Clear budget preamp

[NolensVolens]

I currently have a Joe Meek 3Q and it works well for some songs. However, it is a coloured pre and I want a transparent one too. Is the VTB-1 suitable? What about the DMP3?

[Big Kenny]

How much $ do you have?

[scrubs]

For "budget" home recording, the DMP3 is a clean 2-channel pre that can occasionally be found on e-bay for <$100 used. Nothing extraordinary, but it gets the job done quite well. I have used it mostly for stereo recording of acoustic guitar and on background vocals with pleasant results. The VTB-1 can be clean or colored, as it has a blendable tube sound. On most mics, this effect is very subtle and just adds a little presence which I like to varying degrees on my lead vocals. Another clean, single-channel pre that seems to get good reviews is the Rane MS-1b ($150).

As Kenny has suggested, the best choices are determined by your needs (number of channels, etc.) and your budget. If you can get to a store to try them out with your microphone on your voice, that would be best. If not, I don't think any of the above choices would be a bad option.

[chessrock]

Originally Posted by NolensVolens

I currently have a Joe Meek 3Q and it works well for some songs. However, it is a coloured pre and I want a transparent one too.

Then bypass the compressor and the EQ.

[Stefan Elmblad]

Agree with Chessrock. IMO, the color comes mostly from the comp in Meek units.

[NolensVolens]

I agree that much colour comes from the EQ and compressor. However, I have an old version 3Q and it still seems coloured to me with those turned off - which is not great for everything (I have a really cheap breighner preamp that sounds much less coloured).

thanks for the replies.

[chessrock]

It's just an SSM-2017 mic pre chip (probably the same as in your Behringer), like most of the other units made in it's time. Nothing really fancy, and certainly nothing colored about it. Just a straight-forward gain stage. The VC1Qs made around that time I believe had a discrete front end with a transformer at the input. Those models I would imagine might have a hint of color to them, but for the most part, there wasn't a lot of fancy stuff going on at the gain stage with the earlier meeks.

[Dot]

I'm fairly sure the M-Audio DMP3 and the Rane MS 1b both use the Burr-Brown INA163 IC. Both are clean, but not transparent. If you just need a single channel mic pre [ no DI ] the Rane is a great choice. Two channels with DI, go for the DMP3. Either one will complement the 3Q well.

[Flatpicker]

Originally Posted by Dot

I'm fairly sure the M-Audio DMP3 and the Rane MS 1b both use the Burr-Brown INA163 IC...

I'd sure love to see the inside of these - If they use surface-mount input coupling caps, they'll sound muddy just because of that. Not saying they do, just wondering out loud...

The surface-mount input coupling caps usually used in products like this have higher ESR and are not good for low level mic signals. Just MHO +/- a few dB.

[tdukex]

Originally Posted by Flatpicker

I'd sure love to see the inside of these - If they use surface-mount input coupling caps, they'll sound muddy just because of that. Not saying they do, just wondering out loud...

The surface-mount input coupling caps usually used in products like this have higher ESR and are not good for low level mic signals. Just MHO +/- a few dB.

The DMP3 certainly doesn't sound muddy to me--maybe compared to an Earthworks. I think Dot nailed it--clean, but not transparent.

[chessrock]

Originally Posted by Flatpicker

I'd sure love to see the inside of these -

Here ya go:

http://www.rane.com/pdf/ms1bsch.pdf

[Flatpicker]

Originally Posted by chessrock

Here ya go...

Thanks, chess... I have this pdf, but forgot about the component layout being in it. (Doh!)

Yep, looks like surface-mount... Oh well.