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BTW, some people upgrade the stock tubes in the ART Pro VLA for better ones like the Russian Tung-Sol brand. About $30

A third vote for the ART Pro VLA--best bang for the buck. You can pick one of them up on eBay for around $200. Give it a go to see if it meets your needs. If not, recycle it back to eBay. Two channels, nice meters, really everything you need. You'll have to pay a lot more to do better.

I've tried the new Aphex 230, which is a channel strip incorporating the Exciter and the Big Bottom circuits -- very noisy piece of gear. I checked the noise floor in software, it's 18 db higher than my other front end gear, which makes it about 60 times as noticeable if I'm doing my math...

Thanks Bowisc, That's a good list. I should have said, "doesn't cost $1,600" :) But wait . . . no expander on any of these setups.

My understanding is that SafeSound has a channel strip in the pipeline that includes EQ. If the performance is as sweet as claimed for the P1, that could be a damn near an ideal solution for a lot of people going to disk: nice mic pre, instrument and line inputs, compressor, expander, EQ...

Mr. Moon, I ordered with the rack ears, should be here in a week or so. Christmas comes early this year!

Krag, Where did you find the best pricing on the Toft?

Hey Matt, Thanks for the news on the 528e -- sounds like good ol' Symetrix might have cheapened the unit a bit. I do like the simplicity and functionality of the P1 box (wish it was a full rack space though). The SafeSound folks are launching a line of complementary gear, probably a dual...

freshmattyp, Why do you not recommend the 528e model?

Bowisc, thanks for the mic recommendations. I'm familiar with the RE-20, but have not seen the others . . . will check them out. Back to Kragbax's original post about channel strips in say, the $500 - $1,000 range . . . There's a boatload of options out there. I've owned the VoiceMaster Pro...

Fletcher, Thanks for the tip on the Drawmer, I'll work on the ambient conditions here. Yes, I've heard I can do better than the NTK. What's on your shortlist for a voice-over mic?

Big Kenny, That's outstanding. The SafeSound P1 has shot to the top of my gear list. The only thing that I see out there that is similar in function and price is the Symetrix 528e. It's a broadcast industry standard (seems like every radio station in the country has one), but you don't hear...

Big Kenny, Meant to ask you . . . P1 specs talk about maximum of 20dB reduction on their expander. Is that adequate to cut out all common room noises?

Hey Big Kenny, Thanks for the tip about the P1 -- price is right, appears to be a fine unit, and solves my headphone monitoring problem as well. People looking for a front-end should check out the reviews:http://www.safesoundaudio.com/

Fletcher, With you on the ATC-2 -- seems like a solid choice for the home studio. For $1,000, I don't see anything better out there. Maybe you can help me figure out a solution for ambient noise. Lots of computer fans, disk drives, A/C, low-level street noise. Can't do much about most of it...

www.pulse-disco.co.uk/recording_studio.htm On reading this web site, I did something I haven't done in a long time -- I burst out laughing, spitting Sierra Nevada Pale Ale all over my monitor. What the hell is going on? I was ready to buy a Toft Audio Designs pre . . . now my dream is...

Hey Krag, Had to laugh when I read your last post -- I also bought the VoiceMaster Pro and sent it back a few days later. I was really turned off by its cheesy construction and stupid faceplate design. It looked and felt like a toy. Who needs that kind of crap? Better to hold out for the real...