This is awesome buddy! I am using as isa one for vocals, d.i. and amp micing, and this video helped me realize that the isa holds its own against high end preamps. Very impressed!
Thanks for doing this. Just for anyone watching- the Bass DI clip, it appears the hpf is in at 34hz on the ISA, which likely accounts for the missing lows in the sample. Hpf is not engaged on the UA sample.
Great Marco keep up the good work! I love the comparison you did on all the instruments and the combination tube/solid state and with or without compression. Perhaps just make sure to double check the edit of the video before you upload it, but that's totally forgiven by the awesome in depth analysis and your smile 😊
Great video! I love the drum sound you're getting overall. Would you mind detailing what mics, preamps and outboard you used to get that drum sound? Thanks!!!
Overheads are the Shure KSM44, Snare SM57, Toms and Snare bottom AKG C418, HH Shure SM81, Ride AKG C1000s, BassDrum Sennheiser E602, room mic MicParts T47. BD SN SNBT OV all on ISA preamp. HH & RD on RME UFX Preamp. Toms and Room either on ISA or UA 4-710
The ISA is a true gem.. 80db of noiseless gain is fantastic on anything. It deals nicely with ribon mics and low level instruments... If I could only keep one of the 2, it would be the ISA ;)
Perhaps you can help. I have the twin finity 710 and find I need to crank output to 9 to get a good signal into my daw. I’m using tlm 103 mic and a focusrite 3rd generation. Recently i had the gain at 8 and output at 6 and audio distorted on a particular word (loud word) however on my daws meter it never reached the red zone/clipped. Why do I have to crank that much when I only need half the gain on my interface? At settings mentioned above is it normal for 710s needle to max out or swing all the way to the right?
@@apostolicway2604 Usually I have the output set to the maximum level, and I set the sensitivity so that the "needle" points very rarely above zero, and the LED indicator (digital output) never turns red.
I use an ISA 428 for toms, kick & OH (Glyn Johns's 3-mic approach can go a long way with this setup) and/or for creating a live 4-track (8=tracks w/ the ADAT card) portable session preamp rack. I also use an LA-610 on vocals, snare and any "vibe-y"acoustic parts. The EQ and Comp are sometimes useful, but the vari-mu knob is ALWAYS useful. A pre without variable impedance is either a) "dreaming of freedom" , or b) owned by someone so rich that they have mics in every impedance range already. After I sell some more records, (ha!) a Chandler germanium pre is next, then either a 1073 (a BAE I hope, or at very least a VinTech), Daking or some CAPI dedicated to kick and the 1073/chandler for e-bass. Give that foundation a fighting chance ;)
Yeah....that was good ....... O.K. !!! LET'S GO !!! That Focusrite is very transparent , I love the sound of the tube with compression as well. Will have to get both kinds of setups. Right now I just have the ISA. :)
I have a 428 and LA-610 --- Unless you have a ton of mics, I say get the 610 instead of the 'cheaper per-channel' UAs. Comp and EQ is occasionally a nice bonus, but I use the variable impedance _all the time_ to dial in optimal sensitivity with ribbons and condensers; it's brilliant!
They are basicly the same. Of course the boards have been adapted to fit the form factor, but soundwise = same quality. BTW the only time I read some having problems with those are with the 828 (8 preamps in a 2 Rack space) Some would overheat and are hard to repare since they're packed.. The ISA One, Two and 428 haven't ever get bad press .. ;)
Nice SG Bass! Who builds them ? Anyways, we've got 3 ISA428 which never let us down. Perfect workhorse pres. Sadly that the internal connection to the ADC cards is unreliable. Dropped the cards and went apogee 16x. The ISAs (mk1 & 2) after 10 years if studio use still work like a charm. Coarse gain and trim 4 riding. This is what I would call the perfect console pre. Nice Video! Greetinx from Berlin
The bass was made by Epiphone, it was a limited production, one piece neck, nicely built. Yes I love my ISA preamps, built like a tank, sounds clean and clear with a small amount of mojo. I was hesitating about the AD card for long, thanks for sharing your experience. Mine are connected to a RME UFX which converters are quite nice. ;)
Hell! How cool it sounds! Both here :) PS ISA is cleaner no doubt, but maybe vs 610? 710 have a cool blending options for everything. Something around 11 o'clock 60/40 towards solid state may be a cool choice for pop vocals. Bass was cool on 710 solid state. Hope to get something for my real xp)))
The tubes stages are split and lined up in the preamp circuit. it's why the unit is so easy to push to saturation.. Althought if you gainstage it to not saturate, it sounds pretty transparent. If you want the true mojo of tubes, you better go with their 610 offering. ;)
What you hear is RAW tracks from the mic to the preamp.. This drum kit is made of thin layers of maple and have a right to it naturally.. but what you hear is probably due to the nylon tip sticks..
No one can tell any of these sounds on a blind test, matter of fact no one can tell anything a part on a blind test, can’t tell a mackie from api or behringer from universal audio, stop it, go write a hit!
@@MarcoPrimeau No you can’t, my listening room is top notch, my father was a master engineer until retirement, I don’t master but I can, however I do mix and I have a mighty listening environment, go check gearslutz, post after post on blind shoot outs no one can’t tell the difference.. Folks in the late 70’s sold their Neves in favor of transistor base mixers ie: mackies, Yamaha’s etc the only reason why I buy expensive gear is to satisfy clients 🤷🏽✌🏽
@@thedayones4918 Respectfully, you don't know what I can or can't do. If you compared them only online, it's normal, youtube compression isn't that accurate. You should borrow or rent an ISA once and record a light acoustic guitar player then compare it to your noisy yamaha... In late 70's pro studios still recorded to tape which is where some mojo still came from. Today with us all recording in digital, I can't count how many would die to have their neve back or get one.. But anyway, thanks for sharing your opinion, I listened back to the video and realise I didn't put spectrum analyser comparaisons.. I might just do one more video on preamps and show the differences this way.. ;)
@@MarcoPrimeau Oh right, you’re the engineer with the “golden ears” 😆 Do a blind shoot out you will fail every time, we all do here in NY, we did it a few months back at Quad none of the less.. isa? dude I bought my son an isa one he loves it 😆 Oh man I think you’re angry 🙂 I am kidding man we all know that engineers can tell mics, compressors and EQs apart 😆✌🏽Can I said can.
@@thedayones4918 the differences become more obvious when you test them in extreems, if you push the gain and level to the max on the 710, the ISA is still able to give you more gain.. and if you match them the 710 give you more noise. I hate noise.. ;)
This is awesome buddy! I am using as isa one for vocals, d.i. and amp micing, and this video helped me realize that the isa holds its own against high end preamps. Very impressed!
idk bruh, I know it has a good rap but did you see those peeks???
Thanks for doing this. Just for anyone watching- the Bass DI clip, it appears the hpf is in at 34hz on the ISA, which likely accounts for the missing lows in the sample. Hpf is not engaged on the UA sample.
Good Catch !
This is officially my favorite song. For life.
;)
Great Marco keep up the good work!
I love the comparison you did on all the instruments and the combination tube/solid state and with or without compression. Perhaps just make sure to double check the edit of the video before you upload it, but that's totally forgiven by the awesome in depth analysis and your smile 😊
Thanks for the good words !
Please sing this song at my funeral. Thanks,
Ah ah ah !! Didn't mention I'm not a signer. just an audio engineer.. ;)
@@MarcoPrimeau All in love man, thanks for the demo. Haha
Great video! I love the drum sound you're getting overall. Would you mind detailing what mics, preamps and outboard you used to get that drum sound? Thanks!!!
Overheads are the Shure KSM44, Snare SM57, Toms and Snare bottom AKG C418, HH Shure SM81, Ride AKG C1000s, BassDrum Sennheiser E602, room mic MicParts T47. BD SN SNBT OV all on ISA preamp. HH & RD on RME UFX Preamp. Toms and Room either on ISA or UA 4-710
@@MarcoPrimeau Thank you! Great sound!
Hi Marco, bonjour! Nice to see another Samp engineer/producer. I love your channel. I like the FR on the bass, the UA on the drums.
Thanks for the good words !
Nice video. El preamp ISA se escucha muy casero, el preamp Universal Audio se escucha DEMASIADO PROFESIONAL ✌️✌️✌️
I use the 4-710d every day. It is a very universal tool. But I also want Focusrite Isa because I like that sound.
The ISA is a true gem.. 80db of noiseless gain is fantastic on anything. It deals nicely with ribon mics and low level instruments... If I could only keep one of the 2, it would be the ISA ;)
@@MarcoPrimeau yes, true true. 😁
Perhaps you can help. I have the twin finity 710 and find I need to crank output to 9 to get a good signal into my daw. I’m using tlm 103 mic and a focusrite 3rd generation. Recently i had the gain at 8 and output at 6 and audio distorted on a particular word (loud word) however on my daws meter it never reached the red zone/clipped. Why do I have to crank that much when I only need half the gain on my interface?
At settings mentioned above is it normal for 710s needle to max out or swing all the way to the right?
@@apostolicway2604
Usually I have the output set to the maximum level, and I set the sensitivity so that the "needle" points very rarely above zero, and the LED indicator (digital output) never turns red.
I use an ISA 428 for toms, kick & OH (Glyn Johns's 3-mic approach can go a long way with this setup) and/or for creating a live 4-track (8=tracks w/ the ADAT card) portable session preamp rack.
I also use an LA-610 on vocals, snare and any "vibe-y"acoustic parts. The EQ and Comp are sometimes useful, but the vari-mu knob is ALWAYS useful. A pre without variable impedance is either a) "dreaming of freedom" , or b) owned by someone so rich that they have mics in every impedance range already.
After I sell some more records, (ha!) a Chandler germanium pre is next, then either a 1073 (a BAE I hope, or at very least a VinTech), Daking or some CAPI dedicated to kick and the 1073/chandler for e-bass. Give that foundation a fighting chance ;)
Yeah....that was good ....... O.K. !!! LET'S GO !!! That Focusrite is very transparent , I love the sound of the tube with compression as well. Will have to get both kinds of setups. Right now I just have the ISA. :)
Honnestly I rarely use the compression on the UA. not being able to change threashold is bugging me.. I also found that it is very easy to distort..
I have a 428 and LA-610 ---
Unless you have a ton of mics, I say get the 610 instead of the 'cheaper per-channel' UAs.
Comp and EQ is occasionally a nice bonus, but I use the variable impedance _all the time_ to dial in optimal sensitivity with ribbons and condensers; it's brilliant!
Thanks for comparing. I am use isa two mic pre. Please say isa two & isa 4 quality same or different.
They are basicly the same. Of course the boards have been adapted to fit the form factor, but soundwise = same quality. BTW the only time I read some having problems with those are with the 828 (8 preamps in a 2 Rack space) Some would overheat and are hard to repare since they're packed.. The ISA One, Two and 428 haven't ever get bad press .. ;)
Nice SG Bass! Who builds them ? Anyways, we've got 3 ISA428 which never let us down. Perfect workhorse pres. Sadly that the internal connection to the ADC cards is unreliable. Dropped the cards and went apogee 16x. The ISAs (mk1 & 2) after 10 years if studio use still work like a charm. Coarse gain and trim 4 riding. This is what I would call the perfect console pre. Nice Video!
Greetinx from Berlin
The bass was made by Epiphone, it was a limited production, one piece neck, nicely built. Yes I love my ISA preamps, built like a tank, sounds clean and clear with a small amount of mojo. I was hesitating about the AD card for long, thanks for sharing your experience. Mine are connected to a RME UFX which converters are quite nice. ;)
Thank you for the video,I really loved it and very nice comparison ,both units are legit but I go with the ISA as my favorite unit.
Yeah, the ISA are some different beasts !
The ISA sounds amazing on the acoustic guitars!
yes, they sound very on nearly everything.. 80db of noiseless gain is hard to beat ;)
Maybe you should made a fullmix comparison with the 3 modes (compressor is another page I think, doesn't needed for preamps comparison).
I only have 1 unit of each.. It would at least take 2 to record a full drum set.. ;)
how many units would you need for the full drum kit?
Hell! How cool it sounds! Both here :)
PS ISA is cleaner no doubt, but maybe vs 610? 710 have a cool blending options for everything. Something around 11 o'clock 60/40 towards solid state may be a cool choice for pop vocals. Bass was cool on 710 solid state.
Hope to get something for my real xp)))
Does the tube amplify or only snakeoil parallel thing ?
The tubes stages are split and lined up in the preamp circuit. it's why the unit is so easy to push to saturation.. Althought if you gainstage it to not saturate, it sounds pretty transparent. If you want the true mojo of tubes, you better go with their 610 offering. ;)
Great video!
Nice comparison!!
ISA
very nice video
THANKS!
Thanks
Obrigado pelo video. Nas suas comparações, gostei mais do 710 modo tube para voz. E para violão, o isa soou melhor
The isa sound more fuller and detailed the uad sound like the mid is scooped
I love when RUclipsrs forget to edit out the bits they had to redo lol
😁
OMG I didn't realise I had so uncut segments on this one.. lol
Huh... toms have a strange metallic sounding overtone...
What you hear is RAW tracks from the mic to the preamp.. This drum kit is made of thin layers of maple and have a right to it naturally.. but what you hear is probably due to the nylon tip sticks..
12:52
14:15
The Isa is superior
isa
12:53 13:34 14:16
No one can tell any of these sounds on a blind test, matter of fact no one can tell
anything a part on a blind test, can’t tell a mackie from api or behringer from universal audio, stop it, go write a hit!
That might be due to your listening device. I'm not a producer or writer.. Just an audio engineer and I can tell you, I can hear the difference. ;)
@@MarcoPrimeau No you can’t, my listening room is top notch, my father was a master engineer until retirement, I don’t master but I can, however I do mix and I have a mighty listening environment, go check gearslutz, post after post on blind shoot outs no one can’t tell the difference.. Folks in the late 70’s sold their Neves in favor of transistor base mixers ie: mackies, Yamaha’s etc the only reason why I buy expensive gear is to satisfy clients 🤷🏽✌🏽
@@thedayones4918 Respectfully, you don't know what I can or can't do. If you compared them only online, it's normal, youtube compression isn't that accurate. You should borrow or rent an ISA once and record a light acoustic guitar player then compare it to your noisy yamaha... In late 70's pro studios still recorded to tape which is where some mojo still came from. Today with us all recording in digital, I can't count how many would die to have their neve back or get one.. But anyway, thanks for sharing your opinion, I listened back to the video and realise I didn't put spectrum analyser comparaisons.. I might just do one more video on preamps and show the differences this way.. ;)
@@MarcoPrimeau Oh right, you’re the engineer with the “golden ears” 😆 Do a blind shoot out you will fail every time, we all do here in NY, we did it a few months back at Quad none of the less.. isa? dude I bought my son an isa one he loves it 😆 Oh man I think you’re angry 🙂 I am kidding man we all know that engineers can tell mics, compressors and EQs apart 😆✌🏽Can I said can.
@@thedayones4918 the differences become more obvious when you test them in extreems, if you push the gain and level to the max on the 710, the ISA is still able to give you more gain.. and if you match them the 710 give you more noise. I hate noise.. ;)
I have the 710. It’s a great sounding pre. When I hear the isa it always sounds better.
ISA > 710.