preamp advice needed

D

deibid

New member
i'm busting my brain trying to choose the best preamp for my budget. i'm looking for probably a single channel mainly for recording vocals & acoustic guitar.
i've been searching the net for reviews & one minute something is great & then it gets shot down by the next person.
i really want a clean sound (no hissing!!).
here's the planned setup:

AKG perception 200 >preamp >behringer virtualizer pro >m-audio audiophile 2496

the 2 pres i have in mind are presonus tubepre & studio projects VTB1.

looking for clean & crisp sound & decent control over the tube sound i.e subtle to stong.
any advice is appreciated.......thanks in advance
 
nothing... unable to record vocals at present.. so i really want to make the right choice when i get the pre
 
they are probably about the same. the PS probably sounds better but the SP might last longer. either one will do the job.
 
In that price range you might want to avoid tube preamps. They really won't do much for you in my opinion, and really aren't true tube devices anyway. They are solid state with the option to mix in a tube feed of the same signal. I just don't think they have the sound you think they will have. The Presonus TubePRE is very clean, for example.

I'd suggest something like the RANE MS1b along with a mic like the AT4040 Audio-Technica AT4040. This is non-glamour, non-tube, non-blinky light setup that would sound really good. Or maybe the RANE along with one of those MXL $300 mics that get good reviews, the V69 or V6.

ADK mics also have their fans, you see the Hamburg and Vienna mics getting positive remarks.

http://www.adkmic.com/

You'd also do better by avoiding running your preamp through the Behringer before recording it, in my opinion. I like to get the cleanest, most direct recording first and then add effects later.

On a budget I personally would go for no frills but best quality possible. Check out the Rane and AT4040 combo I mentioned.
 
+1 on the Rane MS-1b. It's such a practical mic pre to own at a low budget, and from the looks of it, you know Rane spent money on quality components rather than a flashy enclosure.
 
Remove the Virtualizer (non)Pro from your signal path as this will add addtl noise to the signal.

I purchased the Virt pro about 7 yrs ago and found that not only does this unit's 'Verb patches have that annoying "metallic" sound, it's effect parameters can only be adjusted in .5 increments not allowing you the chance to fine tune the patches algorithms. Furthermore you will experience signal degradation when using the L/R engines simultaneously (for ex. Delay-Left/Chorus -Right) where either increasing/decreasing the unit's eq will do nothing to replace lost freq'ys & or gain & clarity.

Get yourself a TCM300 and donate the Virtualizer Pro to charity (if they even want it)!

Trust me! Been there done that ain't never, ever going back!
 
One option is the Groove Tubes "Brick", which I have heard nothing but good things about. It also can be used as a D.I. I would also suggest maybe upgrading to a decent microphone, like an Audio Technica mic. They have a variety of choices within a lower budget situation, like the AT4033, or the 4050. I have also heard good results from the M-Audio DMP3.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top