Buyers Guide for hardware and highend outboard, Clipalator!!!

2012/07/23 15:44:20

Freddie H

Buyers Guide for hardware and highend outboard, Clipalator!!!

Here you can actually listen on all kinds of products and compare it for yourself in your studio, listen with your studio-monitors before you actually purchase the hardwares and products. It's very informative and fun and I can guarantee you it's a real time vampire! Have fun!

What is the Clipalator?
http://www.zenproaudio.com/clipalator.aspx

It's not a “shootout” or “test”, it's an ongoing and repeatable reference database that we are able to constantly add new product examples to, and give context to each. We designed it so we could easily and quickly let you know how newly launched gear sounds against virtually everything that already exists, so you can make more informed decisions and buy here, rather than following marketing hype elsewhere.

Why Being Repeatable Matters

One-off shootouts or quickie tests can give you a snapshot in time, maybe March 2008 or June 2010, of limited gear selection. Our ability to run the exact same references down the exact same signal path means that when new gear is released we are able to quickly add it to the Clipalator to bring you instant and fair context. We build a dedicated system for capturing audio reference files within each category.

How Video Brings Context to Audio

Audio files are great, but rarely do EQ's and compressors have the exact same settings. This forces us to follow a path with our ears on every track we make, and we are limited with what each piece can do. After creating a track that delivers the essential sound an eq or compressor delivers, we then create a video that shows the item being used in all settings on select tracks, showing you the reach of each box.


Files Play Together As Songs

Each of the following categories files will line up in your DAW on separate tracks to form a song.

Microphones: Drums, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Male Vocal
Preamps: Kick, Snare, Overhead, Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Male Vocal
Compressors (Rock): Drums, Bass, Electric Guitar, Male Vocals
Compressors (Acoustic): Cello, Acoustic Guitar, Female Vocals
Equalizers (Rock): Drums, Bass, Electric Guitar, Male Vocals
Equalizers (Acoustic): Cello, Acoustic Guitar, Female Vocals


How Each Category Session is Done

Microphones:Sessions are 12 mics at a time. Each drum, acoustic guitar and male vocal take are all performed by one person (who is also a local engineer). The same neutral mic pre is used with the same Mogami cable, the acoustic guitar is always setup and stringed the same, electric guitar is re-amped via a dedicated Marshall rig, the drums are a single lug “Arbiter” maple kit for extreme ease of recalling tunings. A Tama Tension Watch is also used. All distances are marked permanently for each session, and laser pointers are used to line up each capsule with 100% certainty before each take. Each audio clip name has a numeric ending, telling you which session it was used in. The AKG C414/BULS is our control mic, and is featured in each session to help tie the info together fairly.

Equalizers& Compressors: Raw tracks, captured with zero processing are now able to be twisted up and pounded for the first time with each piece of gear we introduce them to. Rock drums, bass, electric guitars and male vocals are all demonstrated, as well as a 2 buss rock mix, acoustic guitar, cello and female vocals to bring a wider example of what each box can do. The same SSL Alpha Link converters and Mogami cables are used, and all files are level matched. A video is also made to bring context to these variable items.

Preamps:Raw tracks, captured using an extremely neutral and fast pre, are“re-preamplified” via the Avedis Line-Z pad which converts line level to a low 150ohm microphone level, requiring +40dB of makeup gain from each pre. Pesky humans doing live takes will vary in performance way more than any 2 mic pres, we find our test as fair and repeatable as possible. After separately processing 7 clips, we then level match those and load them into a mix session, letting you hear the “stacked” effect easier.

Digital Converters: 24 raw tracks were captured using 5.6MHz DSD. Audiogate software was used to convert DSD to PCM format, and we load those files into our DAW session. The D/A is plugged into the A/D of each converter brand, and each track is fed through one at a time and re-recorded via hardware PCM for the first time. This allows you to hear the analog and digital sections of each interface. We mix the 24 tracks the exact same way, level matched, so you hear the accumulated effect of a converter on a song project typical of today's pop productions.

Reverb Units: Raw tracks are fed via the same SSL Alpha Link converters and Mogami cables to each box, we then choose standard room, hall and plate settings and match decay and pre-delay times as closely as is available. Each recorded reverb output is then blended within a mix so you can hear how each box delivers artificial space within the context of a song piece.

2012/07/23 18:47:38

tagruvto

Thanks for the heads up on this website. It looks like a terrfic tool for evaluating
hardware.

2012/07/24 05:49:29

Freddie H

tagruvto

Thanks for the heads up on this website. It looks like a terrfic tool for evaluating
hardware.

You are welcome!

2012/08/14 08:47:17

Freddie H

bump

2012/09/06 08:52:57

Freddie H

bump

Buyers Guide for hardware and highend outboard, Clipalator!!!

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