Preamp Limbo

[SteveE9C6]

Yeah... I've been reading everything I can. "Listen to your ears", seems to be the sage advice I keep seeing...especially on the Pro Audio Net boards. Well, that's cool, but my problem is geographic remoteness. I can listen to the pres in my mackie 8 buss but that is it. I can drive two hours to Dallas or Austin, but I really don't want to. I'm lazy... the protypical dweeb who wants someone to say "get this mic pre". I thought I had it down and was gonna spring for an Avalon M5. Once I realized that I would need two of them, my enthusiasm for "team Avalon" diminished. Now, to make matters worse, I stumble upon the "Alan Hyatt/PMI" offerings.
Malcom Toft? The Toft stuff sound way cool! I have not actually seen anyone say they've actually seen it though... or heard it. Is this stuff designed to compete with Phoenix/Great River et al? I'm assuming it is being manufactured in China like the Studio Projects stuff to offer a bigger bang for the buck. (I don't know, just an assumption)

The new Studio Projects dual channel mic pre... How does it fit in to the landscape? Of course it,is not here yet, but at the price point I've seen, it will compete with the FMR RNP.

Summit Audio 2BA 221.... Now this is interesting. I just can't find any real info on it.

I've pretty much got a glorified home studio that I'm now getting folks into. It is a mackie 24x8, Alesis HD 24, Adat, Masterlink with all the toys that you need...except a decent mic pre. Heck, when I bought the 8 buss in 95, folks were saying the pres were as good as the megabuck pres...guess it was just marketing. I really would just like to step up some here.

Advice? Comments?

[eeldip]

just buy and sell a lot. try things out.

i dont really think that demo'ing gear in stores is all that informative anyway, too many variables.

look out for great deals, things where you can make your money back if you dont like it. treat the whole thing as a rental.

example: i bought a vc1q on harmony central for $320. used it for a while. never got too excited about it. sold it for $350. did i make $30? no. i really just broke even after all the shipping and paypal fees and so on. but i didnt lose money.

so anyway this is what it boils down to. look around, find the best possible prices you can. buy recommended stuff. if you dont like it, no loss.

[chessrock]

That's really good advice, eeldip.

We share very similar strategies.

[Middleman]

Yeah that is good advice.

The only thing you can compare somewhat adequately in a music store are monitors. Mics are hard to judge until you get them home and record. The same is true of preamps. Just make sure where ever you buy; they have a liberal return policy.

Go to Dots Listening sessions http://www.thelisteningsessions.com/home.htm and you can begin to get an idea of the differences in preamps.

Basically they are all usable for instruments by and large. It's the vocals that require more attention to quality and sound. We have all become accustomed to just a very few vocal sounds and unfortunately they tend to be expensive. You can emulate but rarely duplicate a Telefunken ELA M251E into a Neve preamp.

In my experience (yeah I used to walk 5 miles to school everyday- for you international types this is an American joke) understanding compression and reverbs/delays can get you really close to a great sound using under $500 mics and preamps. I spent several years trying different mics and preamps looking for a certain sound. Finally, I spent a couple of weeks reading everything I could find on bus compression and track compression and this made the biggest difference in my sound than any equipment I had purchased.

I digress but the buy and try method is the best suggestion for checking out gear. It may not be everything you expected to find is all I'm trying to say.

[Middleman]

oops

[littledog]

sometimes you can do better than buy and try. if you can establish a good relationship with a sympathetic pro audio dealer, sometimes you can get them to ship you two or three units to try in your studio, with the understanding that you will buy one and return the others.

[SteveE9C6]

Well... I think I'm gonna go a slightly different direction. I am gonna think over the weekend, but I'm pretty sure it will be a Langevin DVC. I am in contact with a pro audio dealer in Austin who presented me with several alternatives. Since he sells a huge variety, he really seems to be trying to help me make a wise decision. The pres he suggested were:
Grace 201
Summit 2BA 221
Langevin DVC

The Grace is the least colored pre. The Summit really intrigues me, but the Manley/Langevin really seems to have the best bang for the buck, with unquestionably pro mic pres.

[SteveE9C6]

Yup... ordered the DVC this morning.