SoundKitchen Recording Studio

[mariuo]

good god looks expensive

[starfugger]

it IS huge.  that pic is still smaller than the actual size! it has a couple of tubes inside    and it gets pretty hot after some time.  which leads to the question, how does one reposition a tube mic? it's not supposed to be moved when hot (or right after use, diba?).  what are the basic guidelines when handling a tube mic?  thanks!

[KitC]

They say that tube mics are supposed to be positioned upside down so that the rising heat doesn't affect the diaphragm. At about 1 kilo, you'll want to make double sure that the Gemini doesn't slip out of it's shockmount.
Never heard of movement restrictions during use; you definitely don't want to jar the mic because of the tube elements, though.

[starfugger]

thanks Kit.  yes, i was told before not to move my tube guitar amp right after use because the heated filament might break. thank God this thing has a better shock mount than the Shure KSM 32.  handling it still makes me nervous though.    will take pix of it side by side the shure KSM32, and also sound clips of raw vocals (male and female) side by side the KSM32.  thanks.

[plugzzzz]

hey starfugger were did you get those???.....abroad pa ba inorder yan hmmm...looks very interesting how much mo na bili yan including shipping and tax etc... pm mo nalang sakin value...ok ba syang gamitin???... post naman some samples...

thanks

[glassjaw_jc]

you can move tube amps kahit in use. with care of course. just don't kick it or jolt it or the like, the tubes can hold it's own. i would suppose you can also move tube mics.

[abyssinianson]

hey! congrats on the Gemini! I didn't know you were getting a Gemini before I browsed the thread. The mic is wonderful. I have been using my Gemini for a while now and between the Rode NTK and this, these are the two main mics I use when I want that warm in-your-face sound for vocals and acoustic guitars. SE makes some great small condensers as well such as the SE1a pair...i passed those though in place of a pair of SM81s that I got for a better deal.

[BALDO]

pwede ba makisingit?
sa mga nabasa ko..some people just put a paper bag over the mic para hindi DAW magkaroon ng condensation- from being cold sa storage to being warm..saka para mabawasan yung SHOCK..i am talking about a NEUMANN U87 and the like.. mga sensitive na diaphragm.. tutal nakalagay naman sa shock mount yun at kung walang makiki alam na paglalaruan yung mic...mas maige na nakasabit lang. well according lang sa nabasa ko..

[BALDO]

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN :
pwede ba maka TAMBAY jan sa studio mo pag nakauwi ako? gusto ko lang makita set up mo.. at baka me matutunan din ako.. i am new to this kasi e ( hobbyist ako) ..don't worry hindi ako competitor..

[starfugger]

thanks abyss. so u also have a Gemini! i have a new name for it. i call it "the jar".  lol.  that's how it feels like in my hand, a jar full of, um, marbles.   it does sound nice on female vocals.  haven't tried it on guitars yet. they say the titan sounds nice on vocals too.  i'd still want a German mic later though (i wish!).

plugzz, i had this shipped.  it's a hassle buying nice things here in the Philippines.  shipping and taxes. ngrr.

Baldo, i used to leave my mics mounted, until lately. i figure it will have a longer shelf life if i keep them in storage after every session.  i leave the shock mount on the mic stand though for easy assembly.  u wanna come over? sure thing. maybe i can learn a thing or two from you too.  

jc, thanks for the advice.

so now the only thing left to do is LEARN how to use all this stuff.  hmm.

abyss, when using the gemini, how far away from the ic does the vocalist sing?  what genre do you usually record using this mic? thanks!

i spent the whole afternoon listening to alanis' last cut in the jagged little pill album, that a capella number. and then tried to recreate it.    of course i never could sing like alanis (ever) but here's what i learned.  the UA plate 140 sort of comes close to her reverb on that song.  but it's still not as dense and "smooth" as the one she used.  plus i think her reverb responds in a different way (or could it be i am singing in an ever so subtly different manner than she does   ).  the pultec pro sounds good, even when left untweaked.  Cambridge eq can do magic.  alanis must've sang that song considerably close to the mic (and i realized this a little late already) because there was a bit of proximity effect there and some plosives.  and finally, it's virtually impossible to exactly recreate a particular sound using a different set of tools but it could be a great learning experience. try it guys, it could be fun.  ask your sisters/girlfriends/moms/grandmas to sing that song plug away!

[abyssinianson]

yeah, i've had a gemini for a while and i really like it for R&B, trip hop, acoustic folk, and acapella singing - styles where a warm and strong vocal finish is needed. i usually try and keep tube mikes away from more plosive heavy styles such as rock because the vocal end up being too overwhelming. for such tracks i use a TLM 103 running into either the avalon 737 EQ'd as minimally as possible or a Focusrite Voicemaster Pro with only the opto compressor set. If I do need to run the mic signal through a Tube Tech compressor, I set it at the requisite 2:1 ratio for those just in case moments.

i've found that the mic does pretty well with singers around 1.5 to 2 feet away from the mic sounds pretty good; the sound is not too overwhelming in the resulting mix and you really don't have to work with the vocals too much to make it sit just right in with the rest of the song. you really have to play around with the mix placement because it depends what angle and position the sweet spot for a given singer is located at...just make sure to use a weighted mic stand - a heavy one with a sturdy base - to make sure the thing doesn't tip.

this item is HUGE, you are right. my brother calls it a mortar shell:)

i rarely ever leave mics out on the stand because the biggest phobia i have about mics is damaging the diaphragm on them rendering it useless. same goes for small condensers and any other piece of gear that might fall, get hit or get trampled.

some albums that give a pretty good idea of the ability of this mic are:

-Alanis Morisette (UNplugged Jagged Little Pill)
-Any Esthero album
-soustice
-vocals on any slower Ani DiFranco song (ie, Napoleon, 32 Flavors..)

[audio-e]

hi haze! wow! dami new gears mo ha. would like to drop by dyan pag gumaan na load dito sa studio.  

[BALDO]

wow thanks sa invite.. matagal pa siguro kasi anjan lang ako last january..sayang nde ko agad nakita itong site na ito..well sa mga na discover ko na tips sa recording eh eto.. yung neumann e ok sa vocals kasi wala ngang proximity effect - i am talking about tlm 183.. yung tlm 103 e mas ginagamit ngayon..nauna ko lang kasing nakita yung 183 3h hehehe.. saka i use behringer denoiser..it works very well sa guitars esp kapag puros distortion.. sa compressors - ok ang alesis 3630 compressor/limiter.. ano pa ba..  ah shure sm 57 works very well so guitar amp micking saka sa snare drum.. saka shure sm 81 sa cymbals at high hat
( although patay na patay ako sa neumann mic para sa cymbals kaso mahal e hehehe). has anyone tried the CAD equitek? ok din yun kapag manipis ang boses.. akg c414 superb sa sax trumpet at trombone..
ps
pero i still believe it is still the man behind the mixing board that matters the most instead of the hardware. i heard song recorded on a NEVE console na gasing laki ng lamesa ( table for 8 ha ? hahahha) with genelec speakers as mastering monitors saka a lot of expensive stuff..pero ala pa din..also with a studio na me 42 inch screen na monitors ng computer with 16 ins/outs soundcard ( 8x2 breakout boxes), DW drums and roland V drums pa na tunog lata pa din hehehehe.. kaya yung mga recording afficionados, don't be discouraged..
big example is THE BEATLES.. done on 2 tracks / 4 tracks later on, their recording still sounds " golden " ika nga.. just train your ears well.!!!
oo tama ka Hazel ba name mo? sorry ( gumana na naman ang sexist attitude ko hehehe kasi nde ko alam na me babae pala na magiging interested sa field na ito)... kung yung mga home made demos here sounds so good..siguro dahil kapag nasa music store ka e ..the salesman ( the good ones) usually gives you the lowdown on the products you need..saka they dont carry products that are crap..well yung mga refutable na stores. pasensiya na sa train of thought ko at kulang sa tulog..parang plaka sa pudpod na karayom na turntable.. hehehe..ok see you when i get there..
btw saan ba yang place niyo? oo nga pala sa Ny ako..nde cubao ha..

   

[starfugger]

abyss, thanks for the advice, i tend to record vocals a little closer to the mic, about 6 inches.  i've never tried 2 feet before. i'm a little wary about the room as my ceiling is just as low as any ordinary house's in the Philippines, and the walls are not splayed.  that's next on my list though, a proper recording and mixing space, 4 other mic preamps (hopefully API or Gordon <--- yeah right!!!!), and a pair of good ribbon mics for drum overheads.  it's gonna take a while before i get there though.

BALDO you're quite lucky to have access to all that stuff.  ako i had to make do with the vs-840 and 4 mics for years.  i kind of learned (and am still learning) by the things that DON't sound good to me, as opposed to having access to great stuff and being mentored.  it's all DIY here and am having fun

[glassjaw_jc]

abyss, what difference did you notice in trying to lower the gain on the mic pre instead of having the singer sing at 2 feet away from the mic?

[abyssinianson]

glassjaw, starfugger,

the use of the 1-2 foot distance was something that basically worked itself out because of my iso booth. if you have a bigger space, you may need to position the mike a little bit closer to strike a better balance between the singer and the mic. you want the gain just up enough to get a good and strong signal from the singer.

if you dont have an iso booth, you will have to make sure the gain is a little bit higher but not so much that it picks up everything in the room in an unnatural way.

[KitC]

I've seen and read of some who like to go as close as 6 - 8 inches in order to take advantage of proximity effect. Like abyss says, let the room determine what you want to hear from the mic. Make sure you got a good pop shield/spit guard. Does the Gemini have a pad? You might want to engage it if you have a 'screamer'. (Thank God it's a condenser, not a ribbon.)

[starfugger]

hi erwin!  sige daan ka minsan! kumusta na?  

glassjaw_jc, sometimes it's quite easy to overload a microphone, hence the source has to be positioned farther away from the mic. also, if you dont like the proximity effect (which cannot be completely eq'd out) then put the source a bit further.  the Shure KSM32 can handle loud signals pretty well, while the Gemini is a bit more sensitive.  most sensitive of them all are the AT4040's.  i always have to engage the pad.  the gemini doesnt have any pads, unfortunately.  i know it's not the same, but at least the Aphex1100 has a pad, and a very useful polarity switch.  so far screamers sound ok on the KSM

[glassjaw_jc]

hmmm.. so ganun pala yun.. thanks!

[BALDO]

Starfugger
i sent you the soundfile..check your email.. dont forget to answer my question ha??? yung totoo lang...  

[BALDO]

hmmm sa dami ng natututunan ko dito naadik na ako ..HELP!!!! hahahahaa..  

[KitC]

Hazel, abyss,

You guys might want to check out the UAD site. They have an on-going sale on UAD plugs right now. For ex., the Pultec Pro is going for $67.15 and the Cambridge EQ is $81.95 now.

[starfugger]

hey thanks Kit.  will check it out. had my eye on the precision multiband.  by the way, the UAD forum was inaccessible for a couple of weeks.  now it's working!

so hello again guys.  was out of town for a while. to my clients, sorry for the delay. and see you soon!
 

those who wish to send me an SMS for free may do so thru my contact page: http://geocities.com/soundkitchen_ph/contact.htm

(messages sent thru my contact page are automatically forwarded to my mobile.  i'll try to get back to you as soon as possible)  

regards,
Hazel

[starfugger]

something interesting i had the pleasure of experiencing a while back was what might be tape compression (i say "might" since i have never really heard tape compression before).  im not talking about 2-inch 24 tracks or anything like that.  im talking about a cassette tape transfer of a mix i did this afternoon.  it was weird. during louder vocal passages the signal from the cassette actually sounded like it was going thru a compressor ... it was getting ducked! no distortion of anything, just that it was basically getting  compressed.  i listened to the digital version and true enough louder vocal passages remained consistent, unlike on tape.  amazing!  

[Sound Weavers]

Hazel, baka good old tape dropout lang yun.