Cheap pre-amp

[Sweep]

I'm looking for a Pre-amp to connect between my SM58 mic and my MacBook. I'm not looking for amazing quality, just recording without the awful noise, and ultimately I'd value character of sound over clarity.

Ideally - and I know this means I'd be getting a poor quality one - I'm looking at spending less than £80 on the pre amp, if possible £50 would be amazing. I live near Tottenham Court Road which is jammed full of electronics equipment shops, but I've yet to ask them about it for fear of being fed a load of rubbish.

What would people recommend?

[kojdogg]

I don't know how much it would cost over there, but I'd recommend the Centrance MicPort Pro-- an integrated clean mic pre, headphone amp and usb interface.
Just about any type of character you'll get at that price will be the undesirable kind.

[Ripthorn]

If you are in to DIY, I'd recommenc building an ina217-based pre. Cheap (parts would be maybe 15 or 20 USD) but requires some skill. Lots of great tutorials out there.

[Sweep]

Originally Posted by Ripthorn

If you are in to DIY, I'd recommenc building an ina217-based pre. Cheap (parts would be maybe 15 or 20 USD) but requires some skill. Lots of great tutorials out there.

This sounds like a really cool option - cheap, and if I involve myself in building the equipment it would really get me involved and passionate about the whole recording project!

Questions:
- In terms of quality, what would it be comparable to?
- I have never done proper DIY before, but would be more than willing to learn. Is this a plausible project for someone without such experience?
- Are there any particular tutorials you would recommend?

I'm started to get a bit excited the idea of building a pre amp! Hope it's plausible

[darrin_h2000]

Line6 toneport series UX8 is the best out there and very reasonably priced and it allows you to have the sound you would have to spend thousands to get...look into that piece.

[mshilarious]

Originally Posted by Sweep

This sounds like a really cool option - cheap, and if I involve myself in building the equipment it would really get me involved and passionate about the whole recording project!

Questions:
- In terms of quality, what would it be comparable to?
- I have never done proper DIY before, but would be more than willing to learn. Is this a plausible project for someone without such experience?
- Are there any particular tutorials you would recommend?

I'm started to get a bit excited the idea of building a pre amp! Hope it's plausible

It's not going to be a $20 project without some compromises. First, you probably want a case, that alone is $10-15 for a decent small project box. You need input and output connectors. You need a power supply--that can be anything from a 9V battery to a wall wart to a proper +/- supply with an additional 48V rail for phantom. No, you don't need phantom for an SM58, but the day will come when you want to use a condenser mic, then you will want it. You have to address gain control--INA chips need hard-to-find and expensive reverse log pots OR rotary switches. If you can live with two or three gain settings, you can simplify things quite a bit.

You need tools--a multimeter, a soldering iron, some strippers, clippers, etc. If you don't have that stuff, that's at least another $50. A drill or drill press plus bits to do the metalwork, that isn't cheap.

I would put the cost of a first-time single-channel INA pre build at $50-$70, provided that you don't mess things up too many times. Probably about 100 hours for the first-time DIYer, including time spend learning about design, sourcing parts, and building. I don't know of an inexpensive ready-made kit PCB (Fivefish does a nice kit, but it's $100 and you still need a power supply), so you'll have to use perfboard, which will be a learning curve.

I don't want to dissuade anyone from DIY because I love DIY But if you want to record tomorrow, I'd buy an MXL MicMate, and then start researching DIY designs. Remember that even the best INA preamp, no matter how clean (and it should be very clean) will still be limited by the quality of your MacBook's A/D conversion.

Ultimately, you will want to look at interfaces with good preamps and good A/D. But for now, the MicMate will work a whole lot better than nothing.

[dickiefunk]

Do you have an audio interface to plug the preamp into?

[Sweep]

Originally Posted by dickiefunk

Do you have an audio interface to plug the preamp into?

Not external to the MacBook, no, and the soundcard in the Macbook is as came standard. (I'm operating very low budget here)

[dickiefunk]

http://www.dv247.com/invt/64540/

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tascam-US-122-...3%3A2|294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lexicon-Alpha-...3%3A2|294%3A50

[darrin_h2000]

Originally Posted by Sweep

Not external to the MacBook, no, and the soundcard in the Macbook is as came standard. (I'm operating very low budget here)

Good thing the line6 is an interface too...with the 1 channel UX1 at $99...the 2 channel UX2 at $199...and the UX8 8 channel being blown out at $500 it is alot less than the 8 API or Neve lunchbox pre's and the interface that would be required to give you the same sound.

[Sweep]

Originally Posted by dickiefunk

http://www.dv247.com/invt/64540/

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tascam-US-122-...3%3A2|294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lexicon-Alpha-...3%3A2|294%3A50

Within a minute of searching I found a brand new Lexicon Alpha Studio package for less than the buy it now price on eBay, including delivery! Bizarre.

All these links are fantastic, but I really have no idea how to sort further through them - it seems to difficult to find specific reviews of different pieces of equipment. Very confusing for a beginner in recording.

The way I see it, in terms of affordability, potentials are:
MXL Mic Mate
Tascam US122
Lexicon Alpha

Where should I go from here?

The DIY sounds fun, but at those startup costs, and the learning curve, I fear that it's just too much.

[Sweep]

Originally Posted by darrin_h2000

Good thing the line6 is an interface too...with the 1 channel UX1 at $99...the 2 channel UX2 at $199...and the UX8 8 channel being blown out at $500 it is alot less than the 8 API or Neve lunchbox pre's and the interface that would be required to give you the same sound.

Ah, ok, I was confused by the series numbering before -
this sounds like another great option.

I wish I knew more about all this, I feel so completely out of my depth!

[darrin_h2000]

Originally Posted by Sweep

Within a minute of searching I found a brand new Lexicon Alpha Studio package for less than the buy it now price on eBay, including delivery! Bizarre.

.

Not so much...there are lots of newbs out there that would buy anything...Ive seen stuff on Craigs list too that are obsolete and more expensive than a brand new one...lol.

But how is it in your logic that those interfaces that are more expensive than a Superior one with better A/D converters and built in preamps...after all you did notice him advising stuff that isnt on his equipment list.

[Sweep]

Originally Posted by darrin_h2000

Not so much...there are lots of newbs out there that would buy anything...Ive seen stuff on Craigs list too that are obsolete and more expensive than a brand new one...lol.

But how is it in your logic that those interfaces that are more expensive than a Superior one with better A/D converters and built in preamps...after all you did notice him advising stuff that isnt on his equipment list.

It was more a case of me getting confused at the sheer quantity of information, and what it all meant. Taking a good look at UX1 now, looks very impressive!
I guess I'd be right in saying that it's mostly designed for electric guitar players though? I am not averse to electric guitar myself but will mostly be recording acoustic guitar, vocals, and then cutting/chopping up the audio at a later stage for more interesting effects. Is the UX1 an overworked solution for someone like me?

- I'm not asking out of doubt, more out of lack of experience...

[darrin_h2000]

Originally Posted by Sweep

It was more a case of me getting confused at the sheer quantity of information, and what it all meant. Taking a good look at UX1 now, looks very impressive!
I guess I'd be right in saying that it's mostly designed for electric guitar players though? I am not averse to electric guitar myself but will mostly be recording acoustic guitar, vocals, and then cutting/chopping up the audio at a later stage for more interesting effects. Is the UX1 an overworked solution for someone like me?

- I'm not asking out of doubt, more out of lack of experience...

Yes...it is also a solution for guitarists too...it comes with the amp farm software as well...which is a cool bonus...there is some stuff for acoustic too...plus built in effects you would normally have to buy to use as plugins for those other interfaces.

[Shadow_7]

Art Tube MP is the cheapest preamp I know of. It was $30 USD at GC not too long ago. DMP3 is cheap too, but a whole lot better.

I'd lean away from using the onboard soundcard. And you're probably looking at double that budget, and that's an optimistic used price. Or eBay and other routes. DIY is an option, but it really depends on how much your time is worth, and if you want your money to retain some sort of resale value. Or peace of mind that it wont stop working if the thermostat changed 20 degrees, or you moved the unit. Not to mention needing a certain value of tools to do the DIY in the first place. Access to or ownership of.

My Mobile Pre is decent enough and not too far off budget. But it's certainly not studio grade results. Not that many (if any) other options differ much without going with a budget at least 5x's that amount. You could always go the beachtek or juiced link route that camcorder types seem to favor.