DEADLINE:Mic Pre for Rode NTK or any tube mic

J

johnnynoony

New member
Is there a specific mic pre that goes better with tube mic's? I'm going to be recording piano, acoustic, electric, male vocals(modern rock/alt) with a Yamaha AW4416 and I'm trying to figure what mic pre to get with the Rode because it's tube and seeing the million choices I thought some might be known to go well with tube. Or do I even need one? Trying to figure out today since I'm buying all my equipment today. Thanks for any help.
 
Generally speaking it's less expensive to buy a quality non-tube
mic pre, than a quality tube mic pre.
So...
What's your budget limit in dollars?
Keep in mind that top quality mic pre's typically start around
$500+ per channel! (worth it if you can afford it)

Chris

P.S. A good place to check many of the top level pre's is
www.mercenary.com
 
I use a MindPrint Envoice with my NTK.
It's a tube-preamp that goes from transparent to extra warm, depending on how high you set the "tube saturation".
With the Envoice, you get the best of both worlds. ;)

Tube on tube sound is sweet!

www.mindprint.com
 
mindprint

Hey Buck,
Thanks for the reply. I'm going to check into the Mindprint. How much did that run you? I like the tube on tube idea- it makes sense. Do you know any particular place that I can get these things on the web for a decent deal. Thanks again.
 
Returning for a moment to your question,"Or do I even need one?". The 4416 has built in preamps, doesn't it? You may or may not like them, but improvement will be expensive. I believe someone mentioned that the low end of exceptional quality in pres starts around $500 per channel, and I would not dispute that, though there may be a few exceptions, Sytek comes to mind.

So, are you telling us you don't like the built in pres and want shopping tips? If so, how's your budget?
-kent
 
johnny, another possibility is to go for something in the
Joe Meek line, like the VCQ1cs for around $500 or so.
If you check out www.joemeek.com they had some demo models
for sale, and e-bay is also a good place to check, along with the
regular dealer route. That's a great "bang for the buck" unit
IMHO.

Chris
 
Buck62 said:
I use a MindPrint Envoice with my NTK.
It's a tube-preamp that goes from transparent to extra warm, depending on how high you set the "tube saturation".
With the Envoice, you get the best of both worlds. ;)

Tube on tube sound is sweet!

www.mindprint.com
Click to expand...

You know, Buck, I've been getting a lot of use out of my d.i. port these days. It's got the same pres, but no toobs. :) I have to admit, I think I'm becoming a mindprint convert. I don't know what a manley, avalon, or great river sounds like. But right now in my stage of audio development, I am hearing quality I'm really not used to hearing when I plug my mics in to the mindprint. And I've auditioned a lot in the sub-$1,000 range.

And I really don't think I'm becoming any better at pointing or using the mics. They're just sounding better.

Oh no. What the f_ _ _! I'm becoming one of those mindprint freakos.
 
Look, I'm not going to sit here and say that the Envoice is the greatest preamp around, because all this stuff is subjective.
What sounds good to one set of ears might not sound as good to another.
That being said, I shopped around for about 4 months for a preamp, and I tested over 15 preamps before deciding on the MindPrint.
There was just no better preamp in the $500 price range that had all the versatility that the Envoice had.
The Meek units are great, but they have one sound... "the Meek sound". Sometimes you need your pre to be totally transparent, which the Envoice is capable of.
The Meek units certainly are NOT transparent.
There are also times when you need some serious tube saturation for maximum warmth.
The Envoice can cover that, too.
The Meek units are awesome for what they do, but the Envoice offers more tonal options, IMHO.

There's just something incredible about the sound when I turn up the tube-saturation on my Envoice that sounds totally fat and "pro-quality" when it's all adjusted properly.

Where do you get the Envoice?

Heh.... good luck finding one!
They're out there if you search hard enough, but they're getting harder to find every day.

I strongly advise getting the Di-Mod option, too!
 
Di-mod means Digital Interface Module.
it's a option on the envoice, so you can bypass the da converter in your DAW.
 
Buck, you probably already know this, however, the Joe Meek pre's on
their own are pretty transparent, it's the optical compressor section that
gives their voice channels the distinctive vintage tone (nice EQ too).
An underated choice at its' price point right now is the Joe Meek VC6Q
for about $300 and under. e-bay again is a good place to check.

An excellent performance with a good mic pre will beat out a good
performance with a great mic pre anyday IMHO!

Chris

P.S. Too bad that Mindprint channel strip is tough to get.
 
chessrock said:


You know, Buck, I've been getting a lot of use out of my d.i. port these days.

[snip]

Oh no. What the f_ _ _! I'm becoming one of those mindprint freakos.
Click to expand...

I'm with you there, Chessrock. I feel the brainwashin' comin' on, like I kin hear the scrubbin' inside mah haid!

Having said that (whatever it was), do you consider your DI Port to be a "clean" preamp or do you consider it to be a "coloring" pre? I think of it as a clean one, but then this talk about the gain structure acting like a shelving EQ makes me wonder if I'm going to run into problems mixing all these DI-ified tracks down, wondering if I'm going to have to be boosting bass all over the place. Have you had a chance to record several tracks with the DI? If so, does it still seem like a neutral pre when its sound is compounded over multiple tracks?
 
geekgurl said:
Having said that (whatever it was), do you consider your DI Port to be a "clean" preamp or do you consider it to be a "coloring" pre? I think of it as a clean one, but then this talk about the gain structure acting like a shelving EQ makes me wonder if I'm going to run into problems mixing all these DI-ified tracks down, wondering if I'm going to have to be boosting bass all over the place. Have you had a chance to record several tracks with the DI? If so, does it still seem like a neutral pre?
Click to expand...

Yea, very clean and neutral. The treble boost is so slight, I don't even notice it anywhere on the spectrum analyzer. And to my ears it just sounds like detail. And I think the load structure only effects certain kinds of mics (dynamic, ribbon, and condensers with bad transformers). If anything, it will save you a little time come mixdown that you'd normally spend trying to get it to sound more detailed.

Originally, my plan was to buy it on blowout (Sam Ash had it for $200) and see if I could make a little profit selling it on ebay (for $250 or $300) after the sale ended. But before I put it up for auction, I decided to give it a whirl, just to see if it worked okay. After recording several tracks with it, I decided it ain't going anywhere. :) I feel like I'm getting a small taste of what it will be like the day I start working with more expensive pres.
 
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:)
Cool, thanks for the input. I'll take your analysis, spectral and otherwise, as confirmation that my ears are working correctly.
 
TL AUDIO 5051

Hi guys,

Do not forget the TL AUDIO 5051 (preamp+comp+eq, with tubes) in your investigations. It fits the 500$ price range.

In a comparative test between 3 mikes (TLM103, NTK and Shure KSM27), I used the TLA 5051. The outcome : I finally selected the TLM103 but after many hesitations between the Neumann and the Rode...
The combination of the NTK and the TLA 5051 was impressive.

There is a brand new "Ivory Series 2", which includes a -30dB PAD which can be useful for the NTK.
Also, the EQ section allows to compensate (when needed) for the 2.5 kHz and the 12kHz inherent boosts provided by the NTK.

Cheers,

Patrick
Brussels
:)
 
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