Hey old guys, Shure Vocal masters?
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Rich_S
HomeGrownToneBrewologist
Re: Hey old guys, Shure Vocal masters?
A classic. I'd love to have one just as a museum piece and as a rehearsal-room monitor rig. Don't plan on miking anything through it though - it's pretty much good for vocals only.
BTW - the Vocalmaster was pretty much the top of the heap in a day when most PA's consisted of a powered head with 4-6 hi-z mike inputs, and a pair of speaker columns. 4-10's was very common, you were top banana if you had the $$$ for a system with a pair of 4-12 columns.
Gamera needs to post a pic of his basement with the uber-cool white metalflake tuck-and-roll Kustom PA. Fun stuff from the 70's.
A classic. I'd love to have one just as a museum piece and as a rehearsal-room monitor rig. Don't plan on miking anything through it though - it's pretty much good for vocals only.
BTW - the Vocalmaster was pretty much the top of the heap in a day when most PA's consisted of a powered head with 4-6 hi-z mike inputs, and a pair of speaker columns. 4-10's was very common, you were top banana if you had the $$$ for a system with a pair of 4-12 columns.
Gamera needs to post a pic of his basement with the uber-cool white metalflake tuck-and-roll Kustom PA. Fun stuff from the 70's.
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J Moose
New member
Re: Hey old guys, Shure Vocal masters?
You'll need to define "garbage" and what exactly that means to 'ya...
I'm with Rich...the heads might be good for a low-fi rehearshal PA and I've actually used one for the spring 'verb once while mixing 'cause it was the only spring reverb at that studio...
But overall for sonics, power & sheer usability I'd stick towards newer PA gear.
It IS a classic though.
If that means anything to 'ya...
You'll need to define "garbage" and what exactly that means to 'ya...
I'm with Rich...the heads might be good for a low-fi rehearshal PA and I've actually used one for the spring 'verb once while mixing 'cause it was the only spring reverb at that studio...
But overall for sonics, power & sheer usability I'd stick towards newer PA gear.
It IS a classic though.
If that means anything to 'ya...
L
Lewguitar
Guest
Re: Hey old guys, Shure Vocal masters?
Ahh...the Shure Vocal-Smasher.
Great for announcing bus arrivals and leavings...not so great for singers.
It was a God-send at the time...because there was nothing else available!
But now they are very outdated.
Lew
Ahh...the Shure Vocal-Smasher.
Great for announcing bus arrivals and leavings...not so great for singers.
It was a God-send at the time...because there was nothing else available!
But now they are very outdated.
Lew
STRATDELUXER97
Stratoblaster Tone Meister
Re: Hey old guys, Shure Vocal masters?
Who you callin "old guys" anyway!? Some of us old guys can still kick some of those young guy's a$$ess...:nana: :headbang: :rocket: :biglaugh:
Who you callin "old guys" anyway!? Some of us old guys can still kick some of those young guy's a$$ess...:nana: :headbang: :rocket: :biglaugh:
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Hey old guys, Shure Vocal masters?
I owned a Shure Vocal Master for many years. There were two versions--most of the time you'll run across the high-impedance version, but there was a version with low-impedance inputs. The head is six channels, 100 WRMS @ 5% THD @ 8 ohms. Not great specs, but in the early 1970s, this WAS the state of the art portable PA system.
There were not only the full columns; but half-column "monitor" speakers as well. There were accessories: they had chrome tubular stands to mount the speakers on to make them more stable; and a chrome stand for the head, and matching gray vinyl covers, too. There were matching power amps; and later on--you could buy a tweeter box to add high end to the system.
Most of the time, the people that were bad-mouthing the VM, were people that didn't know their BURRO from a BURROW. A 100-watt PA system isn't going to cut it over two Marshall stacks and a SVT. There were a lot of ignorant people operating these things, making a lot of mistakes--Rock and Roll PA was still in it's infancy--and good information was hard to come by.
There is a switchable input pad on the VM inputs, but the first mistake people made was running the channel volumes higher than the MASTER--creating distortion. There's only two-band EQ and four simple anti-feedback notch filters, so speaker placement is critical. Don't try to use another speaker system with the VM head--it will shut down with a 4-ohm load. Another weak point: there is no monitor buss. If you needed monitors--you got a VM power amp, and hooked up a pair of the VM half-columns.
It's a nice sounding system for an acoustic guitar duo--but you are asking for trouble if you try to put too much bass in the system. The VM was designed for MID-RANGE VOCAL PROJECTION. That's ALL it does, and within its limitations, it does it very well.
Here's some trivia--the VM was used for several years at the Grand Ol' Opry at the Ryman Auditorium back in the early 1970s. They used a couple of heads linked together driving about six of the VM power amps to power an array of the VM column speakers. I never heard it, but I'd imagine it to be a fairly effective system in the old Ryman. I've heard some rock bands use the VM systems. I remember seeing one band using three columns on each side of the stage with a head and two power amps, and their vocals were very clear. I have also seen the VM columns used as the mid speakers in a three-way system with subs and horns. I have also seen columns fitted with JBLs 8" and 10" AND bullet tweeters. They must have weighed 150 LBS. apiece! But they did sound glorious!
The VM columns are a strength and a weak-point, too. They are very effective projectors, typical of a line array. ALWAYS use them VERTICALLY, and NEVER HORIZONTALLY! They really are an ancient predecessor of the Bose System--the Bose just uses massive amounts of power, digital EQ, and compression to do its job. Like the Bose, the VM columns will project to the back of the room.
The VM head actually had a very nice spring reverb unit with its own helpful tone controls. Not a lot of power, especially compared to today's heads. Not a lot of tone control--no built-in graphic for tone shaping--only the notch filters for anti-feedback. Try not to use them if you can--they will erode your sound. You'll want to do your very best to maximize your mic technique. Again: speaker placement, relative to the room AND relative to your microphones, is CRITICAL.
Looking back over the twenty years that I used my VM, I can honestly say it served me well. It did have its limitations. Shure had a good thing going, but they were slow to adapt. And then some young newcomer to the music biz from Meridian, Mississippi, kinda set the world on its ear by designing some affordable, reliable and great sounding PA gear. He started providing features that well, frankly--you didn't know you needed until you saw it--and then the light bulb would go off, and you'd go--"Aaa-HAH! KEWL!!!!" Hartley Peavey made a lot of money not only by providing the gear--but his company took a very active role in educating musicians on HOW TO USE IT!!!! The knowledge that I gained from reading the Peavey "Monitor" Magazine over the years has been invaluable. Blame Peavey and his XR600 for the demise of the Vocal Master. (Hey, I have a XR600C from about 1992 and its been a great piece of gear!)
Like any other pro audio gear, the guy that knows what he's doing can get decent--even GREAT sound out of the these older systems. And an idiot can still make $40,000 worth of Crown, Midas and JBL sound like caa-caa.
But time and technology does march on. While you could find a Vocal Master to be a very servicable system, it's highly likely you'll find its obsolesence very limiting. I'll always have a fond place in my heart for my old Vocal Master, but I don't think I want to go back to using one, either.
Bill
I owned a Shure Vocal Master for many years. There were two versions--most of the time you'll run across the high-impedance version, but there was a version with low-impedance inputs. The head is six channels, 100 WRMS @ 5% THD @ 8 ohms. Not great specs, but in the early 1970s, this WAS the state of the art portable PA system.
There were not only the full columns; but half-column "monitor" speakers as well. There were accessories: they had chrome tubular stands to mount the speakers on to make them more stable; and a chrome stand for the head, and matching gray vinyl covers, too. There were matching power amps; and later on--you could buy a tweeter box to add high end to the system.
Most of the time, the people that were bad-mouthing the VM, were people that didn't know their BURRO from a BURROW. A 100-watt PA system isn't going to cut it over two Marshall stacks and a SVT. There were a lot of ignorant people operating these things, making a lot of mistakes--Rock and Roll PA was still in it's infancy--and good information was hard to come by.
There is a switchable input pad on the VM inputs, but the first mistake people made was running the channel volumes higher than the MASTER--creating distortion. There's only two-band EQ and four simple anti-feedback notch filters, so speaker placement is critical. Don't try to use another speaker system with the VM head--it will shut down with a 4-ohm load. Another weak point: there is no monitor buss. If you needed monitors--you got a VM power amp, and hooked up a pair of the VM half-columns.
It's a nice sounding system for an acoustic guitar duo--but you are asking for trouble if you try to put too much bass in the system. The VM was designed for MID-RANGE VOCAL PROJECTION. That's ALL it does, and within its limitations, it does it very well.
Here's some trivia--the VM was used for several years at the Grand Ol' Opry at the Ryman Auditorium back in the early 1970s. They used a couple of heads linked together driving about six of the VM power amps to power an array of the VM column speakers. I never heard it, but I'd imagine it to be a fairly effective system in the old Ryman. I've heard some rock bands use the VM systems. I remember seeing one band using three columns on each side of the stage with a head and two power amps, and their vocals were very clear. I have also seen the VM columns used as the mid speakers in a three-way system with subs and horns. I have also seen columns fitted with JBLs 8" and 10" AND bullet tweeters. They must have weighed 150 LBS. apiece! But they did sound glorious!
The VM columns are a strength and a weak-point, too. They are very effective projectors, typical of a line array. ALWAYS use them VERTICALLY, and NEVER HORIZONTALLY! They really are an ancient predecessor of the Bose System--the Bose just uses massive amounts of power, digital EQ, and compression to do its job. Like the Bose, the VM columns will project to the back of the room.
The VM head actually had a very nice spring reverb unit with its own helpful tone controls. Not a lot of power, especially compared to today's heads. Not a lot of tone control--no built-in graphic for tone shaping--only the notch filters for anti-feedback. Try not to use them if you can--they will erode your sound. You'll want to do your very best to maximize your mic technique. Again: speaker placement, relative to the room AND relative to your microphones, is CRITICAL.
Looking back over the twenty years that I used my VM, I can honestly say it served me well. It did have its limitations. Shure had a good thing going, but they were slow to adapt. And then some young newcomer to the music biz from Meridian, Mississippi, kinda set the world on its ear by designing some affordable, reliable and great sounding PA gear. He started providing features that well, frankly--you didn't know you needed until you saw it--and then the light bulb would go off, and you'd go--"Aaa-HAH! KEWL!!!!" Hartley Peavey made a lot of money not only by providing the gear--but his company took a very active role in educating musicians on HOW TO USE IT!!!! The knowledge that I gained from reading the Peavey "Monitor" Magazine over the years has been invaluable. Blame Peavey and his XR600 for the demise of the Vocal Master. (Hey, I have a XR600C from about 1992 and its been a great piece of gear!)
Like any other pro audio gear, the guy that knows what he's doing can get decent--even GREAT sound out of the these older systems. And an idiot can still make $40,000 worth of Crown, Midas and JBL sound like caa-caa.
But time and technology does march on. While you could find a Vocal Master to be a very servicable system, it's highly likely you'll find its obsolesence very limiting. I'll always have a fond place in my heart for my old Vocal Master, but I don't think I want to go back to using one, either.
Bill
