Mixer vs. Outboard Pres

[JayaDeva]

Hey guys,

I know you've heard questions like this, but I've got a Crate CMX32 mixer. I was curious as to how much better my sound would be if I upgraded my preamps from onboard to something like a DMP3. I'm a little wary of a cheap "tube" pre (starved plate), so I will probably buy a Groove Tubes brick or something similar when I get some more money, but I just need a clean preamp for right now. Would a lower-priced solid-state pre be worth the investment over the mixer's onboard pres? Thanks for any help, hope the question made sense.

 

[scrubs]

I don't know specifically about the Crate mixer, but the DMP3 does have nice, clean, inexpensive pres that are considerably better than those in behringer or other inexpensive mixers.

 

[JayaDeva]

The pres on the Crate sound okay to me, but I'm sure they could be cleaner. Really it's kind of hard to describe seeing as I don't have anything to compare it to. I'm sure the crate pres are on about the same level as other inexpensive mixers ($99). Thanks for the info.