well it's between an avalon or a aphex 230

Bay Area Texan · 06-09-2009, 10:19 PM

I managed to save up money for either,however,if I can get by with an aphex and pocket the rest I can invest in another microphone...which would you choose?..thanks!

Mike Sommer · 06-09-2009, 10:43 PM

Which Avalon, and what mic would you get? And what mic and sound chain do you have now?

Bay Area Texan · 06-10-2009, 09:15 AM

I have a sennheiser shotgun mic going through a m audio firewire solo....I meant to say the avalon 737...sorry

Emorgan_Voiceovers · 06-10-2009, 10:21 AM

Beau Weaver uses an Avalon 737 with a Sennheiser 416. Can't really argue the results.

lanceblair · 06-10-2009, 10:48 AM

Get the Avalon. Work it. Pocket the money and spend it on room acoustics, converters...anything else but a microphone. Buy another mic next year if you feel you're missing something and want to get that mic that fits your voice perfectly instead of the 416 which is great for the pro sound. Maybe that mic is the 416, who knows.

jsgilbert · 06-10-2009, 11:12 AM

The one thing I really like about the Aphex and why it is in my rack. When I do long form work, like audio books or long narrative reads, the noise gate on the Aphex is so super tweakable and get be set to let in the right amount of room. Otherwise, and Avalon 737 or Milennia or FOcusrite or John Hardy or...

Oh, actually one more thing, but I don't know how applicable this is. I do a bit of ADR work, Dubbing and also localization one language into another). Much of this work is done to picture and for that it's much easier to work in the live room. Using any one of several microphones on my mic thing and running into the Aphex gets me that nice low noise floor. The recordings still sound natural and open and as long a I don't skimp on gain, you don't hear anything offensive when the gates open and I'm speaking.

I can't say that I've used the Aphex with a 416. (perhaps the 416 is my next big purchase), but I would definitley want to audition it first. All the studios around here have switched from U87's to the Senny's, but boy the mic placement is critical and I don't know how nice it might play with the Aphex. I have no issues recommending the Avalon for use with the 416.

Mike Sommer · 06-10-2009, 01:28 PM

J, that's he reason I asked which Avalon.
The tube circuit of the 737 tents to hide the "room" where as the "Class A" M5 brings a lot of the room into the mix.

The 737 can also bring a TLM103 to life, to the point of almost sounding like a U87.

Of the people I know that use the Aphex, they are mostly as back ups.

The other choices:
John Hardy M1, Great River, Buzz Audio, Purple Audio, Brett Avrill, Little Labs, Sebatron, FMR's RNP-8380, and the Speck 5.0

As for the 416. I was speaking to one of my VO pals that does a lot of ADR and Promos. He noted that he uses a 415. It's a little cheaper, has almost identical specs at the 416 and sounds a little better to him. He uses a Neve 1272 preamp through a Soundcraft desk.

Dollar for dollar my choice would be the 737. But I would consider the M5 with a LA4 compressor - yummy combo.

This is a handy little sheet:

jsgilbert · 06-10-2009, 04:33 PM

The main reason for getting a 416 vs. a different Senny or shotgun (quite frankly I think there are quite a few lesser priced ones that are as good if not better) is simply so that I can mimic the soud of the month that the studios are going for. This way I can do small pickups from home, etc. And while the push was for the U87 not that long ago, the clients will simply expect that my setup be the same as the "big boy" recording studios.

Otherwise I'm not so sure I would use anything but my Fathead II ribbon, Klaus modified U87, or Telefunken AK47 for recording dialog. The U47 is on permanent loan, but I think it had just a little too much self-noise for most of what I do, otherwise I would toss it into the mix.

06-09-2009, 10:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
Bay Area Texan User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 21	well it's between an avalon or a aphex 230 I managed to save up money for either,however,if I can get by with an aphex and pocket the rest I can invest in another microphone...which would you choose?..thanks!

06-10-2009, 10:21 AM	#4 (permalink)
Emorgan_Voiceovers Emorgan_Voiceovers Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Lafayette, Indiana Posts: 768	Beau Weaver uses an Avalon 737 with a Sennheiser 416. Can't really argue the results. __________________ Pay Me To Talk, Pay Me To Shut Up, Either Way.. http://www.morganvoice.com

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06-09-2009, 10:43 PM	#2 (permalink)
Mike Sommer User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,164	Which Avalon, and what mic would you get? And what mic and sound chain do you have now?

06-10-2009, 09:15 AM	#3 (permalink)
Bay Area Texan User Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 21	I have a sennheiser shotgun mic going through a m audio firewire solo....I meant to say the avalon 737...sorry

06-10-2009, 10:48 AM	#5 (permalink)
lanceblair User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: decatur, ga Posts: 392	Get the Avalon. Work it. Pocket the money and spend it on room acoustics, converters...anything else but a microphone. Buy another mic next year if you feel you're missing something and want to get that mic that fits your voice perfectly instead of the 416 which is great for the pro sound. Maybe that mic is the 416, who knows.

06-10-2009, 11:12 AM	#6 (permalink)
jsgilbert jsgilbert Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 840	The one thing I really like about the Aphex and why it is in my rack. When I do long form work, like audio books or long narrative reads, the noise gate on the Aphex is so super tweakable and get be set to let in the right amount of room. Otherwise, and Avalon 737 or Milennia or FOcusrite or John Hardy or... Oh, actually one more thing, but I don't know how applicable this is. I do a bit of ADR work, Dubbing and also localization one language into another). Much of this work is done to picture and for that it's much easier to work in the live room. Using any one of several microphones on my mic thing and running into the Aphex gets me that nice low noise floor. The recordings still sound natural and open and as long a I don't skimp on gain, you don't hear anything offensive when the gates open and I'm speaking. I can't say that I've used the Aphex with a 416. (perhaps the 416 is my next big purchase), but I would definitley want to audition it first. All the studios around here have switched from U87's to the Senny's, but boy the mic placement is critical and I don't know how nice it might play with the Aphex. I have no issues recommending the Avalon for use with the 416.

06-10-2009, 01:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
Mike Sommer User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,164	J, that's he reason I asked which Avalon. The tube circuit of the 737 tents to hide the "room" where as the "Class A" M5 brings a lot of the room into the mix. The 737 can also bring a TLM103 to life, to the point of almost sounding like a U87. Of the people I know that use the Aphex, they are mostly as back ups. The other choices: John Hardy M1, Great River, Buzz Audio, Purple Audio, Brett Avrill, Little Labs, Sebatron, FMR's RNP-8380, and the Speck 5.0 As for the 416. I was speaking to one of my VO pals that does a lot of ADR and Promos. He noted that he uses a 415. It's a little cheaper, has almost identical specs at the 416 and sounds a little better to him. He uses a Neve 1272 preamp through a Soundcraft desk. Dollar for dollar my choice would be the 737. But I would consider the M5 with a LA4 compressor - yummy combo. This is a handy little sheet:

06-10-2009, 04:33 PM	#8 (permalink)
jsgilbert jsgilbert Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 840	The main reason for getting a 416 vs. a different Senny or shotgun (quite frankly I think there are quite a few lesser priced ones that are as good if not better) is simply so that I can mimic the soud of the month that the studios are going for. This way I can do small pickups from home, etc. And while the push was for the U87 not that long ago, the clients will simply expect that my setup be the same as the "big boy" recording studios. Otherwise I'm not so sure I would use anything but my Fathead II ribbon, Klaus modified U87, or Telefunken AK47 for recording dialog. The U47 is on permanent loan, but I think it had just a little too much self-noise for most of what I do, otherwise I would toss it into the mix.