Roland MMP-2 Mic Pre Opinions?

E

expatguy

New member
I've been thinking about picking up a used Roland MMP-2 mic modeling preamp. When they first came out I saw a good review in an online magazine, and the specs look good. On the other hand, after coming out with a lot of hoopla and at a hefty price here in Japan, Roland quit producing them in a relatively short time, so I wonder if the MMP-2 has some serious problems. I'm interested more in it as a straight preamp than for the modeling capability (or lack thereof), although the modeling might be interesting to apply to some Japanese ribbon mics (RCA 77 knockoffs by Toshiba and Aiwa, not all that bad actually) I have.

It would be great to hear from anyone who has used one or knows why they seem to have been a flash in the pan.

Thanks in advance
 
Many thanks for the information. Clean gain coupled with some mild compression to prevent overs is what I'm after, so it sounds like the the MMP-2 will fit the bill. I figured that the mic modelling was a gimmick rather than an improvement, and most comments I've read support that conclusion. I am using an Edirol UA-101 USB soundcard so there hopefully will be no compatibility problems as long as I keep digital recording at 96 khz or less.

Since you've used this pre, I wonder if you could tell me how hard you can drive it before it gets noisy. I find that for the ribbon mics I've got you need all of the 60 db that is available in your average preamps, but most of them start making white (pink?) noise really noticeable after 45-50 db. My dbx 286 A, for example is quite clean and quiet until the very last notch on the input stage, but hitting that very last notch for 60 db, which the mics need, results in all kinds of hiss. How about the MMP-2?

By the way, an internet search gave me a thread on the MMP-2 <https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=106894> right here at homerecording.com (where you also asked about the MMP-2) that didn't come up on this site's search function when I tried it for some reason. Thanks again for replying to a topic that's been discussed before.
 
I picked mine up cheap.

I use it as a cheap A-D converter - the SP/DIF output works OK with an Echo Mia card, and with a Realtek AC97 card, and with M1000 Roland digital mixer.

The inbuilt limiting is handy. I don't really use the modelling much.

Works fine with Beyer M88 and Rode NTK mics.

Very good signal to noise and clean for 2 channels.

Not certain why it was an orphaned product.
 
I bought one of these a few years ago for £500 pounds, sterling, and it came with two mxl microphones, MXL2003 And the MXL 603.
The price was quite steep, though i have never had any complaints with the unit. The preamps are really clean on this which is mainly what i want it for. I rarely ever use the mic modelling balls that is inherent in it as i have no real use for that, i mostly bypass the mic modeling and eq section. I do sometimes use the compressor as it is quite useful and somewhat transparent.
I have never had any problems with this unit as i say, however there are a few things about it that i dont like, firstly the navagation controls are pony, though if using the software it makes it alot easier. And secondly The Two preamps are affected by the same dynamics and patch settings, so you cant have two independant mic models working, which is daft and really frustrating.
On the whole however i really like the MMP-2 and would recomend it, i use it along side an Edirol FA101 interface. The MMP-2's preamps blow the Fa101 out of the water, so much more cleaner and versatile. If you can get one for a reasonable price then do, but dont over spend.
 
Thanks for everyone's input. In the end the MMP-2 I was considering went for more than I wanted to pay. I'll keep my eyes out for another one and will post my own impressions if and when I get one. Thanks again.
 
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