Which preamp??

[John LaGreca]

I'm micing acoustic guitars (flat top & arch top) and mandolin with a BLUE baby bottle into a Yamaha 2816. Not a strong signal but a beautiful sound.
I bought an Aphex 207 and I'm a bit disappointed. It made a stronger signal but stole some of the clarity and definition, to my ears anyway.
Any recommendations in that 500$ price range???
Thanks!

[Gidge]

Grace 101.....

but, im not familiar with the sound of that Aphex, so i dont know if it will be a step up....i do know that the Grace is an amazing pre (that is out of my price range)......

[gec]

dbx 376


http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...home?q=dbx+376

[The Green Hornet]

Yo JL:

You can get Grace Design on line and view the 101. Sweetwater sells it for less than the "street" price which would be just a tad over your 500 budget. I'm trying to get a Grace 101 through a friend who buys electronic stuff but have not made a connection yet.

Have you tried boosting your signal with the mic pre on the 2816?

I use the 2816 -- a great box. Its mic pres are pretty good. I also use the ART dual channel on occasion -- it is used by many folks. Not a bad unit but the Grace would probably blow it away.

If you want to look further on the net, punch up Martinsound.com and view their two boxes which are about double the Grace product.

Green Hornet

[John LaGreca]

Thanks for replying!
Hey Green Hornet - Did you mean did I try to boost signal with the mic pre that's on the 2816 or use my Aphex 207 to boost the signal?
Before I bought the 207 I was turning up the gain on the 2816's compressor. Then I used the 207 to boost the signal.

[The Green Hornet]

Yo John:

There is a little knob above each fader -- it's the mic pre. Hook up your mic and turn the knob a little and see how the signal goes UP.

You can compress after you cut the tracks if you need to.

You should notice the signal increase in your headphones as you turn the knob.

You don't need to turn it too far as the Yam's mic pres work pretty well.

Green Hornet