Budget Oriented Mic Pre?

**shoggoth80** · 11-25-2020

So, I own an interface/preamp. Older ART USB Dual Pre.
I like it well enough for what it is. Go back even farther when I was younger, more careless, I owned more gear. I used to have a Bellari tube pre, which was sold long long ago. I liked it, I just dropped out of music stuff, and needed money.

I do enjoy how tubes can color sound. I'm looking at getting another pre. Tube. There's some that are an interface as well, like the Mic500 from Behringer, and ART makes a tube pre/ interface. There's also Behringer Ultra Gain Mic100, ART has a couple tube pres. There's also the possibility of buying a used Bellari again, used Pre-Sonus (though they don't seem to get positive reviews). Then there's the Golden Age Project Pre 73 that seems to get a lot of love.

A lot of this is sub $100, and I think all of the named bits are under $350, with the Pre73 at the top of the cost stack. It's also the only non-tube one that's caught my eye. I'm not jumping into any fast choice. Been youtubing a bunch of reviews and demos. Liking the idea of adding something into the chain.

**shoggoth80** · 12-01-2020

I've read on various other forum that a lot of people don't seem to regard a lot of the entry level preamp as worth it.
Is this legit, or just gear snobbery? I know my initial post wasn't exactly clear.

I've YouTubed a fair amount of reviews. The Studio V3 seemed to sound pretty nice for a tad of color. Though the GAP Pre73/Pre73Jr seemed pretty lively. I'm not opposed to solid state, just that my previous stand alone preamps were tubed. I'm also not opposed to a used pre. I've read mixed reviews on the various Shure mic "mixers" and being able to hook them into an interface. Read a mix of good bang for the buck, and an annoying level of noise, without much actual signal boost.

Just looking for general input more or less centered on the options listed I suppose.

**CoolCat** · 12-02-2020

theres been a few shootouts where the stupid cheap ART MP single $99 unit was chosen over a popular $1200 preamp...
sound is subjective, blind shootouts can get votes from many ears. (we arent comparing build quality and life before breakdown.)

ive had tube preamps that had very little color, actually some more serious tube designs are with a clean and precise clean goal, with zero coloration....other tubes , often the starved lower voltage are more noticeable like a guitar preamp overdrive effect..saturated.

for me, as of 12/2...clean is a Cloudlifter into the Interface IC preamp.... or the DMP3 is so cheap and sounds 98% as good as any other of the pile of preamps Ive heard with my ears.

for color...
I dont know, currently have the 1073clone pre into a LA2Aclone but I can say the ART TPSII is better in many ways when you want clean to colorful, with impedance tones, etc..etc.. $215 you get a dual unit with optical comp/limiter and I love the front TRS jacks for quick plug in and out....it takes all kinds of mics and doesnt need a mic booster, it has a +20db button...and it takes Bass and Guitars from clean to fuzz box.... I might sell what I have and rebuy a new ART TPSII. Im tired of used crackling pots and defects, or APHEX units that are old and burnt out etc... even a top end UA piece I had made crackling noisy scrtching on the cool large volume gain knob...and it was like new.... so brand new has some edge.

the logical brain says to record clean to the DAW and do all the sounds ITB....
where Klanghellm comps full set with ability for unlimited quantity of them attached to each track and saved and stored etc..is $30 or so.... ITB ...amp sims...for free.... guitar tuner built in the podfarm sim plugin with a million options for free and recall and save as...no cables needed, less outboard gear noise,
ITB.... ? I love this Line 6 UX8, its the sleeper UA Apollo for $180 or $200...with free Platinum PodFarm for life, even on used units.
ITB....Todd Rundgren did an album Arena on the UX8 with only a guitar, Nuemann U87 and drum samples...and released it. Its why I bought it. I still havent made anything close to his quality on it. (skills?)

**shoggoth80** · 12-02-2020

I'll have to look for some examples of that unit in use.
Read decent things about ARTs rack size pres.

Line6... don't they make a bunch of effects gear?