Perfect Mic Pre and Mic Combibations

When you pair the right mic, with the right mic pre, with the right voice or instrument, you can hear it immediately. You will have the closest thing ever to the "perfect sound", and you will likely say one word once the sound comes through the monitors.......DAMN! It has happened to me a few times so I want to share the great combinations I have found that has worked for me.

1. Avalon 737 + U87 + vocal = This mic pre and mic combo is a bit cliche but this was first time I had one of those "ah ha!" moments when tracking vocals. I heard a lot about the Avalon 737 and how it was widely used in hip-hop. So I decided to rent one for an upcoming session. Paired with the U87 on vocals I couldn't believe how clean and clear my vocals were. Loved this so much I rented the Avalon for every session until the completion of the album. 
2. API 312 + Bock 195 + piano = I don't track piano's a lot but had to for a gospel song I did few years ago. I can't remember what mics I use to use on piano but after using the Bock it doesn't matter anymore. This combo with the  right mic placement (I used them as a  stereo spaced pair) and you can't go wrong. 
3. Empirical Labs Mike-e + Miktek CV4 = I've known the guys at Miktek for a while and couldn't wait to use one of their mics. When I found out one of the studios I use had just the CV4 no matter who I was recording next it was going up in the booth. Paired with my beloved mike-e I got the most crystal clear vocal recording I have ever done. The vocals sat just right and needed little eq when it came time to mix. 
4. Rupert Neve 511 pre + Miktek C7 + vocal. This been my go to vocal chain for over a year now. Simply sounds great. 

Miktek C7 unboxing

Searching for my Neve 1073 clone

Pretty much every vocal chain I hear these days has a Neve 1073 pre behind the mic. I’ve heard a lot about Neve series and now I’m ready to purchase my Neve clone pre to see what all the hype is about. This choice won’t be easy. My budget will be around $1,500. I really want a channel strip so I can use it for tracking and mixing. Here are the pre’s I’m considering right now. I’ll let y'all know what I decide to purchase and why.....

1. Vintech x73i - The Vintech has been said to be identical in sound to the original 1073. I’ve seen a youtube clip from soundpure.com doing a shootout between the two. If you contact them they say they will send you the original files from the shootout. The x73i right now is my front runner for its price, reputation, and customer support. Dallas from Vintech has been very helpful with any questions I’ve had about the unit. I could not see the EQ frequencies from any pics, even on their site. I emailed Dallas, he replied with his cell number, and I gave him a call to get my eq frequency question answered as well as a few others. Doug at Soundpure had nothing but good things to say about the Vintech as well.
2. Miktek mpa-201 - While not a channel strip the MIktek looks very promising. 2 channels based on the Neve circuit with three impedance settings, a HPF, and a smooth switch for added flexibility. I’m strongly considering this pre because I’ve met the guys at Miktek a few times and believe they really know what they are doing. They got a great rep for their mics and I expect the same from the pre. Mike at Miktek told me they would probably do a channel strip in the future so I kind of want to hold out for that since it will better fit my needs, but jumping on the Miktek bandwagon early would be nice.
3. Slate Pro Audio Fox- Again, not a channel strip, but a very interesting pre I saw come out NAMM. The Fox is a pre that offers four different flavors. One of them being a vintage Neve flavor. I haven’t heard much about this pre since it was announced but I’m still very interested in how different the four flavors on the pre sounds.
4. BAE audio is said to make the closest thing to an original Neve 1073. The only problem is for me to get a BAE audio pre and eq in a channel strip the price would be $3500! For me to get a BAE pre within my budget I’d have to sacrifice the eq and can get even lower by sacrificing the filters. I know someone that has some BAE pre’s and swears Vintech are no competition compared to the BAE’s. So is it worth dropping the EQ to get a BAE pre for $1500? I may have to borrow his and find out.
5. Chameleon Labs 7602mkII w/ zen pro mod - this one is low on my list but I love Chameleon labs and have heard good things about this channel strip. I have a 7720 stereo compressor from them and I absolutely love it. I’ve heard the mod that zenproaudio.com does for them really helps the sound of the sound of pre.