If I could afford it I’d go tube for sure. It sounds so natural and would not require as much de essing while mixing. I can dial in the top end of that mic much easier since it’s not getting boosted as much from the start.
I prefer FET. Podcasts these days abuse a saturated AM radio type sound. It gets cliche fast. FET comes off super clean and way less listening fatigue for speaking.
The primary reason tubes are still so highly favored is the natural compression created by the grid, and when run into saturation, the distortion isn't audible the same way it is with semiconductors due to nonlinearity and the input signal giving a heavy dose of electrons reaching the plate as the pseudo driving force. *The natural bandwidth and various speed characteristics of semiconductors is superior, but this can be compensated with circuitry in tube circuits.* When saturation drives a tube into clipping, it's graceful and pleasing. Generally, an FET/MOSFET driven into clipping from saturation has a "shattered" texture and is typically obviously audible. If you aren't in the habit of running gear into saturation, it's going to largely boil down to the impact on your wallet, and you can always back off on an FET and run it through a tube in saturation after the fact. The tube sounded just a tiny bit fuller and for your style of vocals, it was just enough more pleasing for me to say go with the tube, or at least put one in the signal chain. *I think this last point is just so very widely overlooked.* We were also in agreement with the FET for the acoustic. More articulation, better definition and it lacks one of the primary things I can detest about tubes, mud. *I have often regarded this as saying the equipment will literally sound like it has cold congestion depending who set it up.* Of course, there's the ultimate option to run both or more pieces of equipment into individual tracks, then blend the levels. Seeking bass from one, treble the other etc. and you know the game. Oddly enough, I am an electrical/electronics engineer, so I fall into the class of people that will also always say "it's ridiculously overpriced", but this is the case with virtually every branch of consumer and commercial broadcast electronics where there's little disambiguation anymore as it is. *I will almost always favor BJT's over FETs, MOSFETs and even tubes, but I'm also the one designing or inventing the circuitry.* You get the best of both worlds and beyond.
@@HaharuRecords any device and the relative physics you want to know about just ask. Plate saturation is pretty easy to explain without confusing people outside the science. It's one of the more interesting functions of tube technology when related to audio, and clarifies the ”warmth” and ”mud” as we regard it.
I like having both types in the arsenal as it really depends on what I'm recording. The FET is crisper through the mids and the tube is def warmer. Great stare and compare man! Much appreciated.
Hey Austin! Hope you're doing well. I haven't seen a video about the slate ml 1 and i was curious about your thoughts on it. Some people seem to love and swear by it while others say it's a waste. Keep up the great content brother!
What would both of these mics sound like together with the fet at 3" away on the 11th fret and the tube mic over the soundhole at about 6" away i believe the blend of the two might sound great personally on an acoustic guitar I use a dpa 4099 at the 12th fret for both live (Although i am using a shure Axient wireless unit) and for recording i use a dpa adapter on the end of the wire to plug into a three prong microphone cable and it sounds amazing!
Both mics sound good through my iPad. Not a real test. On the V13 tube mic Vanguard states you can use most any 12A#7 tube family in it. They don’t say what it ships with. Have you tried anything besides the supplied tube. How do the characteristics change? I have several tube mics and I’ve never had the nerve to change one out, except to upgrade a the worn tube. I have three AKG C28b and one had a worn out 6072 that I replaced to bring it back to spec. They all sound uniquely different.
I have compared them. The V13 absolutely crushes the WA. The WA has that cheap, out of control, sibliant high end, while the V13 is much more refined and elegant sounding.
Depends on the genre and the arrangement. Adele’s vocals have a shit ton of low mids. The Weeknd’s vocal is pretty dark and low mid heavy. Bieber has virtually nothing below 350hz. Just depends. The key is getting lows and low mids super compressed so they feel even
