The Mother of all Mojo!

[Sacalait]

In your opinion, what piece of gear (or chain) made the BIGGEST difference in the sonic character of your recording?

For example: I recorded at Robin Hood Bryan's studio in Tyler Texas back in 1969 (he cut "Judy in Desguise" and a lot of others). When I first listened to the track we cut, it took about 15 seconds before I realized it was actually "us" playing back in the monitors!... That's how GOOD- and different- it sounded ...I've not experienced that kind of MOJO Supreme since!

He was using an Electrodyne console (I've confirmed this lately with him). ...and it's also the reason I bought a Pacifica preamp a few months ago...

I'm certain many of you slutsupremes know what I'm talking about. I'd like to know what did it for you.

[tubehead]

For me it was a Pearlman TM-1.
Federal AM864/u.

Oops... forgot my Trident Series 70.

[raal]

A Range would have to be a top contender.

judy in disguise was .

[Knastratt]

For me it was the Brauner Valvet, AMEK CIB, Lucid vocal chain!

And my Benchmark DAC-1/Genelecs.

[chasman]

takamine an10 ac guitar
pearlman TM-2
pacifica

[jslstrat]

Trident 80B........

[Empire Prod]

M49's and V72's are a couple of things that come to mind.

[pendejo]

Mercury 66. Incredibly euphonic and huge sound.

[spektor]

vintage design and wunder cm7 gt k47 capsule

[DQA123]

recording through a console and not using outboard preamps.

i spoke to robin hood bryan on the phone about a year ago. he was really funny and super nice. that first zz top record (without the re-recorded drums they did in the 80's yuck!) is one of my all time favorites. those sounds are so amazing. i'd love to hear more about him and his studio. and if anybody knows more of robin hood bryan's discography, please share.

[musicmind11]

Sound Quality Wise Would be - A-Designs MP2A
Inspirational Wise/Fun to use Would Be- Roland V-Synth XT - Murdered all my Romplers!

[Sacalait]

Originally Posted by DQA123

recording through a console and not using outboard preamps.

i spoke to robin hood bryan on the phone about a year ago. he was really funny and super nice. that first zz top record (without the re-recorded drums they did in the 80's yuck!) is one of my all time favorites. those sounds are so amazing. i'd love to hear more about him and his studio. and if anybody knows more of robin hood bryan's discography, please share.

He is a super nice guy. And he's very underrated as an engineer and producer. (I almost never hear his name mentioned). This guy stayed on the technological cutting edge in the '60's, and '70's and had a lot of hits come out of his studio (located in his mom's house- not unlike the early Motown arrangement). He's one of my heroes for sure.

Robin Hood Studios

[GYang]

Really great instruments (guitars, basses, synths etc.), good rooms and proper monitoring added much more mojo to my recordings than any gear or console.

[Blue May]

Originally Posted by GYang

Really great instruments (guitars, basses, synths etc.), good rooms and proper monitoring added much more mojo to my recordings than any gear or console.

+1 for Instruments. definitely the most important thing in my studio!

[bgrotto]

1. a really good control room. After working as a staffer in an awful CR a couple years, my freelance travels have finally landed me in a good-sounding room. Now I don't have to recall mixes a half dozen times to make 'em right.
2. good musicians on good instruments. Recording is a really easy thing to do. Seriously. You just need great musicians playing great instruments.

...I wish they'd go over THAT fact in recording school...

[taturana]

the mother of all mojo in my studio would have to be the musicians (and their instruments)...

[crypticglobe]

Yeah... after the given quality instruments and musicians... I have found that going back to a large format console (Amek Mozart RN - 40 Rupert Neve designed pre's/EQ's) has added the "authenticity" I was missing.

I do mainly go through outboard pre's, but when doing full band tracking sessions, everything goes through the console. I use the EQ's some, and when I can I mix through it as well. You just can't get this "sound" no matter what gear you go into up front. Using the console with the DAW mainly as a tape machine is just the best of both worlds for the mojo factor for me. I would love to go back to tape just for the sonics... but the quick editing is too important for me at this stage of my career.

Anyway.... console. Major mojo.

[logicscott]

Hey Sacalait,

One of my good friends owns that Electrodyne console. It's been wrapped up in his garage for many years.

[seanmccoy]

Originally Posted by bgrotto

1. a really good control room. After working as a staffer in an awful CR a couple years, my freelance travels have finally landed me in a good-sounding room. Now I don't have to recall mixes a half dozen times to make 'em right.
2. good musicians on good instruments. Recording is a really easy thing to do. Seriously. You just need great musicians playing great instruments.

...I wish they'd go over THAT fact in recording school...

Interesting you'd mention that. I'm currently teaching an audio recording class at the local university, and despite my official membership in GS and my never-ending case of GAS, I've been absolutely hammering this concept into the students. Though I actually put "good songs" at the top of the list, followed by good musicians on good instruments. I'm trying to impress on them that, though there are good reasons people spend ten grand on a mic or a single channel of conversion, they won't make magic out of crap.

This said, I still have to mention that my GTQC has been the single most sonically influential piece of gear I have purchased.

[raal]

Originally Posted by seanmccoy

Interesting you'd mention that. I'm currently teaching an audio recording class at the local university, and despite my official membership in GS and my never-ending case of GAS, I've been absolutely hammering this concept into the students. Though I actually put "good songs" at the top of the list, followed by good musicians on good instruments. I'm trying to impress on them that, though there are good reasons people spend ten grand on a mic or a single channel of conversion, they won't make magic out of crap.

This said, I still have to mention that my GTQC has been the single most sonically influential piece of gear I have purchased.

but what's GTQC?

[seanmccoy]

Originally Posted by raal

but what's GTQC?

Uh, is this a trick question? How about multiple choice?

[raal]

Originally Posted by seanmccoy

Uh, is this a trick question? How about multiple choice?

ok did a search and found an Aurora unit by that name. i admire Geoff's way of doing things but i'm very familiar with the designations. sorry for not using the search function straight away.

[seanmccoy]

Originally Posted by raal

ok did a search and found an Aurora unit by that name. i admire Geoff's way of doing things but i'm very familiar with the designations. sorry for not using the search function straight away.

Oops, sorry, I assumed you were joking because of the emoticons. My bad. Yes, the Aurora has given me "the sound" in situations I was previously unable to get it. It stands out even amongst my other high-end stuff.

[mdjice]

Hammer EQ

[MikeyMike]

I think that people get the term "mojo" and proper equalization mixed up. When you get the equalization, compression, panning and effects just perfect for the mix, that's what you called finished aka mojo. When every instrument has it's proper place and effects applied, the natural mojo of the song comes through. Simple. It's not the equipment, it's the hands on the equipment. There is no piece of gear that mixes for you. Mojo = tape

[raal]

Originally Posted by seanmccoy

Oops, sorry, I assumed you were joking because of the emoticons. My bad. Yes, the Aurora has given me "the sound" in situations I was previously unable to get it. It stands out even amongst my other high-end stuff.

yes sir, i've heard nothing but glowing reports about Aurora equipment.

[Robert Sands]

1176 = Mojo

[jnorman]

i loved seeing your reference to judy in disguise - i apprenticed under hal ellis, the guitarist for john fred and the playboys, at deep south studios in baton rouge back in the early-mid 1970s. hal was an amazing engineer.

it seems to me, in retrospect, that the original U87s we had there, combined with whatever pres we had in the custom console (just dont remember who made that thing), and the 3M and scully decks we used had a wonderfully saturated and tape-compressed sound that is extremely hard to duplicate with digital gear these days.

i think the neve-based clones on the market now, like the BAE, vintech, chamleon labs, and GAP73, are probably a good first step in moving toward the older, punchy, smoothish-top-end kind of sound. spendy vintage analog compressors also can contribute in a way that ITB compression just cant match.

[Silvertone]

I'd say the mother of all mojo IS my Electrodyne console... and just about all my vintage pieces. They give you a sound you just can't seem to get today.

My Russian stereo tube mic also has a lot of musical mojo that I love.

[u b k]

Originally Posted by Silvertone

... and just about all my vintage pieces. They give you a sound you just can't seem to get today.

Do you think that's down to the design, or the components? Or both?


Gregory Scott - ubk