Rupert Neve's Time Machine Tape-o-Magnetron-alizer

Just kidding. On review here is the Portico 5042 Tape FX unit from Rupert Neve Designs, a tape simulator meant to capture the fatness and saturation of recording to tape, without the expense and Lord-of-The-Rings-caliber journey it takes to acquire magnetic tape. The general idea is simple - use all the analog components of a tape machine (fat transformers, tape heads, etc.) - and in place of the tape, have a saturation control.

It's fairly common to record sources with lots of transient content (particularly things inclined to be harsh...i.e. cymbals) like drums, acoustic guitar, and vocals to tape for a number of reasons. Tape acts as a limiter - when things peak above the area that can be written to tape, that portion of the waveform is simply shaved off, without losing the "punch"...even the best of limiters have a hard time doing this. The components in a tape machine generate a lot of "harmonics", particularly 3rd order harmonics, which for a wide variety of reasons, cancel and phase frequencies down the spectrum. In normal, practical, "actually matters" parlance, it mellows harsh things out and makes them sound "rich".

As for the unit itself, it does this far better than any plugins I've used. The transformer selection is typical for the rest of the Portico line, and imparts a very fat "Portico sound", heavy in the 300-500hz range, which can overwhelm certain things quickly, but is great for fattening up thin parts.
The saturation is great - can be driven incredibly hard and still retain punch, and because of the two channels, you can run a single source to both channels (depending on the setup of your patchbay) and treat the same signal in parallel...leaving one nearly untouched and the other smashed to heck (a technique commonly used on vocals, bass, or drum buss). The tape "speed controls" simulate what happens at different tape speeds - namely a more responsive high-end at the faster setting. This can sometimes add "harshness", depending on the source, but is particularly helpful if the Portico 500hz "fatness" is overwhelming.

My biggest gripe with this unit, one that rendered it EXTREMELY tedious, is the lack of a stereo link. For all intents and purposes, this is a dual mono unit. The pots aren't precise enough that similar settings yield similar saturation, so sending stereo sources through it like a mix or drum overheads (two MAJOR USES for analog tape) is incredibly time consuming and tedious. It took ages to get the stereo image balanced, and even then, I wasn't certain if I was achieving identical effects on the L and R channels of my overhead track...resulting in a shifty snare and kick that seemed to dance around my overhead "center". This was even more noticeable on a full mix.

If you need to run this on several mono sources, or run a single source through two different saturation units, this unit is killer. Sometimes this unit is all it took to get something to sit in the mix. If you're looking for something to reliably handle stereo channels though, you should be prepared to spend some time dialing it in. Either way, great to track through-right after the pre, before the interface - to fat sounds, nice limiting (often essential in today's demand for loud mixes/masters), and well worth the money! $43 a weekend, $95 a month, at Rock N Roll Rentals!

Hail, "Heil!"

If you haven't noticed, which I'm sure you have - Rock N Roll Rentals is now carrying Heil microphones. The creator, Bob Heil, is really giving the big brands a run for their money with the release of his extraordinary line of dynamic microphones. I was able to experiment with the PR-40 while tracking local punk-alternative band, "Cannibal Barbie" at Werd Recording Suite.
At first feel, the mic's build and weight gave claim of an undeniably great product. The solid capsule coupled with a dense grille could even make certain GmbH microphone manufacturers jealous of it's resilience. Now, where to put it?

First came the drums. The large diaphragm, and the likeness to the Electro-Voice RE-20 begged for me to put it on the kick drum, but I did not.  I was already very content with my Audix D6/Shure SM7b combination - and, let's be honest, we all know where we like that huge pickup; the snare. But why? I always enjoy capturing a full sound of the snare drum, moving away from things like SM57s, MD421s, or similar products. This is not to discount the awesomeness engrained in the workhorse dynamic mics, but we as engineers seem to always feel the craving to have our own "sound" for future generations to use the "[your name here] miking technique." In a bluegrass, jazz, or soft rock situation, I would be tempted to even use a large diaphragm condenser such as the Neumann TLM 103, but with a piccolo snare being whipped like a racehorse, no amount of padding on my signal chain would bear the intensity of the cracks - not to mention the intense bleed of the accompanying noisemakers. The resulting recording of the snare was actually not surprising at all. This is NOT a bad thing - it sounded like a dynamic mic should on a drum. The big plus was the addition of some low end - thickening the snappy sound of the snare. The lateral rejection capability of this mic was a little weak, but not disappointing. I was pleasantly satisfied with the track - but not done yet.

The following day, we tracked vocals. Again, I had to steer away from the large diaphragm condenser because of their susceptibility to harshness on loud or screaming vocals. Furthermore, we have all seen Thom Yorke's shrill mouth literally eating the end-cap of the RE-20, so I felt the need to try the dynamics on these vocals. Just in case, I put alongside the Shure SM7b as a safety precaution. I realized while setting up, the PR-40 would be much more diverse in its capabilities had it high-pass and/or 'presense' options on it (as the SM7b has). After review of the 'game tape,' I actually ended up sticking with the SM7 for these vocals. My reasoning was - the vocalist's nasally lyrics did not play well with the frequency response of the PR-40. It was a VERY close call. I even considered using both and blending the two, but in the end, the PR-40 did not make the cut for these tracks.

In the end, had I not another mic to compare to, I would have easily kept and been highly satisfied with the sound of the PR-40. At a $21/month rental rate though - really - you MUST use this mic.


Written by Audio Engineer/Producer Ali Ramzanali

The New U (...67 copy, that is)

On review today is the Peluso P67, modeled after the famous vintage (discontinued, and thus wildly expensive) Neumann U-67. It's not uncommon for well-maintained 67's to sell for upwards of $10,000. Until John Peluso spent over 2 years on the p67 to get it just right, attaining its signature sound (think the Beatles' Revolver, Bob Dylan, Chris Cornell's Soundgarden tenure, Kurt Cobain on "Nevermind", among many, many, many others) - meant shelling out big bucks in an expensive studio or, if you were lucky enough to live in L.A., New York, or Nashville, renting one for nearly the price of a month's mortgage payment.

Fortunately for us, Peluso Microphone Labs put in the time with several great u-67 specimens and tweaked the p67design til it closely matched the original, creating a mic that holds its own in shootouts with the best of engineer-ears.

The original u67 finds its use primarily on vocals, acoustic guitar, and less often (though no less spectacularly) on electric guitar cabs. I can't really describe with words what it does to the sound, but as this is a blog, I'll try...and you can listen to clips below.

It seemed to be that vocally (clips 1 and 2), it captured about what I'd expected - a nice low end, detailed midrange, and a crispy but not overhyped high end. In terms of high end, I'd put it somewhere between a u47 and a c12 (or for existing Peluso fans, a 2247 and p12). The midrange is where I really sensed something unique. Interesting handling of the critical 400-600 range, and a very unique sounding upper midrange. While the response is spec'd as mostly "flat", we all know the human voice is anything but, and putting several vocalists in front yielded a consistently unique, interesting EQ curve.

The mic was dense in the midrange, with a particular emphasis in the 500 region (a region typically reserved for things that occupy the "front" of a mix), and around the forward sounding 2k region, which would ordinarily yield a very "forward" sounding vocal track, if not for the interesting phasing/compression characteristics. More on this later. There was a high frequency air present as well which began its rolloff somewhere around 8k. In many ways, this is a "midrangey" mic, not boasting the warm, resonating low end and bright, airy high end of the p12. The clips of the acoustic are a great indicator of the low and high end differences (clips 3 and 4).

Most fascinating was the mic's tendency to sound somewhat compressed already, even filtered in a way. Some reading and novice examination of the u67 schematic shows several negative feedback loops, which without getting overly technical, loops the signal back in to earlier parts of the circuit, resulting in phase cancellation at certain frequencies and gives things a very unique color and a somewhat "squished" sound. (The forward, fast, "spanky" sound of a Vox AC-30 is primarily due to its LACK of negative feedback loops. The bloom and compression heard in many Two-Rock amps, particularly the John Mayer signature head, are the result of carefully tuned negative feedback.) The tube only accentuates this tendency toward compression, resulting in a sound similar to fast attack, medium release settings on a compressor...a sound known to push things "back" in a mix. This all comes together to bring us a mic that sounds detailed and forward EQ-wise without being difficult to place into the mix. Given the desire for compressed vocal sounds, it's no wonder 67 microphones are all over modern rock records.

I was most pleasantly surprised when I decided, given its interesting midrange, to try it on electric guitar cabs. No matter what sound came out of the amp, the resulting signal (again through the neutral FMR RNP) had an unmistakable vintage, retro vibe to it, a certain throatiness (due to its handling of the 500hz range) that perfectly accentuated the sounds of a Gretsch ( see clips 5 and 6) or Telecaster.

Needless to say, next time I need to record an edgy or aggressive vocal track or am in need of a vintage "vibe" to my guitar tracks, I will be reaching for Peluso's p67. You can do so as well at Rock n Roll Rentals, for $45 (weekend rate, Tuesday to Monday) or $100 bucks for the month.  

Latest tracks by Rock n Roll Rentals

by Colin Laflin

Peluso P28: Your Acoustic's New Best Friend

I recently had the opportunity to record a mid-tempo track for Austin songwriter Paul Whitney, consisting of acoustic guitar, mandolin, brushed snare, hand percussion, and vocals. The goal here was to sound natural and close, with an intimate sense of space and a degree of polish without harsh brightness. So I set out to find some gear.

I've always felt frustrated recording acoustic guitar - it has to have warmth and body and transient crispness - all without sounding boomy or thin. I think we're all familiar with "cardboard box with strings" recordings of acoustic instruments, or worse, the god-awful "ice-pick on strings" sound often achieved by incorrectly chasing "sheen" and "polish".

Worse still, these problems can't be corrected with compression without very obvious artifacts - fine in a layered rock mix, but murderous to the vibe of a quiet acoustic song. My quest then, was to find a flat, natural microphone, one that could pleasantly squish some transients, and provide a warm tone while keeping a "woofs" and "booms" at bay.

Enter the Peluso P28 pencil tube microphone.

The Mic:
A small diaphragm condenser modeled after the classic AKG C28 (but at a fraction of the cost!) this condenser imparts the warmth and body so sought after with large diaphragm condensers (which would ordinarily "boom" and "scrape" on an acoustic guitar recording), with the accuracy and transient response of a small diaphragm condenser. Though listed as a small diaphragm condenser, at 18mm, it's larger than expected compared to something like a Rode NT5 (13mm).
What attracted me to this microphone was the tube, however - not because tubes are "rad" or "vintage" (although, they totally are), but because tubes are known for their natural compression characteristics, which seemed promising for handling pick noise and harshness.

The Setup:
Peluso p28, Rode Nt5, SM-57 Kel Audio HM7U
FMR RNP
Tascam USB 1641

I setup with a commonly used mic setup - SM-57 on the 12th fret of the acoustic, Peluso p28 on the soundhole, both mics about a foot away from the instrument, and the Kel Audio Large Diaphragm condenser capturing some room ambience. This yielded a nice sound, though not really resembling what i was hearing in the room. The 57 over-emphasized the upper mids, and the p28 was a little too "warm" and close sounding. I was pleased, however, to find that even with vigorous strumming it was immune to the boom and random resonances you often hear from other mics.

So I changed my approach, using a technique more often found in bluegrass and country settings - the Peluso over the player's  shoulder, pointed down at the soundhole where the pick hits the strings (about a foot away), and given the p28's warmth, the nt5 on the 12th fret a foot away (in case i needed to mix in additional brightness). This position really hit the spot - yielding a warm, natural sound with a little bit of roominess to it, with a smooth high end, that, due to the tube and careful positioning, avoided the terrible ice pick scrape sound. After a little tweaking, we were off to tracking. See clips 1-4 on the player below.

P28 Review by Colin Laflin

Next was the Mandolin - I used a similar position (why change what's already working?) to great results - see clips 5 and 6 - the p28 providing more warmth and body to the mandolin than what was actually present in the room! It really made a $300 dollar mandolin sound alot more expensive than it was. I added a little LA-2A compression to smooth out the high notes, and boosted a little 500-600hz to emphasize the "throatiness" of the instrument.

Next was the brushed snare part - a driving rhythm that runs through the song, we needed airiness without harshness or too much snap. I can't say enough about how well suited the p28 was for under the snare - 4 inches away from the bottom head, 45 degree angle, just slightly short of where the snares hit the head, taming what can often be a terribly NASTY snap of snares into a palatable "pit pat". Add a 57 on top for some body, and I had my snare sound. The clips you hear below have no compression or eq...the squish and gush you hear is all that beautiful little tube!

Just for fun, I tracked some shaker with the p28 as well - again, accurate transient response with the right amount of gush and swish, smooth, present highs.

I was thoroughly impressed with this mic - I will never, ever record another snare without trying one of these underneath. And the same goes for the acoustic guitar - unless I'm layering on top of a massive rock mix, I plan on having a pair of these around anytime I need to track acoustic instruments. Natural, warm, smooth high end, and immune to booms and harsh, scrapy highs. Nicely done, Peluso. The c451b's should be shaking in their shockmounts.

I should probably also mention that everything used in the recording - including the guitar and mandolin (with the exception of the Kel HM7U room mic) - can be rented at Rock n Roll Rentals!

In particular, all of this Peluso P28 goodness can be yours from Rock n Roll Rentals for the weekend rate of only 17 bucks!

Reviewed by Colin Laflin

Red is the new White!

I heard that Jack White loves using Ribbon Mics exclusively while recording electric guitar.  Though, I play nothing like he does, I do like his guitar sounds more often than not.  By recommendation, I decided to use a Shure KSM313 Bi-directional 'Roswellite' Ribbon Mic in front of my Vox AC15 the other night while recording a few guitar parts.  Shure hand-makes these mics with a super-elastic paramagnetic material, modeled after Crowley & Tripp's conventional foil ribbon designed to produce 2 distinct impedance gradients on each side of the transducer.  I started out by placing the mic dead-center, about 8-inches away from the grill... and it sounded so good right off the bat, that I didn't move it.  The front 'logo-side' of the KSM313 captured a full, round sound slightly mid-range and on the dark-side.  I recorded some 'jangly' guitar chords this way and it hit the spot!  When I turned the mic around, I recorded a few single-note guitar melodies, slightly overdriven, it seemed to capture a bit more of the higher frequencies, while still retaining alot of the low-end.  I'm going to continue trying out various Ribbon Mics on guitar in the coming months after my positive experience with the KSM313 and I recommend using it on your next electric guitar recording.  Also check out the other 'Red' gear we have in stock at Rock N Roll Rentals. (see also Nord)

by Jared Paul Boulanger

API/ATI 8MX2: Classic Taste, Modern Face

Automated Processes, Inc. (lovingly known as API), has been creating modular '500 series' studio gear since 1968. Their inevitable growth in popularity brought them much success, as well as the opportunity to develop more lines of gear and better circuitry. After their recent aquisition by ATI, API released the 8MX2 8 x 2 x 8 Mixer/ Mic Pre.

 
I was able to use this solidly-assembled tank of pre's in a recent session with Miranda Dawn & The Lucky Break Horns at Werd Recording Suite. The application was for a 3-piece horn ensemble (tenor sax, baritone sax, and trombone) using 3 Royer R-121's, as well as a Peluso 2247LE as a room mic. Ribbon mics are notorious for being able to round of the harshness of a blasting horn - and round, they did. Coupled with the 8MX2, I was able to not only boost my gain enough for the ribbons while adding minimal floor noise, but I was also able to soft limit the horns' raging signals.
The final product? Brilliant.   No, they're not 500 series ATI Pre's, but good-gosh - they will be an awesome addition to your rack (at a meager $170/month at Rock n Roll Rentals.)
 by Ali Ramzanali

Compress your Preamp or Pretend you're on 'Mash'...

One of the perks of working for Rock N Roll Rentals besides 'Pizza-Saturdayzz' is that we get to test all sorts of musical and recording equipment most of us otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to experiment with...  This luxury comes especially handy when you're a poor musician and can't afford to record in a studio.  So here I am needing to track drums for my band The Sour Notes in my guitar-player's East-side warehouse apartment... Two of the pieces of gear I chose among others was the JDK R20 Dual Channel Mic Preamp and R22 Dual Channel Compressor.

Upon first look at the gear... the rugged, militaristic design and simplistic control panel immediately attracted me to the R20 & R22.  I'm a big fan of machines that don't have too-many buttons to fiddle with and when it comes to audio processing, I'd like to think things tend to sound a bit more 'natural' the less you do to it.  With the R22, you'll notice, unlike most Compressors, that it doesn't feature 'attack' or 'release' functions, but fear not... You can achieve very controlled compression on whatever you run through it, just with a few less knobs to turn.  I've used many similar types of 'rack-compressors' when recording and one thing I appreciated most about the R22 was it's ability to retain most of the original sound's dynamics even when 'hard' compressing.  I ended up running a 'top-snare' mic and kick drum through it and found that with a few flicks of a switch and minor dial adjustments, my kick drum tones varied from big ballon-type roundness to quick, punchy-pops all while retaining alot of what I started with coming out of the preamp.... Which brings me to the JDK R20 Dual Channel Preamp.  It's pretty basic!  1 gain knob really... What I'm gathering is that JDK products are really into processing your sound 'subtly'.  Simple and smooth-sounding... Less is sometimes more!

by Jared Paul Boulanger