My Shadow Hills Mono Gamma Review

beau_mckee · 3rd December 2007

Okay, i just purchased one of these bad boys, and this comparison im making is not done by a high end, preamp experienced man.

I have recorded alot of bands using 002 and 003 preamps. That said, the 003 preamps were better. But then came the shadow hills pre. I use it for everything at this stage.

When comparing single tracks, i notice the shadow Hills has a much tighter feel to it, tighter bottom end and really clear on the top end in comparison to the 003 pres. After recording several sessions and compiling high track counts, id say my mixes have reached a new level in clarity and tightness since using this Mono Gamma 500 pre. Couldnt be happier!

Cant even compare to the 003 pres. Sorry that the 003pres were my only reference point.

outofphase · 3rd December 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by beau_mckee

Cant even compare to the 003 pres. Sorry that the 003pres were my only reference point.

Well Shadow Hills mic pres stands face to face with Neve or API mic pres, so I hope they killed those 003 mic pres!!

deuc647 · 3rd December 2007

Does the mono gamma have the nickel and iron settings?

s.d.finley · 3rd December 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by deuc647

Does the mono gamma have the nickel and iron settings?

Nickel, Steel and Xformerless.....only the Gamma 8 has the Iron option.

I have a Gamma mono and it is awesome! I love being able to switch the xformers on the fly. Sometimes it makes a huge difference, and sometimes not.

Peter is a great guy too!!

TEMAS · 3rd December 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.d.finley

Peter is a great guy too!!

I'll second that. I had a problem with my Gama 8 (which turned out to be the power cable). When I emailed him, he called me straight back and diagnosed the problem over the phone. I was back in business almost immediately after repairing the cable.

Empire Prod · 3rd December 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.d.finley

Nickel, Steel and Xformerless.....only the Gamma 8 has the Iron option.

The Gama8 has been discontinued and the Iron option is now available on the Gama4.

deuc647 · 3rd December 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.d.finley

Nickel, Steel and Xformerless.....only the Gamma 8 has the Iron option.

I have a Gamma mono and it is awesome! I love being able to switch the xformers on the fly. Sometimes it makes a huge difference, and sometimes not.

Peter is a great guy too!!

I am really considering getting some. I really hate gear slutz

drBill · 3rd December 2007

I've got a mono gamma, and in retrospect, I'd only get one again if it had the Iron option (which I'm guessing will never happen due to size). The pre is great. Very cool. And I really like it. But it's also very close sounding to API's which I've got a bunch of. Right now, the Biz is my fav 500 pre and I'm going to get some more of those. In the future, I may sell the GAMA and get the 4 channel with Iron. Until then, it does not sound anything like a Neve to me. Very API-ish.

Animus · 4th December 2007

I was interested in the Mono GAMA until I learned it didn't have the iron option in it, and the Gama 4 is more preamps and money than I would want.

deuc647 · 4th December 2007

I have yet to hear a single bad comment about the biz

3rd December 2007	#1
beau_mckee Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 869 Thread Starter 1 Review written	My Shadow Hills Mono Gamma Review Okay, i just purchased one of these bad boys, and this comparison im making is not done by a high end, preamp experienced man. I have recorded alot of bands using 002 and 003 preamps. That said, the 003 preamps were better. But then came the shadow hills pre. I use it for everything at this stage. When comparing single tracks, i notice the shadow Hills has a much tighter feel to it, tighter bottom end and really clear on the top end in comparison to the 003 pres. After recording several sessions and compiling high track counts, id say my mixes have reached a new level in clarity and tightness since using this Mono Gamma 500 pre. Couldnt be happier! Cant even compare to the 003 pres. Sorry that the 003pres were my only reference point. __________________ www.beaumckee.com

4th December 2007	#9
Animus Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2005 Location: Durham, NC USA Posts: 8,457	I was interested in the Mono GAMA until I learned it didn't have the iron option in it, and the Gama 4 is more preamps and money than I would want. __________________ Cubase and Nuendo User Forums \| Cubendo.com

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3rd December 2007	#3
deuc647 Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 2,017	Does the mono gamma have the nickel and iron settings?

3rd December 2007	#8
drBill Gear Guru Joined: Jul 2006 Location: So Cal Posts: 11,509	I've got a mono gamma, and in retrospect, I'd only get one again if it had the Iron option (which I'm guessing will never happen due to size). The pre is great. Very cool. And I really like it. But it's also very close sounding to API's which I've got a bunch of. Right now, the Biz is my fav 500 pre and I'm going to get some more of those. In the future, I may sell the GAMA and get the 4 channel with Iron. Until then, it does not sound anything like a Neve to me. Very API-ish.