Old Becomes New
Indie musicians who have already discovered the value of high-quality mics and other gear have likely found a common denominator across the rental items: They’re vintage.
Traci Bradford of Audio Rents––as the largest and oldest pro audio equipment rental house in Hollywood, specializing in recording and post-production equipment, and offering audio-recording gear stretching back to the 1970s––says its most popular rental is the Neumann U87A. It can cost about $3,000 to buy but only $50 to rent per day.
“Computer systems will continue to get more advanced, but to get quality sound, you can’t skimp on some things, like microphones,” says Bradford, seconding Ladinsky’s sentiments.
As for mic pre-amps, Audio Rents customers tend to opt for the Avalon VT737sp, a Class A mic pre with EQ and compression that also costs $50 per day.
“If you want to go higher-end, a lot of people are using the Neve 1073 [which runs $70 per day],” she says. “It has actual modules taken out of an old mixing console from a recording studio and put into a powering supply. It’s super-duper vintage.”
Bradford adds that Audio Rents is also delving into audio interfaces, into which musicians plug mics or guitars that feed into their computer. However, they’re not renting out as many effects boxes, which have tapered off due to computer plug-ins, she notes.
While LAFX Recording Services hasn’t been around as long as Audio Rents, the closely held 15-year-old company prides itself on having stuck with analog gear in the early 2000s while its competitors overindulged on digital equipment that didn’t stand the test of time.
“Younger artists are wowed by the vintageness of tube microphones and tape machines,” says owner Anne Vicari.
Lex Marasek, the company’s rentals manager, says artists continue turning to mics that are vintage because “it doesn’t get any better. There’s some places where technology has hit a break wall. Pro Tools gigs like hard drive converters have gotten very good, but what hasn’t caught up is some of the original Neumann mics that demand a high price tag.”
