choosing the right pre for my vocalist

R

ryanwoollerton

New member
I am about to get a vocal recording setup.

I am in the market for buying the preamp as i know these are a must if i hope to get some quality vocal recordings. (i make house music)

Basically, i have not heard the difference between recording through a reasonably transparent preamp, and a preamp that adds 'colour' and/or 'character'.

What i want to know is, if i am going to be recording singers who dont have absolutely amazingly well trained voices, would i therefore be better of getting a pre that adds some colour?

I mean, is that sort of how it works? - if your recording a "Celine Dion" type singer who has a great voice, you want to record through a transparent pre so you can capture her wonderfully natural voice?

Thanks
 
After reading your previous post it seems like you're really looking for a yes/no answer to an essay question. There are endless possibilities and we can all make suggestions but personal experience is the best way to judge a piece of gear.

Here's a thought, take a look at preamps that are in your budget range that have been recommended by other people in other posts (if your budget is $500 then look into a FMR RNP, ART Pro MPA, M Audio DMP3, etc) and then find their resale value (what do they go for used on ebay, craigslist, and various other gear classifieds) and see how much you would lose if you bought a piece of gear, didn’t like it, and had to re-sell it. Then weigh out what people say about a piece of gear and how much you would lose to re-sell it, and then roll the dice, buy one, and try it for yourself.

As an additional suggestion to that, even if you feel somewhat satisfied with the first one you buy, don’t be afraid to re-sell it so you can purchase a different one. At this point it will do you a lot of good to hear for yourself several different preamps to compare. Just try to keep everything else the same so you get the best comparison (same mic, room, vocalist or instrument, etc). Going through this process will help you answer your clarity vs color question.

That’s how a lot of us had to do it, and we learned a whole lot through the process and even though some of us lost some money along the way, that money we lost is paying us back through better future investments in our studios (well if we remember what we learned before anyway).
Hope that helps.
 
tewfus said:
That’s how a lot of us had to do it, and we learned a whole lot through the process and even though some of us lost some money along the way, that money we lost is paying us back through better future investments in our studios (well if we remember what we learned before anyway).
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

I like what you wrote tewfus, it definitely rings true- especially with me. It really sucks that we have to invest and reinvest so much in order to find that perfect setup- that is why I ALWAYS post questions before I make a purchase. If the yays are overwhelming, I always go with what people are saying, and I NEVER trust the reviews on the manufacturer website, and RARELY do I trust them on the gear outlet websites if they are few (I like to see 30 + reviews myself).

You can't blame the guy for wanting a simple answer, but unfortunately it just isn't that simple in such a diverse field. My best advice for low budgeters because I was just that when I was younger is to post questions and read previous posts to see what folks are saying about the particular unit in question.
 
Let me also add that the guy needs to spend quite a bit of time with the gear he has on several different vocalists to determine what he does/does not like. Armed with that, he can make an informed decision on what he really needs to get, he may find that what he thought he needed was not that at all (I'm not saying he doesn't need a pre, because EVERYONE needs that if they want to make great vocals) but I have seen instances many times where they needed a different mic, board, etc. If you spend $500 on a piece of gear that has good reviews and it doesn't do what you expect, chances are if it isn't a defective unit, that is not what you needed in the first place!

This has been said a hundred times already- NEVER go with the cheapest thing. If you need a preamp, dont settle for a $150 piece of garbage. Put it in your savings, and add to your pile as you can.

Speaking from experience, I can honestly say that I have made few bad decisions when it comes to gear simply because I followed my own rules. I got lucky with the POD, I took someone's word for it, but other than that, I researched everything I bought usually weeks before I bought it. My first condenser was the Rode NT2, and is still a staple in my studio today. That's saying something when your first mic cost more than your first TV!

I'm not boasting guys- please don't think thats what I'm about. Just want to help a cracker out!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top