mic pre for rap and r&b

[mad flows]

yo can somebody please help on what mic pre to get. I'm recording rap and r&b and need a real good sound. I heard somewhere that avalons are good for rap, is this true. please help.

[Farview]

Avalons are good, so are Amek, great river, langevin and manley. The style of music that you record isn't the deciding factor for what mic pre (or console, mic, etc.) you need. The sound of the source is going to dictate what equipment will be the best.

To answer most of your questions (the ones I have noticed anyway) You should get 2 channels of good quality, clean (don't worry about excessive warmth or color) preamp and a good condenser mic.

Get a decent sound card and sonar or something. Do everything inside the computer. If you really want to mix it on a console, rent some studio time when you have it mostly done in the computer. The type of board you will get for $3000 isn't going to do what you need it to. But you will get 2 really, really nice mic pres for about half of that.

[Pro Tools User]

Avalon 737sp,,,is the ticket for rap vocals...Although I have been putting together some nice stuff with the Vintech 1272. Clients seem to really like the vintech with a ntk mic. Hope this helps.

[Warhead]

I have a hip hop / R&B project in right now and they are amazed by the Safe Sound Audio P1. It's a killer vocal box and very forgiving due to clean compression and limiting...but I'm biased.

I have a friend with the Avalon and he digs that too.

War

[Bowisc]

Focusrite or Avalon is what working pro's use "most". Must be for a reason.

[RD423]

I would go with the focusrite that is what we use in the studio

[Teacher]

If you doing more so R&B vocals rather then Hip Hop vocals the A-Designs MP2 is hard to beat, It handles overs like no other. Which can be problematic with emotional and dynamic singers

[Big Kenny]

The safe sound has a limiter that handles every little thing once you set the output. Compression is very nice to, stays clean until pushed, then gets attitude

[Teacher]

Off topic BUT

has anyone tried linking 2 safesounds and using it on the stereo bus or drum bus? are they linkable?

also do they plan on coming out with a just limiter compressor version sans pre amp?

[Altruist]

My Great River does the trick nicely. As far as I know Avalons have been doing it for years in the rap biz...

[Warhead]

Originally Posted by Teacher

Off topic BUT

has anyone tried linking 2 safesounds and using it on the stereo bus or drum bus? are they linkable?

also do they plan on coming out with a just limiter compressor version sans pre amp?

Teacher, they are not linkable. Yes I've used them on a stereo drum bus and stereo guitars and was very pleased...you can go very deep with the P1's compression if needed, or light. Either way, it's pretty much transparent but quite musical. The compression is a very unique flavor.

Bill Drescher used it on his Alien Cowboys project and dug the hell out of it.

http://www.mojopie.com/p1.html

I can't talk about any plans on the table for Safe Sound, but take it your liking would be the comp / lim only?

War

[Teacher]

Originally Posted by Warhead

I can't talk about any plans on the table for Safe Sound, but take it your liking would be the comp / lim only?

War

yup, if they throw in an eq even better

[Warhead]

We're open to all suggestions, thanks Teacher.

War