ART pre amps?

  • Thread starter Thread starter bas1236
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Yeah, Bear what do you use for warming your cold digital recordings and toaster pastries up there in the Great White North?

Just to clarify, I do not knock REAL tube gear, e.g. Manley, etc. Real tube circuits can be every bit as clean a signal path as the finest solid state. What I deride are the cheapo starved plate designs where they stick a light bulb in a little window and the the word "Tube" on the box to take in the punters at Mars and GC with sales talk about "warming up cold digital tracks" now that everybody's got a DAW. If there were any truth in advertising, these would be called "toob" or "tewb".
-kent
 
knownuttin said:
Real tube circuits can be every bit as clean a signal path as the finest solid state.
Click to expand...


Very true. But in the bottom-feeder range, who buys an ART for "clean"? I got it because it's got some dirt to it. It smears the signal in a way that *I* at least like for some things. It's a nice contrast to my other cheapo pres. :)

Are there better-quality color units out there (tube, toob, or solid-state)? Sure. But I think trashing the ART for not being pristine is slightly missing the point, IMHO. If the bottom-feeder wants clean, he'll take Randy's advice and get an Audio Buddy. If you've got more cash than that, then you wouldn't be looking at the ART to begin with! :) :) :)
 
Ok, now that I own a Focusrite, I'll speak up about ART once more. The last post had it spot on. ART actually did a pretty remarkable job of taking $20 worth of components and making the universal poor mans toob pre...and to that end they got a TEC award nomination from Mix magazine. I'm supprised to hear people complain of noise problems, mine is very quiet, givin proper gainstaging. Colored? Yes, without a doubt. Same as a high freq filter rolloff?, nope. It's actually pretty flat. here's the specs:
Dynamic Range: >100dB (20Hz to 20kHz)
Frequency Response: 10Hz to 20kHz (+0,-1dB)
THD: <0.1% (typical)
CMMR: >75dB (typ @1kHz)
EIN: -129dBu (‘A’ weighted XLR to XLR)
Maximum Gain: 70dB (XLR to XLR typical)
Maximum Input Level: +14dBu (XLR), +22dBu (1/4”)
Maximum Output Level: +28dBu (XLR), +22dBu (1/4”)
Input Impedance: 2k ohms (XLR), 840K ohms (1/4”)
Output Impedance: 600 ohms (XLR), 300 ohms (1/4”)

Now we all know that specs are only part of the story, but these are impressive specs for the little box we're talking about, and if you have a noise problem with an EIN of -129, then you have a bad unit, or bad cables, or you're just using it wrong.
The "Color" shows up in the THD spec, not the freq response. But this is what you buy one of these things for, to add a little color and charachter.
I've done quite a few tracks through the ART Pro MPA, and that's a pretty good pre, held up to a little higher standard. I've tracked violin, cello, and violla through it with good results.
Anyway, "you get what you pay for" fully applies, but considering what you pay for the ART units, I think they are pretty cool. And if I had a rack of Focusrites and Neves, Cranesongs and Ferns, I'd still keep my Toooob MP around.
My tooob cents worth, RD
RD
 
Microphonic?

Ok time to re-hash the endless thread(s) about the ART Tube MP. I have one and although the distortion makes me crazy and I'm learning to deal with the cut highs I can't seem to get over the "microphonic" quality of the thing. If you tap the box itself it actually sends a metallic signal through the chain.

I'm wondering if i have a bad tewb or if this is just the way it is?
 
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