Audio clips

Downloading: You can download the samples for detail comparison by right clicking on the link and selecting "save target as".

Instrument samples were recorded without any equalization or effects, unless specified. There is some reverb on vocal samples. 

Vocals & steel string guitar Performed by Dan Darrah

SFX drums - stereo pair above snare (with BD2 in sound hole of Bass Drum, and some compression)

Mono drum overhead (single mic, no EQ)

Cheap acoustic guitar via Silver Bullet preamp - Min. saturation setting

Cheap acoustic guitar via Silver Bullet preamp - Max. saturation setting

Vocals on Compass & guitar on Atmosphere (Vocal Capsule - some reverb)

Vocals & metal string guitar

The above clip has short mono-converted selections of 4 songs going into the right channel via direct line-in. The left channel is a playback from a Fidelio 6.5  monitor, recorded using a Shure SM58 mic placed 10 inches away, and pointed  between the two drivers. We used SM58 because many are familiar with its response and sonic characteristics. 

Silver Bullet

Cheap-guitar-$250Transistor-pre-amp-on-left

(front side of 2face mic was used for both channels)

Recorded-Sax-Solo-fed-to-line-input-sample1

(input level: +6dB peak, Saturation on Max, Limiter: off)

Recorded-Sax-Solo-fed-to-line-input-sample2

(input level: +6dB peak, Saturation on Max, Limiter: on)

Note: Both channels on above samples are Normalized to 99% peak volume. The perceived loudness is one of Silver Bullet's characteristics resulting from natural tube compression and amplification of harmonic contents.

Cheap acoustic guitar recorded with Atmosphere - Min. saturation setting

Cheap acoustic recorded with Atmosphere - Max. saturation setting

Candy

Candy-sax-solo  

(Track contributed by Simon PC Frost from a new version of his song  ‘For the Lord’, featuring Elliot Ventimiglia on Sax © 2002-2010 Cultural Desserts, Inc.)

Candy-12string

Candy-drum-overhead (with compression)

Candy-Cameo-Kruse-vocal-test (EQ for female voice: +3 dB at 10 kHz, +3 dB at 6 kHz)

Candy-fender-blues-deluxe-distortion

2face-front-Dan-Darrah-vocal-test

2face-front-12string

2face-front-drum-overhead (with compression)

2face-front-Cameo-Kruse-vocal-test

2face-front-fender-blues-deluxe-distortion

2face-back-Dan-Darrah-vocal-test

2face-back-12string

2face-back-drum-overhead (with compression - Note: front side is also picking up sound reflections from a low ceiling in this sample.)

2face-back-Cameo-Kruse-vocal-test

2face-back-fender-blues-deluxe-distortion

Crystal-drum-overhead-1

(Stereo pair placed above drummer's head - no EQ or effects)

Crystal-drum-overhead-2

Crystal-Dan-Darrah-vocal-test

Crystal-Cameo-Kruse-vocal-test

Multi-mic practical drum samples

Minor EQ and effects are applied as they would be in any practical recording.

Drums dance sample

Mics used & setup:

BD2: In front of Bass Drum sound hole, EQ: +3dB 12 khz

R3: In front of Bass Drum head, EQ: +2dB 250 Hz

MC3: Stereo pair with Omni capsules as Overhead, bass roll-off switch engaged at 150 Hz setting, EQ: none, Pan: hard Left & Right

C3: Installed on each tom, attenuation switch set at -10 dB, EQ: +2dB 12 KHz, +2dB 80 Hz

i2: 1 used on top of snare, cardioid capsule, EQ: +4dB 1KHz

i2: 1 used for high hat, cardioid capsule, EQ: none

Mics Used and Setup:

MC3 stereo pair with omni capsules as overhead 

ST2 under the snare

BD2 inside bass drum

Clean Tube Amp, Omni Capsule (stereo)

Drum Over-head, cymbals, Omni Capsule (stereo, bass roll-off switch engaged at 150Hz setting)

Classical guitar, 20 inches away, Omni Capsule

12 String guitar, 20 inches away, Omni Capsule

R3

Vocals by Dan Darrah

Clean Tube Amp

R3 in front of Bass Drum Head  (not directly in front of sound hole, to protect the mic)

Strat plugged into Blues Deluxe (stereo)

Classical guitar, 20 inches away

12 String guitar, 20 inches away

Vocals by Dan Darrah

Clean Tube Amp (stereo)

C3 on Toms (one mics on each tom)

Classical guitar, 20 inches away

12 String guitar, 20 inches away

Reference vocal samples: 

(From popular stage mics with MSRP of $100 to $200)

American Reference Stage Mic - SM58

German Reference Stage Mic -e835

Drum Samples:

Sound-hole of Bass Drum

Toms played with bundles

Toms played with Sticks

Toms played with Brushes

Pearl Snare played with Brushes

Pearl Snare played with Bundles

Pearl Snare played with Sticks

(Snare samples were recorded with one mic over and another one under the snare)

Clean Tube Amp (stereo)

i2 on top of snare, with ST2 at bottom-2

Clean Tube Amp, cardioid capsule (stereo)

Classical guitar, 20 inches away, cardioid capsule

12 String guitar, 20 inches away, cardioid capsule

ST2 on Toms with sticks

ST2 on Toms with bundles

BD2

BD2 inside Bass Drum (no effects or EQ)