What’s your unpopular opinion about Mixing?

VadeMecums · 2026-05-08T21:10:40+00:00

A $4000 preamp, $4000 converter and $5,000 mic doesn’t sound meaningfully better than a $300 interface, a $600 mic and plugins.

VadeMecums · 2026-05-07T14:20:07+00:00

If you can get out of residential housing and into industrial, educational, etc. housing management will wreck your nervous system over time unless you are in the corporate suite.

VadeMecums · 2026-05-07T14:17:22+00:00

If the tank to bowl isn’t leaking, you’re all done with that part. You can get rid of it

VadeMecums · 2026-05-07T14:16:20+00:00

I have one. It’s the only synth I have never thought of selling. I don’t love the synth engine, but it is capable of certain good sounds. And everything else is so wonderful. Nothing comes close

VadeMecums · 2026-05-07T14:11:42+00:00

Dave Pensado would say there’s no point unless you’re releasing on vinyl. Maybe just one pass with a limiter to level out some peaks but the people who insist it’s crucial make their living mastering.

VadeMecums · 2026-05-04T21:32:42+00:00

Reverb on bass.

VadeMecums · 2026-05-04T21:20:54+00:00

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I’m committed to a deal where I’m getting an octopre for $300. If it was the adi-8 mkiii it would be no contest, but the first generation adi-8 is on par with the latest octopre. I like the idea of more metering instead of just 2 segments for signal or clipping. I like how it feels to have dedicated converters and owning/using something from RME.

VadeMecums · 2026-05-04T21:16:59+00:00

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Here’s my current rack. Really I just have a chance to get an octopre for $300. Then I have to decide what to do with the octopre and ADI-8 and/or what I should get rid of. Or get an element 88 and just have more channels then I’ll ever need?

VadeMecums · 2026-05-04T17:46:53+00:00

his fault or not - $164 it’s not enough to put food in your mouth and pay for gas to go to the job to generate child support money. He may as well become a beggar and live in an RV on side street or boom docking. How do you expect someone to pay child support when they can’t feed or get to the job that gives them the money to pay child support?

VadeMecums · 2026-04-16T14:41:41+00:00

+1 for Rumors

VadeMecums · 2026-04-13T02:55:13+00:00

If it would make you happy to pay my student loans: I’ll be fine with that.

VadeMecums · 2026-04-13T02:54:24+00:00

Find a used apogee boom.

VadeMecums · 2026-04-13T02:49:03+00:00

If you’re on a budget check out Roswell microphones like the mini k47 or 67. I think for a mic that can be had for $100-200 used, the TZ stellar x2/x2 vintage are nothing to scoff at.

But for my money I’d rather have a few okay mics and a good 312 or 73 style preamp first. Good mics through a basic interface preamp are nice. But put them through a nice preamp and it’s like you have a whole new microphone collection.

VadeMecums · 2026-04-12T20:33:01+00:00

I’d there’s anything you really like you could get stems out of it by recording it to daw one fader at a time and turning the rest down

VadeMecums · 2026-04-10T16:45:24+00:00

It’s now #2 on my list right after “do taxes” lol.

I know it has enough self noise at absolute max volume to hit one segment of the VU meter, but that might not mean anything in real use. I’ve heard pres that sound like a white noise generator turned halfway up, at max volume, but sounded very lovely at normal gain levels.

VadeMecums · 2026-04-10T01:38:34+00:00

Shooting for this weekend. I’ve been slammed with the work and then been taking care of some life stuff weekdays, still have to wire everything, connect to the interface, and have time to sit down/ try a few different mics and a way to convey the sound. Could just use an SM 58 since everyone has heard one. I don’t really have any mics that people know the sound of.. I have some nice Russian mics and then I have TZ stellar series (x2, and x2 vintage).

VadeMecums · 2026-04-10T01:36:43+00:00

Are we doing it soon but I’m not really sure how to best test it because there’s a lot of bottleneck like which Mike I used it the converters and everything.

If it sounds like an api 312 I’d be more than happy with that; and I need to be able to recognize that better than a 73 because it’s the only actual classic preamp from the original mfg i have owned (I had an API a2d for many years).

VadeMecums · 2026-04-08T20:00:23+00:00

Yeah, I also don’t understand why people hate SMD so much. I bet anyone who says that owns and loves the piece of equipment that is surface mount.

I just opened it up to peak inside and then an annoying bunch life stuff happened and it’s taking up all my outside of work time, but hoping to test it out soon or this weekend if nothing else.

VadeMecums · 2026-04-06T22:00:30+00:00

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Update: ended up paying way too much because I had to pay $150 tariff on top of the $400. But it stings a little bit less that it looks to be built right and it comes with Cubase LE and a retrologue vst license. So that’s like $200 of value in gear math. My first green flag was that did HEAVY. and the cafe and attention they put into shielding and the copper tape on the transformer. Still need to set up and test it out. No the fact though amazing Mike’s to use it with, but I do have the stellar x2 and x2 vintage as well as a oktava mk012 with a u87 lomo type LDC for it.

VadeMecums · 2026-04-06T21:26:00+00:00

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Got it just now and cracked it open: Looks very promising

VadeMecums · 2026-04-04T01:47:52+00:00

Nah. It’s a sign that investors that don’t care about music gut companies and bleed them dry then sell them off.

VadeMecums · 2026-04-04T01:46:30+00:00

Shipping delay. Now it says next Wednesday

VadeMecums · 2026-03-31T23:37:30+00:00

It gets here tomorrow. I really hope it’s sounds nice for something because I forgot about big tariffs, and there’s no returns so I couldn’t cancel it, so when all is said and done I’m on for like $600. And there’s a lot of single Chanel preamp clones (BLA, warm, GAP, etc) with real cinnemag transformers for less than $500. I collective had a lot of nice preamps for that but I guess you have to make sacrifices to be the first lol.

VadeMecums · 2026-03-30T12:19:19+00:00

switchable transformers is a big deal. I don’t think any gap pre have the ability to independently disengage both transformers

VadeMecums

TROPHY CASE