Mic/Mic Pre Combo Shootout (without really setting out to do one)

dbbubba · 16th September 2006

As a lot of you know from my posts, I have been archiving years and years of material that I have recorded, played, produced, mixed over the last thirty years. Things we just getting lost and forgotten, so I am compiling them by genre and dates.

I started noticing a big difference in vocal sounds as I moved from studio to studio with the same artists. Ove rthe last twenty years I have recorded my wife, who is a University of North Texas School of Music graduate and a fantastic vocalist who can sing almost any style very well.

In the beginning we used an AKG 414buls into a TASCAM M50 with a dBx 160x mixed to an Ampex AG440. The sound is pretty one dimensional. When I moved to a U87 (early '70s vintage) I start to hear an improvement. In this era I was using the U87, Soundtracs CM2200, a UREI blue stripe 1176 to MCI JH24 30 ips mixed to an Ampex ATR102. When I started using the same setup, but with a Demeter tube mic pre there is a huge improvemnt. In the era where I used a TLM103, Neve 8128, Neve 33609 and an Otatri MTR90ii the sound is good, but maybe not as nice as the U87, Soundtracs era.

The BIG change is when I did some sessions with a SoundDeluxe U95, Sphere M1200s, Blackface 1176s (Rev E) This mic and mic pre combination has the very best articulation and the prettiest top end. It is the winner by far!

Another artist I record a lot used a Nuemann TLM102 into a Manley VoxBox and while it sounds good, the previous sessions where I used a U87 and the Demeter with the 1176 blue stripe sound maybe more like a record without the need for further processing.

I need another SoundDeluxe U95!
It is THE winner!

Although I have used other "better' vocal mics over the years I can't compare them because I only recorded the artist once and don't have comparisons like this.

Danny Brown

16th September 2006	#1
dbbubba Banned Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 7,099 Thread Starter	Mic/Mic Pre Combo Shootout (without really setting out to do one) As a lot of you know from my posts, I have been archiving years and years of material that I have recorded, played, produced, mixed over the last thirty years. Things we just getting lost and forgotten, so I am compiling them by genre and dates. I started noticing a big difference in vocal sounds as I moved from studio to studio with the same artists. Ove rthe last twenty years I have recorded my wife, who is a University of North Texas School of Music graduate and a fantastic vocalist who can sing almost any style very well. In the beginning we used an AKG 414buls into a TASCAM M50 with a dBx 160x mixed to an Ampex AG440. The sound is pretty one dimensional. When I moved to a U87 (early '70s vintage) I start to hear an improvement. In this era I was using the U87, Soundtracs CM2200, a UREI blue stripe 1176 to MCI JH24 30 ips mixed to an Ampex ATR102. When I started using the same setup, but with a Demeter tube mic pre there is a huge improvemnt. In the era where I used a TLM103, Neve 8128, Neve 33609 and an Otatri MTR90ii the sound is good, but maybe not as nice as the U87, Soundtracs era. The BIG change is when I did some sessions with a SoundDeluxe U95, Sphere M1200s, Blackface 1176s (Rev E) This mic and mic pre combination has the very best articulation and the prettiest top end. It is the winner by far! Another artist I record a lot used a Nuemann TLM102 into a Manley VoxBox and while it sounds good, the previous sessions where I used a U87 and the Demeter with the 1176 blue stripe sound maybe more like a record without the need for further processing. I need another SoundDeluxe U95! It is THE winner! Although I have used other "better' vocal mics over the years I can't compare them because I only recorded the artist once and don't have comparisons like this. Danny Brown

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