2 channel colored pre under $1.5k

  • Thread starter Thread starter imissthewar
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imissthewar

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I have a few units in mind, I was wondering if anyone had experience with these or could add to my list.

Sebatron VMP-2000e
TL Audio PA-1
Universal Audio 2-610
Averill 312A
 
well i can tell you a little about the 2-610.

the sound is warm mellow and round.

i dont use this for anything needing alot of presence.(i think soild state is better for that)

i use it to bring life to dull things.

i use it to fatten things up with out it sounding blatant.

its awesome on slow mellow vocals, and it s awesome on acoustic guitars too.

i record amp simulated guitar parts sometimes- (line 6,amplitube) and they lack truth to the sound. but when i jog those parts through the 610 im back in buisness.

it works really good as a pre for overhead drum micing.(not metal drums though)

its also cool to run your whole mix through it sometimes. nice color on some stuff.

go check out "hammer" on my web site to hear the 610 at work.

peace.
 
xfinsterx said:
well i can tell you a little about the 2-610.

the sound is warm mellow and round.

i dont use this for anything needing alot of presence.(i think soild state is better for that)

i use it to bring life to dull things.

i use it to fatten things up with out it sounding blatant.

its awesome on slow mellow vocals, and it s awesome on acoustic guitars too.

i record amp simulated guitar parts sometimes- (line 6,amplitube) and they lack truth to the sound. but when i jog those parts through the 610 im back in buisness.

it works really good as a pre for overhead drum micing.(not metal drums though)

its also cool to run your whole mix through it sometimes. nice color on some stuff.

go check out "hammer" on my web site to hear the 610 at work.

peace.
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Thanks for the input, you have a great looking (and sounding) studio. Right now I'm leaning towards the Sebatron or the UA....the extra $250-$350 I'd save would allow me to pick up the SM7 I've been eyeing lately.
 
axelfonze said:
Vintech 1272 ($1250 shipped at most places).
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I've heard that the 1272 gets muddy when stacked. This pre would probably be my "go to", I don't want something I have to use sparingly.
 
imissthewar, what other pres do you have, and why are you necessarily looking for a "colored" pre?
 
imissthewar said:
I've heard that the 1272 gets muddy when stacked. This pre would probably be my "go to", I don't want something I have to use sparingly.
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That's kind of a myth, it really depends on what kind of mic you are using. If you are using an airy mic with an airy preamp, that's less versatile than a darker preamp with an airy mic. So what are you using then? We are offering an exclusive mod through Vintech for their 1272, called the "air" mod...I won't go into what the modifications are (it's my dirty little secret), but it basically gives it about a 20% lift in the top frequencies, giving those engineers, who feel that their 1272 may be a little to dark to stack, the desired extension above 7k. It actually sounds quite stunning, IMHO.
 
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Dot said:
imissthewar, what other pres do you have, and why are you necessarily looking for a "colored" pre?
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Currently I have:

4 Focusrites in my Digi002
Safe Sound P1
Joe Meek 3Q

I guess I don't necessarily need a "colored" pre as much as something with character. My studio was built for my bands recordings only, and I personally take production cues from John Vanderslice (he uses Neve 33114s and 1089s with Urei 1176s on everything), and his records are fairly "colored" I'd say.

Right now I'm leaning heavily towards the Sebatron because of it's price and it seems, from what I've read, to be somewhat colored, but not overtly. Plus, I have a week to try it out.
 
The sebatrons are pretty nice preamps, but its not quite the same as your Chandler, Great River, Da King etc... I have to say though, it does have a great feature set and a really good sound for the price. Either way, I don't think any of the options you are looking at are "bad" so its a win win situation. Especially if it saves you money for more toys.
 
Here's something else to throw in the mix....API/OSA/Averill modules. These are all compatible, correct? If so, I may grab the Averill lunchbox (it's rackable) and a couple OSA Cs or Ls. It'll cost a little more in the beginning, but the ability to add high end pres at $500 a pop later is quite tempting.....
 
imissthewar said:
My studio was built for my bands recordings only, and I personally take production cues from John Vanderslice (he uses Neve 33114s and 1089s with Urei 1176s on everything), and his records are fairly "colored" I'd say.
QUOTE]

I'm a fan of John Vanderslice as well, and I believe some of his color comes from an Ampex MX-10 tube preamp/mixer from the 60s. They pop up on Ebay every once in a while (I've lost two auctions on them so far...) and you can snag one for around $1000, if you can find one. It's 4 ins into 2 outs, but you can have it modded to be 4 in 4 out.

If you check out his website it tells you which tracks he used what on on his most recent cd.
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Pardon my bias, but I'm a huge fan of MindPrint products.

The DTC (Dual Tube Channel) is probably the best bang-for-your-buck preamp on the market today. You not only get two Class A preamps, but you also get a stellar EQ, tube saturation, and a first rate compressor on each channel. The DTC also doubles as a great mastering tool, too. The DTC sells for about US$1,600.

Check out these features:

microphone input with HAUFE transformer, 48 Volt phantom power
instrument input
line input
phase reverse switch
adjustable Lo Cut and Hi Cut EQ
fully parametric 4 band EQ, parallel filter design
balanced insert, switchable
TCL: TubeCompressor/Limiter with AdaptiveResponse
full dynamic control with optocoupler and tube
integrated LowCut-Sidechain-Filter, switchable
balanced line out XLR and jack
select from a range of optional 24 Bit digital interfaces


http://www.mindprint.com/cms.php?scr=products&mode=1&r=p&pr_kat=4

Our studio has had the DTC for a couple of months now and we LOVE it! :):):)
 

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Unfortunately my budget shrunk to about $1.2k, so now it's down to the Sebatron vmp-2000e or an OSA lunchbox with one of their API style modules.

The OSA route looks to be the best in the long run, after the inital investment I can add high end preamps at $500 a pop. Even though I could probably only afford the lunchbox and one pre right now, in a month or so I could get another.

However, the Sebatron is nicely priced for the 2 channels it provides, and I could definitely afford it right away.

What would you do in my position?
 
imissthewar said:
Here's something else to throw in the mix....API/OSA/Averill modules. These are all compatible, correct? If so, I may grab the Averill lunchbox (it's rackable) and a couple OSA Cs or Ls. It'll cost a little more in the beginning, but the ability to add high end pres at $500 a pop later is quite tempting.....
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Yes they are all compatible. All are API 500 series architecture.
 
Thanks for the info Nathan. Also, thanks for responding to my email so quickly....expect a call from me today.
 
The Sebatron will give you more tonal variations. From fairly clean to warm and fluffy. They're very impressive units. We run a vmp-2000e along with modded API's, Great River, Millennia, Hardy, A Designs, Phoenix - and the vmp more than pulls its weight.
 
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