What's the opinion of Antares Microphone Modeler?

HIGHLY recommended. I don't do a mix without using it, because I don't own a rack of Neumann mics (just a couple of SM-2's). Translates my Audio-technica AT-4050 into a absolutely recognizable Neumann M-49, U47, RCA 44 ribbon. Does the newer Neumann's well too. All lead vocals, backing vocals, brass and sax solos.

You can do a google search for tons of reviews on its predecessor and the hardware version the AMM-1.

You do get better results with a fairly decent condenser mic input that's in its list, like the AT-4050. It's a lot harder to turn a dynamic like a Shure Sm-57 or 58 into a Neumann condenser. Although I once was forced to process an entire drumkit recorded a decade ago with cheap Shure dynamics and convert them into condensers and it saved the track.

You can also dial in the amount of tube modeling distortion you want.

A plugin will not give you the quality of a good mic into a good pre plus good AD's. No matter what you do to the recorded data. You might be able to color it to a certain point, but it would be like trying to wax a rusted car.

my 2 cents,

-marc

I OWN TWO Neumann Sm-2's, as well as a UA-610S and UA-8110 and an apogee ensemble, to name a few.

I highly disagree. If you can't afford the gear, antares mic modeler is the next best thing, and I'm not alone in that pro assessment as anyone doing the google searches for reviews as I suggested would learn.

I can afford the gear, and am still using it. The only reason I own the SM-2's is because Antares doesn't model the M-53, the SM-2's mono predecessor.

When (as always) a record company is going to compress the recording to a dynamic range of 2db, and the final listener is going to hear it in downloaded mp3 format, I assure you THEY will not ever hear a difference.

But thank you for reminding me once again why I never post here.

Hey Leslie

Thanks for your 2 bits on the Mic Modelling. I shared the same opinion as Marc until I read your response.

I have been in the game for more than 2 decades, and you've inspired me to re-examine Anatares.

I know what you are saying about this bulletin board, it seems like 90% of the people here are newbies, or people who have stolen copies of software and can't figure out why their passwords don't work.

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Thanks. It seems more and more pros are getting fed up and deserting Apple daily. I'm currently reading the longest thread on these boards about Lion and consensus is not good.

Thanks for posting.

I stand my case. Pumping a radio shack mic into a behringer mic pre and then using mic modeller will not turn it into a U47 into a Neve board, I assure you. Been recording for 20 years and owning Neve / API / Apogee / C12 mic etc.. into a John Sayers designed studio. I can hear the difference from my old basement acoustic / equipments studio and it is huge. I can see some plugins like UAD-2 giving better results in the end, but you first need first order signals in...

I am still on snow leopard / Logic Pro latest. And it works great. I don't see why people would switch so prematurelly. If it aint broke and works for you, don't upgrate to the latest and greatest. I been burnt myself enough with this reaction of upgrading too quickly.

Nice straw man you got there. NO ONE is talking about taking a radio shack mic into a behringer preamp.

However, take any decent condenser like the AT-4050, put it through a UA 2-610 silverface or 8110 (I have both), and then convert THAT through antares, and one out of a million engineers will hear the diff in a blind test. And that ain't you NOR I.

Garbage in; garbage out. And Antares are the first folks to tell you that they can't turn an sm-58 into a neumann. But even that attempt can come closer than fiddling with eq and I did use it to save some very old drum tracks recorded with all cheap dynamics.

Recording engineering would be so much more pleasant without the snobbery. And I've been recording for 35 years.

Thanks Leslie,

It is just that I don't consider a UA 2/610 and an AT4050 at 3K'ish entry level gear, but yes there is also more expensive gear out there that is sounding fabulous, we both know that. I remember trying this plug in without much sucess and turned out we finally used the recording without the plug. I never used it entensively for a long period. I am impulsive into my mixes, when it's not sounding my way immediately after some tweaking, I go another route... : ) I find that a good sounding mic / pre / compressor combination choice for the matérial recorded will barely need much more than a little Eq / delay / reverb most of the time to make it sit in the mix. But, for the price, the plug in could fit some bills. Is is a compromise.

regards,

-marc

I have no interest in Lion whatsoever.

"If it ain't broke, why fix it?"

I use 10.5, it is solid as a rock, and I have NO INTEREST whatsoever in buying new versions of all my software simply because Apple has decided to update the OS.

It's a donkey chasing a carrot, and I resist as long as possible.

I bought a "new" mac mini 6 months ago, only to discover that only about HALF of my stuff works on Snow Leopard. A person can spend more money on software upgrades than the machine itself, and this is just plain wrong to me.

I have a friend here in Taipei who builds Hackintoshes.

I am VERY seriously considering learning how to do this. He runs his entire recording studio on a desktop Frankenstein's monster, and it runs flawlessly. I don't think he has dropped more than about $400 US on a machine that puts my MacBook Pro t complete shame.

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@androidmedia

Whatch out for hackintoshes, you might hand up with a lot of isues concerning ventilation. It is not fun to record with the fans full blowing. Not counting your stock with the troubles. I also know people that uses hackintoshes unsucessfully... Personally, I always use the real deal since it means less issues that carries me away from my main work of recording. And, for me, it's cheaper in the long run.

You are correct about the ventilation issue, in fact, all the doors are off his case, and he has an external fan blowing onto the unit. I was surprised though, that while tracking 14 inputs of drums at 24/88, his CPU tempurature was 30 degrees C. WIth a 7200 RPM 750 GB Seagate in my laptop, the lowest my computer EVER gets is about 43 degrees C, which for the extra 250GB of storage space, I am seriously reconsidering putting the 5400 RPM drive back in.

On the topic of heat, a friend of a friend here in Taiwan managed to rip out the DVD drive of his MacBookPro and replace it with an SSD drive to boot up off of, while leaving the harddrive intact. I am curious to see how he did it!

Personally, I think building a hackintosh might make an interesting side project to attempt. Taiwan is an amazing place for computer componants...we have entire stores dedicated to issues like "cooling". Stuff I have never even seen before, or even know what it does!! Street after street of tiny shops full of technology. I joke about being able to buy a digital camera in a gumball machine.

The other thing that gets up my butt, is the fact that we are all SLAVES to Apple.

I like the idea of being able to buy a cheap Dell and run Mainstage, DP, Reason, Peak, Final Cut, and all of my other tools on an alternative product, rather than being forced into a relationship....a relationship I've been married to for 20 years!!

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