LANGEVIN DVC in a hiphop Studio?

[Aries]

Hey whats up? I was just wondering if anyone is using this DVC in their studio and how it sounds when being used on hip hop music? Ive been hunting around for a decent channel strip/mic pre for ages now and still haven't decided what to buy? All the reviews on this are great and i know its a nice piece of Equipment. Im just wondering if this would be a better a choice than the avalon stuff(737)or somthing similar to that?

Any opinions welcome...Also if youve used this how was your exp?

[cynic]

yes i'm using it. i love it. use it for vocals with a peluso 2247le, and using it to track my korg z1, micro-x, and sometimes the mpc1k.

hit the links in my sig to figure out what it sounds like. i put i on every track.

the limiter section is nice too. i have a tube amp that i'll run into the limiter when tracking just to tame peaks a little. handy unit.

[Aries]

Thanks...im already pretty sold on it...

[bgrotto]

I worked at a studio for a couple years that had one. I dug the pre and EQ, but the compressor didn't do it for me. Wouldn't be a go-to for vocals for my taste though; it's a bit too clean. I suppose if you're into the Avalon stuff, though, that might be right up your alley.

[orangeoctane]

Seems like a good value with the DI's and the ability to run stereo through it. All transformer based too so it should compliment a tube mic nicely and possibly add a little something to drums if you wanna drive it hard. Get it from Mercenary and if you don't like it, send it back. And if you do like it, get the double warranty for free.

[cynic]

Originally Posted by bgrotto

I worked at a studio for a couple years that had one. I dug the pre and EQ, but the compressor didn't do it for me. Wouldn't be a go-to for vocals for my taste though; it's a bit too clean. I suppose if you're into the Avalon stuff, though, that might be right up your alley.

im tellin you....DVC + Peluso 2247LE + UAD 1073eq + UAD 1176 = my vocal chain...it can get pretty nasty depending on how you tweak it. but yeah, it is quite clean.

i always go by the rule that you can dirty up things later on, but you can never "clean" them up. start clean, get dirty later?

when i wanna get really dirty i rock the SM7 > Sebatron VMP2000e :)

[bgrotto]

Originally Posted by cynic

im tellin you....DVC + Peluso 2247LE + UAD 1073eq + UAD 1176 = my vocal chain...it can get pretty nasty depending on how you tweak it. but yeah, it is quite clean.

i always go by the rule that you can dirty up things later on, but you can never "clean" them up. start clean, get dirty later?

when i wanna get really dirty i rock the SM7 > Sebatron VMP2000e :)

The alternative to "clean" isn't necessarily "dirty". By that way of thinking, APIs are dirty. Neves are dirty. 1176s are...well, yeah, those I guess are kinda dirty. But you get the point.

Anyway, what I meant was "clean" as opposed to "colored" ("dirty" or not). And I gotta disagree with you about starting clean and adding the color later, for three reasons:
1. I learned from really good, old-school engineers who visualize the final mix as they're tracking, and track accordingly. This means compress, EQ, and combine mics to tape. For me, it always yields a better end product, and allows you to make more informed overdubbing decisions.
2. The coloration you get from using, for example, the mic amp in a 1084 during tracking is NOT the same coloration you get using the 1084's EQ/line amp during mixing. Maybe it's a circuitry thing, maybe it's some kinda tweaky impedance thing...I don't really know. But preamps impart color differently, and signals being processed on their way in behave differently, than the same signal getting the same processing during the mix. Again, I don't know why, but it's a fact.
3. If I'm tracking to tape (which I tend to do), the way you shape the signal before it hits the tape is EVERYTHING. You're essentially sculpting how the tape is going to color the signal, based on how that signal hits the tape. This is huge.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand:

The Langevin DVC. A nice amp, a really good EQ, a mediocre compressor, and overall, a great value. But not my first choice for tracking something like a lead vocal (BG vocal stacks, on the other hand, are GREAT through those things; I shoulda mentioned that in my first post!).

[Aries]

Originally Posted by orangeoctane

Seems like a good value with the DI's and the ability to run stereo through it. All transformer based too so it should compliment a tube mic nicely and possibly add a little something to drums if you wanna drive it hard. Get it from Mercenary and if you don't like it, send it back. And if you do like it, get the double warranty for free.

Yea i want to run my mpc through it and use it for vocals. All i have for a condensor mic at this point is the apex 460 tube. Im hoping it will improve the sound of it although i make it sound pretty nice now with the right compression and eq in the mix...

What is mercenary??im up in Canada??and have never heard of it??website?store??

thanks for the info guys...

[cynic]

Originally Posted by bgrotto

The alternative to "clean" isn't necessarily "dirty". By that way of thinking, APIs are dirty. Neves are dirty. 1176s are...well, yeah, those I guess are kinda dirty. But you get the point.

Anyway, what I meant was "clean" as opposed to "colored" ("dirty" or not). And I gotta disagree with you about starting clean and adding the color later, for three reasons:
1. I learned from really good, old-school engineers who visualize the final mix as they're tracking, and track accordingly. This means compress, EQ, and combine mics to tape. For me, it always yields a better end product, and allows you to make more informed overdubbing decisions.
2. The coloration you get from using, for example, the mic amp in a 1084 during tracking is NOT the same coloration you get using the 1084's EQ/line amp during mixing. Maybe it's a circuitry thing, maybe it's some kinda tweaky impedance thing...I don't really know. But preamps impart color differently, and signals being processed on their way in behave differently, than the same signal getting the same processing during the mix. Again, I don't know why, but it's a fact.
3. If I'm tracking to tape (which I tend to do), the way you shape the signal before it hits the tape is EVERYTHING. You're essentially sculpting how the tape is going to color the signal, based on how that signal hits the tape. This is huge.

good point - that does make sense too, and i think tracking to tape effects how you work.

my mixing definitely is influenced by the technology i have available, and i do tend to resample a lot. working like that, i can dirty it up along different stages.

like i said though, if i want to get _really_ dirty, i'll rock the tube amp, with it distorted off the bat.

maybe tracking my finals through the FATSO has something to do with it too. wish i could afford tape, and the maintenance for it ;)

[spokbeats]

the dvc increased my sound quality a lot
iam using it for 2 years now for almost every tracking
MPC Vocals Synth Guitar Bass

Its reacting very different to the input especially on microphones.
You got to give the right amout of input gain to make the dvc sound in your face with mics.
General i would discribe it as a clean smooth preamp with some bottom to it. The millenia preamps sounded similar to me.
In combination with a very good tube mic like the u 47 it will caputre the character very well.
I used it with akg solidtube, brauner vmx, neumann u87, sm7b
(didnt like the sm7b on the dvc)

I think the limiter is really good, it does the job very well.
I would not use the compressor on fast drums or on the drumbus.
But baselines, strings, leads, guitars are great on the dvc.

I do not compress too much it really depends on the signal.
I tracked some talkboxing with a microphone and cranked the compressor near to max the compressor did a great job you get a nice loud signal even you are 1 meter away from the microphone without sounding noisy and flat.

it does not color your sound much but its a quality piece of gear
and a great bang for the buck cause its the most flexible preamp in that pricerange. 2 channels, DI, EQ and limiter for 1800 $

[Aries]

Word...thanks for the info/opinions...i wish i could rent one and try it before i buy it...
dam living in small city's in Canada...