Introduction

[gary_allen_1]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Gary Allen and I am the President / Director of Development for a site called Guitar Gear Heads. www.guitargearheads.com . I have been a member of Guitar Tricks for a couple of years and I really enjoy this site although I do not make it over hear as often as I would like. I am a true gear Head and I have several guitars and racks full of gear for recording and playing. One of my favorite things to do is experiment with different setups and configurations of music gear. I hope I can come around here more often and be an active participant in these forums.

If anyone would like a break down on the gear I have, feel free to ask.

Gary Allen

[Kevin Taylor]

I'm curious to know what ya have.
There's a list of my stuff here (http://www.schmange.com/equipment.htm)

[gary_allen_1]

Wow. You have much more gear than I do. Nice setup. My list seems so meager now. :D But here goes anyway.

Guitars-
G&L S-500 Guitar
Greg Bennett Ultramatic electric Guitar
Greg Bennett Rio Grande Acoustic Guitar
Takamine Acoustic Guitar
Charvel Acoustic Guitar
Fender Strat
Fender Telecaster
BC Rico active Bass Guitar
Jackson electric guitar

Rack Effects
DigiTech 2120 guitar processor
DigiTech 2101 guitar processor
Alesis MidiVerb III
Alesis MidiVerb 4
Alesis DEQ230 digital graphic EQ
Alesis 3630 Compressor
Presonus COMP16 Compressor
PreSonus MP20 Dual channel preamp
(2) BBE 482i Sonic Maximizers
BBE B-Maxx T bass guitar PreAmp
Furman PL-8 Power conditioner
Sabine RT-7100 rack guitar tuner
Lexicon MPX 550 reverb unit
Tapco J1400 Power Amp
(2) Crown D-75A Power Amps
Sabine FBX 1020 Feedback Eliminator
Furman Q-2312 Dual 31 band EQ
ProCo Duecetone Rat Pedal
ProCo Juggernaut bass Rat pedal
ProCo Rat pedal

Mixing
Mackie 1640 Onyx Mixer w/ Firewire Option
(2) Mackie C300Z speakers
(2) Mackie HR824 Studio Moniters
Tracktion 2 Software

SM-58 Microphone
(2) Shure condensor Mics.

Well, This is all I can think of at the moment. I got the Onyx board with firewire so I can start doing some recording software revoews for Guitar Gear Heads. I am hoping to have a Swee****er Creation Station coputer to hook the Onyx into bt the end of the year.

Gary Allen

[Kevin Taylor]

Well, it's quality that counts and it looks like ya have some great quality stuff there.
About the only thing I'd change is to upgrade to a condenser mic for vocals and acoustic guitar. You wouldn't believe what an improvement in sound you'll get.

[gary_allen_1]

Do you have any suggestions on good condenser microphones that I might want to check out. The 2 shure condensers I have are about 5 years old, but I am wanting to look into something better in the $500 range. I know that is not top quality, but its what I can deal with right now.

I also have just heard about a mod kit you can buy to upgrade the Alesis 3630 compressor that puts it at a much higher quality sound level. I am thinking about getting the kit and giving it a try.

Thanks for the feedback. Any more you may have would be much appreciated.

Gary Allen

[Kevin Taylor]

Actually, the Shure SM58's aren't 'condensers', they're 'dynamic' mics, which is why I was suggesting getting yourself a condenser mic in addition to what you already have.
The Shure SM58's are kinda like the workhorse of the studio. Great for just about everything because they can handle both vocals and high decibels from stuff like drums etc.. A dynamic mic works differently and is more sensitive, so you never use it on loud sounds... like don't mic a loud amp or kick drum or whatever.

Condenser mics used to cost a fortune but these days you can buy some amazing one's for under $200. I bought the Rode NT-1 off eBay for $100.
It was practically new in the box, with a shockmount and carrying case.
So I'm basically sold on Rode stuff.
You can move up to the NT-2 and gain a rolloff switch and switchable pickup patterns.
Some mics are kinda legendary, like the Neumann u87... although you'll spend thousands. There's a weird looking tube mic called Blue that I've heard great things about too.
You'll also probably need phantom power for the mic. Most mixers have this built in, but it's best to check.

As far as the Alesis compressor goes... it'll probably work great, but you need to have the mic first. With vocals, you only want to use enough compression to get a hotter signal to tape but not so much that it amplifies every other sound in the room. Adding a compressor to a Shure SM58 will probably sweeten up the sound a bit and even things out so you can hear subleties better, but why try to fix something with another piece of equipment when you can just get a better mic to begin with.

[gary_allen_1]

Sorry about that schmange. I guess I did not explain my post good
enough. I do have two condenser microphones made by shure besides the
SM58. I just could not remember the model numbers when I was posting.
They are good mic's but I want to upgrade to something a little netter.
I have heard great things about the Rode line as well as the much more
expensive Neunamm line. I also talk sometimes with Barry Rudolph who is
a professional sound engineer in LA. He has told me that the Royer
ribbon mics are phenomenal. Especially if you run them through "Neve"
preamps. These mics are a bit expensive too, and so are the Neve
preamps. He highly recommends having at least one Royer with a "figure
8" pattern. I think these are for a later investment for me. For now I
will look into the Rode NT-1.

I am familiar with the "Blue" series by reputation, but I have no
experience with them. I have heard that their "Baby Bottle", and the
"Dragonfly" are awesome. If I get a chance to try these out I will let
you know.

Do you have any experience with the Manley Tube Condenser mics. They
make three that range in price from $2700 - $7200 each which is well out
of my price range at this point, but I would be interested to hear from
someone who has used them. I know that Manley's channel strips and
compressors are considered by many to be first rate.

Gary Allen

[Kevin Taylor]

I haven't tried em... but what can ya say... once you reach a certain price point and quality level it's kinda subjective as to the strengths and weaknesses of equipment. You're talking personal preferences in sound which varies from person to person. One of these days I've gotta grab a Neumann u87 though.. I've heard about them for so many years that I have to get one just to see what all the fuss is about. :)

I bought one piece of software that might interest you, called MicMod... Antares I think? You tell it what mic you're using and the distance you're singing from, then ya pick from a list of mics that you want it to sound like (like neumanns etc..)
It's obviously not going to give you the quality of the real thing, but it's a good way of comparing the strengths and weaknesses of a whole bunch of different mics. I use it occasionally as an EQ. Sometimes you can't get the right sound no matter what you do, so you try it through a bunch of different emulators until you find one that fits.

[Dr_simon]

Heres my contribution to the party.

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=8076&s_id=71

In total support of Mr Schmange I'm still totally wowed by 24/96 AKG C414s through my my Vt737sp !!

Not only does it sound great it is dead easy to set up ! No screwing round for 10 days trying to find a minute sweet spot !

[Dr_simon]

U87s are whey expensive, I have heard there are a bunch of very good replicas kicking about, one being from the old Neumann parent company !

Same sound, many less dollars !!

[Kevin Taylor]

Yeah, but I don't think it's so much the sound as the status symbol of just having one. There's certain pieces of standard equipment you just have to have to be considered as having a pro studio rather than a 'home studio' setup.
It's a bit of a drag, cause it probably is a waste of money. I'd have to do some serious a/b testing for a few weeks to be convinced that a mega $$$ Neumann mic sounds any better than the newer condensers coming out.

[elklandercc]

I felt feeling of jealosy reading your lists of gear. That is untill I remembered about my sweet froggy.

[Dr_simon]

Have you seen the "solution D" ? Not a bad option if you don't have a liquid channel or a bank of vintage pres !!

http://www.swee****er.com/store/detail/SolutionDM/

Man I hate these kiddy filters, just add just add t w a t to the above URL

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

Man I hate these kiddy filters, just add just add t w a t to the above URL
I used to go on another websites boards along time ago, it was a skateboarding forum. and they had some strange sensors... anytime you said ass, it changed it to donkey... so one guy tried to say fiberglass... and it came out as fibergldonkey... it was the funniest thing ever at the time. yeah, just thought I'd share

[gary_allen_1]

This is all very true. Alassandro makes a 20' guitar cable that retails for
$1999. I asked George Alasandro what the difference in sound between his
$150 cable and his $1999 cable was, and he told me the more expensive
one had about 1% better sound. He said he sells a lot of these cables to
pro studio guitar players where that 1% makes all the difference in the
world. To me and the average guitar player, we would not even hear the
difference. The difference in the cables is that the $1999 cable has a
solid silver shield as opposed to the traditional copper.

I think that many musicians get stuck in the train of thought that a
more expensive piece of gear sounds much better than the cheaper
equivalent. This just is not always true, although sometimes it is. Take
the Alesis 3630 compressor. You can not find a better dual channel
compressor for the price of $99. This compressor has been around for 15
years, and Alesis told me that it would not be going away any time soon.
Same with the Greg Bennett guitars from Samick. 2 years ago, I would not
have ever considered buying a Samick guitar. Their quality was awful.
The guitars the Greg Bennett designed are absolutely wonderful. The Rio
Grande acoustic I just reviewed was awesome and it retails for under
$450. I would put it in the same class as the $900 Breedlove Atlas that
I reviewed earlier this year. Sure, its not a Martin or Taylor, but I
can't afford their prices at this point, and the Rio Grande satisfies my
taste in sound and playability.

I will admit that I have never been a software type of guy, but I am
just now starting to get into it because it is the way things are really
starting to go. I would love to try out the MicMod software you
mentioned. I think I will pick it up when I get the Creation Station.

Also on a final note, there is a really good book by Huw Price on
recording bass and guitar that you might want to check out. Sounds like
you have a pretty good grasp on this already, but I learned a few new
tricks from this book. It is very comprehensive, yet easy to understand.
It is put out by Backbeat Books, and it really goes in depth on the
different ways to mic and record acoustic and electric guitars and
basses. I don't remember the name right now, but if you look on the
Backbeat Books website (www.backbeatbooks.com), you should be able to
find it.

This has been a great topic and I have enjoyed discussing gear with all of you.
Thank you for the taking the time to share your knowledge with me. I am
always on a quest for more information on gear and techniques. It is a
journey that I do not see ending any time soon.

Gary Allen

[Kevin Taylor]

Have you seen the "solution D" ? Not a bad option if you don't have a liquid channel or a bank of vintage pres !!

http://www.swee****er.com/store/detail/SolutionDM/

Man I hate these kiddy filters, just add just add t w a t to the above URL

oh man.. that's funny. :p
Reminds me of when we were trying to discuss sextets and it kept blocking it.

[Kevin Taylor]

> Also on a final note, there is a really good book by Huw Price on
> recording bass and guitar that you might want to check out. Sounds like
> you have a pretty good grasp on this already, but I learned a few new
> tricks from this book. It is very comprehensive, yet easy to understand.
> It is put out by Backbeat Books, and it really goes in depth on the
> different ways to mic and record acoustic and electric guitars and
> basses. I don't remember the name right now, but if you look on the
> Backbeat Books website (www.backbeatbooks.com), you should be able to
> find it.

I'll check it out. I read tons of books on stuff like mastering, recording, mics etc.. You don't realize how much you've learned until a couple of years later when you talk to other people and notice they have no idea what you're talking about.

As far as the high end stuff, I agree with you up to a point.
I used to manage a high end music store (ya know, the kind where the speakers are 10 grand and the CD players are $3500 etc..)
When you get to a certain level of equipment, you really do notice differences in things like wires. I used to sell Monster Cable $3 per foot for the subs and about 1/2" thick. RCA cables for $300.
When you get to that level of equipment, and have really spent your time setting up the acoustics of the room, you can definitely tell the difference between a $40 cable and a $300 cable.
So, in some cases that 1% is worth it.
If you're talking about a multimillion dollar album that you've spent 3 years on and iit's going to be around for the next 30 years and used to demonstrate high end equipment in music stores, then every little bit counts.

[Dr_simon]

If you are into sexy high end kit the focusrite liquid audio channel is also well worth a look. I was thinking about getting one whilst the Avalon was on backorder and decided I just couldn't justify the expense !