mic processing

[Anonymous]

Which is the best product to process live mic inputs?

[JesseG]

Personally I’m a fan of the DBX 286A (analog) mainly for the huge value, so i recommend it to a lot of people.
http://www.dbxpro.com/286A/index.php
These have a very wide range of sound you can get from them, and the voice-tuned OverEasy compression is awesome, with a setting over density that’s independent from the input gain. The gate is actually a gentle downward expander that sounds very natural, and basically an instant release (as in the gate instantly opens back up when you start talking).

But if you have the cash to throw down, you want one of these:
http://yellowtec.com/VIP_digital.html
It doesn’t get better than a Yellowtec VIP for the everyday use on most stations in most situations. The dynamic de-essing and reverb is to die for, just perfect for voice. I consulted for a few stations that ran these, and their jocks all stood out on the dial on a totally higher plane than anyone else because of it.

There’s also pretty great offerings from..

Symmetrix, 528E (analog) and 628 (digital, which i prefer, discontinued)
http://www.symetrixaudio.com/
These are all time classics, and sound great if you want a processed yet still somewhat natural sound.

and their sister company AirTools, the Voice Processor 2x
http://www.airtoolsaudio.com/index.php? … &Show2=484

If you want to sound larger than God on the dial, this is what you want
http://www.aphex.com/230.htm
Personally I don’t like them, they are tailored for that monstrously huge sound, so they don’t end up sounding as solid with a more natural yet still processed sound, like the Symetrix 528E/628 or the DBX 286A. But if you want that insanely huge sound, the 230 will deliver it without breaking a sweat.

worth mentioning but not great imo…

Omnia ToolVox, discontinued, here’s the manual
http://omniaaudio.com/84-toolvox-users-manual

worth mentioning and insanely great but probably way out of most people’s price range per unit… and something that relies more on the speaker having a halfway great voice already…

Manley VoxBox
http://www.manley.com/mvbx.php
loaded up with military grade new old-stock Mullard tubes from the 1960s… with a great mic like a Neumann U47, or a Milab VIP-50… and you will seriously CREAM YOUR SHORTS because of how insanely awesome this setup sounds. if you have the cash, splurge on an Eventide Reverb 2016 too, and i swear to god you will have a cot, refrigerator, and a shower setup in the booth within a week.

[Q106]

For the bucks,the 286A is superb.The Urei LA4 is a classic .i’ve used a bunch of different mic processors including the Aircorp 500 ph,Symetrix 528 and 628,.My favorite now is the Vorsis M1.Aphex 230 is ok,but has a weak power supply that really runs hot and has been a issue.Like audio processing,everyone has favs for mic processing as you can see.If you tune that 286A right,you will love it.I know a station running it with an AT2020 mic(99.00).Awesome sounding mic chain and cheap…

[Guillou]

I’m very curious JesseG, but can you tell us your DBX286A settings ?
Thanks

[Anonymous]

i was asking which of the breakaway products was more suitable.

sergio 🙂

[Boki]

heh ..
if you choose dbx286A .. it so easy to be ready for use .. 🙂

[JesseG]

Ah yes, I forgot about the other newcomer, the Vorsis M1.

Also, I just discovered this brand new (not sure if it’s even out yet) offering from Sound4, the wonderful French company started by the guy that created the IDT DVP 🙂
http://www.sound4.biz/products/sound4%2 … minary.htm
It looks like it’s basically cream your pants awesome, if you have a Livewire setup. And it also looks like they have regular digital and analog versions planned too. This is one that I’m excited to eventually hear.

[quote author=”Guillou”]I’m very curious JesseG, but can you tell us your DBX286A settings ?
Thanks[/quote]
It’s not relevant because every speaker (person talking) and microphone makes enough of a difference that the settings won’t be the same for even remotely the same voice texture, especially the difference in between speakers. That’s not to say that the DBX 286A can’t make any speaker sound better with the same "one size fits all" settings… but the real power comes with tailoring each voice processor for each speaker.

I can tell you though, that I prefer a higher drive, and a lower density. That way you get more averaging of the volume, but the lower density setting makes the OverEasy circuit keep all of the shorter term dynamics much more open and natural sounding. I like more HF Detail enhance than LF, but not so much that you start to accentuate mouth sounds. And I like a fairly open downward expander, a ratio between 1.5 and 2 and a threshold that’s as tight as you can get away with considering the speaker’s ability (or inability) to work the mic properly. But it also depends on the room the speaker is in too. If it’s not sounding too noisy listening to the on air sound on headphones, you can back off the expander a bit to allow a more natural sound between the words. Just not so low that any noise "stuttering" happens during breath sounds, or problems like that. False gate releases. 😉

[quote author=”sergio”]i was asking which of the breakaway products was more suitable.[/quote]
Comparatively, and honestly?… None of the Breakaway products really are as suitable as what was mentioned so far besides the Urei LA4 which is just a limiter.

Perhaps it’s about time for that to change, once the new generation of Breakaway products start becoming public. But we’ll save more on that for later. 😉

Just the same, our wrong answers have made a great topic so far, so I stickied it. 😆

[greatstart]

I’ve found this very helpful, the DBX 286A Quickstart Guide:

http://www.voiceoveruniverse.com/profil … tart-guide

[Joop Krauthausen]

Hey JesseG,

Just curious.. should i trow away the Yellowtec VIP-1 (Analog) ??

I did not have the chance to check out the digital one..

Cheers !

[JesseG]

[quote author=”Joop Krauthausen”]should i trow away the Yellowtec VIP-1 (Analog) ??[/quote]
Heck no. 🙂

I like the digital ones more since they are slightly more accurate & controlled and of course the smart card recall for each jock = priceless. Otherwise both are killer.

Yellowtec and the 286A = my favs for jocks.
VoxBox + Mullards & Evantide verb = my fav for VO persons.

[TDCat]

Hi,

I agree that this is a great topic relating to hardware but I was also after a bit of info on the processing of a mic within Breakaway itself. E.g. Why does a Microphone preset exist? What is set specifically differently within that preset for it to be used for live mic use? Why does it use 4 bands rather than 6/7 as per many of the other presets?

I know these are fairly basic questions but my requirements for mic use do not warrant outlay on a hardware processor. I would love to try one though…Are there any Breakaway type products or VST plugins that even come close?

Thanks,

Torsten.

[timmywa]

Saw this deal today from BSW USA

quote :

$149.99 for a dbx 286A voice processor? Yes it’s true – only at BSW.

Save almost 30% on the most popular voice processor in radio! We made a special purchase of factory-resealed units. They come with full factory warranties, and perform in every way like their “a-stock” brethren, which sell for $209.95). This price is limited to the supplies we have on hand, so don’t be slow or you’ll miss out on this great deal.

[GuntherM]

I’m using a Symetrix 528e (analog) for my Sure SM7b and for my 2 Rode Broadcasters a TC Goldchannel (digital) the last one is discontinued, but is a great channel-strip.

[Leif]

Apart from the usual 4, 5, 6 and 7 band modes, the upcoming Breakaway versions will also have 3- and 2-band modes. 2-band seems to be excellent for voice processing, so maybe the next Breakaway Live version will have something that fits the bill 🙂.

///Leif

[Modulator]

Superb!!

[Author]

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