2 Channel Pre

T

TeenChristian

New member
Hey there! Lately I've been looking for a preamp that didn't cost too much, but had good quality. So far what I'm looking at the most are some pre's by ART. The "Art Pro VLA II 2 Channel Vactrol-Based Compressor", and the "Art Pro Channel Microphone Preamp Compressor and EQ Channel Strip." The Pro VLA II costs around $250 (probably the highest I'm willing to go), has two channels, and looks good for the price. The Preamp Compressor and EQ seems like it has a lot of cool features and it's $100 cheaper, but I can't tell how many channels it has.

My first question is if anyone knows how many channels the "ART Pro Channel Mic Preamp Complessor and EQ Channel Strip" has.

Also has anyone had any experience with either one of these pre's? And finally, does anyone have any suggestions as to a different 2 Channel preamp, preferably under $250?

Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated :)

-God Bless
 
The ART Pro channel is just ONE channel. But it has more features than being JUST a preamp. It includes a compressor and EQ if I recall the VLA doesn't.

The Pro VLA II is almost worth it's money in VU meters, DI inputs, Low pass filters, phase buttons, etc. in my opinion. However, I have no idea what interface/preamp your using now, but if you're thinking that this preamp is going to make a huge difference, think again. If you do buy one of the preamps, after a while, you may want to replace the stock tubes with better ones. Then you might have a better sound than the preamps you're using.
 
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As of yet I have no interface or preamp, but I plan to purchase a Tascam US-800 interface. With that what do you think would be the best option as far as preamps go?
 
Do you have a mic yet? The preamps in the US- 800 are adequate. I would spend money on mics first before buying a preamp.
 
Mostly electric guitar, and at this point with such a low budget I'm just looking at an audio interface and one mic (Tascam US-800 and SM57). The preamp is something I'm looking ahead at.
 
Oh mostly electric? Never mind then :D. I mean, the quality of your recordings won't improve too much with the addition of the ART preamp. What do you have for monitors?
 
Unfortunately I have no monitors, but I do own a pair of Phillips and O'Neill Stretch Headphones... I'm not sure if that counts for anything :)
 
What is the importance monitors? The Mackie MR5's look nice :)

EDIT: I just read up on the importance or monitors and now I understand. If I where to run my audio through a Panasonic surround sound speaker system would sufficient as far as monitors go?
 
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TeenChristian said:
I see... So would you recommend getting monitors before pre?
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Personally, as someone who started with a similar budget and ended up buying both an interface and a preamp, I'd say the preamps in the Tascam interface will probably do just fine unless you can afford something a lot better (which the Art probably isn't...I bet it's good, but not a huge difference).

If I could do it all again I'd have bought an interface (like the Zoom R24 I now have), a couple of useful mics (a 57 is good to have as a workhorse, for sure) and saved the money on a preamp for something else (like monitors...though I used decent AKG headphones for a while too).
 
So sticking with the pres inside the Tascam would be the best choice... Ok :) As far as the monitors go, I already asked this to CrownsofFritz but I just want to get another opinion... Do you think until I'm able to save up for some acceptable monitors do you think either a Panasonic surround sound system or Phillips and O'Neill Stretch Headphones would do for mixing etc?

Thanks!
 
TeenChristian said:
So sticking with the pres inside the Tascam would be the best choice... Ok :) As far as the monitors go, I already asked this to CrownsofFritz but I just want to get another opinion... Do you think until I'm able to save up for some acceptable monitors do you think either a Panasonic surround sound system or Phillips and O'Neill Stretch Headphones would do for mixing etc?

Thanks!
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Before I could afford some monitors (I got a good deal on some KRK RP5s) I would just play back my mixes on EVERYTHING I could get a hold of (home stereo, crappy headphones, good headphones, car stereo, coffee shop speakers...anything). If it sounded acceptable on all of those then I knew I had at least done my best.

I think it depends on what you're trying to record (demos, "studio quality" songs, just audio samples, etc.).

I can definitely say that mixes sound different in real monitors than they do in a home stereo, as, like CrownsofFritz said, home stereos are meant to have a certain pleasing sound (and can be very different from each other), while monitors show you the true character of your mix.

Short answer: make do with what you have if you have to, but know that monitors will help achieve good mixes.
 
I know what you mean. It's not like I'm not planning on purchasing monitors in the future, but at this point I just won't work out to well. All I plan on doing right now is simple electric guitar recording (with SM57) and some keyboard as well (via midi). I'm not necessarily looking for "studio quality" music because to expect that much at this point would only leave me disappointed, but I guess in the long run I aspire to get as close to studio quality as possible. Right now I think I'll be starting my home studio adventure with just the Tascam US800 and the SM57. I'm hoping to get the best quality sound out of that that I can for the time being. I'll probably be testing my music out on alot of various speakers and music playing devices, but right now buying monitors that would be worth while is just not an option.
 
Krk's rockit series monitors can often be found used at a very reasonable price. Consider those as well.

Headphones don't quite cut it for mixing, I'm afraid. I started off the same way, with only headphones as my tool for mixing. My songs sounded fine, as long as I only listened to them on those same headphones. Whenever i played them on anything else, they always sounded terrible. I ended up buying a pair of rockit 8's for $250 and everything sounds much nicer now, not to mention that mixing goes a heck of a lot quicker.
 
I got my Rockit 5s for $120 (total)...you can find deals on them if you keep looking.

I mixed mostly on a pair of ATH M40 headphones (that I still use for some tracking/monitor at the early stages), but definitely make sure to use another frame of reference outside of headphones too.

I think it's smart of your to start small and save up as you need new gear. You'll find an SM57 with the right placement can sound great. Learn the basic techniques first and then worry about fancy preamps and stuff down the line.
 
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