5 grand to spend-mic pre

M

mikeeb

Whats the best RAP MIC??!
Whatsup guyss. I am looking to raise the quality of my recordings, and one major improvement I need to make is on my Mic Pre. Right now I have the fp10. I am looking for a mic pre with between 2-8 channels. I will be recording some drums but I dont mind using a lower quality pre for the toms and kick. Acoustic instruments, and Alt. Rock are going to be the main things recorded. I also will probably need a converter right?


So pretty much, what would you get for 5 grand when you need
a Mic Pre and
a DAC
 
mikeeb said:
I am looking for a mic pre with between 2-8 channels.
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You'll probably get a more concise answer with a more concise question... the difference between the best solution for 2 or 8 channels is huge... narrow down the number of channels you want to preamplify and convert and you'll get much better responses
 
Depends on the sound you like and type of music; thick/Fat or transparent..or somewhere in between..
For that amount of $$$ I would ask several well known engineers you like and go from there...
 
MOFO Pro said:
You'll probably get a more concise answer with a more concise question... the difference between the best solution for 2 or 8 channels is huge... narrow down the number of channels you want to preamplify and convert and you'll get much better responses
Click to expand...

Hey guys, thanks for the answers, I truly appreciate it. The reason I did not specify was because I did not want to close the door on some really great 2 channel Mic pres. I always have the ability to use the 2 channel mic pre on overheads and then the fp10 on the other channels for drums. I want the mic pre to have a very good DI also so I can record bass too. Like I said though, It will be mostly used for RnB vocals, Rock vocals, acoustic vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, and electric guitar. I do not want to specify the exact sound I want (ie Fat) because that is going to change. I am very open to suggestions though! Thanks and god bless
 
Oh yeah. I forgot to mention before that I will be using a KSM44 and an SM7b as the main mics going through this pre
 
RRuskin said:
Recording drums is when you rally need need quality pre-amps.

Recommendation: Great River MP-2NV.
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Straight and to the point. I really appreciate it. I actually was thinking about getting the GR and then getting an Apogee Rosetta 800 with it. Would i just run this through the fp10 and bypass all the cruddy electronics in the fp10, and pretty much just use it to connect to the pc?
My pc is a laptop with no pci port so getting the Rosetta firewire card is no use to me right? Also, by doing this, will I need to purchase anything else or will that cover both my AD/DA needs. Thanks man!
 
pre-amp

My suggestion is to buy 2 x biamp advantage SRM412 or similar 4 channel stereo pre-amps which will set you back about £150 ($200) second hand at the most (I won one for £25 off ebay) probably less and invest the rest in other studio kit. They're a quality pre-amp and won't let you down in my opinion. Good luck, TT
 
Telstar Towers said:
My suggestion is to buy 2 x biamp advantage SRM412 or similar 4 channel stereo pre-amps which will set you back about £150 ($200) second hand at the most (I won one for £25 off ebay) probably less and invest the rest in other studio kit. They're a quality pre-amp and won't let you down in my opinion. Good luck, TT
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Uh, that's an amp designed for a paging system, only has one mic input which does not have full spec phantom power (only 24V). Maybe a good deal for £25, but it won't be tempting to someone looking to drop $5K on a studio-grade preamp. According to its manufacturer:

"the SPM412e is ideally suited for applications such as restaurants, bars, meeting rooms, aerobics studios, and school gymnasiums."
 
mshilarious said:
Uh, that's an amp designed for a paging system, only has one mic input which does not have full spec phantom power (only 24V). Maybe a good deal for £25, but it won't be tempting to someone looking to drop $5K on a studio-grade preamp. According to its manufacturer:

"the SPM412e is ideally suited for applications such as restaurants, bars, meeting rooms, aerobics studios, and school gymnasiums."
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Yeah thats what i figured. Could you share some wisdom mshilarious on what you think would be the best investment. Also, what kind of cables will I need to be running a GR MP-nv and an Apogee Rosetta 800 if I do decide to buy those. I would need to hook it up to my laptop, (i have a pci express port) and also to hook my KRK RP8s to. Thanks my man!
 
mikeeb said:
Could you share some wisdom mshilarious on what you think would be the best investment.
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Not really. At that level it's just a matter of preference, and until you have some experience you won't have any idea what you prefer. Indeed, you might have trouble discerning the difference between high-end units. But no one can tell you if you prefer transformer vs. transformerless, tube vs. transistor, etc.

That said, I don't think I've ever read anybody complain about the GR . . . the dude that designed that really really knows what he is doing, but so do the rest of them at that level, so . . .
 
Yeah. Your def right. So now it just comes down to what cables to buy, what brands to buy, where to buy them, and how much theyr'e going to run me!:p:p
 
mikeeb said:
Yeah. Your def right. So now it just comes down to what cables to buy, what brands to buy, where to buy them, and how much theyr'e going to run me!:p:p
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Don't waste money on esoteric high $$$ cables. Mogami or Belden wire is just fine. Gold contacts are no advantage unless they are going to be connected to gold on the other end.
 
I was reading that gold isn't the best material for use in cabling ..... that other materials conduct much more efficiently.
And true if your going from gold to an other material there is or could be lose and degrading of your signal. But I read this on the net and you know what % to believe what you read on the net.:D







:cool:
 
moresound said:
I was reading that gold isn't the best material for use in cabling ..... that other materials conduct much more efficiently.
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Conductivity is not relevant with respect to the various materials used for mic connectors, the difference is too small to matter relative to the mic's source impedance. That's true for the entire cable actually.
 
mshilarious said:
Conductivity is not relevant with respect to the various materials used for mic connectors, the difference is too small to matter relative to the mic's source impedance. That's true for the entire cable actually.
Click to expand...

You see ..... now I'm reading this on the net! :D







:cool:
 
I've used the gold plated Canare RCA ends and some of the gold Neutrik XLR parts and the gold does seem to stand up to corrosion better than anything else I've seen. Some of my plugs are 20 yrs old and with a little Deoxit they look new.
 
Does this budget accommodate the U87 and converters from the mic forum thread and leave $5k left over for pres? Sweet!

It seems crazy to spend that much all at once. But I guess over time a lot of have spent like that - easier when spread out.

The usual cautionary statement: get the room sounding good first - sometimes that takes $$$

For my main rack I wound up with two API 3124+ units, along with a Red Cloud attenuator that lets me turn down their output so as not to clip the converter, one GR MP-2NV, and two ACMP-73s (from the group buy here a while back) feeding an Echo Audiofire 12. I think I'm done on preamps - but I can testify that the source, room, and mic should take precedence. And I still need a lot of work on my room (and source), and I ain't got no U87
 
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