Massive Passive vs. Gyratec G14

[yareck]

Today I've became owner of the Massive Passive, so I can make fast comparision to the Gyratec G14. Maybe I should wait some days before I will know it a little bit better, but here my first impressions anyway:

The sound:

G: This kind of "colour" that Manley has isn't the same as in Gyraf. I mean the Gyratec (edit: has just more coloration)

M: Manley does not affect the sound so much, just rather pushes all good things in a mix forward, giving also nice tubey warmth.

Strokes:

G: Rather sharp, can be broad but not really... Sharp cuts are possible without affecting sound so much (except mids where it sounds bad)

M: Very broad, can be more sharp, but with negative results sometimes (mostly on highs).

Possible applications (IMO):

G: With Gyraf you can very fix very poor or mediocre mixes giving them a lot of (edit: colour over the mix). You can also add a lot of this special character to instruments on buses.

M: Manley doesn't have so much of this special character but has a lot of warmth, so I guess it is better for working with already good mixes, giving them tube warmth without changing the sound so much.

Bands:

G: Gyraf has better highs but has no shelves.

M: I can't say that Manley or Gyraf has better lows or better mids. They're sounding different... however Manley is more verstaile due to the shelves and more overlapping bands.

Conclusion(s):

It's impossible to get the same sound out of Manley and Gyraf,

Considering buying one instead of another has no sense IMO.

Manley is definitely more versatile, but the Gyraf has definitely more character.

Gyraf is a killer

Manley is a monster

[carlsaff]

Thanks for this! It might be the first head-to-head comparison of these two I've seen. The Gyraf sounds really interesting. But,as in your case, it probably wouldn't push the MP out of my rack. There are too many things that I love about the MP. It is my go-to box for midrange pushes. The filters are a nice plus (though I'm considering having a custom HP/LP box built to supplement it).

[Spartacus]

very interesting,
thanks a lot!

[Lagerfeldt]

An interesting aspect of the G14 is that the Q is asymmetrical and relative to the amount of cutting.

[PrinsJan]

Originally Posted by yareck

Today I've became owner of the Massive Passive, so I can make fast comparision to the Gyratec G14. Maybe I should wait some days before I will know it a little bit better, but here my first impressions anyway:

The sound:

G: This kind of "colour" that Manley has isn't the same as in Gyraf. I mean the Gyratec has a lot more of this phase-shift or whatever.

M: Manley does not affect the sound so much, just rather pushes all good things in a mix forward, giving also nice tubey warmth.

Strokes:

G: Rather sharp, can be broad but not really... Sharp cuts are possible without affecting sound so much (except mids where it sounds bad)

M: Very broad, can be more sharp, but with negative results sometimes (mostly on highs).

Possible applications (IMO):

G: With Gyraf you can very fix very poor or mediocre mixes giving them a lot of special character. You can also add a lot of this special character to instruments on buses.

M: Manley doesn't have so much of this special character but has a lot of warmth, so I guess it is better for working with already good mixes, giving them tube warmth without changing the sound so much.

Bands:

G: Gyraf has better highs but has no shelves.

M: I can't say that Manley or Gyraf has better lows or better mids. They're sounding different... however Manley is more verstaile due to the shelves and more overlapping bands.

Conclusion(s):

It's impossible to get the same sound out of Manley and Gyraf,

Considering buying one instead of another has no sense IMO.

Manley is definitely more versatile, but the Gyraf has definitely more character.

Gyraf is a killer

Manley is a monster

You will hate me after this. But I heard the differents between the G14 and the Drawmer 1961. If you want beef and character, try the old Drawmer. Shut you eyes, stop thinking what everybody should think on GS and listen.

To me the Drawmer sounds much better ! Hmm much better, is maybe not the words.......to me the Drawmer sounds more what I want Okay not the piece of equipment every mastering studio has. But to me, an underrated friend of the past.

Okay shoot !

[yareck]

Originally Posted by PrinsJan

You will hate me after this. But I heard the differents between the G14 and the Drawmer 1961. If you want beef and character, try the old Drawmer. Shut you eyes, stop thinking what everybody should think on GS and listen.

Thanks man for the info, I'll check this gear.

After spending some hours with Massive I start thinking about selling Focusrite Red-2, so I can buy something else instead... Anyway I'm very far from selling Gyraf.

[inlinenl]

Hi Yareck,

prinsjan .... shoot .. pang !!! ..

playing the bad guy now ....

you are buying to much eq's .... why buying so many EQ's ( also talking to me/myself/I ) .. just get 2 top-range ( 1 analog and 1 digital ) and start making it easy on yourself ... why stick with 4 or 5 eq's ... no more midrange-priced eq's .... just get a sontec/fairmann/masalec etc. etc.

if you have like me an ibis/nseq-2 why then again an MP or Gyratec .. sell all and get the reall analog stuff .... ( not selling my weiss )


don't get the eq's that should be used in mixing ....


p.s. nothing as good as an easy sunday morning mastering ... easy accoustic music .. nice solo's ... doing 96Khz ....
okay .. have to go .. off to the zoo with the kids ....

[yareck]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

Hi Yareck,

why buying so many EQ's ( also talking to me/myself/I ) .. just get 2 top-range decent once's ... why stick with 4 or 5 eq's ... no more midrange-priced eq's .... just get a sontec/fairmann/masalec etc. etc.

ok :-) Maybe you're right... but who will put the post with comparision Massive vs. Gyratec then?

ok.. just joking.. I don't have 5 eqs just 3. I've sold NSEQ-2 because it sounded thin for me. Now I've traded my Vinyl Recorder for the Massive Passive because was I was too busy for cutting vinyls. I've also traded Curve Bender for K-Stereo because I was using Chandler rarely.

If I could demo Fairman or Maselec here in my studio for a day or two, maybe I would have a chance to check if that would work for me with less eqs... But the local distributor doesn't bring those most decent devices yet, soon I will probably have a chance to test the IBIS...

[Bob Boyd]

Originally Posted by yareck

ok :-) Maybe you're right... but who will put the post with comparision Massive vs. Gyratec then?

ok.. just joking.. I don't have 5 eqs just 3. I've sold NSEQ-2 because it sounded thin for me. Now I've traded my Vinyl Recorder for the Massive Passive because was I was too busy for cutting vinyls. I've also traded Curve Bender for K-Stereo because I was using Chandler rarely.

If I could demo Fairman or Maselec here in my studio for a day or two, maybe I would have a chance to check if that would work for me with less eqs... But the local distributor doesn't bring those most decent devices yet, soon I will probably have a chance to test the IBIS...

I don't blame him for wanting more (or better) analog. The more years that pass, the more I've added or improved my analog gear and conversion. The digital rack has gotten a little leaner over the years. ;-)

[yareck]

Actually after some days I've found out that Gyratec and Massive Passive complements each other very well. It's like you have additional "more colour" switch on Massive.

I also tested the IBIS and I'm rather dissapointed.

- with non-mastering version matching L->R pots is a pain
- filters are ringing (!!!)
- bandwidth pots work in a strange "non-linear" way
- color option sounds like a distortion, this has nothing to Gyratec sweet colour

+ highs are clean (but not better than Gyraf)
+ boost at 4-8 kHz sounds good, not harsh at all
+ lows are nice (STC-8 has simmilar)

[livingstone]

Nice you made this G14, MP comparison finaly

i own both G14 an IBIS and i feel they complement very well,
i think Isedlacek would say the same

i heard some ppl had this filter ringing but never noticed it with mine, but i rarely use it with sharp strokes.
the gain pots issue can be improved with a pad on the insert this can devide the gain range / 2,
that's very usefull
(cranesong can provide it for very cheap, don't remember the price i paid)

color option for me is nice lightly applyed on a specific band, to underline details
it's also very interesting while cuting with the color on one band ,
it "substrac" the distortion effect that should be applyed if the gain was positive

my 2c

[yareck]

Originally Posted by livingstone

Nice you made this G14, MP comparison finaly
i heard some ppl had this filter ringing but never noticed it with mine

This is weird, just like people say that Massive has harsh sounding or grainy highs, I don't observe anything like this. They are not clean in IBIS or NSEQ-2 way but they are just very natural sounding and definitely not harsh. Maybe it depends on tubes or something else. Maybe models differ from themselves. I heard that Manley Vari-Mu is colored, well mine was definitely not colored but super-ultra-clean. The same might be with IBIS filters.

[PrinsJan]

Originally Posted by yareck

Actually after some days I've found out that Gyratec and Massive Passive complements each other very well. It's like you have additional "more colour" switch on Massive.

I also tested the IBIS and I'm rather dissapointed.

- with non-mastering version matching L->R pots is a pain
- filters are ringing (!!!)
- bandwidth pots work in a strange "non-linear" way
- color option sounds like a distortion, this has nothing to Gyratec sweet colour

+ highs are clean (but not better than Gyraf)
+ boost at 4-8 kHz sounds good, not harsh at all
+ lows are nice (STC-8 has simmilar)

Are you sure the IBIS you've got isn't broken ? Because the IBIS I work with, is as quiet as my sister, when she sleeps

[yareck]

Originally Posted by PrinsJan

Are you sure the IBIS you've got isn't broken ? Because the IBIS I work with, is as quiet as my sister, when she sleeps

Yeah, who knows. Luckily I have it only for demoing.

[studio57]

Originally Posted by yareck

ok :-) Maybe you're right... but who will put the post with comparision Massive vs. Gyratec then?

ok.. just joking.. I don't have 5 eqs just 3. I've sold NSEQ-2 because it sounded thin for me. Now I've traded my Vinyl Recorder for the Massive Passive because was I was too busy for cutting vinyls. I've also traded Curve Bender for K-Stereo because I was using Chandler rarely.

If I could demo Fairman or Maselec here in my studio for a day or two, maybe I would have a chance to check if that would work for me with less eqs... But the local distributor doesn't bring those most decent devices yet, soon I will probably have a chance to test the IBIS...

-----------------------------------------------------------------
i have had both Ibis and Maselec and both i have sold becouse they where not my thing. best digital eq would be and is to me weiss and of cource the fairmann in analog.

now i use m6000 and pultecs and your old chandler curvebender, prism converters and hedd 192 and fairmann TMC, still looking for TMEQ

[yareck]

Originally Posted by studio57

-----------------------------------------------------------------
now i use m6000 and pultecs and your old chandler curvebender, prism converters and hedd 192 and fairmann TMC, still looking for TMEQ

Hi Masi !
Your Massive is great. Now I'm thinking what to do to get TMC

[PrinsJan]

Originally Posted by yareck

Hi Masi !
Your Massive is great. Now I'm thinking what to do to get TMC

Oh man ! If you have a budget to buy the Fairman. Buy the Fairman, it will destroy the Massive Passive and Gyraf 14 together.

[patrox247]

Originally Posted by PrinsJan

Oh man ! If you have a budget to buy the Fairman. Buy the Fairman, it will destroy the Massive Passive and Gyraf 14 together.

Having all three is great

[Bob Yordan]

Thanx for the info on the MP & G14.

[PrinsJan]

Originally Posted by patrox247

Having all three is great

Offcourse

[studio57]

i did try also the masterpiece and didnt like it that much,,,,,

[yareck]

Originally Posted by studio57

i did try also the masterpiece and didnt like it that much,,,,,

Isn't the Masterpiece ultra-expensive?

Today I've tried Glory Comp from Groove Tubes.... nah...this is not an ultra-uncolored-mastering comp, but it has a ultra-power, warmth and attitude....I would say it's the most powerful compressor I've ever heard. After 2 hours of testing I can't imagine working without it and actually I've already ordered a pair (need to sell some stuff too many $$$)

[Riccardo]

Originally Posted by yareck

Isn't the Masterpiece ultra-expensive?

Today I've tried Glory Comp from Groove Tubes.... nah...this is not an ultra-uncolored-mastering comp, but it has a ultra-power, warmth and attitude....I would say it's the most powerful compressor I've ever heard. After 2 hours of testing I can't imagine working without it and actually I've already ordered a pair (need to sell some stuff too many $$$)

Congrats!
Let us know how you like them after a while, keep us posted on the Glory comp!

[yareck]

Originally Posted by Riccardo

Congrats!
Let us know how you like them after a while, keep us posted on the Glory comp!

Sure I will. After I will receive a pair I will post some stereo samples probably.

Just minute ago I've sent some monophonic samples to my friend and he told me that he must own Glory comp as well. We agreed that it sounds like STC-8 "on steroids"

[DSD_Mastering]

Originally Posted by yareck

Isn't the Masterpiece ultra-expensive?

Yup... sure is!
But it's the best EQ section I've every used!

Regards,
Bruce

[Mastering101]

yareck, I think your next purchase should be an appointment with a psychiatrist…...the massive's highs are shrill if you push them big time ugly, pulling is fine.
mids are killer the bottom a little loose but still fine..getting rid of the chandler bender is just nuts. there is a huge learning curve with that EQ beause its so broad but i cant pass up the fat and the high end just kill the massive..i love my ibis also it can be used in most applications but it really shines on acoustic material. i could never let the ibis go just because it is so good with acoustic.even so i have used it on metal and have been happy..i think the more eq the better.
i'll plug in a eq for a master and i know if its gonna work for this mix if not i move to the next and im happy..my 2 cents

[yareck]

Originally Posted by effectsnut

yareck, I think your next purchase should be an appointment with a psychiatrist…...

Too late. I've already ordered a pair of Glory comps. Psychiatrist must wait But probably earlier my wife will send me to hell

Originally Posted by effectsnut

the massive's highs are shrill if you push them big time ugly, pulling is fine.
mids are killer the bottom a little loose but still fine..

Try to cut 8-10 kHz while adding high shelve on 27k does it sounds bad to you? Yes with IBIS you can add 8k nicely, but usually I rather cut these freqs. Low shelf IMO cleaner than with Curve Bender, not this kind of power but this tubey "thumpff" on the lowest end can be easy heard. I like it more than lows on other eqs I've already heard.

Originally Posted by effectsnut

getting rid of the chandler bender is just nuts....

Yeah this was a pain, but guys from Finland brought me K-Stereo and I thought it would be nice to have something different than compressor and eq... CB was really good EQ although I didn't use it extensively so... I decided to do it.

[studio57]

Originally Posted by DSD_Mastering

Yup... sure is!
But it's the best EQ section I've every used!

Regards,
Bruce

the wide/stereo expander and the tape simulation in masterpiece wasnt that good to me if i compare that to chanesong hedd 192 and K-stereo.
the multiband pachsystem was cool and eq as well but i think it was too expensive. allso too small nobs for me or i have too big fingers...tutt

[luap]

Originally Posted by yareck

Isn't the Masterpiece ultra-expensive?

Today I've tried Glory Comp from Groove Tubes.... nah...this is not an ultra-uncolored-mastering comp, but it has a ultra-power, warmth and attitude....I would say it's the most powerful compressor I've ever heard. After 2 hours of testing I can't imagine working without it and actually I've already ordered a pair (need to sell some stuff too many $$$)

Congrates,
I love my glory comp,I use it on everything.even just for the dynamics,it just fattens everything up.The heaven and earth is fantastic for guitars.
Paul