Mic-Pre < $200

[LP2006]

I'm looking for the best possible mic pre for under $200. Rackmountability is a big plus. I've lookied at the art tps, and I know the M-audio dmp3 is highly recomended, but is it rackmountable?

[Kevin Deschwazi]

No the DMP-3 isn't rack mountable, but it's performance more than makes up for it considering the price.

[The Axis]

I think the Behringer MIC2200 sells for less than $200.

Give it a listen. I am sure you can find it in a local music store.

A very good deal would be a Mackie or Behringer mixer. Use the direct outs and get multiple preamps for much less than $200/channel.
Not rack-mountable though.

[noisedude]

JoeMeek ThreeQ, or as a distinct second choice the M-Audio Tampa, which has the advantage of being a full rack-size so easier to mount. The Behringer MIC2200 would come slightly behind the Tampa IMHO.

[Fishybob]

Tampa way ahead of behringer... easy!

I'd say Tampa or Focusrite Trackmaster if you want full rack (the compression and eq parts atr also great!) or DMP3.

[noisedude]

Fair enough! I don't rate the Trakmaster quite so highly either though ... they don't show good value over a Soundcraft M series mixer IMO.

[Fishybob]

And that's the joy of asking for peoples opinions... each to their own

Peace Noisedude

[mjau]

Studio Projects VTB-1 can be had for dirt cheap these days. Spend an extra $10 on a better tube, and you've got a pretty cool pre on your hands.

[reshp1]

Just outta curiosity, is this preamp a "I don't have anything else and can't record without it" preamp, or a "I get by with what I have but would like something better?" preamp. The reason I ask is if you are looking for an upgrade, I HIGHLY recommend you save your money and get something a little better. If it's first kind, my only advice is not to get anything that says "tube" on it. At this price "tube warmth" is just a marketing gimick.

[noisedude]

Originally Posted by Fishybob

And that's the joy of asking for peoples opinions... each to their own

Peace Noisedude

It's all good mate. So tell me - are you a Forest or a County man?

[tkingen]

Originally Posted by noisedude

JoeMeek ThreeQ, or as a distinct second choice the M-Audio Tampa, which has the advantage of being a full rack-size so easier to mount. The Behringer MIC2200 would come slightly behind the Tampa IMHO.

The Tampa is a double rack space unit.

[wilkee]

Originally Posted by noisedude

It's all good mate. So tell me - are you a Forest or a County man?

Ruddles County everytime, OOPS I think i'm confused.

Tony

[jerfo]

Originally Posted by tkingen

The Tampa is a double rack space unit.

The Tampa also runs for much more than $200 in the US. I've seen it as low as $429, but that's about it.

I can't think of too many options in the < $200 range that are rack-mountable. Most units in that price range use a desktop form factor to keep costs down. The ones that are rack-mountable in this price range are usually less than desirable sonically. You can always buy a small shelf to mount in your rack and then rest a desktop unit on it. I do that currently with my DMP3, VTB-1, and two Symetrix SX302s. Some of these preamps also have rack kits that you can purchase separately; the VTB-1 comes to mind.

I'm personally fond of the VTB-1, which is a steal at $99. It has a low noise floor and can run from clean to buzzy, depending on how much of the "tube" that you blend in. I'm not as keen on the DMP3 as some folks are, but it's certainly a reasonable buy. The Symetrix preamps are sonically similar but a touch less harsh in the high end, in my opinion. You could probably score an SX302 for less than $100 used. I haven't personally used a Joe Meek ThreeQ, but I'd be willing to venture a guess that it's a good preamp for its price point.

The Electro-Harmonix 12AY7 preamp might be the best sounding of the < $200 class of preamps, but it's easily the most tempremental of the lot. It also could not be rack mounted very easily, as all of its controls are on the top of a big stompbox case.

I hope that this helps.

- Jerfo

[noisedude]

Originally Posted by tkingen

The Tampa is a double rack space unit.

I only meant it being 19" wide ... sorry! The Tampa does have some cool features for digital users also.

I should also mention that the Behringer MIC2200 is also very usable as an instrument DI, and that the 1-band para-EQ can ocassionally be really helpful in just adjusting the tone shapre slightly on the way in. Don't use the final 5th-ish of the gain though - it gets noisy fast if you crank it too far. It does plenty of good work as a live DI and a studio utility device for me.

[Fishybob]

Originally Posted by noisedude

It's all good mate. So tell me - are you a Forest or a County man?

Hahaha

I'm originally a Southern ponse ... so it's Arsenal for me (and not just we're doing well now!)

[noisedude]

As a lifelong fan of Malcolmchester United, perhaps I shouldn't be talking to you. I certainly shouldn't be living in Leeds.

[Ptownkid]

I can build you a killler two channel pre for about that. Or I can sell you a kit to build it yourself if you're handy with a soldering iron.

The pre in question was recently a/b against a digi002 and came out on top. It's clean, transparent and has a million uses.

E-mail me and we can discuss more if you're interested.

ptownkid @ rogers dot com

[dgatwood]

Peavey PV8 mixer. Four channels of pre for $109 at Musician's Friend, Sam Ash, and AMS. I bought one for my drum submix. It quickly became obvious that the pres in my CR1604 sounded terrible by comparison, so I use it for almost everything now....

[amra]

Listen to the Tube Pre sample thread that is a couple down from this one. The Tube Pre is $99, and is a good entry level pre for home recording. If you tweak it a little it can sound pretty nice.


amra

[noisedude]

Originally Posted by dgatwood

Peavey PV8 mixer. Four channels of pre for $109 at Musician's Friend, Sam Ash, and AMS. I bought one for my drum submix. It quickly became obvious that the pres in my CR1604 sounded terrible by comparison, so I use it for almost everything now....

Seriously? I had those things down as budget utility mixers for strictly non-essential work only!