Recording Choices

OLFAudio · Post by **OLFAudio** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 5:28 am

Have not posted in a while.

I've been recording the voyager for some time now but want to improve my mic pre/DI setup. Has anyone here found a great signal chain for the voyager?

Considering the Avalon U5 or maybe a Neve clone like the Vintach x73i?

Any opinions?

MC · Post by MC » Sun Jun 18, 2006 9:43 am

Try http://messageboard.tapeop.com/, lots of info on preamps there.

monads · Post by **monads** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 11:40 pm

I'm just curious but how much characer will a tube DI partake in the signal chain of a Voyager? I mean I hear of them addiding warmth to signals to appear more analog and thought they'd be perfect for digital sources but I just don't know for an already analog source.

northern hope · Post by **northern hope** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:10 am

Basically, a tube mic-pre will warm up the overall signal and add a bit of 'pleasing distortion' (aka 'warmth') when recorded to a digital source. In fact, you're doing your Voyager an injustice by NOT recording it through a tube source since the whole point in owning a Voyager is capturing it's analog warmth on a recording.

The Avalon and Vintech Pre's are all good, as are the Universal Audio line. There's a lot to choose from in the $1000-2000 price range, and most will probably do well with the Voyager. I personally use the UA 6176 with my Voyager and I can tell you that it's made an enormous difference in my recordings.

Radio Lab · Post by **Radio Lab** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:06 pm

Hello all, just a question regarding the current 'extra warmth' pre-amp topic.
I'm considering buying a Fulltone Tube Echoplex for a pre-amp Voy-Sig since it does add a nice 'tube glow' when using it for guitars and such, so I presume it should work for the Voyager as well. I do have an old vintage echoplex, solid state and it really does nothing for the effect that I'm looking for. any advice??

thanks guys!

ps: BTW I do own the SD and the original mooger delay as well as all of the moogers including the 251 and 351. cheers!!

OLFAudio · Post by **OLFAudio** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:52 pm

Northern Hope-

Funny you mention the 6176. I just recently tried the Voyager through the 2-610 and an 1176 and enjoyed the sound quite a bit. Basically what you have in one box.

I really liked the 2-610 for the Voyager but didn't find it versatile enough to justify the price.

Honestly I'm leaning more on a vintage solid state pre a la Neve/api because I like the Voyager to cut through pretty hard and the tube stuff isn't to my liking (for this specific purpose).

The reason I brought this up here and not tapeop or Gearslutz is because I wanted to hear what real Moog Conissouers thought. I could (and have) read what all the other folks think about this and that but was just curious what Moog junkies prefer. We really should care about the recording signal path if we are going to record with $2000 instrument in my opinion.

northern hope · Post by **northern hope** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:41 pm

Ok, gotcha.

A Neve/API will definitely do the trick. I'm not really that picky when it comes to tube units, because I'd recommend everyone using any one of them to lay tracks down with. A solid state unit will sound great, too.

I use the 6176 for synths and vocals.....which is all I do.....so everything I do goes through it onto the recorder. It is a bit expensive, but when you've already laid down 2k plus for a Voyager alone, I think it's just the final step of the process. PLUS, it's a good investment....you'll most likely get what you paid if you sell later.

I've always said that musicians should prioritize outboard gear before instruments. A Voyager can sound like a MicroKorg if you're not running it through a tube pre, but a MicroKorg will sound great going through a Vintech or Avalon.

monads · Post by **monads** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:23 am

Well you guys really cleared it up for me

But the two I was looking and thinking about was the Avalon U5 or the Manley Stereo Tube DI. The UA 6176 is kinda out of my price range at the moment.

northern hope · Post by **northern hope** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:14 am

Both the Manley and the Avalon are great sounding units.

billporter · Post by **billporter** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 11:40 am

I run my Voyager in stereo through a Brent Averill 1272. It really adds to the fatness of the sound.

StefanH · Post by **StefanH** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:01 pm

I am variating mostly.
It is fun to run Voyager directly thru an old, dirty guitaramp.
As channelstrip i own privatly only the Channel One from SPL, which do a lot of nice jobs, but maybe it is more made for microphones. Got nothing to compare.
At the end, i record my synths directly into my DAW (RME Hammerfall DSP, Samplitude V8).

At the end, most recordings have to run thru an analog/digital process, latest when you want to burn it on a cd, which is still only 16b/44.1k for commercial use. So it is important to save your sound thru this process, which is not easy with some of the existing interfaces.

Sad that nearly only musicians and synthfreaks can hear the diffrent of all the work we have done to save our analog sounds on a record