ANybody here think High End Pre's are Overrated?

  • Thread starter Thread starter MadMax
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It's not as much that high end pres are overrated... it's more that everything else is underrated. Your signal chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.
 
I think it depends on the mic pre. However, in general, high end pres are not overrated IMO. As hard as I try, I can not get my Mackie to sound as good or better than my class A expensive mic pres. Can I make a good recording with the Mackie? Yes. Can I make a recording that makes me extremely happy with my Mackie? I haven't yet.
 
re

What are the sound differences between a mackie pre and a high end pre?

I will be running xlr direct into a MOTU 1296 interface...
 
sbcgroup2 said:
What are the sound differences between a mackie pre and a high end pre?

I will be running xlr direct into a MOTU 1296 interface...
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you cant speak in General terms here....there are so many different pres out there, you have to be specific.
 
sbcgroup2 said:
So you mean me being a hack engineer, the upgrade to the apogee or allen and heath from the sterile mackie vlz and behringer won't yield any better results.....:(

Even using my Blue mic and Audio Technica AE2500's?

$%^$%&^$%&$%^&#.......

:)
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No, No, No! not at all.I am not even putting you in this example. Please,I am sorry if you misunderstood. I am only saying that there is IMO a lot of hype in high end mic pre's. Someone here wisely noted that a decent mic pre with very good placement and a decent mic with give very nice results. I have 2 telefunkin V72a racked pre's, Langevin AM16,Altec 9475a the ones I think Zepplin used for some albums plus others. I have very closely compared them to my board pre's and my Octopre's by Focusrite. They all sound good.Is there a difference between all of them? Yes, if you REALLY listen to them and there application on difference, there is a difference but I think a recording can be more so made or broke by many other factors assuming the pres are decent. Did this clear up my point I was trying to make?( Trying as I guess I was not too good at my first shoot) :)
 
another example of what I means :p I have a cd of a local band. A good band with a horribly recorded and mixed cd. It was recorded at a pro studio with great gear. Some U67 mic's, Old Quad eight Coronado console from very well known music collage. When you listen to it, I swear , it sounds worse than almost anything I have ever heard on this site. I have heard some absolutely fantastic stuff that you guys have recorded. Point being, this studio has the gear to get the sound but is either lacking the "ears" or the desire to produce a quality product. So my point, the gear is only part of it. Great gear does not guaranty great results
 
High end pre's are not overrated....

They are just misunderstood....
 
How many people that own High end pres say they are overrated?

Probably none. People that dont own them say it a lot.

I wonder why?
 
BigRay said:
How many people that own High end pres say they are overrated?

Probably none. People that dont own them say it a lot.

I wonder why?
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Um, maybe because the people who think they are overrated don't buy them?

I happen to agree with your sentiment, if not your logic..... :)
 
BigRay said:
How many people that own High end pres say they are overrated?

I wonder why?
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Imagine you spent $2000 plus on a pre and it just sounded "a little different" than your console pre's. You'd probably be hesitant to say so on a recording BBS because a lot of people would tell you you don't have ears, or you're in the wrong profession or you aren't matured as an engineer and can't appreciate the difference, or it's your mic or your placement or your monitors or your room or your crappy 002 converters, etc...
 
Im going to say because they DO make a difference and the only people that make a fuss about it is the people who cant afford them. Simple envy maybe??It is a powerful thing! I have it daily!

I seriously doubt that an engineer in the position to buy a lot of these pres cares much what people think.

Thats just my twisted logic.

Of course things neednt be expensive to be world class. ;)

cough dav cough
 
Once again...side by side on a single track, the difference is not going to be all that great. In a mix of many tracks with most if not all tracks recorded through high-end pres there will be a distinct difference that MOST people will be able to identify. Let me also say that a really clever engineer/producer is going to have LESS of a difference in the summed tracks no matter what the recording medium than a newbie.
 
cavedog101 said:
Once again...side by side on a single track, the difference is not going to be all that great. In a mix of many tracks with most if not all tracks recorded through high-end pres there will be a distinct difference that MOST people will be able to identify. Let me also say that a really clever engineer/producer is going to have LESS of a difference in the summed tracks no matter what the recording medium than a newbie.
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Very good point. As I stated in prior post I do OWN HIGHEND PRE'S.I have compared them side by side to my console pre's and items like Focusrite Octopre. There is not a HUGE difference.Listen ,I did say isnt a HUGE difference. Idid not say there was NO difference. If you read the equipment list of any major studio you will find a hell of a lot more than just highend pre's. Mic's, top end cabling, designed rooms,topend outboard processing, and most important...experience and talent.
 
It really depends on the rest of your signal chain. If you have a top-notch mic and great converters (along with a good sounding room and decent monitoring capabilities), you need a good pre to let your mic shine. You will hear big differences when the tracks build up.

I always kinda liked the pres on the A&H boards. Not worse, not better than the Focusrite Platinum range, but waayyyy inferior when you step up to sth better. I once had a NEVE clone and couldn't believe the BIG sound.

I woukd stick to your A&B board pres as long as you don't have a) an excellent microphone, b) top-notch convertes, c) a great sounding room, and d) excellent monitors. If you have that, I'd use the pres on your board for the bulk of your tracks and an outstanding colored pre for your key element in your songs (such as vocals).
 
MadMax said:
Imagine you spent $2000 plus on a pre and it just sounded "a little different" than your console pre's. You'd probably be hesitant to say so on a recording BBS because a lot of people would tell you you don't have ears, or you're in the wrong profession or you aren't matured as an engineer and can't appreciate the difference, or it's your mic or your placement or your monitors or your room or your crappy 002 converters, etc...
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However, what if that is the cold hard truth? I can not tell you how much my ears have developed over the years. Maybe some people just aren't ready to hear the difference? What if the people who don;t are just too egotistical to realize that there may be more to it all than they know? People do not buy expensive equipment purely because it is expensive. In general (at least the ones with knowledge and experience) buy them because they truly are better and bring something to the table.
 
As a somewhat newbie, but learning all the time, I'm beginning to appreciate these arguments more and more. A year ago I would have argued that there is little difference. Now that I've bought and compared good gear (Avalon, Mindprint, Apogee, etc) with lower cost products I can tell you that there is a clear difference, especially when 4 or 5 or more tracks are mixed. I also hear things on older recordings that went unnoticed before. I hear noises that I used to be oblivious to. The sound of my HVAC seems much louder than it used to. I guess this is the "trained ears" we read about. Am I at a truly professional level yet? By no means, but every session teaches me something as well as reading these forums.

The point is, we can deny the things we can't hear, but once your ears have been opened, the truth is revealed, and it is undeniable. High end gear is necessary for the best results possible. Good sound is not guaranted, only truly faithful reproduction to the sound recorded.
 
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