Hildebrand’s Equipment List 2010
Producers, engineers and studios can make use of my personal and quality collection of recording, mixing and mastering equipment. This includes some of the finest analog music gear by SSL, Manley, Drawmer, HÖF, Eventide, Lexicon, Neumann, Schoeps and AKG.
My equipment is chosen to be a great addition to the setups that most professional studios already have. It further works well in any other mobile or home-based recording or mixing context. I use this equipment frequently, but also welcome others to make use of it by offering my studio setup for hire.
To read more about the equipment and my reviews follow the links to the articles for most items. You can contact me at blog@hildebrand.me .
Microphones
Schoeps CMC4 Cardioid Small Diaphragm Condensor (x2)
Schoeps CMT-S 501 U Stereo Condensor
AEA R84 Ribbon Microphones (x2)
Neumann KM 84 Cardioid Small Diaphragm Condensor (x2)
AKG C-414 B-ULS Large Diaphragm Condensor (x2)
Dynamics & EQ
Manley Variable MU Stereo Limiter Compressor
Tube Tech PE1C EQ (x2)
HÖF Dynamic Master Stereo Compressor Limiter Expander (x2)
Drawmer 1961 Stereo Vacuum Tube Equalizer
Drawmer DS201 Dual Noise Gate
Drawmer DL241 Auto Compressor Stereo
SPL De-Esser Stereo
Mixing Equipment, Effects & Speakers
SSL X-Rack Summing Mixer
Eventide Eclipse Reverb and FX unit
Lexicon PCM-80 Reverb and FX unit
Classic Yamaha NS-10 with C-Audio RA3000 Amplifier
Recommended books … Additional reading
Schoeps CMC4 Cardioid Small Diaphragm Condensor Mic
The Schoeps Colette review
There is nothing other to be said about those microphones than: they are fantastic. I came across those mics in the first studio I’ve ever worked in in Germany. Just like the HÖF compressor. When I had the finances I checked on Ebay and found this particular pair instantly. I now have them up constantly somewhere in the room and around the instruments and voices – close, far, up, down, roomy or dry.
I literally meander around the room until I get the sound I need, which then most often doesn’t have to be equalized much. Don’t get me wrong the Schoeps are outrageously good when heavily compressed and otherwise processed – like I explained in the AKG C-414 article.
My pair of CMC4 with Cardioid and Hyper Cardioid capsules are from the Colette Series. Purchased from their first owner, a sound recordist in Switzerland, who bought them ‘sometimes in the mid 1970ies, when they first came out’ to be used during film productions. Given their age these can be considered vintage. They work on T-Power instead of phantom power and seem to have a larger output than the new ones.
Schoeps CMT-S 501 U Stereo Condensor Mic
The Schoeps CMT 501 review
This Schoeps Mic has two switchable pattern capsules, which are built on top of eachother and can swivel. It therefore lends itself to be used for XY or MS stereo recording techniques, but can equally be used as a mono mic. The patterns are Cardioid, Figure of Eight and Omni.
This Mic is stunning. It’s not the easiest to handle, since it provides endless options in placement and techniques. But when hovering around the instrument or room, you find sweet spots that other mics never hear and then that’s it, everybody has tears in the eyes. The Schoeps CMT sounds very similar to the two CMC 4′s I’ve got, most likely because they come from the same period of time.
Schoeps introduced the very first mechanically switchable three-pattern capsule, the MKT 26, as early as 1961. In contrast to the common electrically-coupled double diaphragm design, a patented, mechanically switchable transducer with only one diaphragm was used. This offered the exceptional low-frequency response of a real pressure transducer in the ‘omni’ position. In 1969, a stereo condenser microphone, the CMTS 301 / 301p / 501, was launched with two switchable three-pattern single-diaphragm capsules. The CMTS 301 already used the DC coupled output stage of the later Colette series. The CMTS 501 continued with a transformer output.
Links
- Schoeps Microphones
- Kevin Becka’s review of the Schoeps CMC XT in Mix Magazine
Recommended books … Additional reading
Neumann KM 84 Cardioid Small Diaphragm Condensor Mic
The Neumann KM-84 review
The Neumanns fit really well into my collection. Again, I have two and chose the older version over the newer KM 184, because it doesn’t have any top end boost, which makes it more versatile in music production in my opinion – just like my older AKG C414s. They feature the lower mids of a sound in a very warm way and have a solid transient response. Just different to the microscopic sound of the Schoeps CMC Colette.
I tend to mix up the Neumann and Schoeps in the same recoding situation, similar to using a varied choice of preamps. This provides all tones or shades of colouration that make the recording very flexible to work with during the mixdown. The KM 84 is great on snares and a killer on overheads – it takes 130dB!
AKG C-414 B-ULS Large Diaphragm Condensor Mic
The C-414 review
The real performance of a microphone comes to show when using EQ and compression to shape sounds creatively and in this situation the B-ULS is a winner. Not just over the new versions of this mic but also over most other large diaphragm mics that have been released recently. There is a real benefit to have such a reliable mic in the collection, which can be put onto anything and will give you the right frequencies to work with all the way through to the mastering stage. It’s not an eccentric or expensive microphone that has to be driven through that special preamp. It’s the best plug-and-play mic, I suppose, and it always finds its way into the test-array in front of the instrument.
My stereo pair of the C-414 B-ULS microphone, purchased as the last Brand-New-In-Box ones in Britain and still being sealed then, are the discontinued predecessors to the latest models. They feature four switchable polar patterns (omni, cardioid, hyper cardioid and figure of eight) as well as a switchable low-cut at 75 and 150 Hertz. The AKG C-414 is a famous microphone, which has proofed invaluable to many recording engineers and sessions, because the microphone is such a reliable work horse on large sessions as well as a gem and preferred choice in certain situations.
Reslo Vintage Ribbon Mic
The Reslo review
The Reslo is a vintage ribbon mic that has been very popular during its time throughout the 1960ies – 70ies. Being a ribbon mic of old generation it sure has its very own charm and sound.
A friend of mine recommended the Reslo to me and so I bought one on Ebay. Not long and I owned three of those little funny things. Currently only one is actually working, because I could not resist using it on the snare. Such a sweet sound, but not for long. It works great on guitar amps and in conjunction with a great EQ such as the Drawmer 1961 and a great pre-amp, it becomes a seriously good mic.
Links
- Comprehensive info about the Reslo
Recommended books … Additional reading
