#945560 - 08/02/00 02:01 PM
Warming up sound
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Anonymous
Anonymous
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Fellas:
What would you recommend for improving sound? I would like to warm up my synths and add definition to the voice and piano. I would prefer to get a VST or DirectX plugin for convenience (and economics).
I am using a rompler and a VA synth, a grand piano and occasional vocals. (Most of the work is done in VST & Acid.) I am running my (SM58) mike through a Digitech Studio vocalist, most of the time (piano & vocals). The piano is nice sounding and I woud like to showcase it, cheaply.
Any advice?
Jerry
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#945561 - 08/02/00 08:48 PM
Re: Warming up sound
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lloydmurphy@hotmail.com
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Registered: 07/26/00
Posts: 23
Loc: Dana Point,CA,UNITED STATES
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Some kind of tube amp/pre amp???
I bought a dbx 386 dual tube pre amp pretty cheap (about $500) and run my entire mix through it. It warms my digital synths up nicely and vocals sound especially good through it...
...Or, you could buy the steinburg 'magneto' plugin for vst/wavelab. This is a tape saturation emulator and does a nice job of warming things up a tad...
Hope either of these help!
Lloyd.
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#945562 - 08/02/00 10:01 PM
Re: Warming up sound
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Uh Clem
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 03/13/00
Posts: 3442
Loc: Atlanta, GA USA
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Originally posted by jerrya3@hotmail.com:
Fellas:
What would you recommend for improving sound? I would like to warm up my synths and add definition to the voice and piano. I would prefer to get a VST or DirectX plugin for convenience (and economics).
I am using a rompler and a VA synth, a grand piano and occasional vocals. (Most of the work is done in VST & Acid.) I am running my (SM58) mike through a Digitech Studio vocalist, most of the time (piano & vocals). The piano is nice sounding and I woud like to showcase it, cheaply.
Any advice?
Jerry
Maybe some other mic than a 58 for your voice and piano - that might warm things up hugely. You are probably trying to bring out a quality in the sound that you haven't captured. For $200, I think the AKG C535EB is a great deal and sounds nearly as good as some $500-$1000 mics - and I would characterize it as warm sounding. If you have more to spend, look maybe at a Neumann TLM103, AT4050, Rode NT2, etc. The difference over a 58 will not be subtle.
Next would be a better pre than the Mackie which, to me, is not warm at all.
The plug-ins might help but I doubt you will be happy with the result - going at it that way, you are trying to spin gold from straw. Start upstream and work your way down from there.
[This message has been edited by stevepow (edited 08-02-2000).]
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#945563 - 08/02/00 10:44 PM
Re: Warming up sound
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by stevepow:
[B]
>Next would be a better pre than the Mackie >which, to me, is not warm at all.
Thanks for your responses.
I'll go listen to microphones, do you guys know of any cheaper mic-pres. I am not sure I am in the $500 range? (yet)
Also I am not going into a Mackie mixer. My synths go straight through a Layla into the PC. My vocals go through the Studio vocalist into the Layla with some mild doubling and the piano goes through the studio vocalist into the Layla with effects bypassed.
I don't know if this is a significant mistake as I have nothing to compare it to.
I assume that a mic-pre would replace the vocalist in the chain (and a mic the sm58).
Cheers,
Jerry
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#945564 - 08/02/00 11:54 PM
Re: Warming up sound
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Uh Clem
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Registered: 03/13/00
Posts: 3442
Loc: Atlanta, GA USA
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 wow - I'm tripping - don't know where I got Mackie from - oh well - sorry. Don't know about pres in that range - sorry.
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#945565 - 08/03/00 01:10 PM
Re: Warming up sound
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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Hoping to look at cheaper mic pres, I visited ZZounds. They have three, but I don't know if they sound terrible or if they just have less features than their more expensive brethren.
Art Tube MP - $99
Bellari LA120 Tube Compressor/Limiter- $115
PreSonus BlueTube Mic Pre- $150
Are these any good?
Cheers,
Jerry
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#945566 - 08/04/00 01:20 AM
Re: Warming up sound
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suremann
Senior Member
Registered: 06/05/00
Posts: 70
Loc: Urbana,OH,UNITED STATES
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I bought an ART Tube MP about two years ago and never use it - too much noise. Its very distracting, but I've only heard mine. Maybe its just this particular preamp. I've had better luck with the Presonus MP20, but that's a little more expensive.
Thanks,
Chris
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#945567 - 08/04/00 04:18 AM
Re: Warming up sound
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c1131@hotmail.com
Senior Member
Registered: 06/10/00
Posts: 85
Loc: Adrian,MI,UNITED STATES
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The Bellari is warm but has a color to it you may or may not enjoy the Blue tube is cool saw it at Namm show it use's Sovtek tube which also have color to them (as does everything really) my suggestion would be to a local store and check em out and buy what sounds good to you. Joe Meek makes a couple low end pre's that are very interesting as well and The Aphex 107 has tubes in it as is relativly inexpensive and you can find them used pretty easily. They tend to have a pretty thick low-mid but sound good on some things. Again I' d say go listen.
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#945568 - 08/04/00 04:24 AM
Re: Warming up sound
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c1131@hotmail.com
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Registered: 06/10/00
Posts: 85
Loc: Adrian,MI,UNITED STATES
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Hey I almost forgot, you may want to run some of your synth sounds through an amp and mike them to warm them up make em more organic or natural, also adding distorion can warm up certain sounds you just have to play with the type and mix, I run a couple pedals out board sans amp/pod type things in my aux's does wonder's for drums etc.that should be easy to do with plug-ins (the distorion part that is)I think the Bomb Factory make some really cool compressor emulations that might lend some cool warmth/tone to what your doing as well.?.
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#945569 - 08/04/00 04:24 PM
Re: Warming up sound
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good morning
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Registered: 06/22/00
Posts: 205
Loc: Arlington,VA,UNITED STATES
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I have the ART PRO MPA. I like what it does to my bass (going through a Bass Driver DI on into a VS 1680), and I like what it does to string sounds coming from my Clavinova. However, I think it muddies up piano sounds. That's my main instrument, so I'm kind of picky about losing clarity and nuance there.
Lately I've been miking with a CAD VSM-1, which has a tube, and blending that with a direct signal. To my ears, that gives the best results by far.
In short, don't buy the hype about tube pres "warming" things up and taking you straight to sonic heaven. They'll do some good, but cheaper ones will also do some bad. You mentioned budget constraints. Unless you are under a strict deadline, take your time and listen critically to the alternatives suggested.
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#945570 - 08/07/00 06:28 AM
Re: Warming up sound
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Anderton
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 01/28/00
Posts: 7346
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Good comments. I think the better mic route is important, especially for piano. As to warmth, I wish that could be a little better defined. To some people it means less brightness, but I think you can have a sparkly high end and beefy, but polite, lower midrange that gives some of that "warmth." Tubes do not automatically give this.
I know a lot of happy ART tube preamp owners but they're best with fairly loud signals, not for delicate, critical listening. I like the Aphex 107 a lot because it maintains a very clean, sparkly (not "brittle") high end.
I think EQ is often overlooked as being an important place to begin your quest for warmth rather than starting with some particular technology.
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