Preamp recomendations

[laststartoshine]

Hi my name is josh, i haven't posted here on much, mostly just scouted the boards for answers and advice. i figure it's finally time to start asking some questions.


First let me say, myself and a friend are starting a recording studio, and money really isn't an issue...

We want to purchase some good, solid, quality preamps.

We've had expirience with some UA stuff, Neve stuff....really like the Universal Audio suff.

what do you guys recomend?

[kojdogg]

what's your budget and how many channels do you need? do you have the other gear you will need too, or is that factored into your budget?
i've never had the pleasure of using a real neve, but i love my chameleon labs 7602 which is a bastardized, chinese-manufactured clone (with some genetic drift) of the 1073 at a budget price.
i also have a ua m610 in my lil home studio, but there are many haters of that pre. many would recommend pres by tab-funkenwerk, mercury, a-designs (the pacifica), chandler germanium or tg-series, before the m610 or 610's, but i love mine-- especially for vox.

[laststartoshine]

We were thinking about getting one of 4, or 8 chanel UA strips (the 4110, or 8110.) and then buying a couple of more colored preamps.

enough to record drums with.

we want super warm sounding vocals.

[mrbowes]

Type of music? Mics?

Generally speaking, I'd get an API 3124 for four channels of utility pres for $2k, then spend $2-$3k on a Great River 2NV, A-Designs Pacifica, or the Aurora Audio GTQ. The Sebatron VMP-4000e is a four channel tube pre with some EQ options. It sells for $17-1800 new.

[laststartoshine]

a Mojave 200

a nuemann 87

a few other random mics.

we'll be recording a lot of pop rock/emo type stuff.

[kojdogg]

i'd second the api suggestion. my buddy uses them all the time. he recorded some drums for me on all api pres and they sound huge. pretty standard choice for drums as well, though i'm sure the ua's would work well too.
maybe instead of the 3124, you could just start a api compatible lunchbox or rack (api, osa, and brent averill make them) and get a couple of api's, a couple of a-designs p1's (api-compatible single channels of the pacifica), a couple of purple biz'es, and or some of the osa offerings. sounds like you have some resources to work with.