Hey all Mike Lawetto here. Below are my inital thoughts Firstly These units are not clones of each other which I love but in some ways make the shootout slightly unfair hence why I didn't try and copy setting for setting but instead went for what each track needed. The RND 542s have the infamous low end bump while the HRK ST552s don’t. Neither makes either better but its worth knowing this. Secondly I personally preferred the low bump from the 542s and the higher mid range of the 552s. After thinking about this I went and did another test including my Cranborne Camdens using 25% of the mojo thump to help create that bump and pairing it with the 552s. Unfortunately it was after I shot the video so you only have audio via Dropbox link below but it's WELL WORTH HEARING. Im going to do another video soon of which I'll include the Camdens and HRK ST552s as these two paired together are something special. In the dropbox link you’ll find all the files from the shootout under the folder Tracks as well as the added pair of the Camden Mojo & 552s. If you fancy putting your ears to the test Ive also made a second folder called Blind Test which will allow you to listen with your ears and not your eyes. Post your thoughts and I’ll share the answers in a week www.dropbox.com/sh/m14iz3e4e179eed/AACrIpN-vQiP26V04xdRm2Ida?dl=0 Lastly If your really after that famous low thump as well as a tape emulator but don’t wanna break the bank, I would highly recommend Camden 500s and HRK St552s. Simply for the price of a pair of the RND 542s you could get all previous 4 units for almost under the price of one RND 542. Thats 2 tape emulators as well as 2 pres with two additional forms of saturation.
Nice! Yeah that Camden Cream alone can do really extreme tape like saturation, a lot more obvious if you wanted to actually. Have you tried using Cream for similar duties as this video?
@@alvincornistamusic8754 unfortunately I had the Camden idea exactly 24 hours after we shot the video 🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️. I'm working on another video which is more about saturation in general which will include a whole host of hw units of which I'll 100% use the Camdens. Thanks for the comment
Just curious why you didn't use the same silk color on both comparisons? Some A/B's use the same, and some don't. The Blue and Red are very different curves on my 542's. I don't have the HRK's, but I'd assume they're silk settings are supposed to be similar? Throws off half the examples if you're comparing apples to oranges 🙂
Hey thanks for the comment. When I did the test I was going for what sounded best rather than an A/B test. Sadly don't have the 542s anymore so I can't do an actual A/B test. But I still have the HRKs and for me they were to similar to warrant keeping them both, especially in mono instances. The only thing that the 542s had over 552s was in stereo mode, I found the 542s had a slightly better image but I found I didn't like using tape on the master bus which at the time was my main stereo use.
This was an awesome shoot out. You are definitely causing some issues with decision making. 🤦🏾♂️😂 Now it comes down do I want name brand and smooth low end? Or big warmth and high mids? They both do something you would like on a mix!!
I've owned the Roger Mayer 456HD 500 series units and the RND 542. I just received my ST552 pair last week and I am putting them through the paces. The Roger Mayer 456 don't have much headroom in them for modern recording levels. I had to crank my master down lower than I was comfortable with. I owned an MCI JH24 for many years, and the ST552 sound reminds me of it. I prefer the lowend bum in the 552 in 15IPS over the 542. It's easy to muddy up your tracks with the 542.
I love this HRK ST552 sound. Very close to tape and more organic, less transparent than RND 542. But its hard not to love Rupert neves 542 too. :) Thanks fot this video.
I have pair of the Roger Mayer and the Neve 542. unless this company is willing to send me one to try I am not wasting .......I use a burl b 80 and a b16 mothership I love my sound ...not interested to make change ...
Hey all Mike Lawetto here. Below are my inital thoughts
Firstly
These units are not clones of each other which I love but in some ways make the shootout slightly unfair hence why I didn't try and copy setting for setting but instead went for what each track needed. The RND 542s have the infamous low end bump while the HRK ST552s don’t. Neither makes either better but its worth knowing this.
Secondly
I personally preferred the low bump from the 542s and the higher mid range of the 552s. After thinking about this I went and did another test including my Cranborne Camdens using 25% of the mojo thump to help create that bump and pairing it with the 552s. Unfortunately it was after I shot the video so you only have audio via Dropbox link below but it's WELL WORTH HEARING. Im going to do another video soon of which I'll include the Camdens and HRK ST552s as these two paired together are something special.
In the dropbox link you’ll find all the files from the shootout under the folder Tracks as well as the added pair of the Camden Mojo & 552s. If you fancy putting your ears to the test Ive also made a second folder called Blind Test which will allow you to listen with your ears and not your eyes. Post your thoughts and I’ll share the answers in a week
www.dropbox.com/sh/m14iz3e4e179eed/AACrIpN-vQiP26V04xdRm2Ida?dl=0
Lastly
If your really after that famous low thump as well as a tape emulator but don’t wanna break the bank, I would highly recommend Camden 500s and HRK St552s. Simply for the price of a pair of the RND 542s you could get all previous 4 units for almost under the price of one RND 542. Thats 2 tape emulators as well as 2 pres with two additional forms of saturation.
Nice! Yeah that Camden Cream alone can do really extreme tape like saturation, a lot more obvious if you wanted to actually. Have you tried using Cream for similar duties as this video?
@@alvincornistamusic8754 unfortunately I had the Camden idea exactly 24 hours after we shot the video 🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️. I'm working on another video which is more about saturation in general which will include a whole host of hw units of which I'll 100% use the Camdens. Thanks for the comment
@@mikelawetto7362 Brilliant! Thanks
@@mikelawetto7362 ever do that second video ?
Thanks for the demo! Thats a nice bass tone with the 552. The 542 sounds crispy on the master bus.
I LOVE THE “DARK TONE” OF those HRKS .. ST552 Smooth
Much more clarity in the 542.
BTW, I was really set on purchasing the 542's until I heard your combo tracks. Bought the 552's just now with their sale. $468 for the pair! Amazing
Enjoy! So glad the shootout was useful to you!
How do you like them??
Love them. Sold the 542s and just use the 552s now
@@300AcreStudios what did they each do well? And what did the 552s do overall that made you stick with those over the Neves??
You got the best Reviews bro
Just curious why you didn't use the same silk color on both comparisons? Some A/B's use the same, and some don't. The Blue and Red are very different curves on my 542's. I don't have the HRK's, but I'd assume they're silk settings are supposed to be similar? Throws off half the examples if you're comparing apples to oranges 🙂
Hey thanks for the comment. When I did the test I was going for what sounded best rather than an A/B test. Sadly don't have the 542s anymore so I can't do an actual A/B test. But I still have the HRKs and for me they were to similar to warrant keeping them both, especially in mono instances. The only thing that the 542s had over 552s was in stereo mode, I found the 542s had a slightly better image but I found I didn't like using tape on the master bus which at the time was my main stereo use.
This was an awesome shoot out. You are definitely causing some issues with decision making. 🤦🏾♂️😂
Now it comes down do I want name brand and smooth low end? Or big warmth and high mids? They both do something you would like on a mix!!
I've owned the Roger Mayer 456HD 500 series units and the RND 542. I just received my ST552 pair last week and I am putting them through the paces. The Roger Mayer 456 don't have much headroom in them for modern recording levels. I had to crank my master down lower than I was comfortable with. I owned an MCI JH24 for many years, and the ST552 sound reminds me of it. I prefer the lowend bum in the 552 in 15IPS over the 542. It's easy to muddy up your tracks with the 542.
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I love this HRK ST552 sound. Very close to tape and more organic, less transparent than RND 542. But its hard not to love Rupert neves 542 too. :) Thanks fot this video.
Thanks so much Tomasz! So glad you enjoyed the video!
Badass!
Blind Test. A) Camden/552. B)552. C) RAW. D) 542
??
I have pair of the Roger Mayer and the Neve 542. unless this company is willing to send me one to try I am not wasting .......I use a burl b 80 and a b16 mothership I love my sound ...not interested to make change ...
Cool story.
Nobody cares
Do the Test Bro.. HRKS are a cheap price buy theM and Beat the world do that Test!
Terrible demo. Running an already heavily distorted vocal thru two distortion devices. Impossible to tell what each device is doing.