Avantone BV-1 vs Beesneez James

[johnnybregar]

Several people have asked me to post a comparison between the James and the BV-1 on vocals.

Here's an old Dylan tune, recorded on one take with the BV-1 in cardioid, one with the BV-1 set to 2:00 on the pattern selector dial, and one with the James in cardioid. In fairness, I should probably try the James in a different pattern as well - hopefully I can do that at some point.

No guessing games - just the samples. No eq on the vocal tracks. Some sloppy finger picking from time to time.

www.johnnybregar.com/music/dtt-james.mp3
www.johnnybregar.com/music/dtt-BV-1.mp3
www.johnnybregar.com/music/dtt-BV-1-noncard.mp3 -- NEW FILE (based on SEB's recommendation to try two clicks toward figure 8.


Signal paths-
Vox: mic > Great River MP-2NV > Manley ELOP
Guitar: Gefell m300 > Great River MP-2NV > 1176

Cheers,

jb

[whereisbkp]

interesting.
listening on sony headphones.
i like em both, but on this song i think i like the james.

[Skiggy]

Thanks for posting Johnny!

Really interesting to hear the 2 mics on the same song.

I think I like the James better, the BV-1 has a bit too much high in it and sounds a little "cheaper". The James is also less sensitive for sibilance, something I'm looking for.

Great performance once again!

[pasarski]

James is a killer! BV-1 ain't bad either. It would be interesting though to know if there's a cheaper alternative for it, knowing the CV-12 thing.

[johnnybregar]

Whoops -

I forgot to mention an important factoid... I modded the James slightly to give it just a bit more low mid heft. I added a 33uf 25v capacitor between pin 3 and pin 5, as recommended by Ben. This gives it a little more body. The stock James is great, but I felt it needed this mod for my voice. The difference is subtle, but noticeable.

jb

[vonrichter]

James has more vibe+mojo for this song. I could see the BV-1 working for some other types of material.

Did you have someone do that mod, or did you do it yourself? I'm liking it compared to your older examples.

[johnnybregar]

I did the mod myself. It's very easy.

[johnnybregar]

My thoughts on the two are that the BV-1 is much more real and representative of what I sound like. It does have just a bit of high end sheen on it. I like that - especially in a song with more instruments. The James does have it's place in a song like this in my opinion. This is why I have two vocal mics... :-)

[SEB]

I`ve got both mics, but to me the BV sounds a lot better at 2 o`clock than at 12 straight cardiode. At 12 I think it gets a little strident and distant. What position did you use on the PSU?Very nice voice you got there btw

[johnnybregar]

Originally Posted by SEB

I`ve got both mics, but to me the BV sounds a lot better at 2 o`clock than at 12 straight cardiode. At 12 I think it gets a little strident and distant. What position did you use on the PSU?Very nice voice you got there btw

12 o'clock on the PSU for this recording.

Thanks for the compliment. I'm actually a feeling little rusty vocally - I got bad a cold followed by pneumonia and this is the first I've sung for over 3 weeks.

[SEB]

If you feel fit and have some minutes it would be really interesting hearing your voice at the BV`s 2 o´clock positions (two ticks to the right of cardiode). Maybe we`ll here an even better quality mic then. Just need a verse and a chorus of this Dylan tune.

Have you tried NOS tubes in the mic btw?

Please

[deuce42]

I vote for James.

Man I really dig your sense of vocal phrasing. Its so important. Singing is not just about nice vocal tone, its also about phrasing and the way you put the words into your phrases. You have a very relaxing phrasing feel. Thanks

[russchapman]

Curious....did you track guitar and vocals together?

Thanks...

[lynyrd]

I wonder if I could do the same thing with my Jade?And more importantly, would it be an improvement? Did you feel the mic in general lacked a bit of lower mid heft or was this mod based solely on the needs of your voice? By the way, I like your songs and recordings. Very nice.

Originally Posted by johnnybregar

Whoops -

I forgot to mention an important factoid... I modded the James slightly to give it just a bit more low mid heft. I added a 33uf 25v capacitor between pin 3 and pin 5, as recommended by Ben. This gives it a little more body. The stock James is great, but I felt it needed this mod for my voice. The difference is subtle, but noticeable.

jb

[johnnybregar]

No - which is why the guitar often runs over the vox at the beginning of the verses. I often do record both at the same time and I actually finger pick better when I do, but for this demo - I really wanted to have the vocals only on one track because the bleed was going to effect things too much.

Originally Posted by russchapman

Curious....did you track guitar and vocals together?

Thanks...

[johnnybregar]

Originally Posted by lynyrd

I wonder if I could do the same thing with my Jade?And more importantly, would it be an improvement? Did you feel the mic in general lacked a bit of lower mid heft or was this mod based solely on the needs of your voice? By the way, I like your songs and recordings. Very nice.

Possibly - just email Ben. Yes - I made the mod for a bit more low end heft and I really feel like it was the right move. I like it much more now. It's a super easy mod - less than 10 minutes from beginning to end - and most of that is just taking the body apart and making sure you're about to solder the cap in the right place...

[johnnybregar]

Originally Posted by deuce42

I vote for James.

Man I really dig your sense of vocal phrasing. Its so important. Singing is not just about nice vocal tone, its also about phrasing and the way you put the words into your phrases. You have a very relaxing phrasing feel. Thanks

Thanks Deuce42 - I completely agree about vocal phrasing. It's taken me a lot of years to figure that out, and to figure out how to hang back just a little bit behind the beat. When vocals push the beat I get all twitchy....

[tapehiss]

thanks so much for this comparison...

i've been really interested in the james and have used the bv-1 a bit..

its nice to see how they compare...

have you used a pearlman tm1?????

if so how does it compare to the james????
(also, you had mentioned using a wunder 47gt, how is that compared to the james?)

[johnnybregar]

Originally Posted by tapehiss

have you used a pearlman tm1?????

if so how does it compare to the james????
(also, you had mentioned using a wunder 47gt, how is that compared to the james?)

I did a record with the Pearlman. To me sounds a little more mid-forward than the james, and has a sweet high end. For my voice the mids were just a little over the top with the Pearlman and I was always cutting them around 900Hz.

The Wunder CM7gt is nothing short of amazing. It was just a little too rich for my blood and I sold it. It's got all the creamy midrange and sweet highs you could ever want. It's a great mic. If I come in to a bunch of money it's probably the first bit of gear I'll buy back.

jb

[bee]

Thanks for the post. Does the James cost more than the BV-1?

[tapehiss]

yes.

the james comes to about $1.5k dollars, the BV-1 is $995, and one of the best tube mics under $1k IMO.

however, i really have been desiring a sibilant-lacking mic such as the james,, and i hear that is one of its strong points.

[SEB]

The BV-1 will be less sibilant if you care to use something else than plain cardioide. Cardioide sounds a little brittle and thin to my ears. Turn it clockwise a notch or two and you get a lot fuller sound -compares nicely to enything else I`ve tried, and yes I`ve got the James too.

[johnnybregar]

Originally Posted by SEB

If you feel fit and have some minutes it would be really interesting hearing your voice at the BV`s 2 o´clock positions (two ticks to the right of cardiode). Maybe we`ll here an even better quality mic then. Just need a verse and a chorus of this Dylan tune.

Have you tried NOS tubes in the mic btw?

Please

Hi SEB -

I haven't had time to try this yet - crazy dayz.... I hope I can post another clip with the adjusted pattern for you.

[johnnybregar]

Just tried the BV-1 on this song with the pattern selector at about 2:00. It sounds quite a lot thicker.... I will post a clip as soon as I'm over this cold.

[bee]

I think both these mics sound great on you Johnny. Have you had a chance to try them out on other instruments?

[johnnybregar]

Originally Posted by bee

I think both these mics sound great on you Johnny. Have you had a chance to try them out on other instruments?

Yes - I like the James on acoustic guitar a lot. I'm not convinced the BV-1 is a great acoustic mic yet - need more time with it.

James sounds excellent on mandolin, banjo and I like it as a room mic. Still really haven't run the BV-1 through all the paces but I have captured some nice clean electric guitar with it that was pretty slick.

[johnnybregar]

I added a third file with the BV-1 pattern selector set to 2:00 (2 notches clockwise from cardioid). I like it - see what you think.

www.johnnybregar.com/music/dtt-BV-1-noncard.mp3

[bee]

That BV-1 sounds like excellent mic for the money.

[SEB]

Yep that`s more like it - all the "fissines" is gone, thick and juicy!

All earlier listeners should have a go one more time and see what they think. For me this is the first Chinamerica-mic that`s totally worth it at any price. The only drawback; it´s a heavy mf!!

We should try it out with some NOS tubes and see what happens!

On the othe hand: The suitcase is nice but I really think it should be an option. Maybe a little less glamorous cardboard packaging would be enough for many buyers saving the environment for the pollution and the users for some bucks. How often do we really need this suitcase?

[didier.brest]

I well believe that the BV1 may be closer to the truth but your voice is so deep with the James... I still prefer the James even with respect to your last BV1 samples.

Great song, great voice, great mic! Thank you very much for sharing.

(I put y the James take in my 'Hits' directory. )

By the way, which James is it?