What mic pre for a royer 121????????????????

[fuzzface777]

I just ordered my royer 121 tonight. What mic pre do you royer 121 owners find that you end up going to over and over again?

Chandler LTD, TG-2, or Germanium?
GR MP-2NV?
Wunder?
GT2Q III?
BAE 1073?
AEA ??
anything else?

thanks

[rainsinvelvet]

I end up usually going through an API 312 or an Neve 1272

In my experience it will sound great through just about everything I've tried.

ERic

[kats]

Anything that spruces up the dull hi mids on the damn thing. TG comes to mind first.

[not_so_new]

TG2 for guitars and MP-2NV for overheads.

[demaarten]

I use a universal audio 2108 with those on guitars. verry nice indeed
I think a daking mic pre will also bring up those dull hi mids...

[84K]

Neve 1272

[Petimar]

John Hardy is my fav. Gonna get an AEA TRP soon, though, I'll let you know.

[jnorman]

the little sonosax SX-M2 is a great match for the 121. plenty of clean gain. it was recommended to me by dave royer when i bought my pair of 121s - it is the pre royer uses in his lab.

[Lynn Fuston]

There's really only one preamp in the world that mates ideally with the Royer 121 and it is
















aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh.........................................


(Just felt like it was time for a Monty Python moment. Now back to your regularly scheduled GS'ing.)

[Peter Montessi]

Originally Posted by Lynn Fuston

There's really only one preamp in the world that mates ideally with the Royer 121 and it is






aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh.........................................

Thanks Lynn

Sorry but I had to put my 2.5 cents worth in here.
Royer uses our Pacifica for their testing.

It may or maynot do anything for you!

Peter Montessi
A Designs Audio
www.adesignsaudio.com

[laoded]

the pacifica really well with royers.

[Meriphew]

API plays well with the 121 on eguits.

[GearHunter]

AEA TRP: The Ribbon Pre

[rwhitney]

Focusrite Red (but only ued it once).

[murp]

In my limited experience, it has sounded best going into something with a transformer on the input.

Also, it needs something that's going to liven it up, rather than smooth it out... API does that for me.

[PHILANDDON]

Originally Posted by jnorman

the little sonosax SX-M2 is a great match for the 121. plenty of clean gain. it was recommended to me by dave royer when i bought my pair of 121s - it is the pre royer uses in his lab.

Jeez, does that little thing sound good? Does it have phantom power? If so, what a cool remote unit................

[GearHunter]

Also, it needs something that's going to liven it up, rather than smooth it out... API does that for me.

I love my 121 with my API 512, but in-general, in the big picture, you need API pres anyway. For guitars, drums, vocals, you name it. API pres are essential studio tools, period.

If'n ya don't have 'em, ya need 'em!

[fuzzface777]

I bought my 121 last night! I am stoked !

[Reag1502]

are those 121's really as great on electric guitars as they say? And if so, how is it better than a SM57 as far as sound? Thanks

[David@MVS]

Originally Posted by Reag1502

are those 121's really as great on electric guitars as they say? And if so, how is it better than a SM57 as far as sound? Thanks

I think they sound better...but that's cause they fit MY idea of what a miked guitar amp should sound like.

There are some situations where others may prefer an SM57 on a cab...and as many good sounding records have shown, it works. Did they have to process it a bunch...EQ? Dunno but it worked for them. ( I would rather stub my toe than have to use an SM57...but that's me and I have options...M201, 421 etc)

That being said...I really think 121s are all that (and a bag of chips) on guitar....almost on everything, really. It is a great mic.
But I have read other posts where it was not liked on guitar....go figure.

If I had the money, I would own 3 or 4 of them.


Good luck,
David

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by David@MVS

I think they sound better...but that's cause they fit MY idea of what a miked guitar amp should sound like.

There are some situations where others may prefer an SM57 on a cab...and as many good sounding records have shown, it works. Did they have to process it a bunch...EQ? Dunno but it worked for them. ( I would rather stub my toe than have to use an SM57...but that's me and I have options...M201, 421 etc)

That being said...I really think 121s are all that (and a bag of chips) on guitar....almost on everything, really. It is a great mic.
But I have read other posts where it was not liked on guitar....go figure.

If I had the money, I would own 3 or 4 of them.


Good luck,
David

Well if I had my choice I would take 3 or 4 Coles 4040's but I know where you are coming from.

There does seem to be a backlash against the R121 as of late. I still love mine for guitars and drum overhead (but I like the 4040 more for drums). Where I place the R121 has a lot to do with how much or little I like it on a guitar cab.

[Reag1502]

sounds great, but how are they different sounding than a 57? more girth, more treble etc,,,

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by Reag1502

sounds great, but how are they different sounding than a 57? more girth, more treble etc,,,

Much less top end. At times a 57 can be a little fizzy on a guitar track, a R121 is never fizzy at all. I think that many folks grew up hearing music with 57s on guitar (I know I did) and that kind of became the recorded guitar sound.

An R121 is much smoother but not muddy. Some guys just don't get it because it doesn't sound like the radio tracks that they are used to. There is an argument to be made that the R121 is more real than the 57 for what that is worth.

The key that I learned from Michael W. here at GS is to not think of placing a ribbon in the same places that you would a standard condenser or dynamic. I get much better results with my R121 when I place it smack in the middle of the cone. Also an R121 will take EQ much better than a 57 so you can dial back in the high end if you are missing it on the track.

All in all I still love the 57 tracks but a lean towards the R121 more often than not now. For some reason I have yet to try a combination of both but I hear that is the ticket. I can imagine it would be, the meat of the R121 and the top of the 57 seem like they would work very well together.

[wwittman]

Originally Posted by GearHunter

I love my 121 with my API 512, but in-general, in the big picture, you need API pres anyway. For guitars, drums, vocals, you name it. API pres are essential studio tools, period.

If'n ya don't have 'em, ya need 'em!

yes, this is why all those Beatles records and Dark Side Of The Moon and Crime Of The Century all sucked.

no API's that they "needed". Period.


this is utter and complete nonsense.

I don't mean to pick on you Drew, but I understand why a dealer thinks everybody needs to buy everything, but they DON'T

you need ONE good mic pre type, in as many channels as you need to record at once.

if I am recording on an API desk, the Royers sound great through it.
if I am recording on a Neve the Royers sound great through it.

There's no such thing as a preamp that "goes with" something whether it's a mic or a genre or an instrument.
GOOD mic pres "go with" good mics on good instruments.

[in the red]

Originally Posted by wwittman

yes, this is why all those Beatles records and Dark Side Of The Moon and Crime Of The Century all sucked.

no API's that they "needed". Period.


this is utter and complete nonsense.

I don't mean to pick on you Drew, but I understand why a dealer thinks everybody needs to buy everything, but they DON'T

you need ONE good mic pre type, in as many channels as you need to record at once.

if I am recording on an API desk, the Royers sound great through it.
if I am recording on a Neve the Royers sound great through it.

There's no such thing as a preamp that "goes with" something whether it's a mic or a genre or an instrument.
GOOD mic pres "go with" good mics on good instruments.

i like your approach to recording! over the years i participated in the mic pre craziness, i now have api, ltd-1, tg2, great river, germanium, daking, vipre, avalon etc. but the more i invested in mic pres and comps, the more i realized that these are the least important part in the chain. first is the source and the right microphone, from there it could be a lot of things. if i had to choose again, i could happily live with just a 10 space rack of 512 c´s. that being said, tg2 and mp2nv sound wonderful with the royer

[fuzzface777]

In the Red, looking at those pres, now I understand your gearslutz ID!!! hahah
Hey please tell me what you find different between the Gemanium and the TG2 and if you had to pick.......

thanks

[Bassmec]

Originally Posted by fuzzface777

I just ordered my royer 121 tonight. What mic pre do you royer 121 owners find that you end up going to over and over again?

Chandler LTD, TG-2, or Germanium?
GR MP-2NV?
Wunder?
GT2Q III?
BAE 1073?
AEA ??
anything else?

thanks

New pre amp? DW Fearne VT1?

[Scott LaChapell]

Originally Posted by fuzzface777

I just ordered my royer 121 tonight. What mic pre do you royer 121 owners find that you end up going to over and over again?

Pardon the shameless plug here but just a few months ago Tom Laune (owner of Bridgeway studio) and I spent a lot of time with dual 121's into the 992 EG on OH percussion. For us they performed VERY well. He's posted thoughts on that very session here...post #32...

http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...ight=lachapell

I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a more "solid-state" sound though ... just a thought.

-Scott LaChapell
www.lachapellaudio.com

[GearHunter]

I don't mean to pick on you Drew, but I understand why a dealer thinks everybody needs to buy everything, but they DON'T

Again with playing the dealer card! I have posted this before and I suppose I'll have to answer to it again, but here goes (I need to turn this in to some kind of FAQ or "sticky"):

I have been an engineer since 1983. I have been selling pro audio since 1998. I am still a musician and recordist working on independent records on a regular basis. I have my own decently equipped project studio. Look up Drew Townson on Allmusic or Google or something.

Yes, I started in the day when whatever pre was on the console was the pre you used on every track. But by 1986 I was using outboard API's, which I fell in-love with. By 1992 I was mixing on a Legacy console. I have also used newer and vintage Neves with great success...not slamming Neve, ever. The API Legacy room had a rack of 1073s that I LEANED on heavily.

I have said time and time again that API is MY desert island pre, and yes I absolutely think it's an essential pre, and my role as a dealer has absolutely NO bearing on that opinion. Now, after I say that, I could add a cute little "IMO" or "YMMV" but you know what? We're all chiming-in here with our opinions, some more educated than others, and some more tainted than others.

I would proudly say I love API even if we didn't sell them, but thank the feakin' Lord we do. Because I'm an API guy!

I DO think having a variety of flavors is great. But even if I had just ONE, I'd rather have all APIs than all Neves. Hey, when I visited Ocean Way a long time ago and took the tour, in a CR with a Neve desk, they had racks of outboard API pres, and in a CR with an API desk, they had outboard Neves, so...

And one last thing: WE DON'T LIKE IT BECAUSE WE SELL IT, WE SELL IT BECAUSE WE LIKE IT.

Got it?

ps: Anyone out there wants to pay me $50K per record to engineer/produce guitar-oriented, preferrably rootsy rock, and can feed me two to three of those a year, I'll be happy to go back to full-time music, and you won't have to call me a gear-pimp anymore!

Any takers?

Seriously!

Anybody?

I can put a demo reel together. Just say the word!

[Allen Wrench]

You won’t believe me BUT…
you REALLY have to try the Langevin DVC with that Royer 121.

Every time I say this, people don’t get hip to it, but it’s a DEADLY combo with that Royer… EXPECIALLY with those problem GIRL voices!!!

I think most people don't take me serious on this because the DVC is 'affordable', but it sounds GREAT. And I've got a considerable pile of pre's and such to compare it with...