MOTU 828mkII Built-In Pres vs. Midiman Audio Buddy

G

ghetto3jon

New member
i'm underwhelmed by the pres in my motu...they sound really thin on the acoustic guitar tests i did last weekend. i've heard good things about the audio budddy, and i'm wondering if i could improve on the motu pres by getting a cheap-as-hell audio buddy (there was a used one at GC yesterday for $27! one of the older dark/yellow ones)

thanks!
 
ghetto3jon said:
i'm underwhelmed by the pres in my motu...they sound really thin on the acoustic guitar tests i did last weekend. i've heard good things about the audio budddy, and i'm wondering if i could improve on the motu pres by getting a cheap-as-hell audio buddy (there was a used one at GC yesterday for $27! one of the older dark/yellow ones)

thanks!
Click to expand...

How would using a different pre improve the Motu Pre's? Are you talking about running one into the other? I'm not sure the audio buddy would be better than the MOTU. What mic are you using with the acoustic guitar? I have an 828mkII and have found the onboard pre's to be decent. With any of these multi-function interfaces, you can only expect so much from their mic pre's.
 
no, i'm not planning on running one into another. i just did some tests with a at4047 on an acoustic guitar and male voice, and thought the MOTU pres didn't sound good.

and then at GC yesterday, i noticed an audiobuddy for $27, so i thought..."i've heard good things about that little guy, i wonder if it sounds better than the MOTU pres?" i figure they are both simple, bare bones, solid states pres...maybe for $27 i could get a better simple, clean, transperent pre (since that's what i'm using my MOTU pres for right now...a simple, clean pre).
 
If you REALLY think a $30 pre-amp will be better than your $700 firewire interface, you deserve to spend your $30 and find out YOURSELF!!!
 
well i know the audiobuddy usually sells for $80, and i've heard that the audiobuddy and the dmp3 (like the rnc) sound better than it's price tag suggests.
 
I've heard good things as well about the DMP3, and know someone who got a free Audiobuddy with another purchase. From what I understand, the Audiobuddy is okay for what it is, but is a step below the DMP3, but I've not actually heard the DMP3, so don't quote me on that. I really doubt the AudioBuddy is any better than the MOTU pre.

My suggestion would be to borrow some other mics and try those out, before you buy anything. It may be the Mic/Pre combination that you don't like.
 
TimOBrien said:
If you REALLY think a $30 pre-amp will be better than your $700 firewire interface, you deserve to spend your $30 and find out YOURSELF!!!
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this. How is one of the cheapest home studio preamps on the market going to be better than what you already have? Just the concept of "upgrading" to an Audio Buddy is kind of hilarious.

My brother had an Audio Buddy for a while, I heard it and I think you should avoid it.

If you want a better preamp, they are out there. But you will have to spend more than $27, or $80, or $129 to do a true upgrade. Think more along the lines of an Aphex 207, Presonus MP20, or ART MPA Gold.
 
Rane MS-1b will provide a serious sonic upgrade and will set you back < $150.

It's single channel and does not have an instrument input, but for mic applications, it's a clear winner.
 
The best thing about the Audio buddy is that it makes any future upgrade sound truely amazing...

But... for thirty bucks... if you're curious... pull the trigger...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top