Tube Valve mic pre's

M

Mr Blues

New member
Would you say that the ART Tube mic pre's are good to go with lets say a Audio tech 4040?

I brought a behinger Ultragain Mic 200 a few years ago and I did'nt like the sound at all.

Would the Art Tube give you a simulated warm valve sound.

People have mentioned the M-Audio DMP3 and although very good thats not a tube mic pre is it ?

What would you say was the best budget tube mic pre was?
Dave
 
While the DMP3 is not a tube pre,...it is one of the better or best bang for your buck mic pre's out there (IMO) ... The Studio Projects VTB-1 is a good mic pre with a Tube ... You can blend in the amount of "Tube" character you like ..BUT, it's not a true "Tube Preamp" if you will.... Others can explain the tech. side of that :)
 
Low end 'tube' preamps are noisy and lack high-end detail. In that price range you are much better with a decent starter solid-state preamp such as the DMP3. Try not to get hung up on whether the device has a tube or not--you have to spend a good deal more money to get a tube mic preamp that actually uses the tube correctly and sounds decent.
 
No. There's no such thing as a standard warm valve sound. Well designed valve circuits are often more clear and hi-fi than their solid state counterparts. One or two of the more expensive ART boxes run their tubes at the proper voltages and the tubes actually amplify something (in the Tube MP they don't), but they are missing the input and output transformers which are often responsible for much of the sound of tube pres.

If your on the cheap, you'll get more bang for your buck with solid state pres.
 
Groove Tubes "The Brick" preamp is supposedly the cheapest tube design that actually behaves like a tube pre should.

Anything like a Studio Projects VTB 1, Art & Behringer el-cheapos are starved plate tube designs - these preamps don't supply enough voltage to the tube to make the plates glow, so they but LEDs of various colours behind the tube to make it look like it's glowing. Studio Projects was cool enough to use blue LEDs, and add a control so you could vary the tube blend or take it right out of the circuit. With these starved plate designs, the tube adds distortion. It might not be something overly desirable except maybe as an effect if used sparingly.

A well designed tube pre is desirable because they typically have a lot more headroom. The result is a very clean sound, not distortion. Tube pres are typically the cleanest sound you can get.

The "tube warmth" sound people get caught up with when looking at preamps doesn't actually come from preamps that have tubes at all. You'd be looking at a design with transformers in it, something like a Neve or Great River. These are not budget preamps.

The DMP 3 has a lot of respect for what it does at its price point.


sl
 
Brick is a nice one at that price point, if you bought the 4040 for a clean sound though you might just wanna grab something a little less colored
 
...like it's been said, what seems to be perceived as "warm" is more the realm of transformers than tubes...and transformers don't come cheap...don't get caught up in the "toob" thing...in the more affordable range, it's best to track with a clean pre and experiment with some "vintage style" plugins to see if you can acheive the sound you're seeking...that way you can always go back to the original "clean" track if you're not satisfied...

...or, invest in a good dynamic mic like the SM7, which has a more "in your face" kinda sound...but you'll need a worthy pre to power it (60-65dB at least)...so my advise is to get a good quality "clean" sounding preamp with some gain capability...even the Studio Projects VTB1 (with the "tube blend" circuit turned completely counter-clockwise) offers pretty clean power and gain for very little money...
 
Thanks guys i am really tempted with the M-Audio DMP3 .

I appriciate your comments and i have decided i won't go for the ART tube mic pre's.
At present I have the focusrite twintrak pro here's a link:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TwinTrakPro/

I still have to get my head round this thing as I hear that the focusrite mic pre's are meant to be good.

I have not much knowledge on whats a good piece of equipment or not . this cost me over £300 about three years ago do you think i still need the DMP 3 if I got this?

dave
 
Mr Blues said:
Would you say that the ART Tube mic pre's are good to go with lets say a Audio tech 4040?

I brought a behinger Ultragain Mic 200 a few years ago and I did'nt like the sound at all.

Would the Art Tube give you a simulated warm valve sound.

People have mentioned the M-Audio DMP3 and although very good thats not a tube mic pre is it ?

What would you say was the best budget tube mic pre was?
Dave
Click to expand...

I wouldn't spend money on inexpensive tube circuits, but would instead opt for a preamp with a transformer on the input side, or if you can afford it, on both ends. Two very warm sounding pres that I like that are transformer equipped are the Presonus Eureka and JM 6Q, and both will deliver in many areas and can be had for under $500, new. The AT4040 works well with either of them.
 
sound125 said:
I wouldn't spend money on inexpensive tube circuits, but would instead opt for a preamp with a transformer on the input side, or if you can afford it, on both ends. Two very warm sounding pres that I like that are transformer equipped are the Presonus Eureka and JM 6Q, and both will deliver in many areas and can be had for under $500, new. The AT4040 works well with either of them.
Click to expand...


I really wouldn't classify the Eureka as warm. The Meek on the other hand is pretty colorful, the Eureka though, is just sterile sounding to me. It added nothing to recordings, which can be fine for some things.
 
jonnyc said:
The Meek on the other hand is pretty colorful, the Eureka though, is just sterile sounding to me.
Click to expand...

To my ears, both the Joe Meek 6Q and Eureka are transparent sounding pres. The only thing "colorful" about the Meek is the compressor section. I also find both of them on the warm side, which is not surprising since they both use transformers on the input side. I would still choose either one of them over any budget pre that I've heard under $500, which includes the Brick and Tampa.

I obviously have a different opinion of the Eureka than you do, which is what makes recording interesting.
 
...truth be told, the classic reference of "warmth" in a mic pre is best exemplified by the Neve legacy of "iron in, iron out"...transformers on both circuits...even my Presonus M20 with Jensen trannies on the inputs sounds very transparent when A/B'd against my reconstituted Neve 1290 (same mic, same vocals)...now, that's not to say the Neve sound is good on everything...certainly when multitracking, transparency can be a blessing...too much "warmth" often equates to "muddy", so don't misunderstand my point...variety is the spice of life...;)
 
Having transformers on both ends doesn't necessarily mean you will sacrifice transparency. Chandler makes a mastering version of their LTD-2, yet it is fairly transparent compressor, despite being a Neve design. But I think we agree that for the most part, you're usually going to get some coloration when a transformer is introduced in a circuit, especially on the front end.

Lots of good points, all around.
 
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