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Author Topic: Vocal mic to compliment AKG C414 Vintech 1272?  (Read 3885 times)

brandondrury

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Vocal mic to compliment AKG C414 Vintech 1272?
« on: May 06, 2004, 03:43:29 PM »

Hello,

I've been using my AKG 414 almost exclusively for vocals.  1/4 the way through the bass trap process, I can already tell that this mic is much brighter than I had orginally thought.  

I can see where the simblance is going to be an excessive problem as my room gets more and more clear.

If you could only have two vocal mics, and assuming that one had to be an AKG C414, what would be the other choice?

Budget is fairly important.  I need to be under $1000.

I've considered the Audio Technica 4050 and 4060 tube mic.  I'm looking at the Shure KSM 44.  I'm considering ribbom mics, but I'm afraid to use these as I'm clumsy and forgetful.  The mic will be fried from phantom power in about 3 sessions!!


In the same light, my only preamps are the Vintech 1272 re-issue (2 channels) and my Macke 1604 VLZ board.  I'm looking for a great contrast to the Vintech.  Do you guys have any ideas?

I purchased the Vintech at a very early stage in my recording adventure and I've often compared the preamp to my Mackies and haven't heard much of a difference. Granted, my control room is horrible (I'm working on that) and maybe I'm a little inexperienced, but just haven't heard where my $1000 went.

On that note, a few guys on this forum have said the 1272 is aclean preamp and is not known as a character preamp.  I guess that's what I need.

So what preamp would be a compliment to the my Vintech 1272 preamps.  I would prefer two channels and I would like to be under $2k.  Ideally, I'd like to find something used to save some cash.

What do you guys recommend?

Brandon

Nathan Eldred

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Re: Vocal mic to compliment AKG C414 Vintech 1272?
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2004, 01:54:49 AM »

[quote title=brandondrury wrote on Thu, 06 May 2004 15:43]


Quote:

I purchased the Vintech at a very early stage in my recording adventure and I've often compared the preamp to my Mackies and haven't heard much of a difference.



Something IS very wrong then, an IC based preamp that almost blows up at 35db of gain (Mackie) compared to a discrete Class A transformer coupled preamp (Vintech)?   What I'm trying to say, is that they don't even sound remotely close to the same.



Quote:


On that note, a few guys on this forum have said the 1272 is aclean preamp and is not known as a character preamp.  I guess that's what I need.



What guys?  You must have misunderstood.  The Vintech 1272 is definitely not a "clean" preamp by any means, quite the opposite.


If you want something opposite the Vintech 1272, get something CLEAN with an airy, extended high frequency.
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Nathan Eldred

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Fletcher

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Re: Vocal mic to compliment AKG C414 Vintech 1272?
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2004, 07:14:30 AM »

IC topology isn't necessarily to blame for the Mackie's lack of headroom... I mean the Millennia HV-3 is an IC based box and it has some headroom...
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CN Fletcher

mwagener wrote on Sat, 11 September 2004 14:33
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"Recording engineers are an arrogant bunch.  
If you've spent most of your life with a few thousand dollars worth of musicians in the studio, making a decision every second and a half... and you and  they are going to have to live with it for the rest of your lives, you'll get pretty arrogant too.  It takes a certain amount of balls to do that... something around three"
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brandondrury

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Re: Vocal mic to compliment AKG C414 Vintech 1272?
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2004, 06:21:03 AM »

I hear about preamp this and preamp that all the time, but I have not heard anything that makes me say, "Yes!! That was worth a $1000!!!".  

How much difference should I hear?  I'm certainly not ultra experienced (only a million hours spent in the last few years doing this compared the normal dude on hear having 27 billion), but I am familiar with my tools.  Is the difference between a very colored preamp and a ultra clean preamp noticable by the average human being on a home stereo or is this one of those deals wear only hyper recording nerds will hear a difference?

I've tested a number of sources ranging from a cranked Marshall through a 4x12 to vocals to acoustic guitar with the Mackie and with the Vintech.  Solo'd and AB'd I can't distinguish one from the other.  

I will say that I can push the Vintech harder and hit has much lower noise.  As a general rule I do not push the Mackie preamps past 1 o' clock because the noise raises very quickly after that.


Brandon

kwhatx

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Re: Vocal mic to compliment AKG C414 Vintech 1272?
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2004, 10:42:29 AM »

 
Quote:

Solo'd and AB'd I can't distinguish one from the other.


I don't know what monitors you're using, but that may be part of the problem. Lower end monitors can make in difficult to hear differences in preamps, mics, etc.
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brandondrury

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Re: Vocal mic to compliment AKG C414 Vintech 1272?
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2004, 01:33:30 AM »

I'll admit that my room is poor, but I would assume that my monitors are at least suitable.  I'm using Mackie HR 824's, Alesis Monitor One's, and a Klische hi-fi w/sub.  I switch back and forth between them as each seams to reveal a new set of problems that just one set doesn't.

If you have to have very high end monitors to hear the difference between a Neve and a Mackie, then that means that no one that I know will ever hear the gear I use.  

In fact, I don't know anyone who owns as accurate of speaker as my Mackie monitors.  I've got a buddy with a $6k hi fi system, but I'm sure that at this rate it'll take me 100 years of full time recording before I can hear a difference between various preamps.

It sounds like I need to just stick to improving my room and practicing mixing.

Brandon
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