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Author Topic: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier  (Read 27781 times)

wwittman

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #15 on: September 17, 2008, 04:35:49 PM »

he said, she said



but I still think this idea that some mic pres are 'coloured' and other snot is nonsense.

marketing.

it's what people who make bland, unflattering mic pres say about their superior competition.

since you cannot listen to a microphone WITHOUT a preamp of some description, you really have no way to "know" that an API isn't what the mic "really sounds like" and the Millenia (for example) isn't sucking the balls OUT of it... as opposed to characterising the Millenia as "pure' and the API as "coloured"

to me, it's that #-D thing that is always the tipping point.
Some preamps make things sound like they're real, some like I'm looking at a colour transparency.
I'm not a big fan of the paper thin, flat plane sound.


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William Wittman
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(Cyndi Lauper, Joan Osborne, The Fixx, The Outfield, Hooters...)

wwittman

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #16 on: September 17, 2008, 04:37:05 PM »

Barry Hufker wrote on Tue, 16 September 2008 18:53

  If it doesn't impress you, don't blame the preamp.  The disappointment is likely what you have in the signal chain before it -- the talent, the instrument, the room, the mic.






funny how he started playing better, he got a better guitar, the mic improved, and the acoustics in the room were redesigned when we plugged into the API.

it's a miracle!


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William Wittman
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stevieeastend

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #17 on: September 17, 2008, 05:00:36 PM »


That last time I heard such glory stories on a pre was when people reported on the Chandler Germanium.

Can anybody report a comparison to the Gordon? Just curious....

cheers
St


btw Focusrite sounds just bad, couldn´t agree more!

Barry Hufker

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #18 on: September 17, 2008, 11:05:14 PM »

The more I build it up, the more you'll expect to the point where I'll have built your expectations to the point nothing could meet them.  So I'll let it go with the Model 5 is an excellent preamp if you want a clean, neutral sound.

I haven't heard the Germanium, but if it has a color, the Gordon doesn't.

Barry
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tom eaton

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #19 on: September 17, 2008, 11:43:30 PM »

Wandering off topic for a moment towards WW's point...

unless you know the preamp the mic designer used to listen to the mic while developing it, how do you know what the mic designer's sonic intent was?  

weren't all of these classic mics entirely designed and tweaked on transformered preamps?

grant is very nice, chatted with him for a while at the 2005 aes show... and the preamp certainly seems well designed, but it seems to me that pronouncing any preamp as providing the "true" or "most neutral" version of a mics signal is entirely conjecture and personal preference.

tom

Barry Hufker

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #20 on: September 18, 2008, 12:12:39 AM »

"it seems to me that pronouncing any preamp as providing the "true" or "most neutral" version of a mics signal is entirely conjecture and personal preference."

What you say Tom makes sense.  Going against that logic, I'll stand by my statement!

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maarvold

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #21 on: September 18, 2008, 12:46:16 AM »

tom eaton wrote on Wed, 17 September 2008 20:43

...it seems to me that pronouncing any preamp as providing the "true" or "most neutral" version of a mics signal is entirely conjecture and personal preference.


Once in a blue moon I'll be outside of the control room and get fooled into thinking I'm hearing an acoustic instrument playing, when it turns out that I am listening through the signal chain.  It seems like a chain that could do that would have to be quite "true" or "neutral" by definition.  If you have a preamp that you like on everything, how could that be neutral?  Everything in the world doesn't automatically sound fabulous.  

Regarding the 'sound' of the Gordon's: I have owned mine for at least 3 years and only barely have an idea of what they sound like... truthfully, it would be a lot easier for me to say what they don't do (they don't sound small, don't sound distressed or strained, don't sound dark, don't sound bright, don't sound congested, don't sound smooth, don't sound rough, don't sound grainy, don't sound 'hi fi', don't sound fat, don't sound thin, don't sound compressed, don't sound 'sugar-coated' or 'glossy' or 'shiny', etc) than to say what they do sound like.  This is not true of my Millennias, which I have owned for roughly the same amount of time and used roughly as much.  This is NOT to say I don't like my Millennias.  But they have a more identifiable character than the Gordon's do.  

The two things I would say about the sound of the Gordon's:
1. VERY occasionally they will sound ever-so-slightly edgy on some sources.  This has happened so rarely over the years it makes me think it doesn't have anything to do with the preamps themselves.  
2. They always sound big and powerful when those properties are present in the source.  An example of this is the trumpet section in the training montage of "Rocky Balboa" which was recorded through Gordon's (by my friend Dan Wallin).  
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Michael Aarvold
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stevieeastend

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #22 on: September 18, 2008, 03:42:30 AM »

I will try to get my hands on both (Chandler and Gordon) and will test them side by side. You guys made me very curious...

Barry Hufker

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #23 on: September 18, 2008, 10:18:09 AM »

As we have nothing to gain financially or personally, I'm glad our enthusiasm has made you want to investigate.  What I (and probably we) will gain, if you like the Gordon, is the excitement of knowing I gave someone a good tip.

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stevieeastend

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #24 on: September 18, 2008, 10:38:21 AM »

I´ve been testing pres just out of curiousity occasionally during my everyday producing and more often than not the results are unbelieveable different, at least to my ears.
How can a Focusrite be that expensive and sound that thin?
How can a Universal Audio look that cool and sound that unuseable?
How can a Marchtech sound that neutral and give you everything you need?
To me I prefer pre´s that give you everything but the colour simply because I don´t like the colour of the ones providing one. But maybe the Germanium will change that. And maybe the Gordon will outplay my costum build ones... I´ll see...

Plush

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #25 on: September 29, 2008, 08:24:33 PM »

The Gordon is certainly endorsed here.

Sound is excellent (neutral) and with super high headroom.
The Gordon has the ability to record very complex orchestral waveforms and sound natural--nothing is exaggerated.

Remote controlled mic amps are often required here. In that vein, the only competition for the Gordon Model 5 is the Crookwood Paintpot.

The Gordon is also musical sounding. That is certainly a high compliment.

Recently I hooked ours up to a less than great stereo pair hanging in an auditorium.
It sounded terrible because the old mics in permanent position were terrible. I switched to a different mic amp and it was terrible too. The difference was that the Gordon mic amp was even more revealing of the terrible sound.

That means the Gordon is for real.

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Bob Olhsson

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #26 on: September 30, 2008, 12:34:29 PM »

The story of this preamp is pretty amazing. From what I understand, Grant Carpenter showed up on the doorstep of several cost-no-object studios and managed to coax people into BOTH trying his preamp AND giving him feedback.

He then took everything he had been told and just kept on improving the preamp for several years until a number of Nashville's top engineers were telling him that it was definitely the best sounding preamp available from literally all of the other potential contenders sitting right next to it in their racks.

It's very rare for a piece of gear to be the result of this much collaboration between a gifted design engineer and top recording engineers.

Hank Alrich

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #27 on: September 30, 2008, 06:50:03 PM »

Bob Olhsson wrote on Tue, 30 September 2008 09:34

The story of this preamp is pretty amazing. From what I understand, Grant Carpenter showed up on the doorstep of several cost-no-object studios and managed to coax people into BOTH trying his preamp AND giving him feedback.

He then took everything he had been told and just kept on improving the preamp for several years until a number of Nashville's top engineers were telling him that it was definitely the best sounding preamp available from literally all of the other potential contenders sitting right next to it in their racks.

It's very rare for a piece of gear to be the result of this much collaboration between a gifted design engineer and top recording engineers.


There was a period where he attended shows to explain the pre to folks but wouldn't sell them one because he'd figured out a way he thought he could improve the design. I think that was during the Model 4 stage.

He's a different kind of guy, with a background different than most mic pre designers, something to do with spook work and noise floors.

I was talking to him at an AES show when David Josephson walked up and asked Grant what was the noise floor of his phantom power supply. I think at that time Grant didn't know. Bet he does now.

Barry Hufker

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #28 on: September 30, 2008, 07:32:01 PM »

When Grant came out with the Model 5, I told him I wanted to purchase one.  He wanted me to trade in my Model 3.  He was surprised when I said no and didn't understand why.  I told him I wanted proof I had been a customer early on.  Quite frankly, I can't hear the difference between the 3 and 5 but I'm sure (knowing Grant) it's there.

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MDM,

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Re: Gordon Instruments Model 5 Microphone Preamplifier
« Reply #29 on: October 11, 2008, 11:12:49 AM »

I think I understand what WW is saying as well as Barry.

Barry is saying that the gordon represents the sound from a tonal-balance point of view, lack of noise and lack of added harmonics.

I think Barry usually mics with not too many mics and does a lot of classical etc. (correct me if I am wrong).

on the other hand WW is maybe alluding to that aspect of reproduction which concerns itself with 'balls', 'presence', 'liveness' and dynamic impact.

usually very clean pre's tend to lack a bit in this sector, because in erasing audible distortion, for tech reasons.. you tend to lose some of the directness of the musik

the gordon may be the best of the low-distortion pre's, but it may not be suited for music which is based on live 'feel' and does not need a super-accurate tonal representation.
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