Neve 1073 DPD or Neve 1073 DPA with Apogee MINI ME A/D???

[loudandclear]

Hello Slutz

Been lurking for a while in horror of some of the flaming that goes on around here! But it's time I took the plunge ............

Advice please ......

I'm getting a Neve 1073 and can't decide whether to include the A/D version or not. I'm from the old school of thinking ... which is when recording, you compress to tame on the way in .... is it really ok not to do so these days with something like a neve that has loads of headroom and then straight into your DAW?

i'm wondering whether it would be better to play it safe and get a MINI ME to use not for the pre amps but for the Soft Limit / Push It compression ... again .... just to tame? And then for the A/D .... is it any good?... do I need it?... Should I just go for the DPD and compress with the plugs etc?

I'm recoding Jewel type female vocals, a lot of acoustic gtr., an old upright piano, dulcimer, autoharp, welsh harp, double bass, melodica, accordian etc etc and electric gtr / bass. Drums will be tracked elsewhere.

Waddya reckon ...?

Flame away!

The Jazzy Funkster

[feyshay]

YOU MUST BE A TOTAL IDIOT!!!



















Just kidding.
Hard to answer that question. How many channels will you really want to have? What soundcard/conversion do you already have? Do you want to be able to travel and record?
The mini-me is a great value and offers a lot, but nothing spectacular other than the size. The preamps are decent, clean and have a good amount of gain, but don't have the character and quality of that Neve that you're getting. The mini-me's conversion is pretty good, but not said to be on par with the Rosetta 200.
The soft limiting is very nice to have for portable recording and better than no compressor at all. The compression settings are not adjustable, since response is set automatically. You can open the unit up and adjust compression ratio by turning trim pots. (Useful to do to find your own settings.)
I have a mini-me and have problems talking people out of getting one. It may be better to get a high end soundcard (RME or something--which would give you more channels) or go for the Rosetta, since you do not need the preamps.
Since you're not tracking drums, and your singer is not a screamer a compressor right away is not essential, and you could always save up for a better one than the one in the mini-me. In the meantime, you could rely on a decent plug-in.
I know nothing about the quality of the conversion on the 1073 DPA.

[SnakeCained]

I personally would prefer it all in one box. I thought the Neve had insert points so you could use an outboard comp.

Soft limit is ok, but a cool Mini ME fact is you can create a custom setting for the 3rd setting with adjustable pots in the box. (Careful with the warranty!)
I did this mod for a couple of guitar guys and they loved it. All I did was whack it up a bit

[Mattsson]

But the 1073 DPD only has AES outputs, which means that it would be hard to use with Protools LE for example (if you want to bypass preamp/converters in your 002).

Or is there perhaps a solution?

[TonyBelmont]

How about neither... Get an Aurora Audio GTQ2 and a HEDD192!

[Dirty Halo]

A Neve 1073 from decades ago is worth now more than ever. Even your BEST converter from only a few years ago is almost worthless. Why tie-those two together and bring the value of your Neve down?

A few years from now A/D technology will be better and better... that Neve will still be a 1073.

I'd go for a 1073 and a SEPERATE A/D.

My two cents.

-a

DIRTY HALO www.dirtyhalo.com

[loudandclear]

Neve 1073 DPA
Focusrite RED 3 on the inserts for transparent compression
Fireface 800 into the computer

Thanks for everyones replys so far .... just setting up a small studio for an album project over the summer and it's been a few years since I've invested in some gear.

Feeling very slutty at the moment ... so any ideas most welcome!

Cheers ...

TJF

[mosrite]

I'm recoding Jewel type female vocals, a lot of acoustic gtr., an old upright piano, dulcimer, autoharp, welsh harp, double bass, melodica, accordian etc etc and electric gtr / bass. Drums will be tracked elsewhere.

Interested to know what others think of this (including 1073 owners that can keep an open mind tutt !).

Personally I dont think the 1073 is the best choice for all the instruments that you've listed. Im thinking specifically the harps and dulcimer. Anything delicate and airy I would hesitate to turn to it. Have you actually heard it yourself yet? It has a very strong and rich character that you may or may not feel is appropriate to your sound. Dont get me wrong, I love the 1073 (especially for drum o/h, anything electric and vocals) but there might be something out there more suited to your range of instruments. And it is very expensive!

[audiothings]

there are some glowing reviews suggesting that the dpd converters are on par with the DCS converters... i don't think pcm is going out of fashion very soon and they are not charging too much for the option. and hey... if future converters get that much better, just use the analog outs If it were my money, i'd go with the dpd and put an art pro vla in the (balanced, thank god!) inserts.

self.

ps: flame is in my signature welcome to gearslutz!