Had a great trip. Back safe and sound with the family. Will post some pics and a l'il report soon.

Define "soon". I figure the M149 you have for sale is related...? I'm damn tempted, BTW...damn tempted...

OK, with renovating one studio and building another from the ground up - literally, I've been a bit busy. Never mind I've got a little tike who'll be 3 in Jan kickin' my ass every chance he gets.

On with the report....

We decided to drive from SC to Nashville. Split the the trip into two days each way. Had never been through Georgia or Kentucky. Found the parts of Georgia we drove through to be clean, well-kept, and a place where people take pride. Really liked the vibe.

Got into Nashville in the early evening on a Friday. Didn't have hotel reservations. I can't say it was a mistake, because we wound up checking into the Renaissance Hotel and staying on the 14th floor with a great view over the city. Here's a quicky Photoshop-chop view out the window. The view at night was amazing.

We checked in just in time to go downstairs over to Broadway for the Nashville Christmas Parade. My son Max was in heaven, and it had to have been one of the coolest parades I've ever seen. In fact, we're planning on going again next year for the parade and a vacation in Nashville.

I love Nashville! A really great energy in that town.

After the parade we went back to the hotel and ordered some nice dinner from room service. Popmann called and came over. Was nice to meet 'im. We've known each other for several years, so it was nice to sit in the bar at the hotel and knock a few back.

I woke up on Saturday, and had the doorman get me a cab. This cab - this fucker - for some reason - decided to play chicken with a semi truck; going around curves right along side of this huge truck. My adrenal glands were spent by the time I got to Blackbird.

So, I get there and John, the assistant engineer for the session, is setting up. My clients stop by, drop off their gear, and head out to breakfast while John and I get everything ready.

So, here's the mic line up. From stage left to right. [Meaning right to left this pic's POV.]



Neumann M149
R-F-T Bottle mic w/ M7
Korby KAT Blue
Korby KAT Red
Korby KAT 4 Sytem w/ 47, 67, 251, 12 caps
Sony C800G
Brauner VMA
Manley Gold Reference
Manley Black Reference
Blue Cactus
Audio-Technica AT4060
Telefunken ELAM 251 (vintage)
Neumann U47 (vintage)
Shure SM7B
AEA R84
Shure SM57

Back in the control room I got the part of the rack gear we were bringing in set up. Although I use many mic preamps for testing mics, I always start with a Millennia HV-3. The HV-3D pictured here has been the official reference preamp for The Listening Session since we started over four years ago. I've found the HV-3 to be the best, most neutral and transparent preamp when I want to hear the mic - and not the preamp.

We had the singer sing a verse and chorus of a ballad, and then about 30 seconds of an uptempo song.

We patched in the client's Lavry Gold AD122.



I had the singer use the same pop filter, which he held in front of each mic. Better for sonic consistency rather than getting some variations, even if minor, from the different pop filters.

The reason we went to Blackbird was to find a vocal chain for the singer that best brought out his voice. We started by listening down to the different microphones through the HV-3. We got started about 11AM. I thought we'd be testing mics and A'B'ing for several hours into the afternoon. We found the right mic in less than an hour.

The mic that won by a clear margin was a Korby KAT Red.

So, after the Korby KAT Red had been chosen, it was on to trying preamps.

We went through Millennia HV-3, LaChapell Audio 992 Standard with premium tubes, my LaChapell 992 Extended Gain with Telefunken and Bugle Boy tubes, Pendulum Quartet, Neve 1073, Neve 1081, Telefunken V76.

The clear winner was the LaChapell 992 Standard.

After the mic and preamp, we ran the recorded tracks sung with the Korby KAT Red mic through the LaChapell 992 into various comps and limiters in the rack. Including a Distressor, Universal Audio LA-2A, Univeral Audio 1176LN, Crane Song STC-8, Manley Vari-Mu and a few others I've forgotten.

The winner was the Universal Audio 1176LN.

Surprisingly, we were done with the selection of the vocal chain by 1:00PM. Only two hours. We spent the rest of the afternoon recording the vocals for one of their songs.

Here's a shot of the clients, Bob and Dennis, and me flanking the API Legacy Plus in Studio B. We were happy campers.

Some thoughts on the process

First of all, I'm sure there are other combinations than the one we chose that could have worked just as well. If I would have used another preamp, such as the Telefunken V76 or Neve 1081, we would have gotten a different response from the mics. But I didn't want to choose a mic based on a preamp that was colored and had too much character. I wanted to choose the mic first - with the least amount possible getting in the way from the mic preamp.

Dennis, the vocalist, has a very strong chest tone that just wasn't coming through with his Neumann M149 and Pendulum Quartet. Going in I was thinking something along the lines of a winning vocal chain as something like Neumann U47 mic, Neve 1081 or Telefunken V76 preamp, LA-2A compressor. The U47 did sound good, and was probably in the top five mics, but nothing that jumped out as being exceptional. The LA-2A was where I was most off. Two of the classic compressors - the LA-2A and the 1176, the opto LA-2A is the softer, smoother sounding, and typically used more for vocals than the 1176, which is a FET device and has a more upfront sound.

The LaChapell 992's I've been very hot on since they came in for testing earlier this year. I bought a 992 Extended Gain, and even had the same configuration 992 shipped to these clients in Indy when I went to do some consulting for them last month. Bob bought the 992 on the spot. I also brought along the 992 Standard model. These pres were a pain in the ass. They're so big I had to move my son Max's car seat from the center of the back seat over to the right side just so I'd have room for the two 992's in the car. As I was lugging them around - and seeing how much real estate they took up in my car - the thought crossed my mind of how little space would have been taken up by something like four channels of John Hardy M-1 or an API 3124. Turned out is was worth the trouble.

I'd actually thought the 992 EG would have had a better chance than the 992 Standard. But the Standard version yeilded a clearer and bigger image on the vocal with the Korby KAT Red mic. Also, lookee here; I in no way needed or favoured the LaChapell to win the shootout. Yes, I dig 'em, but I was there for the client. And in selecting the final vocal chain there was literally to be no expense spared to get the best results. If it had turned out to be the Elam 251, Neve 1081, STC-8 - or whatever - I would have been running around to buy mint examples of those products to put the chain together for the client. But the LaChapell 992's have been dominating shootouts since we got them in for testing; which is why I went to the trouble to drag them along.

We got the STC-8 out of the rental dept at Blackbird. I was praying it wasn't going to sound good because Crane Song orders can often take six months to fill. Luckily an easily-available 1176LN did the trick.

Bob, who was also in the session, and who works with Dennis, was the one who took notes. He also took a CD of all the tests. Maybe I can get him to pipe in here with some thoughts.

I think if you look at all the time and energy that some people can spend trying to get the right vocal chain; going through a process like this and spending a day in a well-equipped studio can save time and money over the hit-or-miss process of buying and trying different gear over time. And, once you've been through the process - you know. You've been there.

Later on that evening we were getting good and sauced in a bar on Broadway - Tootsie's, I think. Bob commented that, "We've been to the top of the mountain and back." I thought that was fitting. And it's interesting what you find along the way. Each voice is so individual, and you never really know what's going to work until you try it for yourself. And oftentimes, it's not always the most expensive products that are going to work the best. And the difference in trying all these various mics, pres, and comps, is that once you know - you know. And you don't have to worry that there's something out there that's going to be so much better. You can rest in the thought that you have direct experience, and know what works and what doesn't. It stops being a guessing game.

It's interesting to try all these mics on a vocalist without any thought for make, brand or cost. And in that way it was close to a blind test. We had nothing to defend. All the mics that were closer to the U47 sound did much better on the singer's voice. Anything in the 251/C12 family literally sounded like thin ass on him. Another mic that was in the top five to my ears was the Shure SM57. In fact, the $100 57 was miles better than the $25,000 Elam 251 cherry picked from John McBride's coveted mic closet. So, it's not always about the money. And anyone who thinks, "Ah, if I only had a $25,000 mic - I'd sound sooooo good." Well, you could be right. You could also be very wrong. Maybe a 57 would do the trick.

quote:

So, it's not always about the money.

Agreed. People think I'm somehow cheaping out that the Sm7b sounds better on me than condensers until you get into the $3k+ range. Will I end up with one of those? Ehh...maybe, but I'm not really holding my breath. The Sm7b sounds that good to me...on me. And the variations you get with and without the pop...with the two EQ switches...I can retain the basic character, but give my voice what it needs to fit each song.

Like to hear that KAT Red. That's been on my short list...if for no other reason that if it's close, Korby will tweak it for you. Even if his KAT4 didn't sound just like the originals--they were damn fine mics. remember when you asked what mic(s) really impressed me? And that was it...the 67m sounded best on me solo'd--but, it didn't really have the mids to sit right in the mix. BEST sounding acoustic tracks I've EVER recorded. And I've pointed a lot of mics at this Taylor over the last 14 years in a lot of rooms...the 67m was KILLER on it.

Since it won...did you go upstairs and tell Tracy? You know his shop is upstairs from Blackbird.

At Dan's invitation, here are some of my thoughts about the Blackbird experience.

This was our 2nd time to visit Blackbird. An engineer friend of ours invited us to attend the recording of Paul Brandt's Christmas album ("A Gift") this summer. We were totally blown away with the whole process. And yes, Nashville players really are that good!

After Dan's visit with us in Indy, we knew we had to find a significantly better vocal chain. The M149 and Pendulum Quartet wasn't going to cut it with Dennis's voice. Because of our listening environment at the time, we knew we had to go somewhere else to select the right equipment.

At Dan's recommendation we booked Studio B at Blackbird. Martina McBride was following us into that room to do vocals for her upcoming release so we knew the room was good enough for us This eliminated any potential impacts of our vocal booth and monitoring capabilities.

I can't say enough about the professionalism of Dan and Blackbird assistant engineer John Netti. When we arrived Saturday morning to drop stuff off, they were set up and waiting for us. The entire session went off without a hitch or bobble.

The selection process turned out to be very interesting. In that room, using $40K ATC monitors, picking out the differences in equipment was easy, even for someone as inexperienced as me. It was also interesting that Dan, John and myself always liked the same piece on Dennis's voice. Maybe we were just lucky??? The other thing that turned out to be good, but disappointing, was the M149 and Pendulum turned out to be the worst combination tested. We'd spent 6 months trying to get a good vocal that was never going to happen with that equipment.

After returning home with the recordings of the various tests, I've spent hours critically listening and comparing. Here's my rankings when not listening in a perfect room on $40K monitors.

Mics
1. Korby Kat Red
2. Neumann U47
3. Korby Kat 4 47
4. Manley Black
5. Sony C800G
Note: the sm57 only sounded good on the up tempo beer drinking song. It wasn't in the running on the ballad.

Preamps
1. Neve 1081
2. LaChapell EG
3. Tele V76
4. LaChapell Std
5. Pendulum Quartet

Compressors
1. Cranesong STC 8
2. UA 1176
3. UA LA-2A
the rest of them were crap

Even though my rankings at home differ from what we chose at Blackbird, we're still confident that the right selections were made. That's the advantage of doing what we did: We had (2) professional engineers helping with the decision, recording in a booth that's good enough for Martina, listening on a world class system in a world class room where real records are made. All the guesswork is gone and we're anxiously waiting for the equipment to arrive so we can get back to making music.

quote:

Note: the sm57 only sounded good on the up tempo beer drinking song. It wasn't in the running on the ballad.

that doesn't surprise me. It's like the U87ai does well for me on upbeat stuff...but, on ballads, it's just too middy and "hard".

If the 47 sound was best for you, I can certainly see why the M149 wasn't working. It's much more...ehh..."neutral", for lack of a better word. It works fairly well for me. M269, U67, M149, Innertube87, manley Black...Although, did you use their M149? I shoulda told you, they've got one that sucks, and one that sounds great. every time I tell them that, they claim they're a matched pair...but, the hell if I can't tell every time they give me the wrong one. It's actually the reason I didn't just buy an M149--if those two varied THAT much...how can I trust that the one I would get would be on the better end of the scale?

Did you try an La3a? i've had one of their vintage 1176s and La2as...and picked it every time. It's got the musical quality of the La2a's sensor with the transformer from the 1176. I eventually found a vintage one that had been cleaned up and recapped...you can pry it from my cold dead hands.

Congrats on the experience.

Quick Question Dot: If i am getting the POV correct the Brauner has what looks like a pop screen that looks like it's 360o ??? or 180 curve ??? if so what make is it thanks

i can only dream of ever stepping foot into a place like that.

Nice report, Dan. P13, congrats to you for finding the right combo for your needs so quickly.

One part does confuse me a little. I thought the Korby Red was their 251/C12ish mic. I read in the report that you guys gravitated away from the 251/C12's and more towards the U47ish kind of mics. Doesn't look like the Korby Blue (Korby's 47ish mic) was in the running at all.

Do I have the two Korby Red/Blue mics confused or am I reading right that you thought the Korby Red was actually 47ish?

Thanks for sharing the experience.

Steve

Red is the AKG'ish one.

But, when I spoke to Vintage King, they said that despite that claim, it was the darker, rounder of the two. They said anyone guessing blind had guessed wrong...because apparently the Blue is pretty bright.

The Blue is the one I wanted to hear...because that told me that it would sound like a Neumann AFTER the Pultec, which is used to boost highs--ex:the M269c isn't bright at all...but, when you DO add a good high shelf, it opens up in a way that AKG'ish mics never do. Like an artificial, but flattering air.

that's a good read, thanks for sharing the experiences.

Can you tell us a little about Dennis, what he does, what made the vocal chain so important?

Off the shelf 1176, that's cool.

Why would you think it's an "off the shelf" 1176? I didn't know that Blackbird has reissues...I think they have a RI La2a...but, they have a rack of nothing BUT different vintages of 1176.

Was it a reissue?

Re: 1176, I was simply going by the huge picture Dan posted, maybe he can shed some light otherwise