RECORDERS
Pro Tools 12
Pro tools 12 native. We use antelope conversion (32 analogue i/0). We also have a UAD system, quad core and other various plug ins from fab filter, waves et al.
Ampex MM1200
2″ 24 track. Capable of running 7 1/2, 15 and 30 ips. We use RMGI sm900.
Microphones
12 gauge omni
AEA R88mkII
Actual discharged shotgun shell handmade into an omni small diaphragm electret condenser. Great as a drum room and guitar ambience as a boundary mic.
This beast has two 2” ribbons angled at 90 degrees with an extremely flat 20Hz to 20kHz response. Commonly used to glue large ensembles together as it seems to ‘hear’ with an exact accuracy. We use them as stereo rooms for almost anything. Also as a front-of-kit stereo mic.
AKG D112
Audio Technica 4041 (x 2)
Completely different to the original D12, still a great sounding ubiquitous bass drum microphone. Can take insanely high SPL. Works better when slightly angled inside a kick drum rather than pointing straight on.
Transformer-less electret condenser with a slight rise from 5kHz and even harder rise at 10kHz. Great on toms and as overheads/cymbal spots.
Audio Technica atm450
Bees Neez Tribute 3
Side address is helpful for tight placement, this microphone also has a pad and an 80Hz hi pass.
Ben Sneesby’s take on a U47 (fet). Ours has the M7 capsule which is more at home with vocals other than the typical uses for a 47 (kick drum, room, bass, strings). This is due to the 8kHz inherent in the K7 capsule from the spring mount in conflict to the glue mount of the M7. Expensive and really amazing sounding microphone.
Beyerdynamic M55
Beyerdynamic M88
Restricted bandwidth dynamic mic, used on bass drum batter side and odd things like harmonicas.
Moving coil utility mic that has a great mid presence. Great for bass cabs and bass drums, also vocals sometimes.
Beyerdynamic M160 (x 2)
Beyerdynamic M201
Dual ribbon mic, these are actually hyper-cardiod and sound great on almost anything. We love them as overheads or spot mics, rooms, distant bass miking and of course its probably the best guitar cab microphone ever. Brighter than most ribbons but plenty of low end detail.
Hyper-cardiod and high SPL capabilities. Love them on snare drum, sorta condensery sounding.
Beyerdynamic M380
CAD Equitek
Bi-directional moving coil, can drive line level without a preamp, mass low end boost when close to the source. We love them on bass amplifier cabinets, also great inside a bass drum. The front of the microphone picks up the batter side head and the back lobe picks up the resonant head.
Large diaphragm solid state multi-pattern condenser mic. Its patterns are omni, cardiod and figure 8, it has a hi pass and a non-capacitative pad. Great as a room mic, double bass and softer vocals.
Earthworks TC30K (x 2)
ECM8000 (x 2)
Ridiculously flat and wide frequency response (9Hz – 30Khz), can be slightly noisy when gained for quiet stringed instruments for example. Very transparent and useful. We love them as boundary sources.
Omni electret condensers often used for measurement purposes. Response from 15Hz to 20kHz.
Electrovoice 257
Electrovoice RE20
Smaller moving coil that is useful for tight places, similar to a 57 but much wider frequency response, SPL capability and detail.
Dynamic broadcast mic, has an internal pop filter and a humbucking coil. Often used on bass guitar and vocals.
Heil PR30 (x 3)
Heil PR40
Front address large diaphragm moving-coil mic that is extremely useful in so many situations. Routinely used on snare drum, toms, hi hat, hand drums, guitar cabs, bass cabs, double bass.
Low impedance front address moving-coil, this mic has a smaller diaphragm than the PR30. Works a treat on bass drums and cabs, also screaming vocalists (just kiss the mic!), frequency response goes to 18Hz.
Heil PR48
Manley Reference Cardioid
Purpose built bass drum microphone, although sometimes useful on bass cabinets. Frequency response that goes down to 30Hz. There is a trick to angling this microphone, if you put it right infront of a bass drums resonant head hole you probably won’t be satisfied immediately.
Tube cardioid microphone suited for vocal applications. Not many know this but the capsules in the Ref C are the same that were used in the CR3A/CR2001, a Feilo K67. Has a thick sound, high mid forward and an equal amount of air. Some would say this equates to more colour and less transparency.
Oktava MK012 (x 2)
Adam McKay era Russian import versions. Great as overheads or hi hat spot, toms, violin and other string instruments. We have the 10dB pads which you can actually double up if you are close miking a cabinet.
Sennheiser MD421
Shure beta91a
Awesome sounding moving-coil mic, people love them on toms but only if you are gating hard as the differoid effect is lacking when paired and cymbals sound atrocious. Great mics for horns and vocals. Has an EQ, when switched to the ‘S’ setting this delineates ‘speech’ and incurs a strong hi-pass.
Condenser microphone built to be inside a bass drum. You often won’t have a clear-cut representation of the internal drum as it is quite hyped, but it is useful when there is no room for a batter head microphone. Usually a go to for metal bands when a shorter note kick is in use playing busily.
Shure SM7
Shure SM57
High quality and detailed moving coil broadcast microphone commonly used on bass, guitar and vocals.
Dull, prosaic and inarticulate moving coil studio staple, we have one because everyone loves them for some reason. Frequency response of 50Hz to 15kHz.
Shure SM58 (x 3)
Sony ECM
Handheld moving coil microphone, predictable and robust. Pretty much a 57 that is more useful for handheld purposes. Frequency response of 50Hz to 15kHz.
Strange bobo microphone used for abnormal purposes. Low quality transducer.
OUTBOARD
Thermionic Culture Rooster
JLM TG2
2 channel valve microphone preamplifier with EQ and ‘distortion’ characteristics. Can take mic, line or DI signals. Will produce largely 2nd order harmonics when in ‘triode’ mode, and predominantly 3rd order harmonics in ‘pentode’ mode. Despite these distortion options, the natural distortion figure for this unit is well below 0.1% without any input drive or ‘attitude’ trimming.
Great pre amplifiers for a wide range of microphones due to its impedance control of 200 to 3k. When the pot is to the left it can be a very dark and slow slew rate, to a faster tone akin to a 1073. 75dB of clean gain and also a DI which sounds remarkable.
Empirical Labs Distressor
DOD-R825
Ubiquitous compressor that is useful in many types of situations, from subtle to extreme. Also has distortion characteristics. One of the first popular pieces of equipment made by Dave Derr, its a blend of a bunch of famous units such as the 1176, Gain Brain and LA2A.
Similar to a 160, works wonders or doesn’t. Variable attack, release and threshold with a de-esser and sidechain. We use when ducking sources.
DBX 160a
DBX 900 series unit
Popular useful utility compressor, extremely accurate metering. Great for bass and synthetic sources. Can be used successfully on anything though.
Contains 3 x 904’s, 2 x 903’s and 1 x 902. The 903’s are essentially 160’s and they even have a switchable ‘over easy’ mod. The 902 is probably the greatest hardware de esser.
1176
Yamaha E1010
The most crowd-pleasing compressor of all time, ours sounds great and isn’t noisy. It also doesn’t invert polarity.
Old Japanese analog delay unit, has modulation controls and full wet capacity for delaying room mics.
Stereo opto multi-band compressor. This particular unit has rotary controls rather than stepped. Excellent for stereo bus duties or as a drum or keys bus also.
Great sounding preamps with equalisation. Based on the Trident A Range consoles. Super edgy and crisp sounding, mostly used on the close mics of drums and elec. bass.
AMPLIFIERS
Hiwatt DR103
Verellen Loucks
British iron. Military spec chassis, point to point wiring, marine grade cabinet, an absolute tank. Considered a holy grail amplifier. Switchable impedance, 4 x EL34, presence control, master volume.
Versatile amplifier. Quad EL34’s with switchable impedance, 3 band EQ and presence. Meant to be in Hiwatt territory but sounds quite different.
Verellen MeatSmoke
Ampeg V4
300 watt beast. All tube signal path powered by 6 x 6550’s. Needs 2 human beings to lift onto a cabinet. Has a big computer fan to cool its overbuilt transformers. Can support 2, 4 or 18 ohm speaker loads.
2 channel tube amplifier, not the magnavox era version but still great sounding. Can sum channels together which is hugely useful for bass.
Traynor ts50
Ceriatone JMP
50w 8 ohm solid state amplifier. The breakup its remarkable on this unit. If you are familiar with Tronographics Rusty Box, this is the real thing.
JMP clone, this particular version has the master volume mod.
Ampeg V6
Acoustic Control 220 (x 2)
Solid state bass amplifier. Not similar to a V4 at all.
Transparent and super responsive amplifier often used on bass, but it handles guitar great. We have 2 of these.
Orange 4 12
Marshall 2 15
Celestion V30s. Many ply, very thick birch. Closed back. Our particular model is the slanted. 16 ohm input.
Yamaha 3803s, 70’s Japanese 15″ drivers. Thick and responsive low end. 16 ohm input.
Blacktone 6 12
Vase 4 12
2 150w Eminence Texas Heats in the bottom, 2 75w Lorantz in the middle and 2 75w Weber Blue Dogs in the top (which is open). Both inputs are 16ohm.
Loaded with Celestion G12s (non heritage version). A darker cabinet which comes in handy. 8 ohm input.
Ampeg 8 10
Peavey 1 15
The ultimate bass cabinet, never fails.
Discount Dietz style cab, underrated like most older Peavey stuff.