PlushMusic

[David Spearritt]

Some nice stuff here.
Plushmusic - Watching "Chopin: Etudes Op.10 No.3"

Plushie, any relation?

[David Spearritt]

This one could be posted in the Best of Flying Mics thread.
Plushmusic - Watching "Schubert: Erlkönig - Litanie"

and I love this cello sound.
Plushmusic - Watching "JS Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 - Prelude"

[mljung]

Nice find!

[Dave Ferris]

Originally Posted by David Spearritt

Some nice stuff here.
Plushmusic - Watching "Chopin: Etudes Op.10 No.3"

Plushie, any relation?

Great site, thanks.

I guess that disproves my own personal thoughts about a Fazioli being wrong for Chopin and Romantic music in general. I've always felt they were perfect for Bach (Angela Hewitt), Impressionistic music and other 20th Century stuff. Herbie Hancock seems to do ok on a Fazioli too.

I've had a serious love affair with those pianos for over 15 years now. I just played a 278 that Salt Lake City Dealer Rick Baldassin brought in for the NAMM show---one of the nicest pianos I've had the pleasure to lay my hands on.

Beautiful and inspiring playing....I've got to go and practice now.

[achabloop5080]

Fazioli makes very good pianos, I'm not sure I prefer them over Steinway or Yamaha or Bosendorfer though....
I've already downloaded the complete Chopin etudes by Lortie (video and audio) from PlushMusic and I must say I'm really impressed....
It would be very interesting to know the recording chain and technique for this recording...
:-)

[BrianHanke]

Originally Posted by David Spearritt

Some nice stuff here.
Plushmusic - Watching "Chopin: Etudes Op.10 No.3"

Interesting video. There's quite a lot of noise from the dampers as they touch the strings, especially at the beginning. That sound normally wouldn't be particularly noticeable from farther away, so I wonder what the microphone placement was?

Originally Posted by David Spearritt

This one could be posted in the Best of Flying Mics thread.
Plushmusic - Watching "Schubert: Erlkönig - Litanie"

I really like the sound on this one. Interesting to see the spot mics at the tail of the piano.

[ohmoka]

Originally Posted by David Spearritt

This one could be posted in the Best of Flying Mics thread.

That's the Wigmore Hall, they have 2 sets of wires very effective: in 10 mins or less you can have 2 pairs of mics hanging ready for recording!.... I wish all venues have something similar.
thumbsup

[Ozpeter]

That's the Wigmore Hall, they have 2 sets of wires very effective: in 10 mins or less you can have 2 pairs of mics hanging ready for recording!.... I wish all venues have something similar.

I used to have my own suspension system ready to rig in the roof of Wigmore Hall years ago, which basically was a straight vertical drop of stereo mic cable with a Sennheiser MS pair on the end, which I thought was less visually intrusive than the transverse suspension system installed there.

There was also a permanently flown pair of ambience mics at one point, about half way back in the hall, two thirds up towards the roof, belonging to the BBC.

But indeed, for easy flying mics and general convenience, this old hall was always one of the easiest to deal with. I tended to turn up on a motorbike with all I needed in a holdall on the back. Ah, happy days of yore! But in those days, video was very much frowned on. Still, I managed to persuade them to let me video a Skampa Quartet concert, and Ruggiero Ricci's 80th birthday recital there, on single camera from the back.

And somewhere I think I have Louis Lortie's Wigmore debut on a dusty reel of audio tape!

[John Willett]

Yes, the Wig. is a good place to record, I have recorded there several times.

Though the last time I recorded Chloe Hanslip there, I had some nasty mains spike interference which took me quite a while to get rid of.

[panatrope]

Originally Posted by John Willett

Though the last time I recorded Chloe Hanslip there, I had some nasty mains spike interference which took me quite a while to get rid of.

Use a Nagra V or VI - you don't need to involve the mains (and one less cord to pack up!). Though I am sure British mains is much cleaner than Australian mains. stike

Any trouble getting rid of noise from the gaslights? Or NHS hearing aids?

[ISedlacek]

Oh wow ... this one is beautiful as well ..

Plushmusic - Watching "Amjad Al Khan"

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by panatrope

Use a Nagra V or VI - you don't need to involve the mains (and one less cord to pack up!). Though I am sure British mains is much cleaner than Australian mains. stike

Any trouble getting rid of noise from the gaslights? Or NHS hearing aids?

I have the Nagra VI now

Then I was recording on a pair of Fostex D10 DATs.

I also now have a good 6-way mains block that includes spike and RF filtering and also protects each socket from others in the same strip - so if I have anything that is injecting anything into the mains, it wont get picked up by anything else.

[David Spearritt]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

Oh wow ... this one is beautiful as well ..

Plushmusic - Watching "Amjad Al Khan"

Indeed!!

[ISedlacek]

So does it have something to do with our Mr.Plush or not ?

[David Spearritt]

Originally Posted by John Willett

I have the Nagra VI now

I didn't know that John. How's it working out for you?

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by David Spearritt

I didn't know that John. How's it working out for you?

Superb - I have had the Nagra VI for about 15 months now and I'm absolutely delighted with it.

Definitely the best machine for the job - the mic. pres and ADC/DAC are unbeatable in a portable (and from most mains ones as well).

Very very happy - it's one of the very few things that I have bought which I feel happier and happier as time goes on.

[The Listener]

Originally Posted by ISedlacek

Oh wow ... this one is beautiful as well ..

Plushmusic - Watching "Amjad Al Khan"

Interesting what a small world - I saw Amjad's concert in Delhi last year and the tablist in this video is the son of my teacher's guruji, "taalyogi" Pt.Suresh Talwalkar and who's workshops I also attented in the last few years. Nice.
The tabla could be a hair louder, though.

[phil.]

Thank you, David! thumbsup

[panatrope]

Originally Posted by John Willett

... the mic. pres and ADC/DAC are unbeatable in a portable (and from most mains ones as well).

Does that include a Prism Orpheus?

(I have tried both, but separately - and for kit I only allow 50% of the marks for quality - the other 50% is allocated to operational features. So where it will be used is equally important. Still haven't purchased and an RME Micstacy is now added to the candidates.)

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by panatrope

Does that include a Prism Orpheus?

The Prism Orpheus is pretty special - but I have not used it in anger.

I would think it will be a close run thing and would not like to say which is best - but the Nagra VI and Orpheus are very different devices.

[meltemi]

Originally Posted by panatrope

an RME Micstacy is now added to the candidates

I have a RME Fireface UC, which uses identical mic pres to the Micstasy, based upon a single mic pre chip (PGA 2500 from Burr Brown). In a very brief comparison with the Nagra VI (not recorded), the RME definitely did not show the natural airyness, relaxedness and transparency of the Nagra VI. Though the RME sounded neutral, the sound was considerably more compact. I recommend to try the RME out (and compare it directly to other candidates) before you buy.

[Plush]

This is a cool site. Thank you for posting it, David.

I don't have anything to do with it, but the guy has a good name for his site, I think.

High quality video is pleasant to see.

[Fuzzy Logic]

i enjoyed this link. thank you for sharing.

[panatrope]

Originally Posted by meltemi

I have a RME Fireface UC, which uses identical mic pres to the Micstasy, based upon a single mic pre chip (PGA 2500 from Burr Brown). In a very brief comparison with the Nagra VI (not recorded), the RME definitely did not show the natural airyness, relaxedness and transparency of the Nagra VI. Though the RME sounded neutral, the sound was considerably more compact. I recommend to try the RME out (and compare it directly to other candidates) before you buy.

I have the Fireface 400 from which the Fireface UC differs only in the connection being USB rather than FW. And I prefer the pres in the Nagra V. Nagra claims that the Nagra VI pres are better than the Nagra V. And I think you may find that in the Micstacy, even though the pres use the PGA2500, the configuration is different, particularly as there are fewer constraints on the power supply compared to the portable Fireface situation.

The quest goes on ....

[meltemi]

Originally Posted by panatrope

I have the Fireface 400 from which the Fireface UC differs only in the connection being USB rather than FW.

The Fireface UC is not powered via USB, but requires a seperate external
power supply delivered with the box.

Originally Posted by panatrope

And I prefer the pres in the Nagra V. And I think you may find that in the Micstacy, even though the pres use the PGA2500, the configuration is different, particularly as there are fewer constraints on the power supply compared to the portable Fireface situation.

I too prefer the Nagra VI pres vs. The Fireface UC. The Nagra VI pres are realized as discreet circuits with high quality op amps vs. RME's single chip solution. Even with an ideal power supply, you cannot get beyond the built in performance of the single chip, which is very good but not absolute high end.
I mainly bought the Fireface UC for its DIGITAL features (not for the ANALOG ones), as in my opinion RME makes some of the very best digital interfaces on the market.

Originally Posted by panatrope

Nagra claims that the Nagra VI pres are better than the Nagra V.

For a comparison Nagra VI vs. Nagra V you may find this link helpful (although in french language):
LE NAGRA VI en ENREGISTREMENT, et à L'ECOUTE… - AFDERS

___________________________________
Hearing is believing.

[videoteque]

Wow, very nice!

If someone wants to do this in Italy/Europe and lacks the video part, PM me!

[Schaap]

Originally Posted by David Spearritt

Some nice stuff here.
Plushmusic - Watching "Chopin: Etudes Op.10 No.3"

Thanks for the link. Great music/performances.

[didier.brest]

Originally Posted by meltemi

I have a RME Fireface UC, which uses identical mic pres to the Micstasy, based upon a single mic pre chip (PGA 2500 from Burr Brown).

Are you sure that the Micstasy is using this IC ? The gain range of the Micstasy is not the one of a Fireface 400 or a Fireface UC, which indeed have PGA2500 (10dB to 65 dB by 1 dB step) like Prism Orpheus, Apogee Ensemble and Duet.

By the way, there are here comparative samples from the Micstasy and the Forsell on tabla, which showed the Micstasy being on par with the Forsell.

[meltemi]

Originally Posted by didier.brest

Are you sure that the Micstasy is using this IC ? The gain range of the Micstasy is not the one of a Fireface 400 or a Fireface UC, which indeed have PGA2500 (10dB to 65 dB by 1 dB step) like Prism Orpheus, Apogee Ensemble and Duet.

Yes, I am.

In an extensive test of the Micstasy by the german "Professional Audio Magazin" 4/2007 (Home: Professional Audio Magazin) you can first read this:

"Als Herzstück in jedem der acht Vorverstärkerzüge arbeitet der Mikrofon-Vorverstärker-Chip PGA2500 von Texas Instruments."

my translation:
The mic preamp chip PGA2500 from Texas Instruments works at the heart of each of the eight preamp channels.

further down followed by this:

"Diesen enorm großen Verstärkungsbereich von über 85 Dezibel erreicht der PGA2500, der einen tatsächlichen Verstärkungsbereich von lediglich 55 Dezibel hat, allerdings nur mit einem Trick. Bei der Anzeige von exakten +22 Dezibel schaltet sich ein so genanntes PAD, begleitet von einem leiser Relaisklicken, zu und erweitert so den Bereich der Gesamtverstärkung. Zuweilen ist beim Hochdrehen der Verstärkung an dieser Stelle (Anzeige: +22 dB) ein leichtes Knacken im Audiosignal hörbar."

my translation:
This enormous amplification range of more than 85dB is obtained with a trick, as the PGA2500 itself has an amplification range of only 55dB. At a displayed level of exactly +22 dB a so called PAD is switched in, accompanied by a soft relay clicking, and so expanding the total amplification range. Occasionally, while turning the amplification up, at this place (displayed level +22dB) a slight clicking in the audio signal may be heared.

Conclusion: Micstasy preamp: PGA2500 plus at +22dB automatically switched in PAD.

[didier.brest]

Thank you very much for your information and the translation from German. Does the review say how the Micstasy achieve a 0.5 dB gain step, half the one of the PGA2500 ?

Mictasy sheet from RME