Higher end Gear you've hated? - Page 11

Pericles · 27th February 2007

I guess it's all in the ear of the listener. I can't see why anyone would not like the Avalon 2022. A SM7/2022 signal chain sounds awesome on vocals, IMO. So open and breathy. I guess it's all about the sound you want.

Trukstop · 27th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

Put it alongside a Neve 1073/Daking/Wunder etc and its sounds small /boring in comparison

..
As a DI I can think off about 4 boxes that blow it away at 1/3 the price..
A designs Reddi for one.

If I wanted only a Mic Pre perhaps the Neve would out perform my Avalon. Only I also have an EQ and Compressor. So that's a bad comparison. Obviously something Neve coming in at two times the price with less overall options is going to win in the Mic Pre department. That's a NO brainer.

Trukstop · 27th February 2007

Thanks raal for the greater detail about Avalon. It's unfortunate to have problems with gear and have a company turn their back on you. I havn't had any problems, nor have those I know that frequently use thier 737's etc.

I also wanted to add to this thread, that I DO like the Manley VariMu. And I don't like Digidesign hardware, the preamps are nothing to be excited about; they are far too bland for my taste.

jdjustice · 27th February 2007

more detail:
imo the preamp on the 737sp is a little 'thin'.
the compressor sucks, it's basically useless and just plain doesn't sound 'interesting' to me.
the best part and what redeems the Avalon imo is the EQ which i find to be musical and sweet.
so at least you have a decent pre and very good EQ, just a sh*tty compressor....

cheers
~j.d.

The MPCist · 27th February 2007

I HATE Crane Song!! Their STC-8 and HEDD192 make my work so easy and I get my results so fast!

Even my assistants say that I use Crane Song so much that if I were to lose them, I'd be a miserable talentless hack.

Sorry, couldn't resist!

I really like Crane Song gear that maybe I should become one of their dealers and just do all my projects 100% with Crane Song stuff. I've thought about it. What about it, Dan? Any chance of that happening? I'd even credit all my work as such!

jdjustice · 27th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by The MPCist

What about it, Dan?

i don't know what Dan would think about it but Dave Hill might be OK with it

The MPCist · 27th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdjustice

i don't know what Dan would think about it but Dave Hill might be OK with it

Oops... How did I get that so wrong?! Well, at least I got the DA right

thethrillfactor · 27th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by The MPCist

I really like Crane Song gear that maybe I should become one of their dealers and just do all my projects 100% with Crane Song stuff. I've thought about it. What about it, Dan? Any chance of that happening? I'd even credit all my work as such!

Sorry bro but B. Blackwood has got that gig already.

(Sorry Brad i couldn't resist).

RoundBadge · 27th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trukstop

If I wanted only a Mic Pre perhaps the Neve would out perform my Avalon. Only I also have an EQ and Compressor. So that's a bad comparison. Obviously something Neve coming in at two times the price with less overall options is going to win in the Mic Pre department. That's a NO brainer.

I'm talking purely sonics.not price
and all the units i mentioned are pre/eq's
the Neve wins in the EQ department too.
my all time favs..I just got a console full of em.
Try a comparison between the 737 and some Neve 1073's sometime.

Jim Williams · 27th February 2007

The one fact missing from these discussions is the source material. What you may like about something or dislike may have more to do with the style and type of music you do rather than the attributes of the gear discussed.

Perhaps you folks could fill in the blanks by closing with what style/type of music you are finding success with this piece, or not.

That would go a long way in informing the readership why a particular piece is working for you or not working for you.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

Brutus · 27th February 2007

Focusrite Liquid Channel. Bilge. Sold it 6 months after buying it on Ebay, made a vast loss, awful.

Universal Audio 610. Not 'all that' on anything much. Did some nice smokey male vocals on it just the once.

cosmos · 27th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by longfade

DW drums.

?????????????????????????????????????????

Brad Blackwood · 27th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

Sorry bro but B. Blackwood has got that gig already.

(Sorry Brad i couldn't resist).

Hehe, close. Aside form my Pendulum comp and Sontec EQ, it's pretty much there...

I mean, I *am* the 'craneslut'...

DJE356 · 27th February 2007

AMEK Big desk

All Yamaha Digital desks

NS-10

RME Hammerfall DSP CardBus

TL Audio ivory stuff

lpkyer · 27th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmos

?????????????????????????????????????????

I don't like them too (I'm a drummer)
thin kick...lousy snare......toms and floors are decent.

Acoustic Cloud · 27th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpkyer

I don't like them too (I'm a drummer)
thin kick...lousy snare......toms and floors are decent.

Best kit I ever heard was a Yamaha maple custom. Used to have a drummer that had one. Great sounding kit....

Im a guitar player though, so what do I know?

They still make sonor drums??

longfade · 28th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acoustic Cloud

Best kit I ever heard was a Yamaha maple custom. Used to have a drummer that had one. Great sounding kit....

Im a guitar player though, so what do I know?

They still make sonor drums??

Sonor has a few different lines out now, ranging from entry-level to extreme high-end. I love the older Sonors and have some Rosewood Phonics, SonorLites, and Bubinga Signatures. I agree about the Yamahas. They're not the sexiest drums, in my opinion, but unbelievably reliable. I did a gig once on some older birch recording customs with a Pinstripe on the 12" rack that had a split on the top ply, and it STILL sounded good. For a while anyway. DWs....I've played them countless times and have never liked them. I've never owned a kit though, so maybe I would feel differently if I spent enough time with different head combinations, etc. I think they're quite overrated and another example of gear that most people would be hard-pressed to describe just exactly what makes them worth the asking price.

cosmos · 28th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpkyer

I don't like them too (I'm a drummer)
thin kick...lousy snare......toms and floors are decent.

i like them ( i'm a drummer too ... ) they are overrated , yes, but some of their older models are extremly good .
i still preffer Sonor, (Delight please) ... for me its the ultimate set up. i just wish i had them ...

hey but this is what gear is all about, some like, some hate . in this thread, most of the gear mentioned could be in the "Higher end gear we still love " ...

Trukstop · 28th February 2007

So....back to gear discussion.

RoundBadge, I'm sure I'll add more to my gear, including Neve stuff. I'm generally a big fan of the sound of Rupert Neve's designs. But for now, for what I could afford, and in the price range. The Avalon 737 is a nice piece of gear. The Pre is dark and warm (kind of like Neve pre's). I tend to argue price, value and sonic characteristics; weighing them all in for an all together opinion.

I'm going to bash Planet Waves and Monster Cables for being way too overpriced and of only decent sound quality. I know they're not $800 or more, but I just had to say screw them. For those of us who can make our own, long live CANARE and MOGAMI!

nandoanalog · 28th February 2007

I gotta say this.....

I have used 103 into a 002 on bass, drum overheads, and rock guitars. When I show people the raw track (no eq, no comp,no fancy pres) that they just recorded, their reaction is something like :
-WOW!!! That sounds better than most of my albums!

I dont know... Maybe my neutrik connectors sound good...

I like acoustics. I like instruments that sound good. I like people who can play instruments good.

Acoustic Cloud · 28th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by nandoanalog

I gotta say this.....

I have used 103 into a 002 on bass, drum overheads, and rock guitars. When I show people the raw track (no eq, no comp,no fancy pres) that they just recorded, their reaction is something like :
-WOW!!! That sounds better than most of my albums!

I dont know... Maybe my neutrik connectors sound good...

I like acoustics. I like instruments that sound good. I like people who can play instruments good.

My mouse, and my hard drives have the cleanest tones ANYONE has heard!

emkay · 28th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by longfade

DW drums.

That's interesting...

RoundBadge · 28th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trukstop

For those of us who can make our own, long live CANARE and MOGAMI!

thumbsup thumbsup

RoundBadge · 28th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by longfade

DW drums.

I sold another DW kit last year,[also had one of the first Dw kits in the early eighties],they were nice for touring/gigging, but I mainly use old 70's gretsch/60's ludwig kits for recording.

Audio Hombre · 28th February 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trukstop

So....back to gear discussion.

The Avalon 737 is a nice piece of gear. The Pre is dark and warm (kind of like Neve pre's). I tend to argue price, value and sonic characteristics; weighing them all in for an all together opinion.

man i'd never refer to the 737 as "dark" and "warm" but we obviously all hear things quite differently. The 737 is boring compared to most pre's and any other channel I've heard but I'm not a "hater" of it. I find it very useful for vocals, especially bgv's that I don't want as dark or forward as the lead vox.Very decent on acoustic guitars with the right mic and I like the DI for bass.It's worth having around but not at the asking price.

Can't really think of gear I dislike other than I do hate POD's.Bleh.homoginized sh1t3. not too crazy about Focusrite stuff I've tried but it works and if it's there and I have to use it, I'm not going to b1tch and moan

Ayotte > DW.

Fleaman · 1st March 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

The one fact missing from these discussions is the source material. What you may like about something or dislike may have more to do with the style and type of music you do rather than the attributes of the gear discussed.

Perhaps you folks could fill in the blanks by closing with what style/type of music you are finding success with this piece, or not.

That would go a long way in informing the readership why a particular piece is working for you or not working for you.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

Are you saying straight wire with gain doesn't work well with everything?

Fleaman · 1st March 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by longfade

DW drums.

I have a set with 1982 date stamps. Supposedly he was only making 1 set a month during that period. They sound great....but I think the bearing edges are not as sharp as modern DW sets. This may be the reason I like 'em. In fact, I had an mid-'80s Gretsch that had sharper edges than this DW. It's one of the things I avoid with drums...sharp bearing edges. Just my taste.

longfade · 2nd March 2007

Now that I think about it, I should've said "the DW drums that I've played on". It is kind of obtuse to just say "DW Drums".
That said, I've played on mid-level Gretsch drums that I liked much better than any DWs I've played. Totally a taste thing. On a less subjective level, I've always hated DW's hardware.

mixer · 3rd March 2007

everything i have tried from the new universal audio...terrible

GuruInSpace · 3rd March 2007

dfegad Adam monitors

27th February 2007	#305
The MPCist Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4,479	I HATE Crane Song!! Their STC-8 and HEDD192 make my work so easy and I get my results so fast! Even my assistants say that I use Crane Song so much that if I were to lose them, I'd be a miserable talentless hack. Sorry, couldn't resist! I really like Crane Song gear that maybe I should become one of their dealers and just do all my projects 100% with Crane Song stuff. I've thought about it. What about it, Dan? Any chance of that happening? I'd even credit all my work as such! __________________ THE MPCIST

28th February 2007	#320
nandoanalog Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: portugal Posts: 1,140	.... I gotta say this..... I have used 103 into a 002 on bass, drum overheads, and rock guitars. When I show people the raw track (no eq, no comp,no fancy pres) that they just recorded, their reaction is something like : -WOW!!! That sounds better than most of my albums! I dont know... Maybe my neutrik connectors sound good... I like acoustics. I like instruments that sound good. I like people who can play instruments good. Last edited by nandoanalog; 28th February 2007 at 04:29 AM.. Reason: crappy english

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27th February 2007	#301
Pericles Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 584	I guess it's all in the ear of the listener. I can't see why anyone would not like the Avalon 2022. A SM7/2022 signal chain sounds awesome on vocals, IMO. So open and breathy. I guess it's all about the sound you want.

27th February 2007	#303
Trukstop Gear maniac Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Granada Hills Posts: 250	Thanks raal for the greater detail about Avalon. It's unfortunate to have problems with gear and have a company turn their back on you. I havn't had any problems, nor have those I know that frequently use thier 737's etc. I also wanted to add to this thread, that I DO like the Manley VariMu. And I don't like Digidesign hardware, the preamps are nothing to be excited about; they are far too bland for my taste.

27th February 2007	#304
jdjustice Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North Carolina Posts: 2,361	more detail: imo the preamp on the 737sp is a little 'thin'. the compressor sucks, it's basically useless and just plain doesn't sound 'interesting' to me. the best part and what redeems the Avalon imo is the EQ which i find to be musical and sweet. so at least you have a decent pre and very good EQ, just a sh*tty compressor.... cheers ~j.d.

27th February 2007	#310
Jim Williams Lives for gear Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: beautiful Carlsbad, CA Posts: 9,357	The one fact missing from these discussions is the source material. What you may like about something or dislike may have more to do with the style and type of music you do rather than the attributes of the gear discussed. Perhaps you folks could fill in the blanks by closing with what style/type of music you are finding success with this piece, or not. That would go a long way in informing the readership why a particular piece is working for you or not working for you. Jim Williams Audio Upgrades

27th February 2007	#311
Brutus Gear interested Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: London, UK Posts: 12	Focusrite Liquid Channel. Bilge. Sold it 6 months after buying it on Ebay, made a vast loss, awful. Universal Audio 610. Not 'all that' on anything much. Did some nice smokey male vocals on it just the once.

27th February 2007	#314
DJE356 Gear interested Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: French riviera Posts: 26	AMEK Big desk All Yamaha Digital desks NS-10 RME Hammerfall DSP CardBus TL Audio ivory stuff

28th February 2007	#319
Trukstop Gear maniac Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Granada Hills Posts: 250	So....back to gear discussion. RoundBadge, I'm sure I'll add more to my gear, including Neve stuff. I'm generally a big fan of the sound of Rupert Neve's designs. But for now, for what I could afford, and in the price range. The Avalon 737 is a nice piece of gear. The Pre is dark and warm (kind of like Neve pre's). I tend to argue price, value and sonic characteristics; weighing them all in for an all together opinion. I'm going to bash Planet Waves and Monster Cables for being way too overpriced and of only decent sound quality. I know they're not $800 or more, but I just had to say screw them. For those of us who can make our own, long live CANARE and MOGAMI!

2nd March 2007	#328
longfade Gear nut Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 98	Now that I think about it, I should've said "the DW drums that I've played on". It is kind of obtuse to just say "DW Drums". That said, I've played on mid-level Gretsch drums that I liked much better than any DWs I've played. Totally a taste thing. On a less subjective level, I've always hated DW's hardware.

3rd March 2007	#329
mixer Gear addict Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: ft lauderdale florida Posts: 319	everything i have tried from the new universal audio...terrible

3rd March 2007	#330
GuruInSpace Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Space Posts: 588	dfegad Adam monitors