The ULTIMATE Entry-Level Mic Pre Poll... :op

What is the BEST Entry-Level Mic Pre????

  • Art Tube MP

    Votes: 82 15.3%
  • Art Tube PAC

    Votes: 13 2.4%
  • Presonus Blue Tube

    Votes: 52 9.7%
  • Bellari MP105

    Votes: 2 0.4%
  • Bellari MP110

    Votes: 3 0.6%
  • Bellari RP503

    Votes: 5 0.9%
  • dbx Mini-Pre Tube

    Votes: 12 2.2%
  • M-Audio AudioBuddy

    Votes: 56 10.4%
  • M-Audio DMP3

    Votes: 187 34.9%
  • Behringer VX2000

    Votes: 27 5.0%
  • Rolls CL151 Mic Pre/Comp.

    Votes: 5 0.9%
  • Joe Meek MQ3

    Votes: 92 17.2%

  • Total voters
    536
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WATYF

...happier than you.
Alright... here's the deal.

I got 200 bucks (or less) to spend on a mic pre. Right now I use the crappy pre's in my dinky little 4-track Behringer mixer. So... I want something better... That's where all you fine people come in... :cool:

and I don't want to hear any of this "It all subject to taste" crap!! :mad: No.... it's not all subject to taste... :p There is such a thing as a better mic pre,.. and I wanna know which one it is!! (d@mn it!!)... I demand results!!! :p not one of those flimsy, no-outcome polls that doesn't really accomplish anything... so vote... vote! vote! vote! :eek:

If you just wanna sit aroond and argue aboot how it is subject to taste... then... start your own d@mn thread!!! :p cause this one's only for people who actually know how to form an opinion! :D ;)

Alright... to avoid any questions.. here's the application. I need it for my Oktava MK-319 and MK-012. My first and foremost concern is male vocals... but I will also use it for acoustic guitar. I don't want any coloration or funky crap added to the signal. I want a clean, true mic pre... and I don't care that some of the pre's in the list have one channel and some have two... or that some have certain features that others don't... I'm only concerned aboot the quality of the pre.

So,.. having fully (and overly :p ) explained myself.. here's the list.

1) Art Tube MP: (This comes in aboot a billion different "flavors". (V3, "Studio", "Professional", Blem, OPL, blah blah blah) If there is a specific "flavor" that's better, than let me know which one.)

2) Art Tube PAC: (This is a pre/compressor. So if the pre is good, I wouldn't mind having a compressor thrown in, unless, of course, the compressor sucks cheese. :p )

3) Presonus Blue Tube

4) Bellari MP105

5) Bellari MP110: (Are these better pre's than the 105??)

6) Bellari RP503: (Are these better pre's than the 105 and 110??)

7) dbx Mini-Pre Tube

8) M-Audio AudioBuddy

9) M-Audio DMP3

10) Behringer VX2000: (This is a bunch of stuff all rolled into one, so if the pre's are good, then it's something to consider. But if they're the same pre's that go in the 602A mixer, then it's not worth it.)

11) Rolls CL151 Mic Pre/Compressor Gate

12) JOEMEEK MQ3

If there's any that I didn't mention that deserve a place in the list, please say so. Once again... I'm just concerned aboat the quality of the pre... so don't worry aboot features or number of channels... They all have the necessary features (i.e. phantom power), and everything after that is incidental. I just want the best sound possible for the buck... I will take features into consideration after I have determined who has the best pre.

so have at it... :p

WATYF
 
solid state preamps do not have to be expensive to perform well. opamps are cheap.

the audiobuddy has a great reputation even among mid level gear snobs.

at 79$ you could get 2! that would give you 4 channels.

or you could get one audiobuddy and one 2 channel compressor.

bang for the buck wise the audiobuddy wins easily!
 
WATYF said:
I don't want any coloration or funky crap added to the signal. I want a clean, true mic pre...

You should really be more specific about what you're asking for. :) Hands-down, for what you're looking for the DMP3 is the best quality.

Most of the other ones you mentioned will add coloration and funky crap, as you put it, to the signal. The DMP3 will just take the signal and amplify it . . . a lot . . . and it will do it cleanly, quietly, and effectively.

There are two others I would like to add to your list that are worthy of consideration:

* Symetrix

* Mackie

Good luck.
 
c7sus said:
Keep saving!
Unfortunately, this is not an option... I need something right now... and "better" is better than... uh... not better...

:confused:

anywhoo... I just need to know which of those gives me the best pre for the buck.

WATYF
 
Keep using the Behringer, the pre's you mentioned aren't much of an upgrade. You already own an entry level mic pre. Buy a Studio Projects C-1 with your money and your male vocals will have the improvement that you are looking for. THAT is the best advice you will receive on the subject. (even if it doesn't immediately make sense)

Then when you have the money buy one of these bad boys ;

ART Pro MP $330
HHB Radius 40 $550
PreSonus MP20 $500
Peavey VMP2 $750
UA M160 $ 1200
Vintech 1272 $1300

You're welcome in advance :)
 
The Event EMP 1 ..About $150.00 used..Its far superior to the Art's{Lil Mp's}..Nice and clean, pretty transparent and quiet {60db's of gain}..


Don
 
aaaaaawwwwwwww maaaaaaaaannnnnn :(

why isn't it ever just "Sure WATYF, just use the "Brand X" mic-pre and everything will be just fine..."

how come it's always gotta be so hard??? :mad:

:p

So what you're sayin' is... after all the good things I've heard aboot the DMP3 and the MQ3 and what not, that neither of them are really any better than the cheap crap pre's that came with my 70 dollar 4-track Behringer mixer??? :eek:

*sigh*




I'm convinced that this whole "music" thing is just a money pit...


yup... I just figured that out...







:rolleyes:







:D


WATYF
 
ok then dont take my advice.

listen to the silly opinions.

you are a silly guy so its ok!
 
I have a DMP2 and 2 Joe Meek VC3Q's and both units are really nice for the price.....i rather the Meek......

so id go with the MQ3 first choice, DMP3 second choice, then the Art......i think you have more tonal options with the Meek.......
 
WATYF,

I'm still very newbie to mic technique and evaluation but have read here a great deal and have the following pre's: Joe Meek VCQ-6, DMP3, ART TubePac and the following mic's: 2 Octava Mk 012's, 1 MXL V-67m and one SM-57.

With one limited day of testing and just checking out some spoken word and Acoustic guitar with gain staging etc I can offer the following subjective opinions.

The VCQ-6 (not in your pole but may comare to the MQ-3) does sound "warmer" to me than the DMP-3 but it does add coloration (in a way that I personally like for some things) that may or may not be good to your ears.

The DMP-3 sounded crystal clear to me (but again I warn you these two are the highest quality pre's I have got to use personally so far) and may be preferable for somethings and to some people than the Meek and there are two channels (stereo capabiblity for you MK 012's).

Both blow away the ART TubePac and from what I have read the TubePac beats the Bellari and Rolls.

Bang for the buck 2 Channels of clean pre with phantom power, phase invert switches, XLR and TRS inputs/outputs....I say your winner is the DMP-3 or the Audio Buddy with an RNC for compression.

If you really just need one channel for now and like the Meek sound then I would go with the MQ-3.

I'm glad to have both...more options/flavors to work with.
 
WTF? WATYF?

Don't understand why the Presonus gets skimmed over. Currently using a PreSonus DigiTube for male vocals, and IMO it kicks butt... much better than the ART crap. It has sweepable EQ, PAD/Line, 80Hz rolloff, phantom power, and a S/PDIF out. If it's coloring the sound somehow, I'm not hearing it :( Vocals recorded thru it eventually mix evenly, and even running EQ on the way out the sound spectrum isn't overly tilted towards the low or high end.

ART Tube MP is very bitchy on vocals for some reason; you can't up the output trim very much --approaching 0 dbFS-- or you'll distort just about everything. You pretty much have to keep the out level no higher than -3dbFS. And I've yet to hear any decent detail coming out of that unit using a good condensor mic (specifically AT4047).

Maybe it's because the PreSonus doesn't include a compressor. Perfectly happy with the PreSonus at this point... of course, we're all saving for a Great River. chess probably has a half-dozen of those :D


Chad

(and no, I'm not a plant for Presonus, chess ;););))
 
I'd say the best budget entry (and it's not on your list) right now is the Grace 101........ until the RNMP comes out, it's the current RNC of the mic pre world!
 
jeap said:
ok then dont take my advice.

listen to the silly opinions.

you are a silly guy so its ok!
Uhhhh.... :confused:

my post was in reply to Wide Awake's, not yours...


:p


WATYF
 
O.K... you know what I hate....?


Excessive use of acronyms...!!!




(says the man whose name is an acronym) :p

so what the h#ll is this RNC I'm constantly hearing aboot...???

and when does this RNMP come out?

WATYF
 
I think I speak for all of us "Envoice wackos" by saying that we feel "dissed" for being left off of that list!
 
WAYTF, you have been given a simple straightforward answer. It's buried in a bunch of other stuff, but it's there.

You said, basically, clean as you can get, under $200, right now. Lotta people mentioned their faverite tewb or toob stuff, which is deliberately unclean.

But jeap and chess referred to the Audio Buddy and the DMP-3, both by the same maker. My vote would be the DMP-3, or if you can find one, a used Symetrix 202, which are out of production. Those are the cleanest gain you can get at that price point. Okee-dokey?
-kent
 
you think theres only one silly guy?

you silly guy!

i dont understand why the one m audio product is getting support but the other isnt.

the dmp3 and the audiobuddy are both by m audio.

you can get the audiobuddy with 2 channels for 69$ sometimes.

its perfectly good! it was designed as a computer interface but the ins and outs are the same as the other preamps and its the same kind of thing. mic preamp.



Audio Buddy™
Dual Mic Preamp with Phantom Power and Direct Box

Affordability and Performance
One of the first issues you confront when considering computer recording is the question of how to record microphone and instrument levels into your audio card. Many signals levels in your studio are too low to record, and need the help of a preamp to raise them to a level suitable for recording. The Audio Buddy is an ultra-quiet 2-channel preamp that offers the features and performance you need to track great sounding music.

Improve the quality of the audio you record
Inexpensive mic preamps are often included within products like mixers and soundcards. While convenient, they tend to be noisy and color your sound in an unpleasant way. What many people don't consider is the fact that the mic preamp is one of the most important links in your signal chain. If you cut corners there, your music will reflect it right away.

Basic connectivity tools for home recording
We created the Audio Buddy especially for computer recording. Whether you're recording vocals, guitar, or bass, the Audio Buddy will give you connectivity you need. The preamp provides phantom power for microphones that require additional power to operate. Direct Box functionality allows high impedance signals from sources such as guitars or basses recorded with optimal results.

Features:
- Two preamp channels with individually adjustable gain
- Each channel offers one balanced XLR (Low Impedance) or one 1/4" instrument level (High impedance) input
- Phantom power both microphone XLR inputs
- Independent 1/4" outputs - unbalanced or balanced TRS
- Super small - only 5.5" x 3.3" x 1.7"
- Super quiet - the best dollar-to-noise ratio

Specifications:
- Frequency Response: 5hz to 50khz, +0, -3dB
- Mic Gain: 60dB Max.
- Mic Input Impedance: 1K Ohm
- Instrument Gain: 40dB Max.
- Instrument Input Impedance: 100K Ohms
- Weight: Under 1/2 lb.
- Power Supply: 9V AC, 300mA


http://www.midiman.net/products/m-audio/audibudy.php



this will be much better than the behringers in your little board and is a much better deal than the others in the competition.
 
OK, I've been following this thread for a while now and decided to keep out of it - until now.
WATYF, you're looking for a mic pre, and have $200 to spend.
You've listed a dozen or so that are in your price range, and you want to know which one is the "best".
I'll tell you what: IT DOESN"T MATTER!
$200 dollars is gonna buy you a $200 dollar mic pre. At that price range, the sonic characteristics, and audio quality of most mic pres are going to be very similar.
It's like saying: "I need some butter for my toast. I can choose between parkay, blue bonnet or country crock. One of those has to be the best, which one is it!?"
I vote for saving more money until you can afford something that will be a significant upgrade from what you have now. (Buy cheap, buy twice) If that simply is not an option, and that $200 dollars is just burning a hole in your pocket, I find it difficult to recommend any of these, as I don't own and have never used any of the models you have listed.
But If I HAD to choose one, I'd agree with Blue Bear, and say look into the Grace 101.
Disclaimer: I make this recommendation soley on the basis of what I have heard others say of it, and have absolutely no first hand experience with it what-so-ever. Must be 18 to play. Void where prohibited.
 
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