VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[tokyofan]

In addition to the Speck5.0 and GAP73 pres, I'm now testing out a high-end pre (will keep it a mystery for now). Can you guess which is which and offer your impressions? All samples were recorded DRY in my vocal booth using a Neumann U87ai and RME ADI-2; normalized to -3dB.
LOW-Z engaged on the GAP73 with mid-level output. Transformer on the Speck is not engaged.

In random order:

Preamp A
http://cl.ly/3m0Y20201A3M1g080D3p

Preamp B
http://cl.ly/453J1N0S191I3w3Y1v3K

Preamp C
http://cl.ly/3L3n3P0W0B0l421D2W13

If the high-end pre doesn't really stand out then I'll return it!
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www.chriskoprowski.com/en

[Bill Campbell]

They all sound like a U87. Fine, but a little dull.

For commercial work, I find the differences in mics and preamps show up when you EQ and process the VO for the final product.
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www.asapaudio.com

[Philip Banks]

As long as the letter S sounds like cold bacon going into a hot frying pan and the letter P is like a Saab door slamming it's fine. There'll be a WAVES plug-in for that.

[tokyofan]

If some processing helps, here are the same files but with processing in post: low roll-off (REN EQ), soft gate/slight comp (REN VOX), de-breath, normalized to -1dB.

Preamp A (proc)
http://soundcloud.com/chriskoprowski/preamp-a-proc

Preamp B (proc)
http://soundcloud.com/chriskoprowski/preamp-b-proc

Preamp C (proc)
http://soundcloud.com/chriskoprowski/preamp-c-proc
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www.chriskoprowski.com/en

[Mike Sommer]

On the first test:
A) sounds open with nice air in the upper end.
sounds a little darker because the upper frequencies are rolled off
C) sounds like it is someplace between A & B


Any preference? No, I like them all. All three sound like high-end quality preamps.

They only sound dull because they need a little atmosphere. Add a touch of reverb, and they will spring to life. That's the bacon plug in Mr Banks is speaking of.



A) Speck GAP C) Martech or vice-versa with B & C
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The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[SkinnyJohnny]

+1 Mike
A) has my vote.
_________________
John Weeks Voice Overs
www.johnweeksvoiceovers.com

[Mushmelon]

I prefer the sound of A as well.
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Tony Impieri
www.tonyimpieri.com

[tokyofan]

Thanks for everyone's feedback!

PRE A: GAP 73

PRE B: Martech MSS-10

PRE C: Speck 5.0

Here are the FULL dry samples with gear slating, room tone, read:
http://soundcloud.com/chriskoprowski/sets/mic-pre-samples

The MSS-10 is the more costly pre (around $2000). But I think it's TOO good, in that it's VERY transparent (esp with the U87ai) and requires a more perfect acoustic space. It's revealing more of the small booth than the others. With my particular set-up, the MSS-10 is not helping...so I'll probably end up returning it (maybe the first time that's ever happened with a Martech!).

These dry samples reveal a rather tubby-sounding space so I should consider investing more in room treatment (will consult Mr. Sommer). Will try the MSS-10 with some other mics as well...TLM103 and Harlan Hogan.
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www.chriskoprowski.com/en

[Rick Riley]

Since Chris and I had conversed privately on this subject and I knew which sample was from which Pre, I didn't want to chime in prior to the reveal.

They are all very close. I wish I didn't know which was which because my brain wanted to tell me the Martech sounds best, because from use, I already THINK the Martech sounds best.

But honestly, after listening very critically, I still believe the Martech sounds best. It sounds the least colored and more 'natural' than the others. Which is good, because Martech's whole deal is 'Natural Sound'. Comparatively, to me, the others sound like they are 'trying' to get you front and center. The Martech is just you.

That's my opinion. I only listened to the first samples on the thread, not the processed ones. I didn't want to get myself too cluttered.

My experience of use has been a PreSonus Eureka, Aphex 230, Avalon 737sp and Neve Portico 5032. After using the Martech MSS-10 for over a year now, I would find it hard to switch in my effort to find something better.

My 2 cents

[chuckweis]

Chris---my four cents (had to raise it from two cents because of the economy)....as Mike said, they all sound good, and at first I thought I preferred the GAP. But after listening on bigger and better speakers, I like the Martech the best, as it doesn't have any exaggerated midrange. Just a smidge of high and mid EQ on the Martech track and that would sound really, really good, just to sprinkle a little more life into it.

[Mike Sommer]

The Matech is undoubtedly a damn good pre amp, as a matter of fact they use them over at Disney Character Voices.

And as Chris is beginning to understanding that having truly transparent preamp begins to let a lot of the room into the mix - so if your room is not up to snuff you'll be wrestling the room all day.

For me the GAP (1073) and U87 are a classic pairing. You've heard these two together on thousands of songs and productions over the past 40 years.

As for a hyped midrange that's what we want, that is the where clarity of the human voice comes through. And will punch through better on small and or less sophisticated sound systems and dense mixes.

Just my thoughts...
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The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

[tokyofan]

Here are some dry news reads with 3 mics paired with the MSS-10:

TLM103
U87ai
VO:1A Harlan Hogan

I positioned the mics more off-axis. Looking for a combo that won't pick up the room sound as much.

http://soundcloud.com/chriskoprowski/sets/news-reads-dry

Anything stand out here? Just further evaluating the MSS-10.
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www.chriskoprowski.com/en

[SkinnyJohnny]

Nice sounding preamp! I like the 2 Neumann mics much better than the Hogan. To me the high end on the Hogan is a little harsh.
_________________
John Weeks Voice Overs
www.johnweeksvoiceovers.com

[tokyofan]

Johnny: thanks for your impressions! How do you think it stacks up against the GAP (for my voice in my booth)?
_________________
www.chriskoprowski.com/en

[SkinnyJohnny]

I went back and listened to the original files and I like the Martech better than the GAP. It sounds smoother to me. Both sound good though!
_________________
John Weeks Voice Overs
www.johnweeksvoiceovers.com