Make Your Voice Sound Great On The Avalon 737 With These Settings!

[@zaynorayne]

The psychology of projection was quite literally the selling point I needed before making the decision to choose the Avalon

[@DNDUnderground]

I have been using an Avalon 737sp VT and Neumann TLM103 combo for over 15 years in my home recording studio. I love the results it has always given me. This was one of the best video I have ever seen on the Avalon. This video has been needed for years, very understandable explanations of how the unit works. Subscribing now, look forward to more content.

[@HeyLennyB]

I don't have a vocal setting to offer. I'd suggest that the Avalon 737 setting for vocals would depend on the material that the vocal was being mixed with. However, some of the same approaches in this video might apply.

[@laboratorio7133]

I have same set up

[@Jessie88ITA]

I have just purchased an Avalon! Got the same microphone and now that I have the Avalon as a Pre, I noticed the difference straight away! The warmth that the unit gives you is really nice! Even when is flat you can hear the "flavour"....When it comes to use a bit of EQ and Compression...That's where the magic happens! Thanks a lot for the explanation Lenny! ;)

[@rossdonald594]

Clearly the best 737 presentation I've seen anywhere. Thank you.

[@teashea1]

A nice presentation of the 737. I use two of these, as well as a 747, 2044 and three V55's. Avalon really has done a great job with these. There is nothing else like them.

[@HeyLennyB]

I have an AD2022 microphone preamp on my wishlist.

[@THEREALTWISTEDINSANE]

I want to buy a thanks with this video

[@lintontulloch9036]

A superb breakdown of the 737 Lenny. I now understand what the Avalon brings to the game and I better understand how to use my own compressors. Thank you! 👊🏾

[@lalocura1828]

I love whst you daid about injecting emotion. I believe compression makes us feel really good. It helps us to project our feelings further !

[@ahmadgozalireels]

Superb Great Avalon, Mr. Lenny B you're my Teacher ... Nice to see u on KZbin from Indonesia 🇮🇩🙏🏻

[@MichaelMaddoxTRM]

Thank you so much for helping me start my channel. Your training course was very educational. I'm glad I hired you for my two mics TLM103 and 416 with my Avalon. My panels on the wall work great! Love the sound on my intro video!

[@HeyLennyB]

I'm so glad you're happy, Michael! Thank you for taking the time to write!

[@christurbiville]

I find that many VO actors lust after gear pursuing that elusive sound, then purchase it, and have zero idea how to use it and end up sounding worse than before. The age of just being a VO actor, and not an engineer are long over. I've got 2 of these racked up and always on tracking 2 different mics for everything I read. That way I can A/B between 2 different mics and pre's during playback to pick a winner. The 737 can go from super clean gain, to punch in the face real quick with just a few adjustments. I know on some forums Avalon gets a bad wrap, but for VO and especially higher energy promo reads, the 737 is perfect for getting that up front cut through the mix sound.

[@mind-brainstudio927]

I love your two mics/preamps setup! I had considered something similar so I could not only A/B and choose the better, but also blend the two. Infinite possibilities. I thought I might be invoking the wrath of the phase gods so I have yet to go in that direction. But wouldn't that be the ultimate? 🙂

[@RappNRegg]

Wow finally! Been searching for this for years.. Great Job👏🏾

[@matthill8601]

Great video!! Have been using the UAD version for a while now but not fully understanding what I was doing. Definitely understanding it more. Thank you so much 🙏🏼

[@brucehathcockmusic]

Great video and excellent description of the settings.

[@chandeleerjet5637]

Thanks for sharing. I learned a few things. I have this preamp and many others and I always loved recording in the red. It added like you said an electric sound. Then I was working with a professuinal mixing engineer and he said im doing it all wrong. He said everyghing sounded extreme and all inputs should be around -12 or so. I listened to him for about a year and my sound felt dull to me during that time. Then I saw an interview with I think Jimmy Jam talking about how Prince recorded and he said prince ignored all the engineers and recorded everything in the red. It was always Prince stuff I loved the sonics or and Dr Dre then I found out dr dre pushed all his hardware into the red for Chronic 2001 and his other albums. The lesson I learned that there is no wrong and to trust your own taste

[@beewirks]

Rick Ross famously said “my vocal like an atom bomb in the Avalon”

[@rocnred]

Wow, Lenny, that was awesome. That is a bucket list piece of hardware for me. I currently use an Avalon V5 for my mic pre for podcasts and it sounds great also. I remember engineers started bringing them into the studios in the late 90's early 2000's and it blew me away. It still does. It has such a warm sound and character to it. Even when the compressor was clamped, it sounded great. I did not hear any pumping. You throw that thing on a dynamic singer through an M149 and you have pure magic (any mic really). The same can be said, running it through a guitar cab and hitting that preamp distortion. Smooth and crunchy. It sounds excellent on your voice. I know the Grace Design is a fantastic piece of gear (I see it in the background), but I think this one beats it. Round softer weight perfectly describes it. I would pick that over a real Neve 1073 any day. I can see it being a valuable tool for any voice-over artist.

[@mcgjohn22]

thanks very much. This was quite helpful. Excellent explanation on the features of the 737.

[@raplex247]

I love this piece of gear.

[@DEADIKATED]

Great Video. I've had My Avalon for about 2 years now. I bought it to Mirror the sound from the Studio I've been going to for years. We don't really use the compressor / EQ but this was a great Breakdown of what this unit can do. Thanks

[@vocals07]

Great demo, very informative and like yourself I had couple of them years ago and I don’t know why I sold mine either 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@liorsilverstein9802]

thx on the long video, very illustrative, the unit is kinda new for me

[@Sereck]

Best Video for understanding the Avalon.

[@HeyLennyB]

@Sereck thanks!

[@vladpsychotrope3187]

Thank you for your sound insights, I would liken the Avalon to a great lens on a camera vs the plugin photoshop effect used in the edit. Nice voice by the way!

[@largebottomproductions]

This was great. Thank you.

[@faustiktube]

Best video on the Avalon ever. Thank you!

[@dedessuslesmoustierjacques3459]

Nice presentation.We need to see more videos like this one.

[@shannonandthereunion]

At 14:00 into this video you have the most intense DJ voice :) Thanks for the lesson.

[@raoulkoster8567]

Loved the presentation. Very clear!

[@enricovaioli]

😱😱😱 the video every voice over artist deserve 🙏🙏🙏😉💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼😊

[@jameswhitaker4357]

Can we use this the same way in the box? Thank you for the awesome video! I love my 747 emulation.

[@HeyLennyB]

It should be very similar. "Modeled plugins" are supposed to emulate the hardware. Thanks for watching.

[@jameswhitaker4357]

@@HeyLennyB thanks man, awesome tips! I’m gonna record vocals and throw this on right after, tracking with plugins can be annoying.

[@TommyTucker77]

Your vids always sound great. I wish I could grasp the difference between gain and input on panels.

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi Thomas. Thanks for the kind words. Can you explain what you mean by "panels?" I'll try and help you understand the difference between gain and input.

[@TommyTucker77]

@@HeyLennyB console controls for gain/ input

[@HeyLennyB]

It's a great question. It's the topic of a forthcoming course I'm releasing. Gain is the level coming in. The volume sliders on a mixer are the output volume. They're very different. Send me an email if you'd like a further explanation. I'll send you some more info. [e-mail]

[@Jcproducciones80]

Hi Lenny, could you please make a video tutorial on the presonus peam Studio channel to record the voice, thanks

[@cyberdefenseddi]

Good stuff sir. Good learning . Never learn to much 😎

[@PaulMDiaz]

Great video Lenny. Would love to hear you compare this to the plugin!

[@Beautiful7]

Thank you !! Great tutorial

[@jarredcannon]

The 737 sounds great! I'd be curious to try it in software for a near approximation first, though. Outside of UAD, do you know of any emulations you'd recommend?

[@peterg5440]

Thanks so much. Super helpful video.

[@geotungz4050]

you can use the mid side chain button to dynamic eq/ and or de ess with the compressor. So instead of cutting at 320 and say 7k, you boost those mid frequencies, then the compressor reduces them when you cross that threshold set on the compressor. That can be helpful if you rather have a more controlled low mid and high mids. The you can use the air band to push back in some of what you removed.

[@HeyLennyB]

@geotungz4050 that's a great point. I have always meant to do a video specifically on the DeEsser setting.

[@muhammadsarmadhussain3400]

Thank you sir! it's really helpful!

[@duelmaster66]

Hey Lenny can you do Manley voxbox i can see behind you and i hope you can get a Neumann MT 48 i will like to hear how you like it

[@Alfrexxart]

Hi Lenny, your 737 sounds clean, I have one with a bad noise, I take a double conversor no break to clean the energy but I still have a noise in the guear, what you suggest me to get a clean signal?

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi @Alfrexxart, are you using a balanced cable from the Avalon 737 to your interface (or mixer)?

[@blaccteezy]

Same! Mines has a nasty hiss and it’s going into a furman. I guess it’s time for a set of tubes

[@ahmadgozalireels]

Hello Mr. Leny B can you try and follow the example of using Vst Kazrog Avalon 747 to edit voice over? Thank You 

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi, I've had a few requests for this. I think it would be a great video for my channel. Thanks!

[@420hazenhigh]

GREAT VIDEO

[@dashradio1]

Thanks for the great information I have one and not knew to much about it. I have hardware as well❤

[@habanahemingwaycafe2241]

excellent video ,,, PRO !!!! 100%

[@LBJedi]

So helpful, Lenny! Thank you👍 I’d love to get into outboard gear soon. I think it would be really fun and sound great. How would you recommend find the right pre for my voice and mic? Rent studio time at a place with a big assortment?

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi @LBJedi, That's a good question. I have many, many preamps. And the truth is that it comes down to taste. In a perfect world, it would be best to test each and find the one you like. It's also important to note that different microphones, paired with different preamps, offer different sounds. However, you can't hear much difference between preamps unless you're in a very well-treated room. In my opinion, you can get a great voice-over sound with a well-treated room, a simple, clean preamp (even one from a simple audio interface), and a few good plugins. But it sounds like you are like me. I love the hardware.

[@LBJedi]

@@HeyLennyB Yep! My plugins are great, and the preamps in my Neve 88M are actually beautiful in my opinion. I just think using the gear will be really enjoyable. Plus, I’m actually legally blind, so I’m a very tactile person. I think using the physical gear will also make things a little simpler for me.

[@MinhTri-ku9pm]

Please, avalon 737 vs rupert neve newton channel strip, thank you

[@marksmusicplace3627]

yes. they are great. I own two of them.

[@MELOPSMUSIC]

is it same with uad plugin ? I have an opportunity to get the real thing, but i have the vst, and also 1073 preamp, la2a...so i don t know if it would be a great addition to my setup

[@HeyLennyB]

The hardware is a little different. The plugin version is great for understanding what the unit can do. I'll put it this way: I doubt that any average listener to your audio could tell the difference between the sound of the unit and the plugin.

[@JeffStewartAuthor]

This is awesome.

[@HeyLennyB]

If I know you, I expect the Avalon 737sp is already in your online shopping cart on Sweetwater.com

[@yoelwww]

Amazing video! Can all this be translated to recording vocals for songs and not VO?

[@HeyLennyB]

I would say it translates if I were recording vocals. The most important thing, in my opinion, is the recording level and gain staging. In my opinion, ] I would want to hear the vocals (with the Avalon) along with the other instruments in context before I arrived at the best Avalon setting for my vocal track. Thanks for watching!

[@xxMike-X]

thanks for the VIdeo, always loved this Unit, but its far to expensive at the moment. Would love to get one in the future. Do you know what means the "B"? just saw some units in marketplace and also some black ones with a "B" in the Name.. is it just for "B stock?

[@Ric_theengineer]

Great Video 💪🏻 But if I just use my U87 and my Avalon and run it through an RME UC, my signal doesn't sound anything like yours from the videos😅✌🏻

[@HeyLennyB]

Hey @Ric_theengineer. Thanks for watching and commenting. The only thing I know that might cause you a poor sound is gain staging, and the tubes needing to be replaced.

[@goaway2174]

Thanks for the instructional video! The preamp gain is driving the tube to saturation at higher levels, does the output gain control a solid stage amplifier stage? If not is it just an attenuator?

[@HeyLennyB]

Here's what the official Avalon user manual states "The output stage of the Vt-737sp is another twin-triode vacuum tube stage driving a balanced low-noise Class A DC-coupled output amplifier."

[@FromTheHipp]

my dad, years ago, got a used 737. he literally never uses it. he jsut got it because he likes to have things that other people says is hot. well, im working on my album and forced him to let me use it so this is my preamp for my vocal chain and its such a W because i was about to spend 1700 on a neve 1073 spx(which isnt a bad buy but im saving money).

[@22dividedby7]

Do you want to sell it ?

[@CrossedProductions23]

Does anybody know what kind of settings Dr. Dre uses when he records Eminem? I read that one of his sound engineers said that with 50 cent used a 7-1 ratio on the compressor but that was all I could find. My voice is a little deeper than Eminems but not by much. I really want to find the best settings to get an old school vibe any helps appreciated thanks!!

[@jcherrymusicworld]

Thanks 🙏🏿

[@CalvinSerrao]

Hi, what are some great more budget friendly alternatives?

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi Calvin. That's a difficult question. It's hard to answer that because the Avalon unit is its own sound. However, if you are asking for a unit that does the same type of processing (Preamp, EQ, and Compression), there are a few others. You might look at the Art Voice Channel and the Drawer MX60. You can think of it like ordering lasagna from two different Italian restaurants. The same dish with similar ingredients, but the taste is different.

[@jabzed]

Any chance you have an ART Voice Channel preamp to do a similar video with?

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi Jabzed, I do. It's the unit right above the Avalon in this video. I haven't made a walk through video on my Art Voice Channel yet, but I intend to soon. Thanks!

[@mind-brainstudio927]

Hang on! This -12 stuff has always bothered me because I come from an analogue (old guy) background. The Avalon is a tube channel strip so why not go in at a higher level? You're working at a very low level (VU barely moving) and thus, are about 10bd closer to the noise floor. Going in with peaks of -3 makes perfect sense to me and should result in better (less noise) recordings. Your thoughts, Lenny?

[@HeyLennyB]

Yes, you'll get more "tube preamp" sound if you drive the input. It's true, that is the beauty of analog gear. The setting illustrated in this video is only my suggestion and a good starting point. The best sound is the one that sounds best to you. Driving (or not driving) the preamp can offer you a huge variety of different sounds to work with.

[@mind-brainstudio927]

@@HeyLennyB Thanks for the thoughtful reply!

[@lintontulloch9036]

Hey Lenny. I currently use the Scheps Omni plugin and love it, (thanks for the heads up). Do you think the Avalon plugin is a good match for an OC818 or are there better matches out there.

[@HeyLennyB]

Hi Linton, That's a tough question. I believe that the plugin brings that Avalon "sound" to your recording. If that's what you're looking for, then I'd say it's a good move. From what I know about your recording set up and equip quality (which is amazing), I think it would pair nicely. For your sound, I would probably keep the Scheps Omni Channel on your setting and replace some of the final Scheps Omni Channel compression with the Avalon comp at the end of the chain. Hope that helps.

[@lintontulloch9036]

@@HeyLennyB Thanks Lenny. That helps as I've been eyeing the Avalon for some time and its on sale now so I think I'll go for it.

[@Slipsch]

Have you tried the ART Voice Channel? What are your thoughts?

[@HeyLennyB]

Hello! Yes, I have. I plan to do a similar video on the ART Voice Channel soon.

[@HyruleDude]

Most people cannot hear 20khz

[@MELOPSMUSIC]

The problem with increasing the lows is that you get rumbles and plosives that peak ...so warmth can t be achieved clean. For speaking perhaps it s ok, but in a song we don t wan t these lows.

[@Star-Trekking]

Great, but the price is stellar. Impossible to buy for me.

[@Lyvvie]

An amazing tool, but yikes $6K AUD! I think I'll just aim for the Behringer UV1 until I'm earning the big bucks.

[@jaxjax7318]

IT all sounds the same coming from my Walmart $9.99 speakers.