenging venue, none of it will make a noticeable difference. Also, making the singer comfortable on stage will do far more for the performance than any gear will.

I am fortunate that I mix mostly on A level gear in decent sounding concert halls, so for me it is a worthwhile investment.

27th November 2009	#4
jasonraboin Gear maniac Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Northampton, MA Posts: 195	I think you are looking for gear recommendations. I'll bite. Any of the highly regarded mic pres on this site are going to be an improvement over console pres. I use the A Designs Pacifica, but other engineers use the Avalon 737. Bono (U2) uses the Manley Voxbox. I am a fan of keeping the pre on stage, so the signal travels down the snake at line level. Once levels are set at rehearsals, they rarely need to be changed, and there is gain on the console if necessary. You just have to watch out for low end transformers in the split that are not capable of handling line level signals. For mixes where headroom is a concern, compressing the vocal in the analog domain before hitting the A/D converter of the console is useful. I like the DBX 162SL or 160SL for this, but there are tons of great compressors out there. I don't think you want to take an LA2A on the road, but a Purple MC77 might do the trick. Depends on the singer. I used to carry a Speck EQ for the lead vocal. Now that I'm mixing on Digidesign consoles, I use EQ3. If money were no object, I would look into an analog Massenburg EQ. Maybe put together a Weiss EQ and compressor package. That is certainly a no compromise way to go. I think the most important non-human element of the chain is the microphone. I am an avid Heil fan. Again, this depends on the voice, stage volume level, monitor needs, etc. You can have the best chain in the world, but if the speaker system is sub-par, poorly tuned, poorly deployed, or in an acoustically challenging venue, none of it will make a noticeable difference. Also, making the singer comfortable on stage will do far more for the performance than any gear will. I am fortunate that I mix mostly on A level gear in decent sounding concert halls, so for me it is a worthwhile investment.