Fave 500 series for snare or O'H's

Cujo · 27th August 2006

Sorry if I am beating a dead horse here but there are so many new choices out there now.
I am curious what 500 series pres people are digging on their snares and for O/H's.
Looks like some dig the A designs P-1's for O/Hs and Blue for Snare. Any comments about the Mono Gamas or even 512c's? I have a pair of BAE 312's now, looking to augment.

AdamJay · 27th August 2006

i like the EM-Red on snare.
and yes, the P1's own overheads.

i find myself using the Mono Gama on stuff outside of the drum kit. Vocals, Guitars, Keys, etc. I used it once on snare, and it did the job well, but i just prefer the EM-Red for snares, it seems to grab that particular sound more than the Gama .

I sold my 512c. Great on drums, but IMO A-Designs is killin' 'em when it comes to a good, full, robust, yet controllable and versatile kit sound.

seaneldon · 27th August 2006

i recently had a pair of purple audio biz pres and used them on overheads with a royer sf12. very cool, aggressive sound. as i moved the mic lower and lower, i got a lot more direct grit which was very, very pleasing for rock and roll. they sounded absolutely tits wth some light (-1db gain reduction, max) compression.

for snare, i'm a fan of the 512. nice and fast. also investigate the eisen audio diy kits, and pop in any guts you want as far as input and output trannies, and opamps. delicious results were had with a 990/cinemag combination.

Brad McGowan · 28th August 2006

Regarding the Eisen Audio kits... I built mine with a Cinemag and 990C combo as well. It sounded really nice. Then I popped in some Black Gate NX caps for the 1000 uF coupling caps with 0.1 uF Black Gate NX Hi-Q bypass caps. Wow! Things got incredibly nice. If I may be bold enough to make the claim, my Eisen Audio preamps in this configuration sound remarkably similar to my Pacifica, but with slightly faster transient response. This is going to be the one I will be using on drum overheads on my next session. Whatever I've created is a serious contender now.

Brad

seaneldon · 28th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad McGowan

Regarding the Eisen Audio kits... I built mine with a Cinemag and 990C combo as well. It sounded really nice. Then I popped in some Black Gate NX caps for the 1000 uF coupling caps with 0.1 uF Black Gate NX Hi-Q bypass caps. Wow! Things got incredibly nice. If I may be bold enough to make the claim, my Eisen Audio preamps in this configuration sound remarkably similar to my Pacifica, but with slightly faster transient response. This is going to be the one I will be using on drum overheads on my next session. Whatever I've created is a serious contender now.

Brad

yeah i did a 2 week test with recording a song with 4 different eisen pres. they're right around the block from my studio. 2 matched, two different, and also i had the purple biz pres. did a song with only those 6 preamps. i'm extremely pleased with what i've got. next time in im in the studio for no good reason i'll upload the song and recording description.

i've since returned them (our money got tied up on other stuff), but will be pretty much getting the same exact stuff i had for 2 weeks within a month or so. absolutely BANANAS drum sounds. rock rock rock yes yes yes rock. that's how they sounded.

NathanEldred · 28th August 2006

OSA MP1-C for a darker flavor on overheads (couples well with brighter mics and sounds rich with neutral mics), Buzz Elixir for tight detailed highs and mids for overheads. OSA MP1-L rocks on snare for me, it's tight but has a bit of 'hair' on it's back, kind of like a 1290 with less phase shift and a bit less low mids.

tvanveen · 28th August 2006

Biz biz biz.

warhead · 28th August 2006

EM Blue or P1.

War

sheltersoton · 28th August 2006

im gonna get controversial here guys....

there's not a whole lot of character differences on the whole from my experience

sure you may get a little bit of mid boost with one transformer over another, a little bit of difference with the real api op amps but not a while lot...

ok what i mean is.... sure there are variations and there will be ones you have a good experience with that you may favour for some jobs but on the whole it's a great format that all manufacturers who build for make great products..

i have an em silver and an osa L but the best ones i own are made by a guy local to me in the uk who tuens up on this board occasionally.. theyre made from old api cards and 2520 (?) op amps but with cinemag trannies and the sound incredible (on everything) im doing a project with them on oh and they sound great and rocky, the other day they were kick and snare,theyre ace on electric guitar and bass... and vox..... and glockenspiel.... and acoustics.... and percussion

you get my point

Klauth · 28th August 2006

After receiving my new, P-1's Friday. I felt compelled to chime in on this due to the fact that I did a little shoot out this weekend myself to see just what the, "REAL" differences were. I put up two sets of OH mics. AKG 414 ULS's and AT 4050's and ran 3 different 500 series mic pres. Purple Audio, BIZ. A-Designs P-1. and, API 512c's just to get a, "standardized" reference.

The overwhelming, "desirable sound" with both types of mics was, the, "BIZ" with the, "duel" setting. they all sounded good. but, the "bIZ" was just so, "in your face real. the, P-1's were just ok by comparison. also I'd like to say that when I received my P-1's one of them had the gain knob noticeably bent. was bummed to see that. especially at, THAT price range.

I plan on getting a couple of Elixirs next month to see how they compare. hope this helps a bit, cheers, Klauth.

Fletcher · 28th August 2006

[sung to Monty Python's "Spam"]

BIZ, BIZ, BIZ, BIZ, Biiiiizzzz, wonderful biz!!

Peter Montessi · 28th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klauth

After receiving my new, P-1's Friday. I felt compelled to chime in on this due to the fact that I did a little shoot out this weekend myself to see just what the, "REAL" differences were. I put up two sets of OH mics. AKG 414 ULS's and AT 4050's and ran 3 different 500 series mic pres. Purple Audio, BIZ. A-Designs P-1. and, API 512c's just to get a, "standardized" reference.

The overwhelming, "desirable sound" with both types of mics was, the, "BIZ" with the, "duel" setting. they all sounded good. but, the "bIZ" was just so, "in your face real. the, P-1's were just ok by comparison. also I'd like to say that when I received my P-1's one of them had the gain knob noticeably bent. was bummed to see that. especially at, THAT price range.

I plan on getting a couple of Elixirs next month to see how they compare. hope this helps a bit, cheers, Klauth.

Hello Klauth,

I never received any notification on this. Bent????
How long have you had it and when did you contact the dealer?

Please feel free to contact me direct if you are not in anyway happy with your service.

Peter Montessi
A Designs Audio
www.adesignsaudio.com

Brad McGowan · 28th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klauth

also I'd like to say that when I received my P-1's one of them had the gain knob noticeably bent. was bummed to see that. especially at, THAT price range.

It sounds like you should promptly contact your dealer and make an exchange. That seems like some damage possibly happened in transit.

Brad

pan60 · 28th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad McGowan

It sounds like you should promptly contact your dealer and make an exchange. That seems like some damage possibly happened in transit.

Brad

i agree
i just do not believe A-Designs would allow that out.
i would say get ahold of your dealer or Peter.

Klauth · 28th August 2006

Hey Brad,

Thanks for the advise. but, Peter already contacted me and said he would swap them out. Klauth.

27th August 2006	#1
Cujo Gear addict Joined: Nov 2004 Location: Boston Posts: 467 Thread Starter	Fave 500 series for snare or O'H's Sorry if I am beating a dead horse here but there are so many new choices out there now. I am curious what 500 series pres people are digging on their snares and for O/H's. Looks like some dig the A designs P-1's for O/Hs and Blue for Snare. Any comments about the Mono Gamas or even 512c's? I have a pair of BAE 312's now, looking to augment. __________________ The Blizzard of 78 Killing Floor Records

27th August 2006	#2
AdamJay Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 2,825	i like the EM-Red on snare. and yes, the P1's own overheads. i find myself using the Mono Gama on stuff outside of the drum kit. Vocals, Guitars, Keys, etc. I used it once on snare, and it did the job well, but i just prefer the EM-Red for snares, it seems to grab that particular sound more than the Gama . I sold my 512c. Great on drums, but IMO A-Designs is killin' 'em when it comes to a good, full, robust, yet controllable and versatile kit sound. __________________

28th August 2006	#6
NathanEldred Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2002 Location: West Coast Central Florida Posts: 7,242	OSA MP1-C for a darker flavor on overheads (couples well with brighter mics and sounds rich with neutral mics), Buzz Elixir for tight detailed highs and mids for overheads. OSA MP1-L rocks on snare for me, it's tight but has a bit of 'hair' on it's back, kind of like a 1290 with less phase shift and a bit less low mids. __________________ Nathan Eldred Visit Atlas Pro Audio

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27th August 2006	#3
seaneldon Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2006 Location: Bahstahn, MA Posts: 2,687	i recently had a pair of purple audio biz pres and used them on overheads with a royer sf12. very cool, aggressive sound. as i moved the mic lower and lower, i got a lot more direct grit which was very, very pleasing for rock and roll. they sounded absolutely tits wth some light (-1db gain reduction, max) compression. for snare, i'm a fan of the 512. nice and fast. also investigate the eisen audio diy kits, and pop in any guts you want as far as input and output trannies, and opamps. delicious results were had with a 990/cinemag combination.

28th August 2006	#4
Brad McGowan Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 5,582	Regarding the Eisen Audio kits... I built mine with a Cinemag and 990C combo as well. It sounded really nice. Then I popped in some Black Gate NX caps for the 1000 uF coupling caps with 0.1 uF Black Gate NX Hi-Q bypass caps. Wow! Things got incredibly nice. If I may be bold enough to make the claim, my Eisen Audio preamps in this configuration sound remarkably similar to my Pacifica, but with slightly faster transient response. This is going to be the one I will be using on drum overheads on my next session. Whatever I've created is a serious contender now. Brad

28th August 2006	#7
tvanveen Gear addict Joined: Aug 2005 Location: DC Posts: 312	Biz biz biz.

28th August 2006	#8
warhead Jai guru deva om Joined: Feb 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 12,259	EM Blue or P1. War

28th August 2006	#9
sheltersoton Gear addict Joined: Dec 2005 Location: Southampton Posts: 438	im gonna get controversial here guys.... there's not a whole lot of character differences on the whole from my experience sure you may get a little bit of mid boost with one transformer over another, a little bit of difference with the real api op amps but not a while lot... ok what i mean is.... sure there are variations and there will be ones you have a good experience with that you may favour for some jobs but on the whole it's a great format that all manufacturers who build for make great products.. i have an em silver and an osa L but the best ones i own are made by a guy local to me in the uk who tuens up on this board occasionally.. theyre made from old api cards and 2520 (?) op amps but with cinemag trannies and the sound incredible (on everything) im doing a project with them on oh and they sound great and rocky, the other day they were kick and snare,theyre ace on electric guitar and bass... and vox..... and glockenspiel.... and acoustics.... and percussion you get my point

28th August 2006	#10
Klauth Gear addict Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 399	After receiving my new, P-1's Friday. I felt compelled to chime in on this due to the fact that I did a little shoot out this weekend myself to see just what the, "REAL" differences were. I put up two sets of OH mics. AKG 414 ULS's and AT 4050's and ran 3 different 500 series mic pres. Purple Audio, BIZ. A-Designs P-1. and, API 512c's just to get a, "standardized" reference. The overwhelming, "desirable sound" with both types of mics was, the, "BIZ" with the, "duel" setting. they all sounded good. but, the "bIZ" was just so, "in your face real. the, P-1's were just ok by comparison. also I'd like to say that when I received my P-1's one of them had the gain knob noticeably bent. was bummed to see that. especially at, THAT price range. I plan on getting a couple of Elixirs next month to see how they compare. hope this helps a bit, cheers, Klauth.

28th August 2006	#11
Fletcher member no 666 Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Durham, NC Posts: 10,110	[sung to Monty Python's "Spam"] BIZ, BIZ, BIZ, BIZ, Biiiiizzzz, wonderful biz!!