Looking for a "colored" preamp, hard to explain in a title, expained in post

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talontsiawd

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Looking for a "colored" preamp, hard to explain in a title, expained in post

Ok, so i'm thinking that a preamp might help me with something i'm trying to achieve. Specifically something that is very colored and probably a bit lofi.

Just to give a little explaination on what i'm trying to achieve and why. I make sampled based hiphop beats. I use mostly vinyl records from the 60's and especially the 70's. However, many times i like to add little touches here and their. Outside of a few instruments i own, it almost always comes down to using a digital instrument. Since i use Reason, it's easy to just go in and find a sound patch in reason to add a bit to the track.

Now, what is problematic is the fact that old records and new digital sounds don't really mesh well. I have used various techniques in the past with various results. I have ran my computers outs to a guitar amp. This works pretty well but it's tedious and i have to do it in mono. I have ran my computer outs through an older akai sampler which keeps the quality pretty nice but it's a bit too "clean." I sometimes just filter the digital stuff in reason which is hit and miss. Lastly i have ran the digital stuff through a tape recorder with light clipping. That as worked the best but it's fairly time consuming.

I'm thinking a preamp that is fairly colored, or even a compressor might be the way. I'm aware that what i'm trying to do isn't 100% achievable but i have had some sucess with what i've posted above. Why a preamp or compressor is appealing is it would be fairly quick and easy. I image that a cheaper, lowend preamp would also be more likely to give me the results i'm looking for. The sound "quality" i'm looking for would be somewhat grainy, a bit muddy. I don't want something that is flat though.

If you have any suggestions, or even any other ideas, let me know. I understand it's a fairly odd question so feel free to give some odd responses as well:D
 
talontsiawd said:
Ok, so i'm thinking that a preamp might help me with something i'm trying to achieve. Specifically something that is very colored and probably a bit lofi...

I'm thinking a preamp that is fairly colored...

The sound "quality" i'm looking for would be somewhat grainy, a bit muddy...
Click to expand...

I'm not exactly sure where in the signal chain you want to put this preamp. What instrument/mic/signal are you wanting to color?


Lumpy

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Yes. Take out wrenched ankle.

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I'm trying to "color" the digital sounds from Reason (like a digital piano or digital string patches). So basically how i would set it up....computer outs>preamp>computer ins. It would be more complicated than that because i would run it though my mixer for monitering purposes but that's basically the "fundamentals" of how i would do it. So basically, my goal is to have something where i just run something out of my computer through a preamp and right back in.

Basically, clean digital sound out of my computer, into something that will color the sound back in. I'm not sure if a preamp is my best solution, i'm just thinking it might work, and would be very convient as well. Plus i could run it though my compressor and effect units at the same time if need be.
 
You probably want a different compressor. What compressor do you have now? You can get extremely dirty sounds out of an 1176, but those don't come cheap! Maybe some Pro VLA users will chime in with their best dirty sounds, that would be my best guess.
 
talontsiawd said:
I'm trying to "color" the digital sounds from Reason (like a digital piano or digital string patches). So basically how i would set it up....computer outs>preamp>computer ins. It would be more complicated than that because i would run it though my mixer for monitering purposes but that's basically the "fundamentals" of how i would do it. So basically, my goal is to have something where i just run something out of my computer through a preamp and right back in.

Basically, clean digital sound out of my computer, into something that will color the sound back in. I'm not sure if a preamp is my best solution, i'm just thinking it might work, and would be very convient as well. Plus i could run it though my compressor and effect units at the same time if need be.
Click to expand...

I have a Bellari MP5 that is fairly easy to turn into a lofi box. Also if you really crunch a compressor you can get a distorted lofi sound.
 
other options might be tape simulation plug ins (if you use pro tools, you can get the version massey one free if you don't need higher sampling rates iirc), using eq filters that simulate radio or telephone effects and eq'ing back in frequencies that you like (and cutting the ones you don't like), overdrive/distortion or amp simulation plugins, or for hardware-- i always found that dirtying up keyboard parts was a good use for the guitar pod and sansamp, though you can only use mono inputs...
 
When you said you were looking for....

"The sound "quality" i'm looking for would be somewhat grainy, a bit muddy. I don't want something that is flat though."

The first I thought that probably fits this bill perfectly is the cheap little ART Tube MP preamp. Second choice there would be a Presonus Blue Tube preamp. Both of those are very colored, definately grainy, and certainly muddy. You could probably get a pair of the older style ART Tube MP's brand new for just over $100.
 
if you want dirty muddy sounds..the alesis 3036 compressor rings a bell im preety sure. never used one but ive heard it isnt the cleanest or warmest of sounds.
 
I think what you're really looking for is something like Steinberg's Grungelizer Plugin. I don't think a noisy crappy preamp is going to get what you want. It will still sound modern, just crappy. All IMO.
 
Thanks for all the ideas guys. I defineatly will have to research. I bet i can find a art tube preamp for next to nothing if i look, i might start with that. I'm defineatly looking for "budget" solutions unless something will be very valuable outside of this (which for what i'm going for, i'm thinking that it's not going to be the case lol)


EDIT- Is there anything out there for around $100 that i could make that is basically a complete kit? I'm handy with a soldering iron but i'm no electition so i defineatly need directions and parts.
 
I don't think you're looking for a preamp..or even a hardware unit. There's plenty of software out there to help you achieve what you're looking for.

For a price the PSP Vintage Warmer is a nice plugin compressor that I've used before, I can definitely do grity

For free, Izotope's Vinyl(http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/vinyl/) is simply a vinyl simulator, but it may help you get what you're looking for.
 
Blockfish is GREAT!
I use an older Presonus Blue Tube - you can dial in the "tubeness" to add colouration - the one I have has 2 sep in/outs. It's not bad & certainly adds some old style "warmth/colour/graininess" to whatever is pushed through it.
I also have izotope vinyl but gave up on it after only a couple of uses - it's good, has lots of variation in the presets but I wasn't comfy with it - I couldn't bed it into a mix well enough.That said you may find it perfect.
Block fish is, as I said, great - free, easy to use in the computer & the results are excellent.
 
I'll look into those. I really really don't like plug ins outside of eq's and digital delay as well as the program i use doesn't allow for vst's or any 3rd party plug ins. So being able to record a loop and just load it back in is easier, that's why i'm more interested in finding a hardware piece, assumeing it will work. And, as i stated above, hardware has had the best results in the past, it just hasn't been all the convient.
 
what's wrong with pre-amps of all other races? What are you a racist?

=D

PSP Vintage warmer is my personal fave. Kind of a swis army knife of plugs. It can be used as a simple volume control (with relative transparency) Simple, EQ controls, compressor/limiter. It sounds great on most sounds and even has a nice interface for dummies like me who just want a few knobs to throw around instead of a million measurements and meters and shit...blockfish is great for REAAAAALLY dirty sounds (but isn't updated much...currently, I don't think it passes Logic AU validation... I'll have to check into that)
 
you might even consider passing it throgh an old dolby or dBX noise reduction system... that should take a bit of the shine off just about anything...
 
MOFO Pro said:
you might even consider passing it throgh an old dolby or dBX noise reduction system... that should take a bit of the shine off just about anything...
Click to expand...

Excellent suggestion, though it's kind of absurd to have to take a hardware approach to this problem.

Talon - You can't host any plugins???? Man, time to change programs!
 
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