Desert Island Chain

[dukeorock]

I look at this board alot, post very rarely...there's so much good info I seldom feel the need to chime in...

The concept I've been playing with is the idea that if you only could have one Mic, one Pre and one Comp...what would it be? It could narrow things a bit to say it has to be something you own or have owned and used...

Mine is AEA R-84, Chandler Pre and a UA 1176...my Manley Reference Mic and Tubetech CL1-B were considerations, but overall, I've actually done entire recordings using my 'desert island' combo with pretty great results...it was an 'americana' type session...small kit, upright bass, acoustic guitar and dobro, fiddle and some vocals. I bought the R84 to use for my gut string upright bass, but wound up using it way more than I expected and it quickly became my favorite mic...I have a modest (under30) mic collection...RE20's, Manley Reference, Royer 121, 421's, SM-7, RE200's, D12, 57's and 58's among others.

I've tried to tell some of my younger friends they'd be way better off with one absolute, top shelf chain than piles of different 'prosumer' stuff...thoughts?

Thanks!

-Mark

[Gravity8058]

U47 -- Neve 31102 -- Gates Sta Level -- Studer 827

[achtung baby]

U47-1073-1176. i would feel fine with doing an entire record through that. great for vocals, guitars, and for that zeppelin drum sound.

[dementedchord]

are you really teasing these guys with gear lust.... or giving mid level guys a thought... for instance u 47 is great but most guys would better benefit from akg 414 no???

[dukeorock]

414? A U47 is very slutty and most folks could never afford a decent one assuming you could find a decent one...used to rent an old U48 that was to die for, but never was able to buy it...not for sale, smart guy.

U47, 1073 and 1176 is pretty dreamy...I've never owned a 47 or a 1073, and I was limiting my chain to things I currently own and use...R-84, Chandler, 1176...I love ribbons esp when recording digital...I could be a dope but I'd swear a good ribbon makes digital sound less, um, digital.

As for a 414? I've owned a couple...they technically work on most any source, but I've never thought they were a 'first choice' mic for any source...just my opinion...very boring mic to my ears and I've always found something better for every source...anyways, speaking of mics...I have an endorsement with EV...they're sending me 2 RE 20's and 2 RE 27's...never heard the 27's, love 20's for what they are...I've been told the a RE27 is a less 'cottony' more open sounding RE20, which I'm not convinced is a good thing, but if anyone cares, I'll post my findings once I get a chance to try 'em.

-Mark

[dukeorock]

For the record...

If there was a point to be made from this thread, it was the idea that an amazing single channel to my thinking is WAY better than piles of 'good for the money' gear...I see so many start up project rooms waste money on a 'drum mic value pack,' or spread their finances across the board on mediocre gear, just so they 'have their bases covered.' A mid level or start up guy would be better served getting a world class chain and learning to make the most of it...how many custom records do you hear with small out of phase drums, just for starters? With one great chain drums can sound big and open, and you can't really get phase issues with a single mic...so you can't compress the toms or whatever...you're still better off.

Also by starting with an amazing single channel chain, one can learn more about mic placement and different 'coloration' tricks, because he has no choice...if something sounds 'wrong' there's a lot less guessing as to what it could be...a single mic works or it doesn't...there's no 'fixing' it later...so you MAKE it work...

Just my thing...you guys are awesome here...I've learned so much from many of you...thanks for that.

-Mark

[Jeff16years]

if you were stranded on a desert island start with a good generator. perferably a quiet one.
Also you would probably be recording a lot of ocean sounds (although if you were on a desert island I don't know why you would need to record ocean sounds, they would surround you)
but for these kinds of sounds use a quet mic, quiet pre and good cable.

[dukeorock]

One more thought if anyone's still interested...

Since 47's are kinda hard to come by, not to mention pricey...I love the Lawson L47, and if you bought the one where you can swap between a 47 or 251 capsule, that could be a pretty great one mic solution.

-Mark

[TanTan]

Lawson L47 - Neve 1064 - my custom 1176 with 1272 make up gain

[TonyBelmont]

I think I would probably go for the U87 > 1073 > 1176 chain.

[neve1073]

i don't know much about HAM radios, but something reliable that would get me rescued. It doesn't even need to be class a. Definitely NOT tube!