Higher end Gear you've hated?

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by dreamsongs

You know, this thread gets more comical by the day. There are a lot of gear on this list that's surprising and some that 's not... but then it hit me...

I'm willing to bet that a lot of gear on this thread is used on sources that are less favorable for what it was meant to or works better. The distressors are great on guitars, especially acoustic and on kick and snare. I would never use them on vocals though. This is just an example, YMMV.

I wonder what the hell some people are using this "hated gear" on. As you know, not every pre, comp, mics etc work on every single source. If you know of such gear, let me know ASAP.

When I spend above 2k on a piece of gear, I'm usually pretty content. By the time I spend $$$ on any piece of gear above that amount, I've already done plenty of research. If I'm disappointed after that, then I'm an idiot...

Maybe we should add an addendum to this thread called "High end gear over 2k that you hate when you've used it on.....? That would make more sense to me...

My feelings exactly!!!

thumbsup

[Slipperman]

Originally Posted by Silver Sonya

amek 9098 limiter and that tacky avalon channel strip thing, can't remember the model number. amek 9098 is the WORST compressor --- removes the detail from everything even at mild settings. godawful. avoid like the plague.

- c

I like the 9098CL.

Use it all the time.

Finicky box. Tough to set up. Worth the effort IMHO.

Go figure.

SM.

[Jim Williams]

Originally Posted by theom

The roland Dimention D

man everyone loves that thing but me.

Yep. I just fixed one of these and listened to it for the first time. It's a dirty chorus unit with some analog Bucket Brigade designed delay stages.

What anyone would use it for is beyond me, unless it's a low fi recording, then it might blend in.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[Jack P]

Neve 33609, KRK's, ns10's.. I've tried most models Metal knob etc.. & find them

[lematrix]

Originally Posted by slipperman

I like the 9098CL.

Use it all the time.

Finicky box. Tough to set up. Worth the effort IMHO.

Go figure.

SM.

The Neve is a very good Comp.... use it also all the time. Its not a "sexy" peace of Gear that works alone, it takes time to find out how it works.

[Pereds]

I have not sold much of my high end gears ive bought... but the Korby Kat 4 was not worthy in my microphone locker... Sorry MR Korby... Ive got no feeling at all...

[Jim Williams]

This thread made me take a look at the rack gear and it's amazing.

I have no new stuff!

Everything seems to be old or no longer made. The newest piece is the Alesis HD24, but that's 4 years old. Later gear is some new Lexicon pieces, discontinued. Other stuff is old like 224XL, Aphex comps, dbx, neve EQ (homemade). My CD player is 1990 vintage, but has reworked digital outputs. Then there's old 70's stuff that is so hot-rod-able, this quality is rare these days. Damm, the mics are old now too. I don't know about "new" high end stuff, but this older stuff has no quality replacements that I could afford nor want. Seems most new stuff is sold with "sonic spin". Not what I'm looking for.

Last thing I need is some gear designer telling me how my stuff should sound even though they have no idea what sound I want.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[foldback]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

Last thing I need is some gear designer telling me how my stuff should sound even though they have no idea what sound I want.

I would expect this thinking from a "warranty voider" like yourself :-)

[Jim Williams]

I would expect that there are a few more out there like me that don't want their food chewed for them. 25 years ago it was the norm. The "color" thing is a recent stage of audio fashion.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[Fleaman]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

Last thing I need is some gear designer telling me how my stuff should sound even though they have no idea what sound I want.

I would expect that there are a few more out there like me that don't want their food chewed for them. 25 years ago it was the norm. The "color" thing is a recent stage of audio fashion.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

Well, you're a 'straight wire with gain' type of guy, so how much more can you go with that?

For those that like 'color' there's always a different type of color to be played with and developed...possibilities would seem to be endless.

As for the 'color thing' being a recent fashion? You got to be kidding The difference about it today is the manufactures advertising/marketing the color qualities of their products. Usually comparing them to vintage units of the past.

[Jim vanBergen]

the Thermionic Culture Vulture.

Which is weird, I expected to ADORE it. And...it was BEIGE sounding. As in Bland, lifeless, boring, just....yuck....with extra UCK.



But I've been a little ashamed to share this, as I'm embarrassed I didn't like a comp that gets so much praise, and costs so much per channel. Thanks, I feel better.

Jim

[Jim Williams]

Originally Posted by Fleaman

Well, you're a 'straight wire with gain' type of guy, so how much more can you go with that?

As far as a great musician can take me. Some of you seem more enamored with the sound of the gear than the qualities of the artist. How do they fit in with this model if they are better than your color boxes?

I can just see some of you guys auditioning to engineer Stevie Wonder.

"Mr. Wonder, I know you sound pretty good, but I got this black box that can make you sound better than you really are!"

Next sound you hear is the door hitting your ass on the way out.

Not everyone benefits from sonic coloration. Some get robbed.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[Fleaman]

uhm, yeah...like Stevie Wonder doesn't use any boxes with color

And just what kind of 'straight wire with gain' gear do you think was used on his classic albums?

BTW, this is Gearslutz.....'gear'...'slutz'. Here some of us like to see recording as an art and in this process many of us like to use gear with color.

Glad you didn't produce Sgt. Pepper.

Not everyone benefits from straight wire with gain.

How is no-color better than color? It's a choice, and I'm glad to have it thank you.

[fuzzface777]

shure 57a beta -horribily bright for anything other than cymbals

I love my 121, some people hating it.... However, I find it represents the actual sound I am hearing from my amplifiers better than anything I have heard. It wasn't muddy or bassy at all. I wondering if you haters were facing the 121, logo side or the other side!!!!

[huub]

Ah, yeah...

I hate hate haaaaate working on amek total recall consoles, they have no headroom and distort hoooorribly..

Having had to replace our two neve libra live consoles because they were very very VERY unreliable makes me very wary of anything made by modern neve.. especially the digital stuff..
Must be more people having the same experience??

cheeeers

huub

[emkay]

I really think alot of you guys are missing the real point of this thread. Reading most posts here I realize again that there are alot of "opinions" based on personal experience and preference.Is one more valid than the next---NO!--
Would we all want to be in a world where we all like the same things and think the same way? ----with the exception of peace--I DON"T THINK SO!----
Is there any valid or justifiable reason that some of these posts have to be a "little mean spirited"?----NOT to my mind!!
C'mon! it's ONLY gear! Not one piece of gear can please all of us! The most creative work I have ever heard comes from artists creating great emotion and music with what they've got no matter how cheap or expensive, or how new or old!! It's all about the love and creation of art here----let's lighten up and be just a little more open minded----------peace and happiness to all of GS for the holidays....

[synth.ignition]

most def an avalon vt-737sp

[DirkB]

Originally Posted by Mike H

Hate doesn't apply. But gear that, in the end, just didn't compete for very limited space and I sold:
-Genelec 1030A monitors
-Distressors
-Royer R-121
-Coles 4040
-Lil FrEQ's
-Drawmer 1968
-Vintech X81's
-KSP8
-Trackers
-Quartet II's.

These are probably all working great for those who bought them in perfect condition at low prices.

We all hear things a little differently.

Haha,

The Distressors, R-121 and ME1968 are in my top 5 of best liked gear .
Just shows you, above a certain treshhold it's about taste, not absolute value.

Greetings,
Dirk

[Buddhaman]

these have all probably already been mentioned but for me....


Avalon 737sp (boring, especially as a vocal channel)

Blue Blueberry (sizzlean)

Focusrite ISA 430 (sizzly and boring...)

Brauner Phantom C (a U195 fit my voice much better...)

Lexicon Studio 12t (great drivers Lexicon!!!)

Sintefex C2000 (plug in emulations (UAD) exceed this today...)

Bogner Uberschall (sizz)

Buddhaman


PS -- On the other Hand I loved tracking thru a Manley Slam and Massive Passive and I loved the sony dre-777PAC that I sold a few years ago (idiot) and the ksp-8 because it has 4 engines.....

[Buddhaman]

oooohhh and I forgot the TL Audio M1 8 channel mixer thingy.....

WOW.


It sounds bad on everything.

The pre's in my motu 828 sounded better than that tubed POS...

haha

Buddhaman

[Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by fuzzface777

shure 57a beta -horribily bright for anything other than cymbals

1.generation Beta57
Actually darker than SM57

[alexkemp]

can't argue taste, right?

API 7600 channel strip-- good pre, lousy comp, brutal EQ, and terrible terrible lay out (DI on back? and it defeats the mic in? really?)

On the other hand I use the Focusrite ISA 430 (1st generation) all the time for acoustic guitars and vocals and really love it. Didn't like the Mark II, though... pronounced bump at 500hz and the new options on the compressor aren't very useful for tracking because they're so so so colored.

Just did a shootout with the Avalon 2044 stereo comp with a new neve 33609 and a chandler TG-1 and to my ears the Avalon was the only one worth the money (I've heard older 33609's that sound good, though, just not this new one).

Another GOOD piece of gear: Apogee Trak 2. Those preamps alone are worth the price you can get the unit for now... Much better than I had ever expected, clean, transparent, lots of head room...

Oh, and I also agree that Distressors are way over hyped. I know I know they can be really transparent and fast so I can see why they would help certain elements in a mix, but when I'm in a room with a lot of gear, I just don't find myself reaching for them.... ever.

ADAM P33A's- the jury is out for me on these. I've been working on them for a while and I love the sound and clarity and size of the mix when I'm working, but my mixes just aren't translating.... yes yes yes it could be my room to some degree. So the jury's out.

[SoZo]

Originally Posted by alexkemp

can't argue taste, right?

API 7600 channel strip-- good pre, lousy comp, brutal EQ, and terrible terrible lay out (DI on back? and it defeats the mic in? really?)

On the other hand I use the Focusrite ISA 430 (1st generation) all the time for acoustic guitars and vocals and really love it. Didn't like the Mark II, though... pronounced bump at 500hz and the new options on the compressor aren't very useful for tracking because they're so so so colored.

Just did a shootout with the Avalon 2044 stereo comp with a new neve 33609 and a chandler TG-1 and to my ears the Avalon was the only one worth the money (I've heard older 33609's that sound good, though, just not this new one).

Another GOOD piece of gear: Apogee Trak 2. Those preamps alone are worth the price you can get the unit for now... Much better than I had ever expected, clean, transparent, lots of head room...

Oh, and I also agree that Distressors are way over hyped. I know I know they can be really transparent and fast so I can see why they would help certain elements in a mix, but when I'm in a room with a lot of gear, I just don't find myself reaching for them.... ever.

ADAM P33A's- the jury is out for me on these. I've been working on them for a while and I love the sound and clarity and size of the mix when I'm working, but my mixes just aren't translating.... yes yes yes it could be my room to some degree. So the jury's out.

Another vote for the Track 2, amazing on acoustic guitar!!!!!!!!!!!! Amazing overheads too. I have it clocked with my AD16x and I cant hear much if any difference in converter quality from my 16x.

Love my Avalon 2022 for certain applications like vocals, Kick, or snare where you want them in your face and huge....

Didn't like the 737 except for the pre.

Didnt like my TLM 103

Hated my RME converters.

Hate waves plugs! Love the Tritone and URS!

HATE! plug compressors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not very fond of plug reverbs...

Love my Lexicon PCM 91

Hate Monster Cable!

Love Mogami!

Love vintage wood for snares , guitars!

Love vintage Marshalls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (goes without saying)

Love transformers in anything music!

[Max headroom]

Originally Posted by dreamsongs

I just stumbled upon this thread...

Surprising to see some pieces of gear on the list. Also, what's with the constant bashing of the TLM103, you guys can't find at least 2 or 3 sources that it works on ? I tried it one day out of curiosity on my Martin near the soundhole thru my MP-2NV and it was very usable. That's just one example.

Same with the 737, I think it sounds great on kick, bass, certain acoustics and vocals. Great eq section...I just don't get that...

Also, if you go back even a year or two, everybody loved the Distressors. Now there's a line of ppl wanting to piss on that too...I don't get it.
..

I agree 100 % .... that's why I will stop reading this kind of threads .... one simply can't learn anything .......


Cheers


Max

[SoZo]

Originally Posted by Max headroom

I agree 100 % .... that's why I will stop reading this kind of threads .... one simply can't learn anything .......


Cheers


Max

No I couldnt find anything I liked the TLM103 on even through the 737 tube pre... It was paper thin and I tried.

I also didnt like the 737 eq as it was thin too.

I really believe there are much better pieces of gear then those or I would not have kept looking.

Now I love my GR MP-2NV from first listen.

[Jim Williams]

Originally Posted by SoZo

Love transformers in anything music!

I'm the opposite. I find transformers suck out too much detail for me. The only pieces here with iron is an old Gates Solid Statesman and the 224XL, which benefits from transformer filtration.

Yes, I'm an holdover from the past. Back in the late 70's, early 80's most of us were removing iron because we liked the open sonic qualities. Then again, we insisted that the person put in front of a mic deserved the honor.

This is no longer true.

Audio is fashion. Fashion always changes.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[mikey]

thanks Jim thats one thing that was confusing me.

[markus enochson]

Originally Posted by JohnnyTonk

..could you elobarate on that a bit more for us?

i love em, couldnt live without them had them since they came out

m

[manofsong]

Dunno if these were mentioned in the last 10 pages, but why the hell do they make everything sound "OK"? I created several incredibly ******** mixes/masters on these things.

Re-enforced Learning: always always have more than one listening source!

[mucho]

I am amazed that the Pendulum ES8 was even mentioned in this thread. That thing sounds incredible, if you use it correctly. Maybe thats the problem with a few of these complaints.