Anyone use ART preamps?

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nick6572

New member
I 'm considering picking up another pre. Anyone out there have any experience with the ART TPS or the ART Tube MP Studio V3? I'm wondering if the preset reference points on these units are helpfull. I'm new at this. If anyone has any suggestions on a better unit in the same price range (under $200)I'd love to hear it.Thanks.
 
I have a Tube MP. Works pretty good. You get ehat you pay for. It's better than my Mackie's pre's.
 
You'll find that a lot of people here are not too keen on the ART pre's, except maybe as bass DI's. I haven't used them, but for "under $200" you have plenty of options which seem to be more favoured...
1) Studio Projects VTB-1 - Pretty well-regarded single channel pre with ability to use solid-state path or blend in tube signal path. $179 but about to drop to about $130 supposedly

2) M-audio audio buddy ($80) or DMP-3 (?$199) - Both good clean pre's, both 2 channel, DMP3 has VU meters.

3) Second hand mackie mixer (eg 1202 VLZ pro - if you get one cheap!)

Behringer tends to get a bashing here, but some options from them are:

4) Small Behringer mixers - various prices for various numbers of inputs/pres - also gives routing flexibility

5) Behringer MIC2200 - 2 channel tube pre with EQ $99

6) Behringer MIC100 (no-one seems to have laid hands on one of these yet) similar to tube MP but with limiter, and LED meter rather than VU - Lists for $49

Just a few suggestions
Steve
 
ART's quality control is quite lacking it seems. I'd go with something else for that reason. My ART Tube MP level LED does for example not flicker yellow until it's started nasty clipping, and it's SUPPOSED to be yellow well before clipping, and red while clipping.
 
I used an ART Dual MP to track the majority of the CD I just finished a couple of months ago. I bought my ART preamps when I was still pretty naive about preamps in general and didn't know that what most seem to consider "pro-caliber" tube gear in fact costs at least ten times as much. That said, I'm not really unhappy with the sound I got from the ART. I did have to do a LOT of low-mid scooping on tracks recorded through it, but it did seem to make the highs a little smoother and soften transients (which is why I wanted a tube pre). I've heard a few people say the ART line can sound quite good if you replace the stock tubes, and I've heard a number of people say the ARTs sound veiled and lack clarity. I haven't had the opportunity yet to use high-end tube gear or a good solid state pre, so I have no frame of reference. I'm thinking for the next project I might just switch to an RNP or a Grace and try something radically different.
 
Michael, that piece was really nice man...I was feeling a little stressed out when I logged on, and in three-and-a-half minutes you smoothed me right out.

I completely forgot to post a link myself. You can find clips of the songs I recorded through the ART Dual MP here:

www.immovablemover.com/mp3s.html
 
I kinda' dig those ART Tube MP thingies. :D They sound really nice as bass DI's. Nice and smooth. Not bad mic pres, either -- whad'ya want for less than $100? Honestly, I can't figure out why they get such bad press -- QC must really vary on those buggers.
 
I will agree with you for the most part on that chessrock. I find the Tube MP to be "pretty decent" as a mic pre for most things, except vocals :eek:! I like it for my otherwise steril sounding Behri ECM8000 - only really tried that on hand percussion though.

The Tube MP is worth it's weight in gold as a DI for acoustic electrics. Defintly a must in my signal chain for live stuff. The best part in that scenario is that It can nest on my pedal board and I can control the knobs with my feet!

Another cheap "tube" pre I picked up recently is an apex 107. actually I"m not even sure if it has a tube in it.. lol. All i know is it's nice for bass and some good on kick. Engage the -20 db pad and crank the gain up- rather noisey, but I dig the tone.

All I need now is a RNP and/or a great river. :D
 
I have a pair of original Tube MP's and one's been turned on every day in my studio for the past 7 years. It still performs flawlessly, so I don't know if I just got lucky or what. Its great for bass and I agree with the direct acoustic comment. I used one once in a live situation and the sound guys were all asking me how I was getting my sound, they were so knocked out.

Its a little workhorse. I've used them for vocals, electric guitar, drums and bass. Very good results and no apparent noise. Is it the worlds greatest pre? No, but for home recording chores, its more than adequate. Full 48v phantom too.

I'll have to try the ECM 8000's with it. Might be a nice pairing.

Oh--I blew one up (my fault) and sent it back. Under warranty--they fixed it for free. ART is cool!
 
Hey Michael, that track really hit the spot, thanks. :)

The recording also sounded great. It's cool to hear things that people have actually recorded with a piece of gear in question. It can really put some fears to rest.
 
I have considered buying an ART Pro MPA dual mic pre, but I'm probably going to upgrade my VC1Q instead. But for $339, the Pro MPA, IMO, is a good deal.
 
I am new to this forum and have read many posts. There seems to be confusion between cheap parts, bad designs and bad QC.
Behringer comes to mind. I am an electronics design engineer by trade. I have been recording for over 25 years. I own a Behringer MX-800 and a 1951 Q tube EQ. I love both of these units. They perform very well for me.

Electronic performance is all design. I spend so much time in meetings to bring the unit cost down. This always comes to cheaper parts. Manufacturing companies in countries with high labor costs use the cheapest parts they can get. They work ALL THE TIME on cutting component costs. There are analog designs that are "self-compensating" and can use 1%,5% or even 20% parts and still perform perfectly. There are some bad designs that can use the most expensive parts with 1% tolerence, and still perform bad. Some Behringer, ART, etc. components are good designs, some are bad designs. QC issues are largely the signs of manufacturing competence.
 
RationalPunk; Complex...
Thanks for listening guys!

Keep in mind that thats THIS PRE , and not one that was originally asked about.

This pre now sells for $339!
When I bought mine around 4 years ago, I paid $550 for it.
$339 is a helluva price for a pretty decent pre.
 
I like my tube mp opl's. 60 bucks online at MF.

I don't expect class A performance or anything, it's just a means to an end. Sound really cool on bass. Seem cleaner than my 802a pres...

Overall not too shabby.

But what the hell do I know. My previous pre's were disortion pedals and power amps. Ouch.

Pat
 
an ART preamp would be good to use as a makeshift stepstool to reach for a real preamp at the top of your 36 space rack.
 
In my VERY limited experience with the ART MP, I agree with sweetnubs... But with that said, I've heard quite a few recordings from guys here where it was the featured preamp and it sounded pretty damn good!
 
acorec said:
Some Behringer, ART, etc. components are good designs, some are bad designs. QC issues are largely the signs of manufacturing competence.
Click to expand...

Your post makes a lot of sense, Acorec. Welcome aboard, by the way. It's nice to hear from guys with your experience.

So out of curiosity, what units, specifically, stand out to you as falling in to the "solid design, but cheap parts" category? The reason I ask is that these are generally the ones that make good candidates for Mods. :D

From what I gather, guys like Rane and Symetrix might fall in that category, but I probably wouldn't know as much about that as someone like yourself.

Thanks in advance.
 
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