Behringer: TUBE ULTRAGAIN MIC200 (for recording guitar/bass signal into DAW )

zimbo

New member
Thinking of getting this piece of kit to enable me to get a signal from my guitar/bass into Cubase (my Behringer mixer doesn't have a guitar input).

Has anyone any experience of using this?
 
I had one a long time ago, but can't remember anything special about it. The tube in it is fake. They put an LED behind it to make it look like it is hot.

My suggestion is to forego the outboard mic pre and mixer and get an audio interface, if you don't already have one.
 
Do you have any guitar pedals? Any one that is not true bypass (they will definitely tell you if it is) will work just fine as a buffer between the guitar and mixer. Needs to be powered, but not necessarily on.
 
I had one a long time ago, but can't remember anything special about it. The tube in it is fake. They put an LED behind it to make it look like it is hot.

My suggestion is to forego the outboard mic pre and mixer and get an audio interface, if you don't already have one.

I just need a decent pre-amp for my bass/guitar. MY MIXER WILL NOT accept an guitar input (Behringer Eurorack ). USB interfaces are out - I'm using Windows XP and the ones I've thought about purchasing will not work with XP. I'm on a very tight budget and can't afford to upgrade my Windows OS and im not going to chance downloading alternative drivers for a USB interface.

I've read reviews about the Behringer: TUBE ULTRAGAIN MIC200 ...guys saying that they replaced the cheap Chinese tube with an upgrade and received some excellent results with guitar and vocals. I just thought someone on might have experience of using it to reinforce those reviews.

It's becoming increasingly frustrating...I just want to start recording my songs!
 
The focusrite 2i2 works fine with XP. They are about the same price as the ultragain and offer more flexibility and QUALITY. There are plenty of other audio interfaces out there that work with XP. Especially on the used market.

But you decide.
 
I just read that MS is offering Win 10 upgrade free to all Windows users - any version, legitimate or not.
 
I just read that MS is offering Win 10 upgrade free to all Windows users

I wonder why? Given how much has been written about Msofts nosiness and controlfreakery with W10 you have to consider a hidden agenda? Just because I am paranoid don't mean they AIN'T out to get me!

Then, there have been reports of 10 not working with some graphics cards, one issue I read with a laptop trackpad...Installing 10 on an old XP machine could be fraught and, WTGR, the OP does not come across as all that PC cute?

Yes, there are plenty of XP friendly AIs. Tascam 122/144, M-Audio Fast track pro (and probably all the others) My NI KA6, Alesis i02....Pedals: All Boss pedals are buffered as of course are all Blackstars, PROPER electronics there!

Dave.
 
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As per replies in your other thread, you do NOT need a pre amp to run an electric guitar or bass guitar into your mixer.

Pre amps, as the name implies, amplify your signal. Instrument signals are actually already louder than a microphone (so it doesn't need a mic pre amp) but lower level than most line inputs (so going into those doesn't work well either). Also, the impedance is much higher than most mic/line stuff and, for the right frequency response, you need to sort that out as well.

The magic box that does all this is called a "DI" (Direct Injection) box. It knocks down the level and converts to XLR to go into the mic input on your mixer. Even cheap passive DIs (effectively just a transformer in a box) can sound good. In your other topic, Arcaxis suggested the Behringer DI2 and this could be a good choice but there are lots of others.

The so-called Tube Pre Amp in this thread is a gimmick that you don't need and that won't do much good to your sound.

However, like others, I also suggest that you don't discount a USB interface. If (as you imply) you're running your mixer into your computer via the built in sound card, this is guaranteed to make a mess of your recordings. The built in sound cards these days tend to be a single 39 cent chip on the motherboard and, in terms of noise and headroom, are made for Skype calls, not music.

Lots of USB interfaces still have drivers that run on XP...one I know I can recommend is the Alesis iO2 which has instrument inputs, line and mic inputs, direct monitoring and MIDI. It's also dirt cheap these days. You could use it to run your bass straight into your computer, or (with the line setting) you could run your mixer in.

I strongly suggest you either go for a USB interface or a DI box and stop looking at cheap entry level pre amps that are a waste of time for what you want to do.
 
Did not think of a DI box Bobbs! Still, the rest of your thread about ghastly OBS is moot.

I wonder though which Berry mixer OP has? Could it be a USB jobbie? Not nearly as good as even a cheap AI of course but a considerable stepup from system sound chip. So, in order of goodliness...

Interface.
Pedal (will have a 1meg input and be transparent when "off")
Passive DI.

Dave.
 
Somewhere he's said it a Eurorack model. Some of those were indeed USB capable but many weren't. One of the many bits of info we don't have!
 
Thinking of getting this piece of kit to enable me to get a signal from my guitar/bass into Cubase (my Behringer mixer doesn't have a guitar input).

Has anyone any experience of using this?

How are you going to get from either the mixer or the ultragain into your computer? Just using the line in? That is probably not the best way, given the generally poor quality of on-board sound cards.

If you are just going to the line-in of the computer, then just stick a guitar lead into one of the line-ins of the Eurorack and go for it. YOu don't necessarily need a dedicated guitar input. You may have to turn gain up a bit. But I just tried it (i.e. a guitar into a line in), and it will be fine.

The Ultragain will do the same thing, but getting one gives you no great advantage.

If you just want to get guitar into Cubase, then your best long term and quality approach is to get a USB interface. Being on XP is not a major obstacle.
 
I have a Focusrite 2i2 & it specifically says W7 + so I haven't used it with my DAW computer which is XP - it sits onto of the computer I'm typing on which ix W7/8. I do have an older Focusrite that's hooked up to my DAW computer that's fine with XP.
The Behri Mic pre does have a real tube BUT it uses starved plate technology so a) the valve doesn't "heat up" and b) it is used to dial in NOISE that may be perceived as "warmth" it CAN be quite useful with guitar & bass. I have a MIC100 and I use it with My Focusrite as an additional XLR input, (there are only 2 XLR ins on my older FRite), so I can run three decent mics into Reaper at once. It works well for me BUT will it feed into your mixer & from that into the computer? You also need to make sure the software/driver for an interface works with XP as well. Mic200 into Behri Mixer into computer will, I'm almost certain, add a bit of unwanted noise. My collaborator uses a Behri Mixer into a cheap USB Behri ADC and the results are always noisy.
 
Rayc, just to dispel any confusion, a "Starved Plate" valve will still heat up. The filament of an ECC83/2/1 will actually pull nearly two watts tho; of course with only a few tens of anode volts the rest of the valve will run cooler that with 200volts on it!

I know of no technical reason (save headroom) why SP operation cannot give acceptable results? There were 12volt valves in ICE radios for donkeys but then they WERE specifically designed for very low Va operation. Low voltage valve circuits were something I had wanted to investigate at some point but the Gods have conspired against me and such work looks unlikely...But you never know!

Mention was made of poor results with a Berry mixer and a cheap AI? If that AI was the UCA202 or variant thereof, something is being done wrongly! I have used such a setup and whilst not up to my ZED 10/2496 nor KA6 rigs, for general work (i.e. not quiet acoustic guitar) the setup should be vastly better than Dolby B cassette.
You need to know how to setup Windows Sound.

Dave.
 
But I just tried it (i.e. a guitar into a line in), and it will be fine.
Really? I'd expect you'd lose a significant amount of the trebliest treble, like turning down the T knob on the guitar. It can be a good thing if you're just going to use it straight and clean like that, but if you're heading to an amp sim, and want to get something like the sound of plugging right into an amp, this is usually not ideal. Unless, of course, you always turn your T knob way down anyway.
 
Really? I'd expect you'd lose a significant amount of the trebliest treble, like turning down the T knob on the guitar. It can be a good thing if you're just going to use it straight and clean like that, but if you're heading to an amp sim, and want to get something like the sound of plugging right into an amp, this is usually not ideal. Unless, of course, you always turn your T knob way down anyway.

There may have been a loss in treble. I didn't notice anything that made me go, "oh no, that ain't gonna work." It is a workable solution if you have nothing else, specially for the OP who insists that he needed a valve pre-amp because his mixer doesn't have a guitar input.

His best option, of course, is to get an interface with instrument level input (or even just a DI to go between guitar and mixer), but I suspect OP is magnifying the problem to justify getting the fancy valve preamp.
 
All of my guitars work just fine through pedals right into the line input. A little low in level, but the S/N of the guitar itself is so bad that a little extra hiss from the preamp or interface isn't really a killer. I do it all the time with about every guitar that comes into my studio and it always works just fine. Most times I'd want to go unity through if possible, and add gain as necessary in the box, but I might try to see how the mixer's self-noise reacts to changes of the gain (trim?) knob and faders if the noise was enough to complain about.
 
gecko... when you tried it, did the guitar have active PU's or humbuckers which may be a bit hotter than a single coil? My single coil Strat is a little weak on output and while it got something through the mixer, it did much better with a cheap DI box.

Passive Yamaha Pacifica with single coils.

The difference in level between going through the instrument input and a line input was significant.

When I normalize both and compare their respective sounds, I note that there is a noticeable drop off in the top end going through line.

I wouldn't recommend using the line input as a standard practice, but it can be done if that's all you have. And doing that is better than spending money on something that is not going to get you anything better than that. As I said, an interface or a DI is a way better investment.
 
I've resorted to sticking guitars straight into mixer line inputs many times and it does work. Levels are a tad low and, if you take the time to compare, the HF response does roll off. However, (in live situations) given the choice of no guitar or something...it works.

However, given how cheap DI boxes are--even the basic passive ones do the job--I now just carry two or three ancient ones where ever I go. Even if they don't get used on guitars, they've got me out of a lot of holes trying to patch MP3 players into mixers and things.

I suspect gecko zzed's theory about the OP wanting an excuse to buy a cheap tube pre amp may be the bigger consideration here...
 
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