Topic: PSP2

[dmonterisi]

ok this thing makes no sense to me.  crazy french.  what settings should i be using?  mic sensitivity=35, 55, 80? gain=0, 6, or 12?  what a strange design.  if anyone has links to a manual, that would be great.  

how long should i expect this thing to run on 6 AA's?  what about lithiums?

mine didn't come with a power cable, will this thing take 6 volts?  it says max 9...

thanks.

[Matt Quinn]

:::paging Lee:::

[JAH]

give Jerry Bruck of Post Horn a call he can provide some info for you I'm sure.

gfl
jah

[dmonterisi]

thanks james, but jerry bruck thinks i'm an asshole.  i'll have to wait for Lee or natelsky to chime in.

[Lee]

from L to R looking at the panel, this is how mine stays set: power=ON, MIC setting, 24/48 phantom, -35 sens, no rolloff, 0 gain

All the runtime you need off a set of 1800mAh powerex's, but I've never really tested it to be sure.  It ran an entire allmans show + opener last summer without flinching- I'm sure it would go longer than that.  Contrary to popular belief, I'd just run it off internals since the power connection is in a weird place and is non-locking.  Just make sure you get the sled seated in there the right way or it'll come back to bite you.

Marc might be able to help you out a little more since he ran it with the 4022s, but there ain't that much to screw up.

-JLW

edit: spelling

edit 2: it's really sensitive, at the lowest gain setting it peaked out irregularly (kind of how you want a UA-5 to peak out if that makes any sense) FOB at panic running the 63 caps.  I think the DPAs don't drive the signal that hard so you should be OK, but you might need to think about some attenuators if you think that will be a problem, especially for louder acts (mule and the truckers come to mind)

[dmonterisi]

thanks Lee...so the sensitivity is how much gain it applies initially?  what is the 0,6,12 gain switch for?  more gain?

it's okay to use those rechargables?  last night i used 4 rechargables and 2 regular AA's just to turn the thing on and it was a major PITA to get the sled back out.

[Lee]

not sure the difference between sensitivity and gain in that respect, but the larger number you get with both of them, the hotter the signal runs.

It'll scrape the paint off rechargeables if you run them in there long enough, and it's hard to get them seated right, but once you develop a 'touch' for it, you're good to go.  Sure beats the alternative...

[dmonterisi]

thanks, just gave a t for 555 (which is the height in feet of the washington memorial).

[Lee]

thanks, just gave a t for 555 (which is the height in feet of the washington memorial).

...which is coated on the exterior in white marble quarried in Sylacauga, Alabama.

T back atcha

[marc0789]

set to zero gain each channel, -35 mic sens, 24/48 phantom on, never used the lo/hp filters. You can get 10+ hours off AA's, that is until your battery cage sketches out, and you lose power, and/or the batteries melt in the cage. Save yourself some trauma and only use the cage when you are running stealth. You can run for like 15-20 hours off a 6v sla. The power cable is the same one that the mme runs off of 6v. Brothers/Kinder/Smiley/guys at Masterpiece have all had trouble with the cage, to the point Brothers built an external pack.

Oh, and never, never leave batteries in overnight. They will melt.

[dmonterisi]

Oh, and never, never leave batteries in overnight. They will melt.

they melt?  even if the power is off?  what the fuck?

[marc0789]

oh, and from what I've been able to estimate, I think the above settings translate into roughly 20-25 db of gain, roughly akin to the m148, a little hotter maybe. So you can probably start the v3 out at fairly lo gain, 4022>eaa>v3 might sound pretty nice. Damon, I do have a few 4022>eaa>modsbm1 tapes if that's what you're gonna run. I like the sound, in the words of Sunbear, "dripping wet", maybe a touch too wet for me.

[dmonterisi]

you know i'm not sure what i'm gonna do.  i want to mess around a bit.  i think psp2>modsbm1 might be too warm for me.  i want to try it in front of the v3 for shits and giggles.  also am curious about 4022>psp2>sd722.  the modsbm1 probably won't be around that long, i could use the cash.  we'll see.  but 4022>psp2>msbm1 or 4022>psp2>m1 will be my stealth rig for sure.

[Lee]

I always take the batteries out of mine when it's not in use, per Marc's warnings.  At least it doesn't go "boooooooom" like some other pieces of gear...

Sounds really nice with an apogee behind it, haven't tried it with the SBM yet but from what I heard, it's good stuff.

[marc0789]

yep, even with the power off. had a narrow escape a coupla years ago, avoided damage, they were all hot and mushy, I'd lent the unit to a buddy and forgot to remind him. The unit got a clean bill of health by aeta subsequently. something is sketchy with current to the cage, damn frenchies.  

[marc0789]

and avoid any inclination you might have to slide a piece of cardboard inside the hinge, to tighten up the connection. almost had a meltdown doing that too.

[Lee]

and avoid any inclination you might have to slide a piece of cardboard inside the hinge, to tighten up the connection. almost had a meltdown doing that too.

you'll break the hinge off if you do that...

[dmonterisi]

this thing sounds like it's a pinto.

[Tim]

this thing sounds like it's a pinto.

he'll get right on it

[wboswell]

I used Straker's and then Brian Austin's on quite a few occasions and never noticed it to be finicky.  With the 64's>psp2>ad1000, it nevered needed anything more than the lowest gain and sensitivity settings.  I always used a 6v sla and never had an issue with power dropping out.  Its a pretty universal connector for power as I also used it power a vms5u, MMe, and the psp2.  Never had an issued with it not locking.  Paul @ Prodig sold it to me fore like $12.

Pulled my all-time favorite (incomplete) tape (mule 10/31/02-post panic) with the above mentioned rig.  Unfortunately, the damn ad1000 conked out towards the end of the set.  

I really like the unit.  Great size, sound, and convenience

[dmonterisi]

my first act as president would be to ensure the safety of our tapirs who are endangered by melting battery acid caused by AETA's PSP2 -- the French or "Freedom" Preamp.  No longer shall the scourge of provence music studios affect american tapirs.

[Tim]

my first act as president would be to ensure the safety of our tapirs who are endangered by melting battery acid caused by AETA's PSP2 -- the French or "Freedom" Preamp.  No longer shall the scourge of provence music studios affect american tapirs.

 

[Mic D]

I think you just coined a new term, Damon.

"Freedom Pre"

[marc0789]

 

Psp-2 = Freedom Pre. Beautiful. That battery cage truly is Frenchie's Revenge, but I never had a problem running it with an sla. Mine started out with the cage being too tight to remove, then got too loose when it came back from aeta for the replacement of an xlr and a bench test. and minute differences in battery size would cause it to be looser or tighter. Really is a Pinto,,,,,or maybe a Alfa Romeo Spyder, because it is a sweet unit, but a pain in the ass to get parts for.  

[Lee]

it's a great box, just give it the same TLC you'd give the rest of your gear and you'll be fine.  I run the rechargeables because everything else I run can use them- it just saves me from having to carry an SLA.  Since you already have one in the bag for the v3, you can pick and choose.

As soon as I get my new setup, I'll start listing my sources as ck6x>jk labs dvc>freedom pre>tr mod shitmapper>sony POS-12a>digifart plus HD recorder

[wboswell]

Damon-
Do you know the history of that unit you have?  It may go something like Straker>Carrington>Barbour>you.

[Tim]

Damon-
Do you know the history of that unit you have?  It may go something like Straker>Carrington>Barbour>you.

sounds like it's looser than my m148.

showed it to Danny Hutchens the other night and told him it was Ben's  

[dmonterisi]

Damon-
Do you know the history of that unit you have?  It may go something like Straker>Carrington>Barbour>you.

i think that's right.  

wonder who had the modsbm1 before jason?

mics are oade>lee williams>sonic sense>kristian allen>me.

v3 is masterpiece>me.

D10 is > john jewett > me

[nic]

damn, you own anything new?
(looking at my used V2, SBM-1, haha)

[dmonterisi]

i bought the v3 new...and my m1 6 years ago.  that's it.  and my bag.

[nickgregory]

sounds like it's looser than my m148.

showed it to Danny Hutchens the other night and told him it was Ben's  

yeah, well you decide to get rid of that M148, you let me know and I can become the next one in that chain  

[Tim]

my minime was the only new pieces of gear I've ever owned.

used: d8, dap1, m148, mv100, dmic20, ad500e, modsbm-1, akg391, skm150, u89

[Jason B]

Oh, and never, never leave batteries in overnight. They will melt.

This is not true!!!

[Jason B]

Damon-
Do you know the history of that unit you have?  It may go something like Straker>Carrington>Barbour>you.

and you point is Bos?  

That is the exact lineage, though Carrington didn't run this unit very much at all. I honestly think he used it 5 or 6 times.

[marc0789]

Oh, and never, never leave batteries in overnight. They will melt.

This is not true!!!

bullfucking shit it's not true. That thing still tries to run voltage when it's off, with batteries in it. Masterpiece warned me not to do it. I had to clean a shitload of white gunk out of the cage.

[dmonterisi]

it's probably possible that only certain ones have that defect.  i'll try to remember to take the batts out...any clarification on how the mic sens setting differs from the gain setting on this thing?  is it there way of fine tuning?

[MattD]

this thing sounds like it's a pinto.

 :rotflmao:

Damon, you made me laugh enough to get a few weird looks from the other side of the cubicle farm.

[dmonterisi]

glad i'm good for something!

[MattD]

Damon needs 5 more tickets  

[zhianosatch]

4!

[dmonterisi]

Mr. Mephistopheles!

t+ guys

[Mic D]

Mark of the Beast!

[wboswell]

Damon-
Do you know the history of that unit you have?  It may go something like Straker>Carrington>Barbour>you.

and you point is Bos?  

That is the exact lineage, though Carrington didn't run this unit very much at all. I honestly think he used it 5 or 6 times.

If what you say is true, I ran that thing more than Carrington.  Alls I'm saying is that he should be privledged to run that unit...  

Damon needs 5 more tickets  

I think we should keep him there...

[Jason B]

bullfucking shit it's not true.

Nice...  

I meant with all units, not just yours.



Nothing has ever happened to my unit with batteries sitting in it for 3 months straight. People need to know that this is not a majorly common accurance with PSP-2's. You are the only one who I have heard of with this problem. There may be more, but mine has never had that issue in the slightest, and that is what I am talking about.

[Lee]

It may not be common, but it's worth taking the precautions if you think about it.  An once of prevention I say, especially with an expensive piece of equipment.

(it wasn't a problem with mine ever, either)

[Brian Skalinder]

Regardless of whether you've had problems leaving batteries in your devices, in general it's a good idea to take batteries out devices which won't be used for a while.

[marc0789]

tell ya what, JB. Ask Smiley, Kinder, Brothers, and all the guys at Masterpiece about leaving batteries in the unit. and if you can find the users guide, it says the same thing. people need to know this is a risk, not that yours seems ok. not worth a ruined unit, why the hell would you leave batteries in the thing anyway. Why not go ahead and give the JB warranty to all psp-2 owners, free replacement for everyone?  

[Jason B]

people need to know this is a risk, not that yours seems ok.

Damon now has my unit, that is why I spoke up about the lack of this issue with it.

Why not go ahead and give the JB warranty to all psp-2 owners, free replacement for everyone?  

Another classy response from Marc.  

[marc0789]

Oh, and never, never leave batteries in overnight. They will melt.

This is not true!!!

I don't appreciate being called out as a liar. Posting that yours didn't have the problem, that's fine. That's what a few others did. Calling someone out like that, not classy. Give Masterpiece a call. Hell, find that eaa manual. Do a little checking before you claim something is not true.

[dmonterisi]

flagpole at noon!!!!  Aces high motherfuckers.

[zhianosatch]

 :grouphug:

yarrr

[jpschust]

just in general, as brian, i believe, said before- its a bad idea to leave batteries in any piece of gear overnight.  batteries will naturally drain over time, though at what rate for what piece of gear is questionable (ie the psp2).  even in a remote control over time you risk a corroding battery in your cage which is just gross.

[Jason B]

I don't appreciate being called out as a liar.

No one called you a liar Marc. I should have added "this is not true on all units".

[France]

We surrender

[muj]

voila!

[dmonterisi]

bear in mind, i'm half german.  doesn't bode well for my longterm relationship with the freedom pre.  give a german a gun, he marches straight to paris.

[Lee]

We surrender

[C.Clark]

get em damon

[Sean Gallemore]

bada bing!

[marc0789]

JB and I have made up.   I overreacted. Shocker, huh?!

[dmonterisi]

JB and I have made up.  

thank god...i didn't sleep all weekend.  

[Tim]

JB and I have made up.  

thank god...i didn't sleep all weekend.  

welcome to my world  

[marc0789]

insufferable smartasses.

[Jason B]

insufferable smartasses.

Ditto  

 

[Lee]

:grouphug:

[zhianosatch]

yarrr, i say!

 :grouphug:

[muj]

:grouphug:

 

[twoodruff]

jason, did you ever run this u89>psp2>mini me or tls for that matter?

I am considering getting this

[Jason B]

jason, did you ever run this u89>psp2>mini me or tls for that matter?

I am considering getting this

No, as I didn't own both the Neumann's and psp-2 at the same time. I traded Damon my modsbm-1 and psp-2 along with cash for his U89i's. If he wants to try this combo though, I would be more than happy to send the U89's back his way for a weekend or he could send the psp-2 down to me...

I ran the TL's into the psp-2 > modsbm-1 a few times with great results. As far as "stealth" pre's are concerned, it is my favorite. I really like the mp2, but like the smoother bottom end that the psp-2 produces (to my ears) a little bit better.

[Lee]

I really like the mp2, but like the smoother bottom end that the psp-2 produces (to my ears) a little bit better.

My sentiments exactly... I actually prefer the bass response of the PSP-2 to the m148 <ducking>

[dmonterisi]

trey-
if you want to run it for a little while before you decide to buy it, that's fine with me, just let me know.

-damon

[twoodruff]

I really like the mp2, but like the smoother bottom end that the psp-2 produces (to my ears) a little bit better.

My sentiments exactly... I actually prefer the bass response of the PSP-2 to the m148 <ducking>

no need to duck, I value your opinion and if it is what you think then I will check it out. Plus you said it is what you prefer, others may prefer the m148 or something else altogether.

[twoodruff]

I am also concerned about the gain on the psp2, will I have to use the calpots (screwdriver) on the minime, just something I would like to check out, I think the gain is rather fixed at 20 and above, correct?

[dmonterisi]

to be honest, i haven't run the thing...i got it from jason, thought i'd want a stealth rig, and then decided i didn't care enough.  it's got some bizarre gain settings, i think you can increase gain in 3 big steps, then "fine tune" in 6 db increments.  you will have to use the calpots unless you use so little gain on the psp2 that you run mic-in.  natelsky says the calpots are no problem.

[twoodruff]

yeah but in teaching someone how to run a rig it is more difficult. I have no problems with the calpots myself

[dmonterisi]

isn't your daughter a little young for taping?

[twoodruff]

not in the grand scheme of things, it is going by so quick, plus the earlier the better, then I can just sit in the car with wireless headphones and listen, ofcourse I wouldn't leave her alone until atleast age 3

[Tim]

I really like the mp2, but like the smoother bottom end that the psp-2 produces (to my ears) a little bit better.

My sentiments exactly... I actually prefer the bass response of the PSP-2 to the m148 <ducking>

don't duck.. explain! I'm interested in hearing what you mean... no one preamp is the end all!

[zhianosatch]

except "no" preamp, tim.

[Tim]

hehehehe....

[marc0789]

absolutely will need to run the calpots, Trey. the settings on the eaa are a little odd, but at zero gain, with -35 mic sens, that translates into about 20 db or so. You *can* run at +6 or +12 gain, but I think you'd run a danger of clipping at +12, and you'd have to fine adjust the mme anyway. I really love both the sound of the eaa and the m148. The oade is a little more balanced throughout the range, a little less warm, I think the bass on the eaa is a little looser, m148 bass, very tight but a little less pronounced.

[Lee]

The oade is a little more balanced throughout the range, a little less warm, I think the bass on the eaa is a little looser, m148 bass, very tight but a little less pronounced.

That's about what I hear as well.  I can only really accurately judge tapes from shows I've been at (since I can sorta remember what the venue sounded like), but the times I've heard the m148 with the 480's, it seemed a little too overpowering in the low end, and a little too accurate for my tastes- kind of unnatural sounding.  The EAA's bass is a little more fat and tubey sounding, without being sloppy if that makes any sense.  Its strengths and weaknesses also complement my mic selection better than any other preamp that I've tried.  I'm fairly convinced that 483>PSP-2>apogee is my favorite combo out there for arena taping.

[twoodruff]

The oade is a little more balanced throughout the range, a little less warm, I think the bass on the eaa is a little looser, m148 bass, very tight but a little less pronounced.

That's about what I hear as well.  I can only really accurately judge tapes from shows I've been at (since I can sorta remember what the venue sounded like), but the times I've heard the m148 with the 480's, it seemed a little too overpowering in the low end, and a little too accurate for my tastes- kind of unnatural sounding.  The EAA's bass is a little more fat and tubey sounding, without being sloppy if that makes any sense.  Its strengths and weaknesses also complement my mic selection better than any other preamp that I've tried.  I'm fairly convinced that 483>PSP-2>apogee is my favorite combo out there for arena taping.

accurate yet unnatural, makes no sense to me. It is not that I disagree as I find the m148 to be rather transparent in the world of pres. To my ears it is perfectly natural sounding. But hey, to each his own.

[marc0789]

never owned a pre that sounded more transparent and accurate to what I hear where I tape than the m148, particularly the 4022>m148>mme combo. Yes, Damon, you will easily find in the archives a statement from me saying the same thing about 4022>v3. I was mistaken.

[twoodruff]

has anyone run the psp2 and the sonosax? Specifically, both with the minime?

[dmonterisi]

never owned a pre that sounded more transparent and accurate to what I hear where I tape than the m148, particularly the 4022>m148>mme combo. Yes, Damon, you will easily find in the archives a statement from me saying the same thing about 4022>v3. I was mistaken.

marc, i don't go looking through the archives for your posts anymore...it's like shooting phish in a barrel.

[Lee]

The oade is a little more balanced throughout the range, a little less warm, I think the bass on the eaa is a little looser, m148 bass, very tight but a little less pronounced.

That's about what I hear as well.  I can only really accurately judge tapes from shows I've been at (since I can sorta remember what the venue sounded like), but the times I've heard the m148 with the 480's, it seemed a little too overpowering in the low end, and a little too accurate for my tastes- kind of unnatural sounding.  The EAA's bass is a little more fat and tubey sounding, without being sloppy if that makes any sense.  Its strengths and weaknesses also complement my mic selection better than any other preamp that I've tried.  I'm fairly convinced that 483>PSP-2>apogee is my favorite combo out there for arena taping.

accurate yet unnatural, makes no sense to me. It is not that I disagree as I find the m148 to be rather transparent in the world of pres. To my ears it is perfectly natural sounding. But hey, to each his own.

I mean "accurate" not like accurate to the room, but more at "mechanically precise" if that makes any sense.  To my ears, hearing the m148 as opposed to the PSP-2 is like being at Oak Mountain at the end of summer tour- but only 5% humidity.  It still sounds the same, probably a little clearer (or "better" as some would say), but it's missing something.  The PSP-2 adds that "shorts sticking to the back of your legs" feel back into the tape, at least in my opinion.  Just talking about the bottom end, though- I think the mids and highs of the units are pretty much equal, all things considered.

[Tim]

thanks for answering the question guys.

one thing that I like about the m148 is how clean and accurate it is, with teh exception of the low end UMPH

[baustin]

I guess I'll chime in here...

I've been running the PSP2 with a pair of Neumann u89i's for a few years now and I'm pretty sure it's my favorite sounding preamp. It's got a nice fat sound in my opinion. Only problem is that its a bitch to fine tune on the fly. I've run it into AD1000's, ADC-20's, SBM-1's and straight into DAT decks with good results fairly consistently. I recently got my MiniMe, though, and unfortunately have not run u89i>PSP2>MMe yet. I will say that W. Boswell and I ran u89i>PSP2>AD1000 a few years ago at Smilefest and ended up with one of warmest sounding tapes I've ever heard.

On another note, I always run the PSP2 at 35dB and make any other adjustments further down in the chain.

6 AA's will power the PSP2 for about 10 hours with phantom power on. NEVER EVER leave the batteries in the unit overnight. I've gone as far as to pull the battery cage out between sets. I too have had the white stuff (battery acid) form on the batteries and cage after extended time in the unit.

Great PSP2 tapes: Phish Japan 06-14/15-2000 Schoeps>PSP2>SBM-1

-Bryan

[marc0789]

the battery cage issue is the only thing holding me back from picking one up for stealth. that thing is very low tech, compare the flimsy cage with the vms, sx, mp-2 and it really suffers.