Golden Age Project pre-73 question-not loud enough?

[benitogilmore]

Hi,

I just bought a used GAP pre-73 mkii preamp.

I am using an AT 4040 condenser mic plugged into the pre-73, then into an Apogee Duet II interface.

I've noticed that with the pre 73 gain around Mic level, I have to crank the Output on the pre-73 nearly all the way up to get a good signal.
I have the input level on the Apogee set to +4 dBU, thereby bypassing the Apogee internal preamp.

When I use the Apogee and the mic without the pre-73, the apogee's preamps seem much louder.

Am I doing something wrong? Could the pre-73 be defective?

Thanks very much for your help!

 

[keith.rogers]

I have mkiii (with Carnhill upgrade) and it's way loud enough with the gain and output rarely getting past about noon-1. Don't have your specific mic but I've used it with LDCs and dynamic mics both.

Not sure what you mean with "gain around mic level" [MENTION=200727]benitogilmore[/MENTION] - gain is mic gain if you're going in the XLR on the back and don't have the switch on line or the DI button pressed.

Are you using a balanced cable to connect to the Apogee?

And, well, yes, it could be defective - you'd need to A/B with another system or have someone slap a meter on the output to confirm I suspect.

 

[arcaxis]

I do have the AT4040 and have used it with my GAP Pre73 mkii with no problems of getting good output to the next piece of gear (Klark Teknik 1176KT) in the chain. I've also used the preamp direct into a Tascam 2488NEO with no issue. Most of my condensers will have the gain on the pre-73 set around -45 to -55 to get indication on the LED meter, usually try for between 0 and +10. Output level knob I don't recall where that is usually set and it depends what I'm going into, but never have had to set it to max. More likely around 12 o'clock. I don't use 'Low-z' on the preamp.
With the Apogee set at +4 dBU I wonder if the Pre73 just doesn't have enough output to drive it. I couldn't find an output spec on the Pre73.

You can try the -10dbV setting and still bypass the Apogee preamps......

"YES! Duet 2’s preamps can be bypassed if you’d like to connect a line level input source such as an external microphone preamp or mixer. Here are the two things you’ll need to do:

1) Connect the devices line level output to Duet’s combination input jack using an XLR cable.

2) Go to the input tab in Maestro (found in your Applications folder) and change the input selection from “Mic” or “Inst” to “+4 dBu” or “-10 dBV”. The line level selection will depend on the type of gear you’re connecting. Professional audio equipment most often uses +4 dBu, while consumer audio gear is set to -10 dBV."
Can I bypass the preamps in Duet 2 (USB)? - Apogee KnowledgeBase