1176 : Which Revision for Vocals Mnats boards

[manulaudic]

Hi,

I am looking through Mnats boards for his 1176 revision and i am wondering which one would suit best for singing vocals..

Genres like CSNY, Sufjan Stevens etc...

I heard great things about Rev A which has some nice color to it and may not be the cleanest one but also good things about the Rev J, which is close to the G1176 and probably a more economical build.

Thanks for you help,
Manu

 

[gswan]

It's an open-ended question and very dependent on personal preference and the type of sound you are hoping to get.
Personally I prefer an LA-2A or Fairchild on vocals a lot of the time.

 

[joaquins]

+1 LA-2A, never try an Fairchild (neither original nor clone) but LA-2A original or clon goes grat for most voices... I like 1176 for guitars, drums (ambience or parallel bus), for choirs is great in parallel compression and nice for voices if the singer has little transitions (p, s, t sounds...) maybe in parallel too, but for voice tracking LA-2A. Also you could go for LA-3A if you want to go solid state, I use one once and I loved it...

JS

 

[manulaudic]

Thank you both for your answer.

I've heard lost about the La2a but i think the cost might be too high for the moment. Unless you guys could give me a rough idea of the build cost.
I wanted to stay on the solid state path and get myself a 1176.
Still looking for the best choice for vocals. I heard the Rev A has a nice grit to it..

Yes 1176 tends to bring up t, s and p very much... Does the La2a runs smoother on those transients?

Cheers,
Manu

 

[Hank Dussen]

An 1176 can be very nice on vocals. It's a good overall compressor.
Rev D is a bit smoother (less aggressive) then rev A. Rev F is a bit cleaner and cheaper because of the IC input.
Rev G is Gyrafs version, which will be a bit less 'original' but is probably the cheapest.

Me personally, I'd go for rev D...

 

[manulaudic]

In what way the gyraf's revision is cheaper?

thanks for the info, i will look at the revision D more in detail... sounds good

I think that it still needs input and output transformers. I believe that's very much part of the sound.

Manu

 

[joaquins]

I love the 1176 in every channel, but for vocals I end up using more an opto than the 1176...

The response of the LDR of the optocell, independently if you use the original, a vactrol or simple led/ldr is slow, so you get smooth compression and keep the original transients, independently of the opto comp you build, the LDR is slow... of course you can put slow time in an 1176, is more versatile this one... I don't know the diference between the diferent revisions, never have together to make A/B...

Because of the cost I said LA-3A, just 2 DOAs, the optocoupler but still input and output transformers, the original optocoupler is expensive, about U$D 185 on ebay, but you could build one with a vactrol or a LDR and a lamp or led, VTL5C is about U$D 5 on ebay and you could use it with little mod, also you can build the original signal path (except for the fotocell) and play with the sidechain. Original LA4A is build with LDR/LED, so you could go for that if you want a cheap optocomp, it just have 2 LED/LDR (one for meter), 3 transistors, only output transformer and about 10 op amps, it's a nice one but not so colorfull like the others, but with nice OP trans and playing with opamps would be a nice project, I have one in mind befor go for the 2 old brothers...

For the 1176 rev I can't speak, but will be someone arround to give you a hand to your choice.

JS

 

[manulaudic]

Thanks Joaquins for this great answer.. i should really look at the La3a then...

Have you made your own Pcb or bought it somewhere here? How about the La2a have you used the Drip version http://www.dripelectronics.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8&Itemid=31

How about Built cost for the La-2a? After all it is a classic... so is the 1176.
Is that the one you built : http://www.diyrecordingequipment.com/1788/sb-3a-diy-la-3a-now-taking-pre-orders/

The bundle is nice... Though no control of Attack and Release.

I found this : http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=40755.0 and this : http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=42541.0

Though, i'm looking for colour rather than heavy compression. I feel like the 1176 might add wonderful color if not driven hard like 11oclock input, 2 oclock output...

I think as a first heavy DIY project i should go for something easy and well documented, maybe not tubes... high voltages...
So La-3a or 1176...

Manu

 

[Hank Dussen]

In what way the gyraf's revision is cheaper?

thanks for the info, i will look at the revision D more in detail... sounds good

I think that it still needs input and output transformers. I believe that's very much part of the sound.

Manu

Well, actually I'm not sure Gyrafs version is cheaper but that's what it says on Mnats site.
Maybe it's cheaper because there's less 'original' parts?
But maybe rev F is cheaper since it has no input transformer nor T pad atenuator.

 

[jensenmann]

I´ve built a bunch of 1176s with different combinations of chip/transformer inputs and different output trannies. What I like most for vocals is my OEP in/OEP out version with R84=1k output load resistor installed. This resistor affects the frequency response esp. with OEPs in a helpful way.

 

[manulaudic]

Thanks for the info Hank Dussen !

jensenmann Which revision do you recommend with those OEPs?
Nice to hear there can be some fine tuning with the resistor..

Manu

 

[Echo North]

Well, actually I'm not sure Gyrafs version is cheaper but that's what it says on Mnats site.
Maybe it's cheaper because there's less 'original' parts?
But maybe rev F is cheaper since it has no input transformer nor T pad atenuator.

The Rev F has a T-pad and input tx.  Rev A - F have the same input circuit.  The G introduced the IC input.

The F is the first with an A/B output so it can use a variety of output transformers.  That can reduce costs by maybe $5-$10 over the A-E since you don't need the 5002 feedback winding which is very custom.

The G can be a lot cheaper with the IC input.  About $70 cheaper over a A-E.

Mike

 

[0dbfs]

The things I like about the 1176 in general for vocals or anything else for that matter is that it's a pretty economical unit to put together, very well documented, and variable attack/release provide a very wide range of settings. I did a dual RevA and will use it on pretty much anything but like vocals through it too. I think my next 1176's will be D's tho. Just for fun.

Cheers,
j

 

[manulaudic]

Thanks guys...

Makes me think i should go the 1176 way..

I just can't wait to hook it up in the chain, cause even the best plugins : in my case Softube Fet Compressor... Can't get that sound from the beginning...

I think i will go rev A or D.
You guys recommend Hairball Audio? Or go with a more Gyraff way with different switches ?

Manu

 

[MicDaddy]

I built 2 Mnats Rev A comps, love them!  My next will be Rev F from what I read here..  http://www.gearslutz.com/board/8341886-post96.html

FWIW I prefer vocals through a D-LA2A over the 1176s, unless the 1176 bite/flavor is what I'm after.

 

[Hank Dussen]

The Rev F has a T-pad and input tx.  Rev A - F have the same input circuit.  The G introduced the IC input.

The F is the first with an A/B output so it can use a variety of output transformers.  That can reduce costs by maybe $5-$10 over the A-E since you don't need the 5002 feedback winding which is very custom.

The G can be a lot cheaper with the IC input.  About $70 cheaper over a A-E.

Mike

My wrong. I see it now. Mnats F/G boards can be made either way.

 

[AudioGimmer]

You guys recommend Hairball Audio? Or go with a more Gyraff way with different switches ?

Manu

I can't recommend Hairball highly enough. Mike has always given exemplary service. Plus he has all the parts. If this is a first build, one of the all inclusive kits would make it really straightforward.

The gimmer

 

[CJ]

ok, now that we have vocals covered, can i sneak this by,

i am taking my first stab at getti8ng a good drum sound,

what does the 1176 work best on, snare, symbols, kick, toms, hi hat?

thanks, any hgelp much appreciated,

cj

 

[gswan]

Definitely snare, kick and toms.
Also good on a mono overhead.

 

[0dbfs]

Drums are overrated. I suggest a well placed mono kit mic with no compression and turning the vocals up.

-j