FINALLY...an Avalon 737sp tutorial that gets right to the point with great settings options (the ones that I want) and actually shows the knob adjustments clearly. Thank you!!!
Any tube mic preamp is going to be a bit noisy on low output microphones like ribbon mics, or maybe even Shure SM7B and similar. Some folks put a Cloud Lifter in front of the preamp to get the level of the mic up above the tube noise. This is not a purist solution (using a solid state booster in front of a tube preamp) but hey, if it works, great. Or use a condenser mic with a hotter output.
I have a Nueman U-87 and am hoping I don’t need to replace the tubes if I buy a used one right away. I had bought a tube mic preamp called a 1966 and it was really bad, I also tried the ART cheaper tube mic preamp and it was too noisy for what I am looking for as far as vocals and acoustic using my 87…. I am really hoping because I see the value in the warmer, fuller, well rounded, smooth tube sound. I will get an Avalon used off of Ebay in a few weeks. I have wanted the Avalon for about 10 years but just did not have the money for that with life and responsibilities. Do you think with the U87 I will hear a bunch of hiss on the high end for vocals? And thank you for writing, I really appreciate hearing other engineers views. 😊
@@littlepacificstudios I have a U87, and it has about the same output level as the modified 414EB heard in this video. So if you jack up the volume while listening to the video and hear too much noise/hiss, then this is not the preamp for you. It is not a problem for me, but I don't tend to worry to much about noise. It adds character :) U87 + Avalon 737 is a classic combo for bright vocals and rap.
Thank you sooo much! That is great advice! I will listen to anything from now on a little louder when they are doing demos. Thank you! I did and do agree with you about a little sound coloration is not always a bad thing if it can add to the subtleties in the over all mix of a tune. Thank you for spending the time to help me understand some very important things about this unit before I go and make such a big purchase, for many of us even buying a used unit is a really big deal. 😊
It is wrong that Naumann has stopped producing legendary U 47 FET, U47 vintage, U67 VINTAGE, U87 FET condenser microphones. These mics should be recreated with same components and same sound texture.
This was indeed a cool little production. The voiceover was nicely funky. With the telephone effect filter. Very cute. Very highly processed. Processed very well. But let's get down to the nitty-gritty here. We are showing, vintage Neumann microphones. And the one I didn't own, personally. Was an original, U-47 with that TELEFUNKEN, VF-14, metal envelope valve/vacuum tube. While I owned a pair each of original, U-67's and a first release original, U-87's. Along with a pair of KM-86's and a KM-56 valve. Along with a little-known, lavalier, KML. Battery powering only. No phantom for that. No batteries available anymore. It was a KM-84 capsule. But I digress. For those of you that need a new diaphragm. Do not get those, Thinner Diaphragms. No! That is patently, stupid to do. That's how you make your expensive Neumann Microphones sound like a, $85 Chinese version! And if that's the sound you want? You'll have no problem getting it. The Neumann diaphragms are, 6 mil, thick. They are, in short, thick. And they sound thick. Compared to a thinner, 3 mil, diaphragm. And the really super hyper crispy fried sounding ones are the, superthin, 1.5 mil, thin, diaphragms. Ugh! They are beyond fizzy and metallic sounding! And totally great if you like amateur hour sound. I don't. That's why I purchased Neumann microphones. They have thick diaphragms. For thick sound. That takes EQ, very well. Now when it comes to, Valves and Vacuum Tubes. Forget about it! There aren't any good ones anymore. Unless you can find some New Old Stock, German-made, TELEFUNKEN's. You don't got shit. In fact. That's all you got is, shit, vacuum tubes today. That are not worth the materials they are made with. Let me explain. A, U-47 is only a U-47. With that, VF-14 original TELEFUNKEN metal envelope tube. Because any other tube, Nuvistor. Ain't going to sound like a, U-47. It just won't. It'll sound like something else. Using a, M-7 capsule. But it will not sound like a, U-47. Even if it has 47 in its model number by its manufacturer. It's not really a 47, at all. Not even close. And the difference is Jaw Dropping! Would you have adhered the real thing. Compared to anything else. You will need an airsickness bag handy. It's really that different that bad. Not even a Neumann U-47 FET sounds like a U-47. With a VF-14 valve in it. Nope! Ha ha! Now that U-67. Yeah I had a nice pair of those with original TELEFUNKEN, EF-86 Pentode. As mine got noisy over the years. So it was time to replace them both. Thankfully, companies like, RCA, Raytheon, GE, Sylvania, were still making them. Plenty were available. And they were still reasonably priced. So since I had the money back then. I purchased a pair of each of those manufacturers. Brand-new, EF-86 Pentode, tubes. And I could hardly wait to hear which ones sounded the best! So I took my microphones over to a buddies studio. It was a real fine place. It had been designed and built by, API Audio Products Inc. And had been their own studio. And then sold to my colleague Buddy friend. And he had a, U-47 original. It sounded very nice. So I opened up my U-67's. An eye-popping a couple of new tubes into each one. The RCA and the Raytheon. And we let them warm up. As we play back some other mixes. And now the microphones are warmed up. I can hardly wait! And we take a listen. Having a, U-87 on the side. As an additional reference. And oh wow! Both U-67's sound like total crap! Unusable! What the hell? This sounds awful! This brand-new RCA and Raytheon tube, sounds awful.. Something must be wrong with them? So I grabbed GE and Sylvania, EF-86's. And I pop those into both U-67's. And let them warm up briefly. We take another listen. And what do you know? They sound just as horrible. Just as bad. Just as unusable. And we are both sitting there dumbfounded. What the hell is going on? These are brand-new. Something must've gone wrong with the power supplies? I take out the old voltmeter. Everything is fine. So now what? Something has happened to the diaphragms? So. I pop the old noisy TELEFUNKEN EF-86's back in. I switch on the microphones. Let them warm up briefly. And aside from the background noise. It sounds Spectacular! What the hell? With the brand-new vacuum tubes. Both U-67's didn't sound anywhere near as usable as the U-87. They sounded like crunchy distorted mud. I've never heard anything like that before. Out of a Neumann microphone. And I was shocked to my core. What did this mean? This meant. German TELEFUNKEN vacuum tubes. Were obviously built. With ingredients. Not necessarily healthy to human beings. And why that VF-14 went out of production so quickly? When there were thousands of U-47's out there around the world. Why would they stop making the valves/vacuum tubes for them? When both companies were actively involved with one another. What the hell? And then even my TELEFUNKEN EF-86's. Sounded way different. Way better. Than any of the brand-new American versions. Today. You can only find the, Russian and Chinese versions of those valves/vacuum tubes. And I've heard those also. They are even worse sounding! They are fine for guitar amplifiers. They are fine for your hi-fi amplifiers. They are not fine for microphones of any kind. They sound dreadful. Now I had a number of lovely, classic vacuum tube microphone mixers. They were 4 inputs each. And they all used the popular, dual triode, small glass envelope, 12 AX 7, type tubes. And in one mixer I had the TELEFUNKEN, vacuum tubes. In the other one. I put in brand-new, Russian and Chinese versions. While the Russian and Chinese versions, did work. And I deemed them usable. They just seemed to lack, the warmth I expected. The fullness that was absent. The air, that was frozen sounding. And I was left disappointed. While those Russian and Chinese tubes could work, can work. The sound of them left me cold. They had no depth, to the sound. The sound was there, sure. It was ice cold sounding. And I looked at the tube to see if it was actually glowing? Yes it was. But the sound didn't sound like it. It just sounded, metallic. And so I realized. Some years back. If you want vacuum tubes? You only want TELEFUNKEN vacuum tubes. Nothing else really sounds great like TELEFUNKEN vacuum tubes. And they are no longer made. That German company no longer exists. They exist in the USA in name only. The clone classic microphones they are making are nice. They are not worth the money. Because you can no longer get the right tubes. And everybody is making thin diaphragms. That make them all sound like they are $80 each from China. So my advice to you youngsters. Stick with, Transistorized Condenser Microphones. With thick, diaphragms of 6 mil, thickness.. And don't worry if they don't sound, all bright and fizzy sounding. They will be far more listenable for the listeners. And so for my retirement. I sold off my lovely Neumann microphones I've had for over 40 years. And I made a nice chunk of change on them. I shall miss them dearly. I used them for decades. And if you want a Neumann microphone? You don't want somebody else's bargain replacement capsule. You don't even want an expensive thin one. Do not do that. As if you want an airy sound? Get a small diaphragm condenser microphone. Not a large diaphragm condenser microphone. You'll get more air from the smaller ones. And more low-end. And more precise sounding. More linear sounding. You get from, SDC's. It's a known fact. The smaller the diaphragm the better. But noise increases. Versus output. But hey.... If you haven't used a Sennheiser, MKE-2, micromanager, lavalier microphone, tie tack microphone. As a full-blown, omnidirectional, recording microphone? You haven't lived. They are great! And you can clip them and tape them on to most anything! Really great to use. And great sounding. Very linear. I never had any problems with noise. And they have a, 2 position, low cut switch. Very handy with excessive AC rumble and a swift breeze. Whereas I've actually taped them on to music stands. Because my TV Director said…… I don't want to see any microphones on camera. Okey-dokey then! And of the 12 or so microphones I was using. You could never see one of them. And there were solo singers and a full Symphony Orchestra. And a, 200 voice choir. All in NBC-TV Studio A, Washington DC. And I received an, Emmy Nomination for that production. For best audio category. And it was not my best audio. It was my compromised audio. It was all a compromise. Because my director didn't want to see any microphones on camera. And so I used lavalier/tie tack, microphones. Some were even hidden in, Poinsettia, Christmas plans. That had the microphones for the vocal soloists. And it was down near their feet. But it sounded like it was in their face where it needed to be. And those crappy little lavalier/tie tack microphones sound incredible! And so easy to use. You don't need microphone stands. You just need duct tape. And that's much easier. Stick with transistorized microphones in the New Millennia. You can't go back in time. RemyRAD
had one !! This always start at first or second crank, everything was broken but it always start. Great mini trail bike. I dont know why they put the ignition key at that weird place.... you turned the handle bar too much and the key break inside the lock !!!!! My key was a 3/8 washer welded to the remaining key part LOL
The pre puts the dynamics before the eq. The arrow is for linking left and right the channel to the right of the artow if you hsd two or more. A VERY FINE TOOL BOX INDEED. GREAT POST.
Genial !!!! En este momento estoy en proceso de una restauración de una Honda Dax este video me motiva y entusiasma aún más a terminar el proyecto Gracias!!! Abrazo!!!
The neve 1099 might be one of the most beautiful eqs i’ve ever heard for vocals… wow I have an API 550, avalon 2055, neve 1073, hendyamps eq and I feel covered… But this eq is calling out for me🥺🥺 Is there any remakes, reissues of this?!
That 1099 sounds so heavenly sweet - it’s like the sound of god. Huge hug of warmth, presence and sweetness. So so so beautiful. Rupert made some amazing audio gear hands down 😍
Thanks for the video! It really explains everything. Just got a free version of Xtressor NUKE by Kiive Audio and was wondering if I got the "right" distressor plugin. Guess, that little one works pretty well, at least for my untrained ears =) For me, less buttons = easier to get used to it, so I'm fine by using only the NUKE mode alone for now. And your video did help me a lot <3
Had one 46 years ago when I was 14 a lot of great memories with that bike, kids down the street stole it and never seen it again, I think about it to this day wish I still had it
