Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Dan Lawrence]

Question for Fletcher or anyone else experience w/ Unity Rock's.

I've been doing a lot of research on some new nearfields. My first pair (Genelec 1029's, w/ 1091a sub) just don't give me an accurate translation across the broader spectrum. Mixes can sound good on them, but not when played on consumer mediums. (Sound familiar, anyone?) 

So I have a chance to demo a few @ VKLA next week. (a rare opportunity for me) and hope to go in armed w/knowledge.

Will probably be demoing Focals, PMC's, ProAc, and hopefully, the Unity Rock, MK II.

I got turned on to them through Fletchers recommendation last fall in this forum, but I don't think it was the MKII's. Don't know when they were released, but its the latest.

Fletcher (or all y'all), have you heard those upgrades? They supposedly have a greater support for the low end 30-50 hz, helpful to deep tone mixes w/o using a sub. I am definitely inclined to stay away from the subs. Just doesn't seem to work well for nearfields in my situation. I also like the idea of a class AB over some of the class D amps found in others, mostly based on intuition.

ps - the only review on the Unity site is in German. Das ist no good for me.

Thanks

D 

[Fletcher]

Sorry it took so long to get back here... sometimes life gets in the way  ;(

I love the Rock II's -- I've heard them, worked with them, and just plain love them.  I found them wonderfully easy to work on, and what I did in "in the room" translated really well to "on the street" [the point of the exercise] -- even when working in one of the absolute worst sounding control rooms to which I've ever been sentenced.

The last thing I did on the rocks was a song with Terry Anderson & the Olympic Ass Kickin' Team for a "mix competition" that was sponsored by TELEFUNKEN last summer.  Unity sent us over a set of "Rock II"s for demo... so I was kind of multi-tasking in terms of trying stuff out -- but of all the things we tried, the "Rock" monitors were the least painful [the session was about using several T-funk mics on each sound so you could demo them in multi-track format -- which turned into a "mix competition" -- but we checked out a ton of other stuff at the same time]. 

Here's a link to the only copy of the song I know how to find http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBVL519dMfs -- not the greatest resolution, but its the "best available"

Peace

[Dan Lawrence]

Thanks Fletcher, sounds like the Rock II's still fit the bill well.
definitely on my short list for this week's demo session.

"Rock" on

d

[Dan Lawrence]

PS - I really enjoyed listening to that mix. What seems really clear and pristine is the definition and spacing in the upper mids and up. I'm listening through earbuds, though, cuz I'm away from home. But what I really found exceptional was the sound of the toms. Bravo. The kick was way cool too. I wondered if that was you in the vid sitting at the desk (board) in the hat and glasses. The mix is definitely an endorsement on the chain used to create it.

Thnx again

d
 

[Fletcher]

Yup - that's me at the desk... the bald guy [hence the hat] with the white pony tail.  Its not so bad that stress is a killer -- what sucks is that stress is a killer of hair follicles.

That project was a blast to do -- but what impressed me most [hardware wise] were the "Rock II"s.  As for the toms and the kik, what you're hearing are drums that were tuned VERY well, mic'ed top and bottom with a little EQ - a little transient designer -- and the "secret weapon" [Littlelabs IBP units].

Peace

[Dan Lawrence]

Cool tip. Well tuned drums are always a good place to start!  I recently got back from my monitor "shoot out" at VKLA. It was so nice to have a facility like that to test them in, so special thanks to the folks at Vintage King. If y'all ever want to open a room like that in Oregon, I'll be there once a week!

I tried the Rocks (but they didn't have the MKII on hand), the Focal Solo6, some Pro Ac 100's and ATC scm 25. All were great, and admittedly, the ATC's handled the low end better for being "small" nearfields, but they are the size of luggage and weigh a ton, and just plain unsuitable for my tight space situation. As for the others on the list, trying to be completely uninfluenced by Fletcher's experience, I also found them to be the most clear and exacting in their upper mids. I went in swearing I wouldn't come out with a subwoofer set-up, and even somewhat reluctant to get active monitors, but with the Tim Paravicini's great reputation and a little help from a sub, I did find the Rocks were an excellent choice, and I ordered up a pair w/ an Adam 8" subwoofer.

ps - i know what you mean about the hair and the stress Fletch. I've had long hair all my life, and the only thing that makes me want to cut it is the clumps I pull out of the shower everyday. 

Thanks again!

d

[Fletcher]

I think you're going to be VERY pleasantly surprised by the Rock II's... they should give you a very nice competitive advantage.

Peace

[Dan Lawrence]

I have had so much fun just breaking in the Rock II's, and their convenient RCA jacks made it easy to hook up my rarely accessed supply of cassettes. From Hendrix to the Gyoto Monks, these things are the definition of "Detailed Monitors."

Good News, Bad News, etc .... then I hooked them up to my system and reviewed my work.

"OH?" ... "so THAT"S what my mixes sound like!!!"

ciao

d

[Fletcher]

...but that's a good thing!!!