looking for good vocal mic pre

M

mr. produca

New member
hey people,back with a question. im looking for a mic pre thats very good on vocals.i set out 1500-2000 for it (or them) :D can you guys give me some good suggestions or guidelines???i was looking at the avalon 737.
 
I bet Scooter is right, yo.

In that case the 737 is a very popular unit among the hip hop community. Its got the bling factor to draw people into your studio.;)

H2H
 
Its that 8 pounds of polished metal shaped like George Jetson's car dashboard......bling bling bilng.....
 
Ive honestly never heard a bad thing said about the 737. I've only personally used it one time in my life, but it was very nice.

H2H
 
I love the phrase: It doesn't really matter; it's only rap.

:D Just kidding produca. Yea, the Avalons are really popular with the hip-hop crowd. They're kinda' like Neve's and API's are to the rock guys. It's at least a safe choice.
 
Well, you're pretty much talking about stuff that is out of the leauge of the average (and even above average) home recordist. I can't comment on your gear choices other than to say "Well- never heard anything bad about them, and never heard them." :)

Having said that, I CAN say that you're on the right track to be thinking about investing in a few different options. Invariably, the best mic and pre combo for the guy you worked on yesterday sounds like crap on the lady you're working with today. Being able to mix and match a couple good mics and pres seems to be the way to get the most mileage.

You're dealing with big ticket items so I feel silly saying "Hey, buy more stuff!" but its *really* sucks to have only one choice of gear that you spent a lot of cash on and finding that it just doesn't sound good for the person who's paying you to make them sound good. Hell, even if the second pre/mic combo doesn't sound good either, just having a choice will make the client feel safer knowing that s/he is getting the best you have. You can chose the one that sound *better* and (magically!) they forget that it doesn't sound good because it sounds *better* :D

Depending on how saavy your client- or their producer- is, of course.

Take care,
Chris
 
good point chris, i saw a thread similar to mine,he got alot of great responses,they also showed him some more pres that might suit his aplication/s. i sorta wanted this thread to go that way.
 
I have read many preamp threads on different forums, and I have heard that there are better choices. I wish I had experience with different ones, but I haven't. I have the Avalon AD2022, which is awesome, but high-priced. Do you need one or two channels? There are alot of good preamps out there in the 1500 to 2k range, so that is good. But I really would not recommend the 737, only because I have heard better reviews on alot of other pres. Do a search on preamps and you will get a gazillion threads full of good information.
 
Mr Produca,

While I don't have much experience with the highend stuff there are plenty of guys here that would be glad to offer suggestions that do have the experience.

To help them help help you please give us some more information.

1. Can you get by with one very nice channel or do you need to track more than one thing at a time?

2. Do you anticipate needing any stereo applications for the preamp?

3. If doing more than one thing at a time what else would you use it on besides vocals? Recording live intruments? DI bass guitar?

4. What else do you anticipate needing like; compression, EQ, built in de-essing features?

5. Do you want "colored" or "pristine and clean"?

If you already have some good EQ and compressors you can just focus on good no frills preamps.

If you don't have the ability to "de-ess", compress or EQ outside the pre then you need to focus on the preamps that include some of these features.

If you can list an artist or producer that is close to the sound you want it would really help people narrow the field.

Dot is extremely knowledgable and experienced with most (if not all) the current gear out there. Chessrok and Hard2hear are also very knowledgable and helpful but you need to help them narrow the field by telling us what you need and what sound you are looking for.

If you need like 4 channels the API Lunchbox has an option of using 2 Burr Brown chips that are said to be "warmer" that the stock more clean chips and you can have two channels of each (4 total) in your price range with some nice features as well.



While I am not really into hip hop but from what I have read on the budget/home recording level most of the stuff is samlples, PC soft synths, samplers, romplers etc that usually stay digital (but not always).
 
I'm saving for a Sebatron Thorax..... I REALLY REALLY want one! I have a Seb 4000e and it's sublime!
 
i have the answers to your questions scooter b:
1.1 very good channel is good enugh for now, ill probably be buying another pre later on.but if there is a good pre in which i can get 2 or even 4 good channels piont me to it!!

2.not quite sure

3.acoustic guitar,paino

4.no extra features,i just want a solid pre that serves that purpose

5.that all depends,i think ill probably realy on the mics for coloring,i want it nice,clear and perfect!
i dont know too many producers like that,so i cant help you there!!!
hope this helps you help me!!!!!
 
That should narrow it down for someone with more experience to recomend to you.

Here is a link at the Listengsessions.com and most of the preamps listed from 0-5 on the clean to more colored scale should meet your needs.
http://www.thelisteningsessions.com/micpregraph.htm

The John Hardy's get rave reviews as Neve Clones.

1. Take a few of those and search on froogle.com for the best street price.

2. Next take the ones you can afford and go to each manufactuer's website and read up on the features. The de-essing feature can be a life saver if you do a lot of vocals.

3. After narrowing these down to two or three run a search on that specific model on various forums like this one, Harmony Central user reviews, Studioforums.com, Gearslutz.com and get a broad consensus on those units.

Hopefully Dot will drop in and shed more light.

I can recomend Soundpure.com and ask for Dan Richards as he will take time to give you good advice based on his experience and your needs. They also have excellent prices and service. I recently picked up my Millennia Audio TD-1 from him.
 
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