David Wandelt yeah. I replaced the tubes, Made a video on that experience. And to be honest I I had no idea what the proper time is suppose to be to replace the tubes, but 6 years does seem like a crazy amount of time
Lo Knows, Sort Of: :-) Yes, after I saw that first video, I did find its follow-up. Big improvement. Re: life expectancy of tubes, if you’re using the device on a daily basis, some say change out the tubes as often as annually. That may be a little excessive, but (except for the financial aspect!) you really can’t change them too often. Maybe 2-3 years is realistic. Thinking back to my childhood (now I’m showing my age!), we used to re-tube our home entertainment equipment around that often, back in the days when even the local drug store had tube testing equipment with a big meter that would show when the tube’s gain was no longer in-spec. Thing is, tubes aren’t like transistors in many respects. For example, tubes degrade slowly over time, whereas transistors mostly go from completely working to completely failed. Also, the heat tubes require to achieve thermionic emission tends to accelerate the aging of other components, especially capacitors. So...even if nothing has hard-failed by the time you get to the end of the life of your current set of tubes, consider sending the unit to the factory for an overall testing and recalibration. Thanks for the fun vids that give more than just dry info!
The secret is the Output connection of the Avalon, if you use unbalanced connections, using the Level Instrument of your interface to control the signal you will have noise. If you use a balanced cable (TRS to XLR or XLR to XLR) you be able to use the +30db output configuring your interface with a +4 level, and the Avalon will work totally different.
Hello everything is fine? I hope so. I would like to ask you something. I see you work with Avalon 737SP and I have one, but I have a problem and I don't know if it has happened to you... It works well, but when the artist stops singing for 2 or 3 minutes and then starts talking again to the microphone I notice a slight distortion and the gain is very low to the point that I have to ask the artist to shout and then it goes back to normal and I can record again. In other words, the gain is lost a little and the sound remains distant and distorted until either me or the artist sends a small scream into the microphone again. Has this ever happened to you on your Avalon 737? Thank you very much and a big hug...
6 years is too long to go without replacing the tubes, especially with consistent use over the years. If it was seldomly used maybe it would be fine but anything over 1000 hours you should replace the tubes.
I have the same pre..I notice you are using the high gain feature on the mic. There is no way that should sound good or not distorted. It is not a tube issue its the board underneath the tubes. Send it in for repair to Avalon . When its fixed it is one of the best preamps.
Pay a little extra and get matched tubes. Usually hissing and or crackling are signs of one or more tubes failing. I don’t remember which tubes do which thing but if you contact avalon they well let you know and you can swap around the ones you currently have to do a trouble shoot. I used to always warm up my avalon for 30min to an hour before recording too. I’m also wondering since your mic cord is stuck if maybe the noise is coming from something damaged at the cord or connector area. Btw what mount and pop filter did you have with your shotgun mic? I have been looking for something that was smaller like that. Thanks!
If your plugging the Avalon preamp into one of the preamps on your Yamaha mixer you will definitely get 'hiss'. Doing that amplifies the noise floor twice. The Avalon is a top notch pro piece and your voice definitely sounds much better through it than the mixer's preamp. Try plugging the Avalon directly into your Mbox. If the noise issue still persists you can send it into Avalon for servicing. www.avalondesign.com/service.html
Yeah, i tried connecting it into the mbox as well. While, yes, the hiss was a "bit" lower, it was still noticeable, especially after i normalized my audio. I was seriously thinking about sending it to Avalon, but im not sure if its free or not and i know for sure the shipping on this thing would be crazy.I hope the tubes are the answer. Thanks for the tips.
Build a channel strip with separate processors, you'll be much better off. I have a WA12 MK2 black mic preamp from Warm Audio, and I chain an LL2A compressor limiter from Little Labs behind it.
Could you tell me where did you buy the antipop for your MKH416 ? I would like to know the name of that piece to buy it. Your Avalon gives you a great sound, but the noise floor is loud. I think you should repair it because the quality of your audio is lower when you do not use the avalon. Or if you sell it, the Universal preamps are good, clean and cheaper options for voice over work.
A useful tip on the Avalon: Tubes tend to get noisy if their pins start to oxidize. This is often the case if they're not gold plated. just try to get them shiny again. Remember, this can also happen to the tube sockets!
Unfortunately I just saw this video immediately after I purchased my avalon VT 737. Not sure if i should be concerned but I was wondering if you ever fixed it or are you going to do a separate video and update us on the outcome?
Don’t worry about your Avalon. I have three, two 737’s and one 737sp and the only issues I’ve ever had is replacing tubes when I need to and a few replacement bulbs for the VU meters. They are a great choice as vocal channel!
Man pay no attention to this video! The Avalon is a go to device for major studios, producers, and some of the top engineers on the planet! I have one and the thing is unbelievable! No hiss; just analog goodness!
Dude....did you change the vacuum tubes? Try changing the tubes to see if that works there are videos right on youtube to show how you change the vt737sp tubes
hook up with a youtuber called "Booth Junkie" i think he had the same problem with his own avalon pre amp where it was noisy and hissy he sended it back to avalon and it sounded great after he gets it back. sry fro bad gramar im from germany :)
Hey, Lo. Interesting. I'd try replacing the tubes and the seized connector first which could become a selling point when you sell it. I'm all for tubes...when listening to records. I don't feel that introducing that sort of 'warmth' is productive to a voice over professional -- I'd be inclined to say that while there are arguments to be made, that the dependability and predictability of a solid state device would be of better service, not to mention that you can get extremely good results from equipment less dear than the price of some esoteric exotica. That's just me though. You gave the impression in the video that you were mostly 'done' with it anyway. Gear replacement isn't always a negative as it gives one an opportunity to research and try to find the next thing to become enamoured of. Oh, and that shine on your forehead? I know hot lights will bring that out coupled with the stress of filming; so, while it sounds trite to say, "Try and relax," there's something to that as well as wiping with an astringent and applying, dare I say it, some makeup and powder. Lol, welcome to the world of broadcasting!
CoriolisAffectment I agree on every point. It maybe time to move on. As far as the shine on my forehead. Oh my goodness, it’s a running joke. I am seriously thinking about make up. But if I do secure the title of shiniest head on TH-cam, then so be it.
:) Lol, I'll tell you it was kind of fun buying my studio makeup from Wal-Mart. In the end the staff person was very helpful in choosing the right shade for my skin tone. But hey, embracing the shine could be a thing in its own right, lol.
NO WAY!!!!!! Same thing with my avalon if i go mic to avalon in - out to yamaha-yamaha to PT interface. Extra noise! Compression even if bypassed does not function correctly between the two Together they create a lot of false signal. They do not get along. Always go directly to Avalon in then out to PT interface. Its disappointing though. I don't even use my Yamaha mgp24 or my ov1i 96 as a result.
why would you buy the Avalon which has a pretty terrible EIN for the preamps. The 737 is meant for adding character, but the EIN should have told you it was going to have noise.
Just get a new tube it sounds as though ur tube has failed...easy fix. The xlr cord being stick is another story, that’s a lil harder to repair but still a diy project u can accomplish on your own. The cord could already have a short so definitely repair that as well. If u want to sell it to me they r both are fairly ez fixes I’d love to take it in!
Ohhhhhh man over 6 years and you haven't replaced the tubes? They don't last quite a long time haha just replace the tubes man usually you will get a hiss when they start to go
Sell it. You can get pretty much the same "tube sound" from a 99€ ART tube... ;) I'm not a fan of those expensive "premium" pre's, as you might be able to tell... P.S You're not the only one having problems with it, as Booth Junkie did a video about his unit a while back. If you still have warranty, send it back to Avalon to get fixed, sell it and buy a u87 with the money... ;)
JAY-V Savage I said it was junk because it started making noise not because it doesn’t have good sound quality. Feel free to watch my follow up video where I changed the preamps.
Hey, let me know what you think i should do with Avalon 737. Should i try to save it or move on?
Lo Knows, Sort Of: At least try re-tubing it. Six years is far too long to expect one set of tubes to last.
David Wandelt yeah. I replaced the tubes, Made a video on that experience. And to be honest I I had no idea what the proper time is suppose to be to replace the tubes, but 6 years does seem like a crazy amount of time
Lo Knows, Sort Of: :-) Yes, after I saw that first video, I did find its follow-up. Big improvement. Re: life expectancy of tubes, if you’re using the device on a daily basis, some say change out the tubes as often as annually. That may be a little excessive, but (except for the financial aspect!) you really can’t change them too often. Maybe 2-3 years is realistic. Thinking back to my childhood (now I’m showing my age!), we used to re-tube our home entertainment equipment around that often, back in the days when even the local drug store had tube testing equipment with a big meter that would show when the tube’s gain was no longer in-spec. Thing is, tubes aren’t like transistors in many respects. For example, tubes degrade slowly over time, whereas transistors mostly go from completely working to completely failed. Also, the heat tubes require to achieve thermionic emission tends to accelerate the aging of other components, especially capacitors. So...even if nothing has hard-failed by the time you get to the end of the life of your current set of tubes, consider sending the unit to the factory for an overall testing and recalibration. Thanks for the fun vids that give more than just dry info!
are you selling it ?
yup
The secret is the Output connection of the Avalon, if you use unbalanced connections, using the Level Instrument of your interface to control the signal you will have noise. If you use a balanced cable (TRS to XLR or XLR to XLR) you be able to use the +30db output configuring your interface with a +4 level, and the Avalon will work totally different.
have u compared it to the uad version
Hello everything is fine? I hope so. I would like to ask you something. I see you work with Avalon 737SP and I have one, but I have a problem and I don't know if it has happened to you... It works well, but when the artist stops singing for 2 or 3 minutes and then starts talking again to the microphone I notice a slight distortion and the gain is very low to the point that I have to ask the artist to shout and then it goes back to normal and I can record again. In other words, the gain is lost a little and the sound remains distant and distorted until either me or the artist sends a small scream into the microphone again. Has this ever happened to you on your Avalon 737? Thank you very much and a big hug...
6 years is too long to go without replacing the tubes, especially with consistent use over the years. If it was seldomly used maybe it would be fine but anything over 1000 hours you should replace the tubes.
I have the same pre..I notice you are using the high gain feature on the mic. There is no way that should sound good or not distorted. It is not a tube issue its the board underneath the tubes. Send it in for repair to Avalon . When its fixed it is one of the best preamps.
Pay a little extra and get matched tubes. Usually hissing and or crackling are signs of one or more tubes failing. I don’t remember which tubes do which thing but if you contact avalon they well let you know and you can swap around the ones you currently have to do a trouble shoot. I used to always warm up my avalon for 30min to an hour before recording too. I’m also wondering since your mic cord is stuck if maybe the noise is coming from something damaged at the cord or connector area. Btw what mount and pop filter did you have with your shotgun mic? I have been looking for something that was smaller like that. Thanks!
If your plugging the Avalon preamp into one of the preamps on your Yamaha mixer you will definitely get 'hiss'. Doing that amplifies the noise floor twice. The Avalon is a top notch pro piece and your voice definitely sounds much better through it than the mixer's preamp. Try plugging the Avalon directly into your Mbox. If the noise issue still persists you can send it into Avalon for servicing. www.avalondesign.com/service.html
Yeah, i tried connecting it into the mbox as well. While, yes, the hiss was a "bit" lower, it was still noticeable, especially after i normalized my audio. I was seriously thinking about sending it to Avalon, but im not sure if its free or not and i know for sure the shipping on this thing would be crazy.I hope the tubes are the answer. Thanks for the tips.
Build a channel strip with separate processors, you'll be much better off. I have a WA12 MK2 black mic preamp from Warm Audio, and I chain an LL2A compressor limiter from Little Labs behind it.
Could you tell me where did you buy the antipop for your MKH416 ? I would like to know the name of that piece to buy it. Your Avalon gives you a great sound, but the noise floor is loud. I think you should repair it because the quality of your audio is lower when you do not use the avalon. Or if you sell it, the Universal preamps are good, clean and cheaper options for voice over work.
I got my pop filter here ( sorry for the late reply)
www.popfilter.com/
A useful tip on the Avalon: Tubes tend to get noisy if their pins start to oxidize. This is often the case if they're not gold plated. just try to get them shiny again. Remember, this can also happen to the tube sockets!
DANG! Thats some strong advice, thanks!!!
Unfortunately I just saw this video immediately after I purchased my avalon VT 737. Not sure if i should be concerned but I was wondering if you ever fixed it or are you going to do a separate video and update us on the outcome?
Michael Perez I did a separate video on my channel with an update. The short of it, it’s working just fine now and I am happy again.
Don’t worry about your Avalon. I have three, two 737’s and one 737sp and the only issues I’ve ever had is replacing tubes when I need to and a few replacement bulbs for the VU meters. They are a great choice as vocal channel!
Man pay no attention to this video! The Avalon is a go to device for major studios, producers, and some of the top engineers on the planet! I have one and the thing is unbelievable! No hiss; just analog goodness!
It's the audio card. The signal to noise floor.
where did you get that mini pop filter for the 416? I keep looking for something like this but no luck.
Dude....did you change the vacuum tubes? Try changing the tubes to see if that works there are videos right on youtube to show how you change the vt737sp tubes
PharaohLawLess1 yeah I ended up doing that. th-cam.com/video/pVITFkUVkIM/w-d-xo.html
hook up with a youtuber called "Booth Junkie" i think he had the same problem with his own avalon pre amp where it was noisy and hissy he sended it back to avalon and it sounded great after he gets it back. sry fro bad gramar im from germany :)
maybe you can replace the tubes
th-cam.com/video/kC7JEuSEqQg/w-d-xo.html
I was about to suggest what the German boy said. Get in touch with Mike, he had the same issue with his Avalon.
He got back to me guys, it might cost me close to $400 to fix. I ordered the replacement tubes so we will see how that goes
i really hope its goes fine because the avalon is a good piece of equipment i really like the sound coloration on the videos you did with serval mics
Hey, Lo. Interesting. I'd try replacing the tubes and the seized connector first which could become a selling point when you sell it. I'm all for tubes...when listening to records. I don't feel that introducing that sort of 'warmth' is productive to a voice over professional -- I'd be inclined to say that while there are arguments to be made, that the dependability and predictability of a solid state device would be of better service, not to mention that you can get extremely good results from equipment less dear than the price of some esoteric exotica. That's just me though.
You gave the impression in the video that you were mostly 'done' with it anyway. Gear replacement isn't always a negative as it gives one an opportunity to research and try to find the next thing to become enamoured of.
Oh, and that shine on your forehead? I know hot lights will bring that out coupled with the stress of filming; so, while it sounds trite to say, "Try and relax," there's something to that as well as wiping with an astringent and applying, dare I say it, some makeup and powder. Lol, welcome to the world of broadcasting!
CoriolisAffectment I agree on every point. It maybe time to move on. As far as the shine on my forehead. Oh my goodness, it’s a running joke. I am seriously thinking about make up. But if I do secure the title of shiniest head on TH-cam, then so be it.
:) Lol, I'll tell you it was kind of fun buying my studio makeup from Wal-Mart. In the end the staff person was very helpful in choosing the right shade for my skin tone. But hey, embracing the shine could be a thing in its own right, lol.
Should have spent the money for a Behringer.
Up All Night really?! My precious mixer was a behringer.
I think the mixer is decent but definitely not as good as the avalon , hope you get it situated for the avalon :)
Yeah my gut tells me the same, i did end up replacing the tubes and gathering my thoughts for an update
NO WAY!!!!!! Same thing with my avalon if i go mic to avalon in - out to yamaha-yamaha to PT interface. Extra noise! Compression even if bypassed does not function correctly between the two Together they create a lot of false signal. They do not get along. Always go directly to Avalon in then out to PT interface. Its disappointing though. I don't even use my Yamaha mgp24 or my ov1i 96 as a result.
Avalon sucks. Go with Warm Audio!!!!
If you're doing voiceovers get a siemens v276 and a Neumann u87. That's all you'll ever need.
why would you buy the Avalon which has a pretty terrible EIN for the preamps. The 737 is meant for adding character, but the EIN should have told you it was going to have noise.
Take off the high gain and you’ll be good.
Just get a new tube it sounds as though ur tube has failed...easy fix. The xlr cord being stick is another story, that’s a lil harder to repair but still a diy project u can accomplish on your own. The cord could already have a short so definitely repair that as well. If u want to sell it to me they r both are fairly ez fixes I’d love to take it in!
when it do that you have to change the tubes
Yeah I ended up doing that. I love my Avalon again!! Thanks
@@LoKnows - I was thinking it was tubes as well. Good to hear that was the problem and that you got it fixed.
Trade it for more junk
Jim Murrell its the only option
No different when listening with ear buds
Jim Murrell what?! Really??
Damn, man. Bummer.
🙋🏻♀️ from you’re #1 fan!!
Ohhhhhh man over 6 years and you haven't replaced the tubes? They don't last quite a long time haha just replace the tubes man usually you will get a hiss when they start to go
yeah, i remember hearing that YEARS ago, it just slips the mind and i had no idea it would be that bad
change the tubes
Sell it. You can get pretty much the same "tube sound" from a 99€ ART tube... ;) I'm not a fan of those expensive "premium" pre's, as you might be able to tell...
P.S You're not the only one having problems with it, as Booth Junkie did a video about his unit a while back. If you still have warranty, send it back to Avalon to get fixed, sell it and buy a u87 with the money... ;)
U87.....(drooling)
I have that same shirt! Lol
If it's junk then why so so many studios have them🤔 you just inexperience
JAY-V Savage I said it was junk because it started making noise not because it doesn’t have good sound quality. Feel free to watch my follow up video where I changed the preamps.
With the technology that's out there today I would never spend that much money on an Avalon. Warm Audio mic pres are the best!!!!
Send it to me I'll fix it
LOL, im sure you will 😂