18th August 2012
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#1 | | Gear interested
Joined: Aug 2012 Location: Midwest
Posts: 12
Thread Starter | Dr Dre signal chain
____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 50 Cent "In Da Club"
Producer: Dr. Dre
Engineer: Vito (Mauricio Iragorri)
"We come from the Sony c800-G and out of that into the Neve 1073 mic pre," explains Vito. "We don't use the EQ, because most of the time it sounds good flat. If there's a need for it we'll engage it, but for 50 Cent on 'In Da Club' we didn't use any EQ. Then we took it out of the Neve Mic pre into the Avalon 737-SP compressor. It's a mic pre with EQ, and it actually has a compressor, but we're not using any of the mic pre on the Avalon—we're jut going straight into the line input. From the output of the Neve it goes into the line input of the Avalon, which allows you to use the compressor alone. We sat the compression ratio around 7:1 and the threshold usually hovers at around 0. I set it at a medium attack and fast release. I'd say we're using around 3 or 4 dB of compression, sometimes up to 7dB. On 'In Da Club' it was about 4 or 5. Then it comes back into the SSL 4000 G with E modules (at Encore Studio) and we bring it back on the insert.  Engineer, Vito (Mauricio Iragorri)
and Producer, Dr. Dre.
"There's a patch on the patch bay that says 'insert return',"he continues, "and that's where we bring the vocal back into the insert return, because it's the shortest patch before you actually hear the vocal. It has the least amount of circuitry of anything of anything in the channel, so you're bypassing the EQ, the dynamics. You could use it all, but if you really want the shortest, cleanest signal, that's the way to go. Then we bus it out to Pro Tolls HD and we use the small fader to send it to PT. That's about it."
"The way we came to this chain is—a while ago, when I first started out, I was assisting for Dr. Dre," says Vito. "I noticed how their engineer was doing it and it sounded good. The records sounded amazing, so when Dre hired me to engineer, I told him, 'Ya gotta buy some of these, 'and he bought some 1073s. I had heard for a long time that they were really good mic pres to run vocals through. At Encore, where I was assisting, they had one there, and anytime we were doing a session we would always run vocals through it. So when I saw Dre doing it, it was really cool seeing a rap guy using a 1073! That's how we came up with it. As for the compressor, it's just a good tube-sounding compressor. Sometimes we use the dbx 160—the original—as an alternate compressor; it sounds good and we've used that on allot of records. Signal Path: Mixdown The Yamaha SPX-1000 played a prominent role in mixdown. "We used the REV-5 room setting," They're old reverbs and they're not the best nor most expensive, but they sound really good. They're reliable, and that's all that matters! For R&B the Lexicon reverbs sound great. They work work good for R&B, but for rap the SPX works good. We've used Lexicons too and they work okay. It depends on the song and the artist and what you're looking for in the song. Like on Eve's stuff we used the SPX-1000, too." "With 50, he's an artist with such an amazing voice," says Vito. "You just put him behind a microphone and it just sounds good! My job is making sure it doesn't distort and it's not overloading. While he's vibing and doing his thing, I'm scrambling to make sure nothing is going wrong with the signal path."  50 Cent
"Recording vocals with Dre is a meticulous process" Vito reveals. "There are some exceptions, like 50 is an exception. There are some people that just do it, and there's not much punching involved. And there are other people who need allot of punching, and that means maybe a couple of words at time until all the rhythm and the pockets are correct. Dre has an amazing sense of rhythm. He hears all these crazy rhythms in the vocal and, because he's a rapper as well, he knows how it should be performed. As a producer he's great, but as a rapper he knows what pocket they should be hitting and he can really coach someone well. Working with Dre on vocals is cool because you get to see how he directs someone and they actually sound the best they've ever sounded." Signal Path: Tracking "I like my vocals to sound 'crystal'," says Dre. "I use the Sony C800-G for vocals because it has a clean sound and about 85% of the people that get behind it sound great. My main objective is that the vocal sound is present and clean and ultimately does not distort. I get the sound I want out of the EQ on the SSL. We've used it forever and have made many hits on it, including 50s 'In Da Club'."
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18th August 2012
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#2 | | Gear nut
Joined: Dec 2003 Location: dallas
Posts: 102
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sounds right. love 1073s. I like the insert sends and returns as i/o points on the ssl as well. you can configure those strips so many ways depending on what you're trying to do. The c800 was great but we still sold it
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Continue easy and you are right.
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18th August 2012
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#3 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Apr 2012 Location: Jamaica
Posts: 633
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good post.
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18th August 2012
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#4 | | I EAT VINYL FOR DINNER
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 611
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i cant find a Sony c800-G used any ware . whats the deal ?
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18th August 2012
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#5 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2012 Location: Yay Area
Posts: 1,101
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Talk about a expensive mic! Who every thought Sony would make such a great mic.
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18th August 2012
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#6 | | Gear Guru
Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Beverly Kills |
Yep, that's my vocal chain  | 
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18th August 2012
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#7 | | Moderator
Joined: Feb 2004 Location: Boston,MA Providence,RI
Posts: 16,345
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I thought this was pretty much common knowledge at this point.
I also think the chain has changed some since then...
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18th August 2012
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#8 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,918
| Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyBelmont  I thought this was pretty much common knowledge at this point.
I also think the chain has changed some since then... | Yeah, I really don't see how a 1073 with a good comp and a good mic could be news in 2012.
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18th August 2012
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#9 | | Gear nut
Joined: Dec 2003 Location: dallas
Posts: 102
| Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyBelmont I thought this was pretty much common knowledge at this point.
I also think the chain has changed some since then... | Quote:
Originally Posted by IM WHO YOU THINK Yeah, I really don't see how a 1073 with a good comp and a good mic could be news in 2012. |
It's not news to me but there's a couple threads I've been on lately where people are acting like the preamp is not absolutely essential to the quality of a recording. I was just smh. I just changed my vocal chain from : x73 vin tech--> original La2a --> apogee rosetta to a new setup based around a 500 series lunchbox. The results are pleasing but I'm still waiting on a couple units to arrive, at which point I'll start a thread with pics/opinions/ and maybe audio !
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18th August 2012
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#10 | | Gear interested
Joined: Aug 2012 Location: Midwest
Posts: 12
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by IM WHO YOU THINK Yeah, I really don't see how a 1073 with a good comp and a good mic could be news in 2012. | It's just a cool article I like it
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18th August 2012
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#11 | | I EAT VINYL FOR DINNER
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 611
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can some one tell me why the Sony c800-G are hard to find used .. and what are they worth ??
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18th August 2012
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#12 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2004 Location: Planet Earth
Posts: 2,627
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Agree with Tony and IM WHO YOU THINK
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18th August 2012
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#13 | | Gear Guru
Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Beverly Kills | Quote:
Originally Posted by MONSTA_ONE can some one tell me why the Sony c800-G are hard to find used .. and what are they worth ?? | I've seen most of them for 5k used, and they rarely are for sale because people wanna keep them I'm guessing.
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18th August 2012
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#14 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2012 Location: Yay Area
Posts: 1,101
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18th August 2012
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#15 | | I EAT VINYL FOR DINNER
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 611
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Originally Posted by Chris Lago I've seen most of them for 5k used, and they rarely are for sale because people wanna keep them I'm guessing. | thx so would you prefer the Sony C800G over the u87 ?
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18th August 2012
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#16 | | I EAT VINYL FOR DINNER
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 611
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Originally Posted by Stackx | yes i seen this . but b 4 that , i was checking for months and not one would show up ..
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18th August 2012
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#17 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 554
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If they changed it today, its for the worse. If anyones trying to emulate Dre's sound its for the 90's/early 00's sound, not todays stuff.
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18th August 2012
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#18 | | Gear Guru
Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Beverly Kills | Quote:
Originally Posted by MONSTA_ONE thx so would you prefer the Sony C800G over the u87 ? | Oh god yes! The u87 doesn't sound right at all on my voice, and the c800g sounds perfect for my voice. It's the difference between tweaking for hours and not having to do a whole lot.
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18th August 2012
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#19 | | I EAT VINYL FOR DINNER
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 611
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Originally Posted by Chris Lago Oh god yes! The u87 doesn't sound right at all on my voice, and the c800g sounds perfect for my voice. It's the difference between tweaking for hours and not having to do a whole lot. | i gotcha .. so what would be ya sec choice for a mic .. the u87 ??
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19th August 2012
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#20 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2004 Location: Planet Earth
Posts: 2,627
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Originally Posted by MONSTA_ONE i gotcha .. so what would be ya sec choice for a mic .. the u87 ?? | His 2nd choice would probably be a c800g clone since the u87 didn't saound right on his voice.
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19th August 2012
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#21 | | Gear Guru
Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Beverly Kills | Quote:
Originally Posted by MONSTA_ONE i gotcha .. so what would be ya sec choice for a mic .. the u87 ?? | I'd say a Manley Ref C or the mic I used to use, the JZ BH-2. They both sound pretty similar, the Manley has bigger bass and sounds more 3d, the BH-2 has more highs. They both sound fairly similar but the Manley is smoother. The u87 doesn't work for me, I only use it for voiceovers when I'm at other studios, but that's it.
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19th August 2012
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#22 | | Lives for beer
Joined: Feb 2011 Location: tdot
Posts: 959
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Originally Posted by Jesse381 If they changed it today, its for the worse. If anyones trying to emulate Dre's sound its for the 90's/early 00's sound, not todays stuff. | I'm assuming all the 90's stuff was done on a U87.
Every video of Tupac in the studio from death row days, hes on a U87.
I also believe I saw a video of snoop from the death row days, on a U87.
I'm assuming back then, they didn't have huge discussions over mics and preamps, they just plugged the shit in and rapped, and it sounded good because they all knew what they were doing 
I'v never heard an actual C800, but after playing with my U87ai for a long while, it's bright enough when used properly. I can't imagine too much brighter being a good thing (well OK, I'm not mixing pop here). I can tell after going through the 30 gigs of recording in the last week, when you hit it on the wrong angle, it IS too dark, but when you hit the thing right, it just fits perfectly in the mix. Then again, I don't even know what 'the right angle is', so it's kinda hard to explain to someone how to 'use it properly'. Maybe after I'v owned it for more than a month I'll have the answer...
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19th August 2012
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#23 | | Gear nut
Joined: Dec 2003 Location: dallas
Posts: 102
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I'm pretty sure people have been discussing mics and pres for as long as there have been choices.
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19th August 2012
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#24 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jul 2011 Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Posts: 512
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I swear by my U87 into a Tubetech preamp vocal chain.
And i always seem to be hitting it from the right angle, cause it sounds sweet.
(I hit it from the front, normally kfkhf..)
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19th August 2012
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#25 | | Lives for beer
Joined: Feb 2011 Location: tdot
Posts: 959
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Originally Posted by Ezionjd I swear by my U87 into a Tubetech preamp vocal chain.
And i always seem to be hitting it from the right angle, cause it sounds sweet.
(I hit it from the front, normally kfkhf..) | 
Well yeah, but I think the distance and volume matters also. All I know is some of the recordings sound BEAUTIFUL, and some of them muddy as hell. So it really does matter how you use the mic, the mic won't magically make everything great. I'm sure a C800 can even record crap if you don't use it 'right'.
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19th August 2012
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#26 | | Gear Guru
Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Beverly Kills | Quote:
Originally Posted by tdot I'm assuming all the 90's stuff was done on a U87.
Every video of Tupac in the studio from death row days, hes on a U87.
I also believe I saw a video of snoop from the death row days, on a U87.
I'm assuming back then, they didn't have huge discussions over mics and preamps, they just plugged the shit in and rapped, and it sounded good because they all knew what they were doing
I'v never heard an actual C800, but after playing with my U87ai for a long while, it's bright enough when used properly. I can't imagine too much brighter being a good thing (well OK, I'm not mixing pop here). I can tell after going through the 30 gigs of recording in the last week, when you hit it on the wrong angle, it IS too dark, but when you hit the thing right, it just fits perfectly in the mix. Then again, I don't even know what 'the right angle is', so it's kinda hard to explain to someone how to 'use it properly'. Maybe after I'v owned it for more than a month I'll have the answer... | The c800g, being brighter, is a very good thing to me!
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19th August 2012
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#27 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Aug 2010 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 4,103
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Good post. Haven't heard many peeps talking about the Avalons Comp section... and shout outs to the old SPX-1000!
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'You don't finish, you just run out of time' - Dave Pensado on mixing | |
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27th August 2012
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#28 | | Gear nut
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 135
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Would Dr. Dre's work been able to of sounded as good on an XL 9000 K as it did on the 4000 G? Has he stuck to the 4000 G?
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3rd December 2012
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#29 | | Gear addict
Joined: Dec 2011 Location: NYC
Posts: 387
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The other reason why his stuff sounded good cause he use to hit tape! U87 sounds good when it hits tape not when it's all digital and i think that forgets to get mentioned a lot on here. Alot of people always complain why their mics don't sound as good as they heard them on classic records is because the tape saturation would smooth out the sound!
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