Question about adding mic preamp

[ssseals]

I've got an Alesis Stuidio 32 board running into an ADAT XT20. The pre's on the board are OK, but when I have to turn them up (around 4 o'clock), I get some noise. I assume this is normal for these pre's.

This may be a dumb question, but if I were to add a small preamp like the ART 'tube' pre or something, I would be boosting the mic signal at that point, so I wouldn't have to turn the Studio 32 pre's up that much. Would the ART give me comparable noise or would it be a 'cleaner' signal? Thanks.

[knownuttin]

Nah. Each link added to the chain adds noise. First, the non-shopping suggestion: I would work on mic placement so you get a stronger signal you don't have to go to 4 o'clock with. Or, if you're just unhappy with your mixer, shop for a quieter pre to run straight to the recorder skipping the mixer. The ART Tube MP, while useful for some things, is not especially quiet. Neither are most inexpensive pres which go for color over cleanliness and used starved toobs, etc.
-kent

[Shockwave]

Ditto. I have just tried the Art pre for a lead vocal and although there was definately increased gain, the Art was very noisy and I tried many settings and tweeks to quiet it down. This happened when I used a condenser mic. But when I used a dynamic mic with the Art, it wasn't as noticeable so you may have to just check it out and return it if it's no good. The Art does have a place in the studio as more of a direct box for guitars and such. You just can't cheap out when it comes to mic pre's if your shooting for very good vocals.

[chessrock]

I've heard so many mixed opinions on the art tube mp.

Mine sounds great, and has very little audible noise and/or distortion.

My guess is that quality controll varies from unit to unit. I also guess that they use cheap tubes on these things, and a lot of time, that could be the problem. I might suggest replacing the tube with maybe a Sovtek or even something nicer.