Mar 19, 2007 12:42 pm Good deal Vic. How can a tube change *NOT* affect tone? That's like saying all op-amps are created equal, or all capacitors are sonically equal.
Anyhow, thanks for sharing. I'm sure some people will be interested in this find.
NTK tube upgrade
Posted on Mar 19, 2007 12:34 pm
vicdeluca71
Member Since: Mar 06, 2007
I just reciently bought a ntk to replace a mxl v69.I almost got the k2 but after talking to one of higher rep,s @ rode I opted for the NTK.He told me that while the k2 is more versitle,the ntk has a warmer tone.Thats what I was looking for.When it came to using it I thought it lacked the warmth I expected.Although more detailed than the mxl.The hi's were too pronounced,had a thin sound if you ask me.So being a tubeamp junkie I checked out the web for any kind of tube upgrade for the ntk,and came across another recording forum with a thread on this subject .A few people wrote saying that a NOS is a great upgrade.But one guy with alot of electronics credentials claimed this upgrade is a total waste of time and money,that this kind of tube has nothing to do with tone.He went into great depths about this.I thought it was worth a try anyway.I spent almost 500.00,whats another 50 or so.So off I went to e-bay found a NOS Mullard E 88cc gold pin for $45 from a respectable dealer,and bought.Thank god I didn't listen to the el guru.This tube made all the difference.Now the mic sounds awesome and warm like the rep said(makes me wonder if they test these mic's with a nos tube.Hmmm).Different mic now.I have learned alot from this endevor..Don't believe everything you read,in fact I think it would be safe to say don't believe in almost everythig you read about recording.You may stumble on a mic or anything else for that matter,that gets the worst reviews even by people you respect.And find out trying it that it sounds great.It's all opinions
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Mar 19, 2007 12:42 pm Good deal Vic. How can a tube change *NOT* affect tone? That's like saying all op-amps are created equal, or all capacitors are sonically equal.
Anyhow, thanks for sharing. I'm sure some people will be interested in this find.
Mar 19, 2007 01:26 pm After reading many reviews I bought the K2 over the NTK because of the highs being too pronounced as you said, the K2 is a very well rounded mic and is indeed quite warm. That being said, a tube would definitely affect the tone, although I'm not sure how drastic it would be.
If curious, you can listen to the acoustic song I did under my profile called "makes no sense" as it is done entirely with the K2. All I added was compression and a tad of reverb, no EQ at all.
Mar 19, 2007 04:20 pm QUOTE> How can a tube change *NOT* affect tone? That's like saying all op-amps are created equal, or all capacitors are sonically equal.
pjk,Those were my exact thoughts.
Tripps,I'll check that out,wanna hear the k2 in action.
For "ME" this was a considerable upgrade.For the first time I enjoy hearing my vocals dry in the mix.The last album I cut was in my engineers studio with a[ok here it goes]Neumann mic thru a neve board.I know.The holy grail vocal chain.I really didnt care how it sounded dry in the mix,nothing special.Now when he was done working on them,That's a different story...I'm not trying to cause any contraversy here,and I'm definitly not saying that a NTK into a grace 101 is better or even comparable than a Neumann thru a neve(wouldn't go there)just different.Good match perhaps for "MY" voice..Try everything
Mar 24, 2007 10:31 pm vic, you are completely correct in your thoughts. It is really a matter of what you like your sound to be. I have access to lots of upper class mic's and goodies in other studio's. But I choose to use my collection of mic's here and use the pre amps and pluggins to get the sounds I want. My favorite is my older Oktava MK-319. Some people have not liked the 319 for various reason's, some being they are getting the fake 319 and are stunned by the bad sound quality. I on the other hand have a real 319 and love the way it sounds through my gear. I have also learned how to make it work here, along with the other mic's in my collection.
So it really does boil down to being open to trying different things until you find what suites your needs.
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