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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: ricola on June 25, 2017, 04:32:09 AM
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Hi Folks,
I plan to use a Zoom F8 for a Live Music Recording.
Especially for horns and piano I usually take my passive Ribbon Mics (NoHype LRM-2 and SE Voodoo V1).
I heard that the Zoom F8 is built with really good Mic Pramps (usually for quiet sources in Field recording).
So what do you mean? Is it better to record the session with some further Mic Preamps (For example Triton Fethead for Ribbons) or just with the internal Zoom preamps?
Thanks for your feedback!
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I don't care for the sound of the F8 preamps. Many here do.
I use an nBox pre with the F8 and prefer that sound to anything else.
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I have an F8 and some Beyerdynamic m160 and m130 ribbons. I'm anxious to try my ribbons with the F8.
The F8 preamps have 75 db of clean gain and 3300ohms input impedance which should be perfect for your
ribbons. I would use it without fear.
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I would think that the F8 preamps would be better quality than those Triton FetHead's, but I've also never heard one of them. I do think that they're pretty neat little prreamps though, and they have 48v versions for condenser mics and a ribbon mic version, so that's pretty cool IMO! But I would just sit back and enjoy the internal preamps of the F8 if I were you and that's what you end up getting, unless they end up not being what you're looking for! I have really been enjoying running just Caps>KCY>60v PFA's>MixPre6 Preamps and leaving my huge Schoeps VMS02IB Preamp at home lately :)
Also, for the same price, you can get a new Sound Devices MixPre6 haha ;) But if you're already set on an F8, then I say go for it! The F8 does have some really clean gain, although it's a little bit bright for my tastes sometimes! Is there anyway that you can borrow/rent one for a few days and try it out before you buy one? If so, I'd go that route. Maybe a retailer somewhere nearby you has one or something like that? Maybe another taper lives close by that has an F8? I just bought a new MixPre6 blindly before using one a couple of months ago, and I couldn't be any happier! So if you're craving a nice, new, minty F8, then like I just said, I would go for it ;) We only live once!
That said, I don't recall ever hearing a ribbon mic>F8, so I don't know where there would be any samples of that particular combo? I hope that everything works out for you and you find the right deck for those ribbons, and Happy Taping 8)