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sage OBSERVATIONS
SE-BB1™ - bova ball condenser microphone
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SE-Pre1™ mic pre
Oh, and by the way, on a whim, just to try it out, on the final vocal track I ran JB through the Sage Mic Pre. Posted to REP ~ Forum: Whatever Works - Anatomy of a Session in May «» Posted On: Thu, 07 June 2007 17:36 «» By: compasspnt (Terry Manning of Compass Point, Bahamas)
Janet and friends -- i am pretty much speechless -- we tried the pre out last night on an old tune -- just a couple hours of recording, essentially pointing microphones without much care, just to see what the pre could do. the results are amazing -- clear, open, fantastic. who knew that a single channel could do for the overall sound of a recording? thanks for all your help, and of course for the SE-PRE 1. best, patrick brennan, Brooklyn, NY
ps- your equipment rules!!!!!
Michael Angeloff
Subject: WoW
Hey Janet And Phil's
Francois (Lalonde)
Your pres have the same sound that preamps did in the mid 60s ... during music's golden age when console manufacturers spent money to use discreet electronics that produced a richer fatter sound ... no one does that these days Yours have a quality of sound ... an expanded frequency response ... we marry them up with our Neuman U-67s or the TELEFUNKIN 251 and are extremely happy with the results ... We turn ours on every chance we get !!! I've heard all the new equipment and no one has been able to emulate that wide, rich, warm sound of the early Ampex 300 machines ... the richness of vocal recordings such as Johnny Mathis, instrumentalist Percy Faith, Barbara Streisand, the old Columbia Records days ... the way your pres do ! We were running with Jeff Bova's ProTools set up on the project for Jive recording artist "Deep Side" - and when we checked out your pres we could hear the difference immediately Your mic pres are very reminiscent of the Golden Age of great sounding equipment ...
Tony Bongiovi ... with more than 50 gold and platinum albums to his credit since beginning his historical career at the famous Motown label of the late 1960's. His production discography alone includes such artists as Jimi Hendrix, Bon Jovi, Talking Heads, The Ramones, Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, Gloria Gaynor and The Scorpions. Tony conceived, created and operated Power Station Studios, the New York based mega-studio that remains the gold standard in the recording industry, and whose client list reads like a who's who of the music industry.
... Anyway, thought you'd like to know. I was tracking until about 3am last night, and the sound was just beautiful. It's a little strange at first to hear the mic signal come through the headphones, with no coloration.. I thought I'd experienced that before but apparently not. And the relatively imperceptible noise level kind of took me by surprise. So anyway, I'm very impressed so far. And I want to again express my gratitude for the lengths you went to, making sure we'd be in business.. I will definitely be in touch soon.
From: Paul Martin
On the plane....
From: "Joel Hamilton"
Like marc said above, We have the vintech and the brent averill (vintage racked) 1272's right next to each other. If I had to choose, I would pick the chandler germanium or the Sage SE-1....
Posted to Tape Op Message Board Forum Index -> Gear Talk by Joel Hamilton:
I cant say it enough:
Posted to Tape Op Message Board Forum Index -> Gear Talk by Joel Hamilton:
hey all, i first used them while tracking some electric guitars. the close mic's sound was full and clear. great body and tone. also used them for some ambient room sound, and this is where the se-pre1 really began to shine and reveal their unique and wonderful sound. backing off the source really let the pre open up and i was able to hear the depth of the tone. it really picked up the fullness of the space. the pre's were able to bring out the sound from each corner of the room, with great depth and detail. crystal clear highs and a fullness across the whole spectrum. also, got to use the se-pre1 on a melodica track, and the results were amazing. the tone was full, rich and very creamy. very natural and immediate. the melodica tracks sounded so lifelike that i was shocked. i have to say that i am very excited to get to work with these pre's. they sound terrific, and so far everything that they have come near has sounded great.
thanks again. Kyle B Iman, Seattle, WA
as posted to http://homerecording.com/bbs ~ June 18, 2005 "The seventh circle stuff is ALL really good it seems. I have tried the API clone, and the N72. I like the API better, and I have a brent averill 1272 and a vintech x72... The N72 was just boring. it works, but nothing fun... The API one is great though. My favorite new mic pre is the sage electronics pre... http://www.sageelectronics.com Great, great mic pre. Amazingly open without being bright.... That is the mark of a classic IMO.... Hope that helps! -Joel" (has worked with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Sparklehorse, Unsane, Frank Black.....etc....)
Totally amazing amounts of headroom, super great sonic "signature," and crazy good build quality. They look fun, too. Customer service is some of the best i have ever even heard of. Really amazing people.
posted to Tape Op Message Board Forum Index
Hello Janet!
Benoit
I love it!
Ray Canapini
I couldnt stop gushing about the pre's at this years TapeOp conference. I was on one of the main "big" panels this year, and I was honored that so many people wanted to talk to me! The pre is amazing. I really dont think they will be leaving this studio, in fact, Tony and I were wondering what the price would be for us to get the rack and two more, if not four more. I could see the Sage pre's being the front end for almost everything I do! I have used almost EVERY mic pre known to man at this point, and the Sage pre's are really, really great. They hear things the way I hear things! Big, punchy, tons of great transient whallop... Impact... Open top end.... all the good stuff, with just enough discrete "gleam" to the top end (the sound of headroom). They sort of remind me of a helios crossed with something.. maybe an old calrec or API... maybe... certainly some helios goodness in there... maybe a trident A range... Regardless: LOVE them. You will have a hard time prying those pre's out of Studio G, and my hands! I have used the Ball with a sage pre, into a pultec EQP1R, into a neve 33609 limiter as my MAIN mono ambient mic for drums on the last two records i have done! I am very much a fan of the sage electronics stuff, obviously.
Joel Hamilton
Hello Phil. Thanks for the info. Okay, I'll admit it I'm drooling. I went over the spec sheet and our Electronics tech was looking over my shoulder. I swear he almost started crying. He's a big Neve head and I have never seen anything impress him as much as your pre's.
Steve Wagner
we have some pretty sweet gear including 2 api 7600 ch strips, a manley voxbox, a gt vipre, one ua 6176 ch strip, great river mp2nv and a drawmer 1969 to compare the sage pres too.
Jon van Wingerden to a third party,
I'd like to thank you and Phil for the use of the pre-amps this past weekend. They were a joy to use and listen too. I am just getting around to listening to the beds that we recorded and the instruments that went through the sage pres sound awesome!
David Dudley
Please thank Phil for the follow up call. I haven't been able to spend any quality time with my new acquirement, so I can't give you any deep observations. I did plug a Neumann TLM 103 into her for a quick vox take, and first impressions are all groovy. Very open. I think I'll really see the difference - ( when I have time ) - when I start stacking tracks. Bet everything starts to breathe. I also slammed a drum track down with a-one side Sage Pre-d Studio Projects C-1, and it opened up the drums a whack.
George Turcotte
"The Sage SE - Pre1 has that beautiful, open, "transformerless" sound in spades. It's a very quiet pre, which is nice with my SM7, and the fast transient response has been great for drums. Sum a few channels of most anything recorded with this box, and you'll appreciate how a special pre makes for less EQing and sweat during mix-down. I'd like 3 more."
Wynn Gogol, Owner/Engineer
Its Michael Hynes here with my initial impression of your mic-pre's (WOW). I am very pleased with the sound of my Sadowsky Bass and can only imagine what the drums are going to sound like. Thanks so much for a great product,
Michael Hynes
I am still positive that they are the strongest link in my whole recording system.
George and Britta
Can I send you some cash in advance to ensure, (or should I say ENSURE) I'm first in line for a DI hot off the press? by the way, the se-1 - 57 - Gibson chain smokes large
George Turcotte
SE-BB1 - bova ball™ condenser microphone I did a cello session last night and was amazed at the combination of SM-2 up high and a set of Bova-Balls in ORTF about 3-4 feet out front. Damn those are some magic balls. Fibes Posted to REP - Forum: M.A.R.S., the Musicians And Recording Stuff forum! «» Posted On: Wed, 21 September 2005 09:24 «» By: Fibes
Hello again and congratulations on your new arrival- he's a cute little thing. I finally had a chance to try out the Bova Ball and am really chuffed with it. It's made a big difference to my little setup here. I'm using it with a Charteroak sa538 on acoustic guitar and vocals and getting nice results- finally! So, thanks again and enjoy the grandparenting! Michael O' Connor
Hey Janet! Hope all is well. I finally got a chance to track some stuff with my new sage gear and it was truly music to my ears, pun intended :)- I love the preamps and the Bova Ball is my new favorite microphone. I like it so much that I'm going to start bringing it to sessions with me and I am going to have a custom flight case/box made to transport it. You guys don't make one already, do you? Theo Aronson
Hi Janet and Phil, I want to take the opportunity to say hello and let you know how much I love the Bova Balls. They have been used all over the studio with great success as overheads on drums (perhaps the clearest drum recording i've ever made), as conga mic's (my personal favorite application) they excel, and all places where a small diaphragm mic is used. I'd like to share a story of one of the Balls in action. This past summer I did a little live sound work outside at a local art fair. My partner brought a couple cases of mic's from the studio to that end and to my surprise he brought an SE-BB1. Not the type of mic you'd think to used outside or live since there is no way to easily provide a wind screen. At the time it wasn't windy so we stuck the Ball over the drums. Wow did that sound great or what! But here's the kicker. After a while the wind kicked up and we started getting some wind noise. In between songs we muted each mic to see which one was causing the noise and were amazed to discover that the only mic NOT making any wind noise was the SE-BB1 Bova Ball ! Thank you for such a great product and company. You folks are a pleasure to work with and talk to. I've attached a picture of my new favorite mic combo set up...hope you enjoy it.
Sincerely,
From: "Audio Vortex"
Hi Janet and Phil, I hope someone gets that Bova from you. they are incredible microphones! like your head, only mono.... and smaller.... and gray..... on a mic stand... They seriously kick ass every time I put them up. I have never, not ever, never one time put up a bova ball and then decided it was not working, regardless of genre! (drums). >From drum and bass, to jazz, to heavy rock, to metal: this thing goes up and stays up for every basic tracking session I have done since first getting the thing a few years ago! Awesome. People always ask what the hell these mic are as well! Totally fun, and hand made by some of my very favorite people in audio.... Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 1:12 am?? ?Post subject: Re: Purple, A-Designs, Sage, Charter Oak, Averill... in Brooklyn
Be careful where you put Bova Balls. You will want more of them. Posted to REP ~ Forum: Budget? Budget? We Don't Got No Steekin' Budjet «» Posted On: Sat, 02 September 2006 18:20 «» By: compasspnt (Terry Manning of Compass Point, Bahamas)
maxim wrote on Thu, 20 July 2006 03:36
terry wrote: Not a common technique with me. I generally prefer ONE MIC on most any source, especially vocals. However, I was trying out the SAGE Bova Ball Mic, and recording in another studio than mine (although one in which I've worked a lot before), so I wanted to "be sure," just in case I did not like the Ball on vox. Also, I wanted Cat (first time working with her) to feel as normal and comfortable as possible. And staring at a Bova Ball is not really normal! So I put up the 47 in the normal way, and placed the Ball as adjacent as possible. The 47 went through the old Neve console's 1073-based pre, and the Ball through the Sage. Each mic was tracked separately. Once in mixing, I just found that my favourite vocal sound for the song was the two mic's mixed together. Neither one was as good independently as the two mixed. For me, that is a rare occurrence. I attribute it partly to the excellent quality added by the Ball, and also to the fact that its omni pattern added good ambience, rather than phase problems and cancellation. I have found this several times recently, on things such as amp'd guitar overdubs, or percussion overdubs. Using an LDC cardiod in conjunction with an sdc omni can work a lot better than two cardiods. Also, on the SAGE support front, I had one supply blowing fuses, and Janet and Phil spared no effort or expense to make it right, immediately. They are great folks to work with. Really liking the mic pre.
from http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/t/11916/0/
Recently I bought a couple of the Sage Mic Pre's and two of their Bova Ball Microphones. I wasn't sure what to make of those strange looking mics when I saw them online, but why not find out? First, I have only used them on one session plus a little experimentation, not yet enough to say a whole lot; but so far, I really like the pre's. They seem very transparent; quiet, solid sounding, somewhere in between the tight API sound and the somewhat grainy old Neve. But they are definitely hearkening back to that era in sonics. There aren't a lot of "features," basically just a volume control and a phantom on/off switch with indicator lamp, but who needs features, really? It's the sound that counts for me. Plus, the pre seems to take about anything you can throw at it, so a pad isn't as necessary as on many pre's. The mics, however, are really out there...at least in looks. If you haven't seen them, be sure to peruse. They could be alien space eyes looking back at you. Seems to be a small diaphraghm (very small) condenser in omni, although by the laws of physics, they get a bit less omni at highest freq's. My first usage of this system was for some new acoustic + vocal Cat Power tracks. I put one mic/pre on acoustic guitar as the only pickup for that, and the other mic/pre combo on Cat's vocal, in conjunction with a U-47 through an old Neve. On both sources, the mics were amazing. Nothing else was needed on acoustic (about 4" away pointing at 12th fret joint)...the omni pattern worked great, and I could move the mic in a bit more towards the sound hole if needed, without massive proximity buildup. On the vocal, the Ball gave an excellent "airy" sound in conjunction with the 47. Once I had the two together (positioned as carefully as possible for phase issue avoidance), I could never listen to just the 47 alone...I had to add the Ball in there. Anyway, I will be doing a lot more experimentation with these, and will report back if anyone wants.
Is anyone else using Sage?
Regards,
from http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/t/11916/0/
This is truly a unique mic, it is gently omni directional, is phantom powered, captures transients clearly and has terrific frequency detail. We loved it so much we bought 2 more! The Bova Balls, have found a happy home here recording acoustic guitars, stereo piano, drum overheads, and cymbals. Andy Snavley, Bendy Music + check out Dean Menta recording some acoustic guitar parts for 'The Sparks' latest release - 'Hello Young Lovers' with an SE-BB1 ~ bova ball ... http://www.bendymusic.com/bendy/news/79DFB672-4B2B-49ED-81B3-64B7D90DA987.html
Scodiddly wrote: Love it. I have used the bova ball on almost every drum kit I have recorded since i got it. It is already on like 9 full records, and a zillion other recordings. One of my favorites for sure. It is just like your head, only mono...and grey...with no hair... but other than that, just like having your head right next to the drums! PLEASANT!!!
Tape Op Message Board Forum Index -> Gear Talk
So tonite i tried my omni Bova Balls as overheads. There was a spot right over the front of the kit that was magical, i placed them there and know i could make the entire drum sound out of 'em. The imaging is incredible.
Posted to Use Your Ears forum at MusicPlayer Forums
Sage electronics "BOVA ball.".... 579 CDN, so ... like 500? $USA? ish? My favorite omni microphone. A spherical omni mic like if your head was mono... Totally amazing for anything where an omni is appropriate, and even some jobs where it really isn't, because the spherical thing makes certain frequencies more directional than others.... incredible on many sources. I have earthworks TC30k's that I still love, but the bova really is more musical and completely one of the most "open" microphones I own. Just amazing at any price, but totally affordable to boot!
Posted to Tape Op Message Board Forum Index -> Gear Talk by Joel Hamilton:
hi janet,
john french
Hello Phillip and Janet, I've attached a picture of the Balls in front of a bass trap at the studio. I do have one question concerning the Ball itself. We have all been trying to figure out what the ball is made of. We've concluded it must be some sort of plastic or resin.........are we close? Care to divulge? We're curious....... Thanks for everything. Looking forward to using these guys soon. I guess this means i'll need a couple channels of your preamp as well...............hee hee.
Patrick Donicht
I just got a duo of Bova Ball mics and i am completely hooked. They freaking rock.
Kevin 'Fibes' Rose
Joel Hamilton says: The Bova ball is one of the most amazing omni mics I have ever used... period. Spherical omni condenser with discrete FET support circuitry= HUGE. As room mics, they are unequalled. Really: un equalled. SO open, but super flattering at the same time. Like a more flattering earthworks TC30k, or a less honest version at least, but the lies are all in favor of the performance. Absolutely amazing omni microphone, that looks amazingly weird, sounds amazingly good, and could withstand a baseball bat. Totally my perfect omni. Works well with the way I work.
from
as posted to;
I just tried out my new Bova Balls on acoustic guitar and must say I'm very impressed. They are "kinda" Omni and although I use omni on acoustic guitar quite a bit these things have a magic attached to them. They claim that the ball shaped housing (like the DPA) captures the higher frequencies in a more directional way than the bass frequencies. I was skeptical but now realize that those mics do unique things on a psychoacoustic level. We tried X/Y, ORTF, near coincident and a few other random placements and ALL of them had the bass frequencies tightly up the middle, the low mids almost scooped and spread in a cool way and the highs dancing around the edges like magic dust. These mics are bright but not harsh, natural but also supernatural and they will be staying with me for a host of uses I'm sure.
Kevin 'Fibes' Rose
it's wonderful that Mr. Bova called here to check on the microphone. Everyone has been marveling over it, and I've found it to be marvelous sounding, especially on percussion! I'm debating now whether to buy one or two more. ... I think the design is great, and love the way it looks and sounds. ... I would truly love to talk with you, though the schedule is simply mad here. I'm teaching at two universities, gigging, the studio is extremely busy, and I'm getting ready to go to New Jersey to interview Les Paul for Tape Op Magazine for four days! I've shown it to all my friends, and wouldn't be surprised if you had a few orders from Central Illinois. I do look forward to speaking with you soon. Thanks again for the terrific service and the beautiful microphone!
Mark Rubel
Well, it is obvious to me that one Bova Ball mic is simply not enough. I want a second one. Lets do it! BTW, so far all the acoustic guitars on the new Sparks album are using the ball. Some with the Hamptone mic pre and some with a Universal Audio pre. Kudos! Also, we are curious to try out the mic pre's.
Andy Snavley
as posted to'
Joel Hamilton
I saw a nice big picture of the Bova in EQ magazine the other day, very good! I mounted mine on a stereo bar and put them under the lid of my antique grand piano. They sound terrific! Very natural, and even through out the entire range of notes. The detail of soft passages was matched by the detail of loud and complex moments, its sounds like how I hear. Amazing. I record a wide variety of musical styles and this is the only mic that can capture the essence of the music without bias or unwanted color. Whether you record pop, classical, or anything in between, this mic does it. The unique mounting hardware makes all the difference in easily achieving whatever mic position you want. We have used this mic extensively on acoustic guitars for the yet to be released Sparks record. As well as on hi-hat for the same record. We were super stoked with the sounds we recorded with this little mic. My only regret is that I only had one Bova at the time. With two of these little miracles you will really be blown away.
Andy Snavley
The Ball is amazing. Period. LOVE it. Everyone was freaking out about it. Used the ball with a Manley VTL tube reference mic pre,Pultec EQP1 (creative custom) and a neve 33609 limiter for a room mic. Simply amazing. I think I need to get another one soon, as I am in love with this mic. They "listen like a fan" is what I described the response as... Really great. There was an Acoustic bass in the room playing with the drums, and the Bova just "took down the glass" between us. Really, really great! I have not had a chance to get the pre's rolling yet, I will today, and I am betting that the people that make the ball are going to really knock my socks off with a mic pre!
Joel Hamilton
Oh my god, you guys are so amazing. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know how to thank you enough, I love these mics and I will indeed continue to spread the already good word about them and your company. I couldn't tell you how I happened upon your website in the first place, or why I placed the first order. But I am so glad I did, I am very appreciative to you guys for everything, and I know we will have many years of happy sounds to come. Speaking of, I will be recording my piano and a singer in the next week or so. I will be happy to send you a couple clips to listen to. Its not my material, but the composer is a good friend of mine. He keeps eyeing my stereo pair of Bova Mics. I played him a recording of my piano tuner (Keith Albright, this guy tunes pianos for all the big studios and stages in town, 81 years old, and very spry) and he was really excited. Also, we are setting up a drum kit (vintage Gretch) next week and will finally be able to try the Bova's as overheads... Dean told me he will be writing you in the next day or two, he is a huge fan of these mics too. BTW, I hope to experience your mic preamps sometime too, if they are anything near as good as the mics (I am sure they are) then I gotta hear them!! Again, thank you. You guys make great products, but what makes me want to own them is as much the quality as it is the personal interaction. There is a seemingly limitless variety of mics and mic pre's on the market, and most of them are decent. But I am much more excited about a truly great piece of gear built by truly great people. Can I join your fan club? I would be happy to help you in any way I can.
Andy Snavley
Below is a thread as taken from TapeOp ~ Recording General Forum 5/05 Joel Hamilton
ears didn't survive the freeze Just about to get my "bova ball" finally. I am really looking forward to that microphone. Check it out on the Sage electronics site. I will post a review as soon as I track something with it. The people at Sage are AMAZING, amazingly nice, and very much the kind of company I like to support. I am trying out a pair of their mic pre's next week, and I am really looking forward to it. They look gorgeous, I hope they sound really good as well! anyone checked this company/studio/family out before? They are really nice, and make really cool stuff.I love that they say that the mic pre is "unclippable!" rock on canada! http://www.sageelectronics.com/ http://www.vsa.cape.com/~twreck http://www.studiogbrooklyn.com Recording Engineer
gettin' sounds I love it most as a mono OH in conjunction with a pair of mic in stereo in front of the drums. The Bova Ball really brings-out the attack of the toms, the sizzle of the hi-hat, and the ping of the ride. I tried it over the shoulder on acoustic guitar, and while I loved the sound, there was too much noise to deal with. I wonder how the noise would be with their preamp. I tried it on snare once, but it picked-up way too much hi-hat to make it useable. Bet it'd be great on a piano or cello or something. Too bad I hardly ever get to record those. I wish I had more time to experiment with it! I'm looking forward to buying their preamp to try it out... By the end of the year... jetboatguy
alignin' 24-trk I would like to get a Bova Ball for some day soon... the sample clip of the stereo overheads sound amazing on this vintage Ludwig kit... I will plug Sage producst as much as I can. download and listen for yourselfs... http://www.sageelectronics.com/sounds/fullkit_24bit.wav "Sweet songs never last too long on a broken radio" MarcoPogo
alignin' 24-trk ***I've had mine for about six months I'd guess (#16). It looks and sounds great, and always draws interested comments. I especially use it for percussion, and it's a great bodrahn mic. As mentioned, a swell mono overhead. I'm looking forward to getting a matching one for stereo overhead recording. Under most circumstances I prefer other methods of micing acoustic guitar. They are super nice people with a great emphasis on audio quality, innovation and aesthetics. Mr. Bova even called after I got the mic, to talk about how we like it. I like it very much, and it's a bargain too. Cheers! -MR |