OK, I've been playing with my MC77

[jjblair]

Did you expect it to crap ice cream?

I expected it to sound like 1176LN rev F, and I was not disappointed.

[RoundBadge]

yeah i like to really play with the new gear for a while before I draw any conclusions,especially on an internet forum

[dbjp]

Originally Posted by jjblair

Did you expect it to crap ice cream?

I expected it to sound like 1176LN rev F, and I was not disappointed.

That is *so* not the impression I got (Have Rev. F x2, Had MC77 x2).

[E.rOk.stA]

Originally Posted by jjblair

Did you expect it to crap ice cream?

Hah! No, not exactly.

[Silver Sonya]

Originally Posted by jjblair

Did you expect it to crap ice cream?

No, that's a Distressor. He bought an MC77.

- c

[jjblair]

Originally Posted by dbjp

That is *so* not the impression I got (Have Rev. F x2, Had MC77 x2).

OK. I should have said, "a recapped rev F."



Like most 30-40 year old pieces of gear, the 1176LNs I've heard have been all over the place. Some of the originals I heard are a little brighter, but I attributed that to aging components, because the recapped ones I heard were not as bright.

But you may have had a totally different experience.

[antoniosolo]

Your first impression is usually the best. Not a good time to trade up though.

[FadersmakmeHappy]

I totally disagree! Most gear has a learning curve, especially compressors.

[antoniosolo]

Too long and it is like convincing yourself. When I first hear something that just makes sense, you stick with it. My modded LA4A just sounds perfect for me. What a bargain!

[beats workin']

my experience, having a recapped F and a 77 and having used lots of other original 1176s, is that regardless of their aging, the originals compress in a more musical way. Specifically, in the release- it is much more transparent under heavy squash, and in the overall tone. The 77 adds a lot of midrange harmonic content, which does add some "excitement" but more often than not, in the mix it sounds a bit fake and a little strident, whereas the 1176 sounds so present and huge- like the sounds comes 2 feet closer to you.
I still use the 77 often, on bass and elec. gtrs, and I think it's the closest of the clones, but only because I don't have another F and my Compex is always on the 2-buss.....

david

[Empty Planet]

Originally Posted by antoniosolo

Too long and it is like convincing yourself.

Sometimes true, but also "too long and it is like" learning, too. Education -- of all sorts of varieties -- takes time.

I've had pieces of gear for years and have learned new tricks on them occasionally (sometimes from folks here on GS) that made me appreciate them in a whole new way. And I've also had gear I thought poorly of -- until I stumbled onto the combination of factors that suddenly makes it sweet, and very worthwhile.

On the other hand, if it's not your cup of tea, it's not your cup of tea.

Anyway, all the quibbling aside, props to the Set Surgeon to be willing to have an open mind in a public forum -- a fairly rare occurrence, imho.





Cheers.

[antoniosolo]

Screw dat SOB.....I mean yeah, props to Set Surgeon for coming out in public! Just one dem days homies.....Just messin wichoo SS

[Dean Roddey]

Originally Posted by Empty Planet

Anyway, all the quibbling aside, props to the Set Surgeon to be willing to have an open mind in a public forum -- a fairly rare occurrence, imho.
Cheers.

I think it's against some sort of Gearslutz rule. I'd have to check the book again to make sure.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by beats workin'

my experience, having a recapped F and a 77 and having used lots of other original 1176s, is that regardless of their aging, the originals compress in a more musical way. Specifically, in the release- it is much more transparent under heavy squash, and in the overall tone.

The originals used a different Fet... one that is no longer available. Purple uses the 2N5457, which is a modern component. This could be a contributing factor for the differences people hear with the compression characteristics. I'll be swapping fet's in one of my vintage units to see how exactly they differ (because I have a bag full of 2n5457's here.. The only way to evaluate it is to use the same unit, so....

[dbjp]

Originally Posted by jjblair

OK. I should have said, "a recapped rev F."

Ha.
I've got a couple of other revisions too (D,H) and what's interesting is that the absolute brightest of them all were the MC77's. Again, a complete opposite in experience to you.

The behavior of the 77's were also very different to all the other UREIs I've used, both at my place and others. The input gain also seemed to be several dB higher than all the other UREIs, which confused the hell out of engineers that came in.

I'm not knocking the 77's though. I liked them in their own right (very good for bass) and would have kept at least one had it not been for someone offering me just below $4k USD for a pair here in Japan.
They look pretty too.

[dbjp]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

The originals used a different Fet... one that is no longer available. Purple uses the 2N5457, which is a modern component. This could be a contributing factor for the differences people hear with the compression characteristics. I'll be swapping fet's in one of my vintage units to see how exactly they differ (because I have a bag full of 2n5457's here.. The only way to evaluate it is to use the same unit, so....

Tony, that sounds like a great plan! I'd be very interested in the result.
I know you don't post clips, but in this case it would be great if you had before/after clips of snare hits for example with your unit as an insert in your DAW.
Possible?

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by dbjp

Tony, that sounds like a great plan! I'd be very interested in the result.
I know you don't post clips, but in this case it would be great if you had before/after clips of snare hits for example with your unit as an insert in your DAW.
Possible?

Yes, but it's not something I will be doing right away... I've got a desk covered with gear that needs attention first. But, I will be doing it at some point fairly soon.

[dbjp]

Originally Posted by TonyBelmont

Yes, but it's not something I will be doing right away... I've got a desk covered with gear that needs attention first. But, I will be doing it at some point fairly soon.

Great!

Just so there's no risk of any knobs being knocked and settings changing ever so slightly, how about a snare track at slowest attack, fastest release. Input and output right on the dots at 30 and 18.

[jjblair]

Tony, please do me a favor if/when you do the test:

Provided that you have some type of RTSA program that you can screenshot, run a 1kHz tone into the compressor with just -.5dB reduction. Then do it with about -10 or -15dB reduction. I'm curious to see the difference in harmonic content that dbjp is hearing.

Also, does anybody know if the FET in the MC77 is the same one in the MC76? I actually have the MC76, and was under the assumption that they are the same unit, with just the bonus features. Perhaps that accounts for me liking the MC76 so much?

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by jjblair

Also, does anybody know if the FET in the MC77 is the same one in the MC76?

Yes, it is.

Also.... I'll let you both know when I get around to it, but it's pretty low on the priorities right now. I have a couple other things I have to work on before I start playing around with fets.

[E.rOk.stA]

I just think it's cool that you're even willing to do it. I'll be interested in the results.

[elambo]

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

yeah i like to really play with the new gear for a while before I draw any conclusions,especially on an internet forum

Yep! Makes me wonder how many bad reviews, written during the honeymoon, have turned a 180 after time.

[camus]

Originally Posted by elambo

Yep! Makes me wonder how many bad reviews, written during the honeymoon, have turned a 180 after time.

Or vice verca... check the classifieds out sometime!

[kats]

Which FET did the originals use?

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by kats

Which FET did the originals use?

The originals used a Teledyne fet.

[kats]

Thanks for that...

Quick search shows it a Teledyne U2244 FET. Impossible to get? Apparently the curves are quite different than the one used in clones now. I wonder where else this FET was used that could be scavenged?