GR, UA, RODE, Blue and more...!!!! i say hi!

BlackBeauty · 17th February 2009

First of all i'd like to introduce myself, it is my first post after reading for many months so i finally dare to register and write my feelings and doubts
I am sorry if this thread shouldn't be placed here, i ask the administator to move it in case of, i am afraid that will be a long text

I wanted to get some stuff to record music but at the begining i was lost (i was not used to friki stuff, i've worked mainly in live shows after dropping in gearslutz by accident i have realised that it is a very different word/field, bad luck to myself). Finally last month i got all, and i have to say that many things were decided by reading in here, some by listening friend's stuff... So not more words and i go with my gear. The idea of this post is to show what a forum like this can do to a human being like me and help to who are to buy any or whatever, the fact is to help

Not too much budget but the best i could by the time being

Profire 2626.
GREAT RIVER ME-1NV
UA LA610
1 x D112
2 x 57
1 x 57 Beta
1 x 58 beta
3 x Beta 98D/S
1 x MD421
2 x C3000B
1 X SM81
1 x Blue Dragonfly
1 x Rode K2
And a Onyx 1200F from my fellow to get enough pre's to record a drum set through ADAT.
macbook Pro with logic 8.
Focal Solo 6

My intention is to record a complete drum set with built up mic pres of Profire/Onyx (plus extra GR and UA), and record individual instruments with 2 or 3 mics (therefore of both preamps and mics)

I have to say that i had to decided between GR and the portico pre...and finally i got the great river because of its cleanness and tight low end. Altough i have to say that sounds so diferent to some posted shootouts

, I expected it much cleaner and i think it has more mid range (roughly 600-9000) than let's say brilliant, but really really good indeed (thanks to the shootout i got the idea that Portico had more mid range than GR (like a veil of silk over) , so now i don't know if Portico will be too much (now next challenger is to decide if i go for API staff or to Portico....i hate myself

). i thought this unit would match very good with the UA.
The UA is absolutely amazing, sound changes totally, using it with a very low level and gain input and turning the output fully to get a hot output, the sound is really really clean....WOW, i can hear every briliant string of my fool acustic guitar...lot of harmonics... and turning the input and gain level up, the sound is going toward GR mid range sound, and getting this pre tube hot with gain the sound gets what we desire....many many tube harmonics...but so diferent for me than with low pre and more out. I like both.
Also i got wrong with Dragonfly but finally in a good way ... Results that Dragonfly is cleaner and brilliant than K2...maybe is logical but it wans't for me.
I thought that dragonfly had more medium and highmids...and warmer than K2. I guess that the K2 tube affects in this way....anyway i love both and I think they match completely...should i say this because i bought them??

Now my question comes just here, to record guitar, bass drum, voices and so on, more or less o have some idea about which stafff to use in for each instrument. I have made many tests and i have an idea of staff and mic placement to try depending on style and music performance. Step by step i hope to gets more ideas...i am experience only in low budget recording proyects (with my band) and PA in live shows.

the key comes with the drum set, i am going to use the dragonfly and the K2, one in front of the set (mono) and the other behing the drummer getting overall snare and hit hat. C3000B as OH's ). Also i have to say that i dared to buy this stereo set in spite of many controversies against in some threads...i do not know if i am happy also with this set because of i spend my money on it or because i really like its feelling. I really thought that this kit were crisp high mids and brlliant, but fortunately i found it very smooth...really smooth, like vintage....don't hung me by saying this

...and for sure i will use them to record FLAMENCO guitars, maybe you will think that i am crazy and nerd fuuck,

, but it really overcome my expectations. maybe it also depends on being an old C3000 or new C3000B and blablabla

Sorry, after the C3000 diversion...i am doubing if Dragonfly will get better the Low and high end of the general sound in front of the mic and keep the K2 over the snare and get a warmer snare sound , also doubing how to match them with both preamps....i know that it will depend of too many X Factors, but what do you think???

i wrote my feeling of Profire2626 in the proper thread so i save lines,

Next challenger is to get:

+Focusing to a mastering side...good ADDA, 2 channels or better 8 or 16 channels (also i would take advantage of it in recording), stereo compressor, stereo eq, maybe a tape effect (like Portico).
+UAD-cards....everybody talk of it , will be better or similar to NEVE hardware??

+ Or more mics and preamps, compressors and so on and finaly to mix OTB through a mixer module...no budget for a proper console

This is what i have learnt thanks to all of you... (i am afraid about I should never had to hear about Mytek, Lavry and manley and these criminals or i wil go bad

).

To who has read up to here, nice to meet you and i hope to be friki enough to survive in Gearslutz thumbsup

Regards

Chris Lago · 17th February 2009

Cool, you're heading in the right direction, as for mastering, it's a whole new world, so I would suggest spending a couple of years (yes haha) learning how to do it. I personally don't think that most recording/mixing engineer can step in the mastering field and do great, unless you spend years at perfecting compression, Eq techniques, Limiting and whatnot. Still, I still think it's a good idea to try it out.

BlackBeauty · 19th February 2009

Any feeling or advise about the equipment and my idea of c3000B??

KeithMoonwannabe · 19th February 2009

The Dragonfly would be better suited to place above the snare/hats and the K2 would be a much better FOK mic.

You want that tube warmth and punch on your bass drum not on your snare or your snare will get lost. Especially when you have such a bold mic on FOK like the Dragonfly.

but that's my opinion.

With that type of setup you could theoretically use the C3000B pair as a spaced stereo pair overhead the kit or even as distant room mics. You just have to be careful with phase and positioning.

BlackBeauty · 19th February 2009

Thanks for advise...

The bad thing is that i had to send the profire2626 back to the dealer since pre's were not working fine...so i have to wait.

I was wandering if using:

Dragonfly...as far as i tried is cleaner than k2, so i do not know if using K2 with UA LA610 and Dragonfly with Great river or viceversa...Due to diferents preamp behaviors. This is for the mentioned drum purspose....or tough for all

Maybe K2 and UA gives to much tube characters and Dragon and GR to much clean...

Someone else think the same than me about the C3000B sound???i got really surprise.

Regards

Chris Lago · 19th February 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackBeauty

Thanks for advise...

The bad thing is that i had to send the profire2626 back to the dealer since pre's were not working fine...so i have to wait.

I was wandering if using:

Dragonfly...as far as i tried is cleaner than k2, so i do not know if using K2 with UA LA610 and Dragonfly with Great river or viceversa...Due to diferents preamp behaviors.
Maybe K2 and UA gives to much tube characters and Dragon and GR to much clean...

Someone else think the same than me about the C3000B sound???i got really surprise.

Regards

You could also use the Profire as AD/DA and Firewire in, and get an outside preamp to feed the gain of your mics?

Check out Se mics for vocals, and mic mods would also be an option too. What kind of music are you going to record?

BlackBeauty · 19th February 2009

The idea is to use the 6 pre's of the profire, and the UA and GR through the line input direct to the AD, therefore i bought this unit, to jump built up pre's circuit unsing external preamps.

I can record whatever

, but i want to record rock (more 70's style if possible

), hard rock , stoner, psicodelic...

I have recorded before with very low stuff with neither very bad results nor knowledges

.
The ONYX will give me a hand with more pre's through ADAT to record drums.

I think to record rest of instruments with 3 mics (UA, GR and 1 profire pre if it deserves).

Next step to get a good ADDA converter, still thinking if only 2 channels (to record instruments and for mastering purpose), or a lower end stuff with more IO channels...

Chris Lago · 20th February 2009