secret German weapons, what do you have in your stash?

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nestle
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secret German weapons, what do you have in your stash?

Post by nestle » Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:23 pm

It's a cliche...you say "german designed" and certain iconic classic mics and pres come to mind. But last week I started thinking about a few odd ball lesser models that I've bought in the last couple of years and it's dawning on me just how amazing they are. I got them dirt cheap because they were lesser known, but what other older obscure stuff is out there that I'm not aware of? . And what makes them so inherently great? here are my 2.

2 RFT mic pres I bought on ebay MV810/2 look like these....

http://vintageaudiogearbox.com/images/g ... lery2.html

I got the pair for $250 with pig tails and a PSU. The PSU was cheap and blew up right away. I got Charette electronics to make me a correct PSU and the things came to life. They have lived on kick (RE20) and Ribbon overheads because of the lack of 48V, but last week I tried my home brew U47 clone (which doesn't need Phantom) with these on vocals and I was floored, I had no idea what I was missing. When I opened the mic up it just had that unmistakable big fat beatle-y ...what can I say...German sound.So solid so right, Just clear and thick. For $125 I am so lucky.

The second discovery is a Beyer M 818 microphone set I bought from Craigs list last summer for $110. Sold as a pair for what purpose I'm not sure. They look like shrunken 421's and have an attached XLR cable. I keep trying these things on different sources and am astonished they are a not more well known model. I useed them a week ago on a Synth through an loud amp. Very loud and dynamic and it captured the sound amazingly. They sound like a cross between a Royer 121 and a 421 and are great on guitar, toms.
look like these-

http://cgi.ebay.com/BEYERDYNAMIC-M818-M ... dZViewItem

What german secret discoveries have you made that you can share that are affordable?

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Mudcloth
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Post by Mudcloth » Tue Dec 25, 2007 8:24 am

I just got a pair of the M818's last week. I promised myself I wouldn't buy them just because they looked cool. When I tried them out I was immediately impressed with how they sounded. I thought the same thing about why they aren't more well known.
A single one just came up on ebay, by the way:
http://cgi.ebay.com/beyer-m-81-germany- ... dZViewItem

I also just picked up a pair on M111 omni' but I haven't tried them out, yet.
That's it for my secret German weapons, except for the V-2 rocket in my backyard.
Matt Giles
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inverseroom
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Post by inverseroom » Tue Dec 25, 2007 9:06 am

I used to have the M818's...not at all bad! I stuck them where you'd stick a 57. I have heard them described, in sound and appearance, as baby Soundstars.

I don't own German anything except a couple popular Beyer mics.

nestle
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Post by nestle » Tue Dec 25, 2007 9:16 am

inverseroom wrote:I used to have the M818's...not at all bad! I stuck them where you'd stick a 57. I have heard them described, in sound and appearance, as baby Soundstars.

I don't own German anything except a couple popular Beyer mics.
Yeah I did a shoot out with a 57 on my deluxe reverb and the M818 had the more useful sound, a little more like a bigger LDC sound then the thinner squeekier 57. the M818 handles transient sound well, paired with the R-121 it's a big sound. It's heavy too, for it's size, I think the wieght helps the tone somehow.
what are soundstars?

nestle
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Post by nestle » Tue Dec 25, 2007 9:30 am

; /

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Mudcloth
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Post by Mudcloth » Tue Dec 25, 2007 10:30 am

Here's a soundstar [x1n?]:
http://users.pandora.be/oldmicrophones/ ... ar_x1n.htm
Looks fairly similar.
Matt Giles
Austin, Tx


http://www.mattguitargiles.com
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http://www.thedrakesband.com/

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nestle
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Post by nestle » Tue Dec 25, 2007 12:25 pm

that looks cool, never saw one before, anybody use one of those soundstars?

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Post by RefD » Tue Dec 25, 2007 1:30 pm

i have a Telefunken Hymnus, 200+ pounds of tube stereo hi-fi from the early 60s.

sounds great but i can't record with it.

OTOH, my Gro?vater Franz's Neumann is pretty darned handy!
?What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.? -- Seneca

vier-personen
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Post by vier-personen » Tue Dec 25, 2007 3:28 pm

Image

RefD
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Post by RefD » Tue Dec 25, 2007 4:35 pm

prevert!
?What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.? -- Seneca

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kojdogg
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Post by kojdogg » Tue Dec 25, 2007 10:01 pm

nestle wrote:that looks cool, never saw one before, anybody use one of those soundstars?
i just got a soundstar mk II (aka m400 iirc) in nice condition and really cheap. the soundstar mk II's and III's look more like sm58's than the x-1
's. i've read it described as having a very similar sound to an sm7b, though i haven't really used it enough yet to + or -1 that observation.
________
LAMBORGHINI ESTOQUE SPECIFICATIONS
Last edited by kojdogg on Thu Mar 17, 2011 6:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

japmn
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Post by japmn » Wed Dec 26, 2007 6:07 pm

My Mothers maiden name is Finkenbinder.
I also have a nice Grundig receiver and some of those Telefunken Guitar mics (MD21???) that look like CB mics. OH! and the Hohner string synth.

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linus
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Post by linus » Thu Dec 27, 2007 6:45 am

I have some Klangfilm line amps that were made for film projection. They are being racked right now and the guy doing the job says they sound amazing. We'll see when I get them back. I think I paid $250 for the pair. They are tube, roughly the size and style of V72s in appearance/size. I'll post pics when I get them back.

I also have some oddball EQs that sound great but I can't think of the make/model but they are german from the 50s-60s. I'll have to take a look later.

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Post by ladewd » Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:46 pm

I repaired some Klein and Hummel tube mastering EQ's and my last name is Altschuler. does that count? ...and I have a Beringer ADA8000, fine precision German piece! :)

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linus
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Post by linus » Fri Dec 28, 2007 10:34 am

I have an Echolette "Top 12" mic (similar to an AKG D12). But that's Austrian right? Not the same??? Oh well...

Oh, and my last name is Bauhs (shortened from Bauhaus). THAT is my secret weapon...

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