Topic: [Comp] V3 vs. DAV/BG1 vs. AERCO

[it-goes-to-eleven]

I did a quick test last night with a friend..  He noodled on his Gretsch hollow body electric 6-string, unplugged.  He hasn't played guitar much in the past few years and... nuff said.. Each 16/44 sample is a minute or two.


Mics were MG200 ORTF about 4-5 feet away.  Pre-amp gain 50 to 55 dB.  About 6 dB added in post.
Levels were tweaked to balance each sample at -17dB RMS avg.  The fireplace behind the mics can be heard popping.

mics > preamp > 722 @ 24/96 > Wavelab UV22HR

Cables were 1804a.  Preamps involved:  AERCO, DAV/BG1, V3.

[RebelRebel]

I like 1 the best on this test...(though the material is different for each one and hard to get hold of). there seemed to be a pleasant, euphonic quality to it.

I say 1 DAV, 2 AERCO 3-V3

I liked 3 the least in this example.

[TNJazz]

I liked 3 the least in this example.

Same here, although I chose 1 as the Aerco and 2 as the DAV.  Honestly I didn't think one was any better than the other, but both were significantly better than example 3.

[spyder9]

1. Aerco
2. Dav/BG1
3. V3

[RebelRebel]

Amen..I can pick out that harsh sound anywhere...3 is nowhere near as "euphonic" as the 1st 2.

I liked 3 the least in this example.

Same here, although I chose 1 as the Aerco and 2 as the DAV.  Honestly I didn't think one was any better than the other, but both were significantly better than example 3.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

I agree that the v3 is pretty obvious here.. I lean toward preferring #2 but I'd like to hear the original guitar again to confirm the tone.

But which would sound better with the mics 12 or 25 feet away?  For a regular acoustic guitar, maybe not much would change.

But what if we were talking about a loud electric guitar and 20 feet vs. 60 feet..  I suppose we should draw a distinction between clean loud electric vs. distorted.  Would that v3 "room scrubbing" be an asset in the final sound?  My gut says sometimes... And I definitely like a lot of my v3 > 722 results with schoeps or MGs.

[RebelRebel]

Well.....if a preamp sounds strident/thin(my assessment, and mine only of the grace stuff) , it is going to sound that way at any distance. My millennia pres are of this nature(though a bit cleaner and more hi-fi sounding than the v3) and I hardly ever prefer them. the only time I ever use that sound is when there is a lot of LF signal in the mix and I need something or other to cut through.

it is all about preference, and I like the inviting/pleasing quality of 1 and 2, whatever they may be. for the most part I dont want to hear what goes in..I want to hear it sound better than it did on the way in. Millennia doesnt do that. Grace does not do that. DAV, Aerco, Fearn, Neve,Pendulum,  etc all do..






 

I agree that the v3 is pretty obvious here.. I lean toward preferring #2 but I'd like to hear the original guitar again to confirm the tone.

But which would sound better with the mics 12 or 25 feet away?  For a regular acoustic guitar, maybe not much would change.

But what if we were talking about a loud electric guitar and 20 feet vs. 60 feet..  I suppose we should draw a distinction between clean loud electric vs. distorted.  Would that v3 "room scrubbing" be an asset in the final sound?  My gut says sometimes... And I definitely like a lot of my v3 > 722 results with schoeps or MGs.

[Brian Skalinder]

Of the bunch, I prefer Source A, warmer, fuller sound and I'm guessing it's the DAV/BG1.  Source B has a similar, fullness to it, but with what I perceive as a higher noise floor, so I'm guessing it's the Aerco.  Source C sounded thinner/brighter to my ears, and by process of elimination I'd say it's the V3.

Curious to see which was which so I know what gear to use next time I'm recording someone noodling away on guitar in my living room.    Oh, and the fire's a nice touch.  Just had a full cord of firewood delivered, so digging the fireplace as the weather cools down here in Chicago.

[ShawnF]

Just curious:  How is the DAV powered--is there a convenient field solution for it?

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Unfortunately, A/C only.. I'm not aware of many options other than the Exeltech inverter at about $180.  I had hoped I might get by using a cheap inverter but that just didn't cut it. Details here:

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=71722.msg960770#msg960770

Edit: the inverter has been really great, isn't too big and isn't too heavy.. I hate the SLA and really need to move to NIMH packs or LIONs. I'd prefer to go LION but really haven't found a really good solution.

[ShawnF]

Interesting--thanks for the info!

[RebelRebel]

Interesting--thanks for the info!

so whats your Vote, Shawn?

[ShawnF]

Well, I preferred A by a pretty good margin.  Like Brian, I thought B had a noticeably higher noise floor, which is the main difference I heard between A and B.  Both sounded better than C, though.  I don't have any experience with any of these three, however, so I'm not going to guess which is which, though that will be interesting to see . . .

[cshepherd]

We used our V2 between a sax mic (Audix D series) and a digital effects box when Dale and I were helping out a local band with sound last year.  We found the V2 to sound strident and edgy once the lights started to come on, which was at 25 dB.  It got noticeably worse at 30 db and pretty much trashed at 35 dB.  I don't think the Grace likes running at high gains.  That statement is probably true with most pre amps, but the Grace is not that, uh, Graceful, when it's wide open.  Interestingly, most of the mic pre's on our Allen and Heath GL2400 wound up between 15 and 20 db as well.  just some anecdotal evidence.

Chris

edit:  We thought the V2 did a great job once we found the right spot.  It was definitely not edgy.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

The high gain is a very important point to remember...  Though I often record with 40 or 45 dB of gain so performance at those levels is very important to me.

The actual settings:

V3: 55 dB (45 dB + 10 trim)
BG1: 53.5 (one click below max)
Aerco: 50

Have to re-do this one with a louder acoustic guitar and a little closer to see how they compare at lower gain.