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INTERESTING LISTENING SCENARIO Busman UA-5 pre and Tascam DR70D pre

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Chanher:
First things first, THIS IS NOT A COMP. I agree with a lot of people's opinion on comparisons in that for it to truly to be considered a comp, then all variables must be eliminated. Well there are plenty of variables in the following samples, so for all intents and purposes, please consider this an INTERESTING LISTENING SCENARIO :)

I've been recording an (almost) non-amplified jazz trio with a reoccurring gig. There's no mics or PA, except for the leslie organ speaker. They let me clamp onto an old light fixture hanging from the ceiling, right above the stage lip. Fortunately there's only 1 exact spot where my clamp fits on this weird angular fixture, so both the clamp and the mics are always in the EXACT same spot above the stage. I would guess to within centimeters the mics are hanging in an identical spot each week.

I'm running at853Rx hypers on a fixed DIN bar I made from an old wire coat hanger years ago. So there is no guessing on the mic formation, they sit on the fixed metal bar at the same DIN angle and spacing each week.

However, my 2 samples (1 with the busman ua-5, the other without) is from 2 separate nights. It's the same musicians with the same instruments in the same stage locations (drummer on the left, leslie organ center, and sax right) playing the same song. BUT OBVIOUSLY they are not standing in precisely the same locations. They are potentially not playing their instruments the same. Perhaps the drummer set up a little closer to the corner, which will affect how his drums sound that particular night. I think the biggest variable is the only electronics on stage, the leslie organ speaker. He could have different levels and settings; maybe he decided to turn up louder one night. I personally don't hear or see him changing much but it doesn't matter. The sax player does tend to stand in the same place and face the same way when he plays (I told him to do as pleases BUT if he faces the mics the consistent, he will sound consistent in the recordings). PLEASE take ALL of these variables into consideration.

With that being said, see if you can hear any differences. For the record, I do, and I would describe it as subtle but reasonably significant. Doug Oade was calling one of his Ua-5 mods a "presence" mod when Busman released this, and I think Chris was going for the same thing. Someone once described these mods as subtle eq bumps in the "pleasing" frequencies and I would agree.

I honestly hear it the most on my mid-grade computer speakers; I still hear the difference in my studio monitors but IMO they tend give a nice "detail boost" to ALL recordings I listen to.

I am well aware that using any Ua-5 as an external pre means running through an unnecessary ADC stage (more on this later). The OCD in me hates this, but that's why I'm trying it out. Nothing like a field test.

Raw, unedited 24/48 samples (no level changes)
*sample link removed, dm if interested and i’ll try to get them up again*

fireonshakedwnstreet:
lol we run pretty much the same exact rig! I swear by the Busman UA-5 (I have two). You can definitely here the difference. That presence boost really helps from a far OTS, imo. My only minor gripe is no meters!

Chanher:

--- Quote from: fireonshakedwnstreet on August 22, 2021, 12:44:46 AM ---lol we run pretty much the same exact rig! I swear by the Busman UA-5 (I have two). You can definitely here the difference. That presence boost really helps from a far OTS, imo. My only minor gripe is no meters!

--- End quote ---

what can I say, we have good taste in gear haha. 👍

I just picked up the mp2 from the yard sale, I’m curious how it compares to the busman ua-5. I wanted to do some classical recording this fall and I knew quiet gain options would help. Perhaps I’ll try it for this jazz trio next week.

fireonshakedwnstreet:

--- Quote from: Chanher on August 22, 2021, 01:21:01 PM ---
--- Quote from: fireonshakedwnstreet on August 22, 2021, 12:44:46 AM ---lol we run pretty much the same exact rig! I swear by the Busman UA-5 (I have two). You can definitely here the difference. That presence boost really helps from a far OTS, imo. My only minor gripe is no meters!

--- End quote ---

what can I say, we have good taste in gear haha. 👍

I just picked up the mp2 from the yard sale, I’m curious how it compares to the busman ua-5. I wanted to do some classical recording this fall and I knew quiet gain options would help. Perhaps I’ll try it for this jazz trio next week.

--- End quote ---

Oh you're gonna love it. I have a MixPre so similar. It is warm and full sounding. Upfront and punchy. Perfect complement to the bright UA-5. Obviously a ton of gain!

Chanher:

--- Quote from: fireonshakedwnstreet on August 22, 2021, 03:53:20 PM ---Oh you're gonna love it. I have a MixPre so similar. It is warm and full sounding. Upfront and punchy. Perfect complement to the bright UA-5. Obviously a ton of gain!

--- End quote ---

That's good to know, I'm hoping for a nice alternative to the ua-5.

I've also had my eye on a mic upgrade for quite a while but now's not the right time. Hopefully soon. Probably keep all my current mics too.

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