Budget Preamp ideas

J

jpb123

New member
Hello Everyone. I have an M-audio Fast Track Ultra and was wondering if anybody could point me in the direction of a decent budget mic pre to use with it. I find the mic pre's in the FTU to be clean enough but I wouldn't mind trying a preamp that was a little smoother through the highs for vocals.

If anyone could give me any thoughts on what's good at the cheapish price range I would be very happy !!

Would trying a new preamp give me a different sound or should I look into getting a new interface ? Have in-built mic pre's and converters really improved that much since I got my fast track in 2009 or is it all industry hype ??

Regards

John
 
Hi,
If you're looking for a noticeable difference in the high end of your recordings, you might find trying different microphones will give a greater result.
What mic are you using at present?

Like everything else, you get what you pay for. A $100 interface isn't going to be as hight quality as an RME or apogee, for example.
Still though, budget preamps can give decent results. The mic is probably where you'll see the biggest difference.
 
I've got a few mics Se Electronics Z3300a , GAP R1 Active Mk3 and an Audio Technica AT2020.
I find my vocal recordings and all recordings I do with the mics to be a little brittle and lacking in detail but heavy on the highs !!!
 
I don't know those mics so I can't really comment on their characteristics, but what's your environment like?
Are you in a bright room.

I mean, your built in preamps might ​suck but it's always more likely to be the source, mic, or room.
 
My Room's a standard bedroom size room ,I record 6 feet from a wall with a se electronics mc shield using a 6' starquad xlr cable.
 
JusAfort?

How do you know it is the pres that are poor at HF? Ragged HF is a very common problem with less than stellar tweeters and their drive amps.
Maybe some top guy here (Bobbsy?) could send you some really clean .wav clips with which to check? Also, do check that you are not monitoring at unnaturally loud levels, be it monitors or cans.

Dave.
 
Line Audio does a handmade, 2-channel mic preamp (Line Audio Design - Made in Sweden) with pretty decent spec for the price (under 230 GBP) - really clean and transparent. They also do 8-channel version as well. Preamp in Focusrite and Steinberg units are pretty decent

Otherwise in long term - I guess you might want to save up for something more high spec unit with decent preamp. I saved enough to buy Prism Lyra 2 and oh boy I couldn't believe the sound quality!

I haven't used those microphones mentioned so can't comment, but I would have thought Z3300A would sound decent (I own SE4400A matched pair and quite versatile).
 
I'd be looking at acoustic treatment for your room and upgrading your monitors (you didn't tell us what they are) before wasting money on cheap preamps.
 
jpb123 said:
I'm beginning to think it may be the monitors !!
My monitors are Citronic ST5's , they are really well built look really nice and are very heavy !!

Citronic ST-5 Active Studio Monitor Speakers - 100W RMS: Amazon.co.uk: Musical Instruments

Can I attach a clip of me speaking or singing so that someone with better ears could tell me if the sound is in the ball park as far as being ok is concerned ??

John
Click to expand...

Well, sub 200quid is not likely to buy you the smoothest speaker around so you could be on to something there! You could try the bog paper trick a la NS 10s?

Yes you can attach a clip but it has to be MP3. Not really a problem if you encode it at the highest rate. If you want to send a .wav you will need to use Dropbox or similar.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Well, sub 200quid is not likely to buy you the smoothest speaker around so you could be on to something there! You could try the bog paper trick a la NS 10s?

Yes you can attach a clip but it has to be MP3. Not really a problem if you encode it at the highest rate. If you want to send a .wav you will need to use Dropbox or similar.

Dave.
Click to expand...

Here goes............... Didn't know what to say in a clip !!!
This was recorded straight into the fast track and totally unprocessed
 

Attachments

  • 1 2 test 1 2 - 05 - Audio - Audio 01.mp3
    250 KB · Views: 7
Seems perfectly fine to me. No reason you can't get that vocal track to sit in a mix.

There is so much to be considered to improve your mixes before you think about the mic pre.

The recording location, the performer, the mic, the listening/mixing location, room acoustics, monitors... then maybe the mic pre.

BUT, if you want a nice cheap mic pre that might add a different feel, look at the VTB-1. I haven't used it myself, but have heard it in A/B tests against an Avalon. It didn't quite match the Avalon, but it wasn't too far from it, either. And about a 1/10 the price.
 
I worry when I see the words "budget" and "pre amp" in the same sentence.

The difference that a pre amp makes to your sound is relatively subtle compared to changing mics or improving the acoustics of your recording space. In my experience you have to spend a fair bit of money to get a really good pre amp...money that is largely wasted unless you already have a mic and acoustics you're very happy with.
 
Thanks everyone. I guess if it sounds fine to everyone else it must be the monitors and , special thanks to bobbsy as I agree , I'm not really someone who believes in the hyper expensive pre-amp myth , that's why I was loathe to ask the question about budget pre-amp's !!
I will explore different mic options , any pointers in the right direction would be most appreciated :thumbs up:
 
jpb123 said:
Thanks everyone. I guess if it sounds fine to everyone else it must be the monitors and , special thanks to bobbsy as I agree , I'm not really someone who believes in the hyper expensive pre-amp myth , that's why I was loathe to ask the question about budget pre-amp's !!
I will explore different mic options , any pointers in the right direction would be most appreciated :thumbs up:
Click to expand...

Assess all the things that have been mentioned here because no one can really know what you're hearing.
We all know from experience that an issue is more likely to be the source, the room, the monitors and the mic, but finding out which could be fun. :)

Try monitoring on a few different systems or on headphones. That might rule one thing out.
You could also try recording in a different room, or in different positions within the room.

The fact you have three mics makes the mic less likely to be the issue, I guess. I think it's one of the above. :)
 
Steenamaroo said:
Assess all the things that have been mentioned here because no one can really know what you're hearing.
We all know from experience that an issue is more likely to be the source, the room, the monitors and the mic, but finding out which could be fun. :)

Try monitoring on a few different systems or on headphones. That might rule one thing out.
You could also try recording in a different room, or in different positions within the room.

The fact you have three mics makes the mic less likely to be the issue, I guess. I think it's one of the above. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks I will try all the above tips with interest.
I may streamline my setup then I can use it in any room I wish , looking into it I am not sure if it's the room , wrong mic , mic placement monitors or monitor positioning that's my problem but I WILL have fun trying these things out !!!!
 
mjbphotos said:
I'd be looking at acoustic treatment for your room and upgrading your monitors (you didn't tell us what they are) before wasting money on cheap preamps.
Click to expand...

/\/\/\/\What he said.

Also, while tracking, looking and sounding good will subconsciously improve performances. I'll also suggest a lava lamp and some cool soothing colours to help get performers in the mood.
 
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