ART Pro MPA vs Bellari RP220

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ghetto3jon

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hello. i'm thinking about getting an art pro mpa or a bellari rp220 to record rock and roll music (ala interpol, the raveonettes, george harrison, ...trail of dead). is there anyone out there that has tried both of these units, and can compare them for me? (please do not respond with "they both suck...you need to spend at least $2000 for a decent pre." if you are not able to comment on either the art or the bellari constructively, please don't waste your time. i know this question has been asked before, but the post went on and on about how a $400 mic pre sounds like shit no matter what, and you shouldn't even bother with any of them. please, please, please...save it)
 
I can't comment on the ART but I have owned numerous ART products over the years and they were...well, marginal to say the least. I do have an RP 220. As a stock unit it is okay. If you take the time to put some good tubes and opamps in it it improves DRAMATICALLY. I went the extra 10 yards and replaced the input transformers as well. Now it stacks up against alot of my other pres BUT, after all this I think I have a total of 425$ into it...so maybe pre's under 400$ do suck after all ! :) LOL at my own joke...
There are really no shortcuts..I wish there were. It depends on what kind of sound you a) want b) can ultimately settle for and c) afford.
Don't let anyone kid you..a 4000$ pre sounds INSANE good but hell, I can't afford them either (I can rent some from time to time and I am always blown away)..do the best you can with what you can scrounge!

Ray
 
thanks for the reply.

what tubes did you put in your bellari to make it sound better? does it have 12AX7's (like the MPA)?
 
I have owned ART products and like them. I just ordered a VLA yesterday as a matter of fact. Compared to something like a Crane Song or Manley, I'm sure it is not even close. Compared to budget-priced equipement in the same price range, ART fares quite well.

It seems you are going for tube. If not, for the same price range you are looking you should check out an FMR audio RNP or Joe Meek products. I have a Joe Meek pre and love it and know the RNP is highly acclaimed by many credible musicians.

Again, I like ART products and have had good luck with them.
 
I had an ART Pro MPA. I liked it OK. Better tubes do help, but there are lots of opamps in it, I think they were 5532s. I forget if they were surface mount. So if you're going the upgrade path, I'd avoid it.

For an easy to upgrade ART product, try the Dual MP instead. New tubes and opamps work wonders on that unit, and you'll save $100 from the MPA.
 
I don't know anything about the Bellari pre.

I do have an ART PRO MPA Dual channel mic pre.

I recorded "December's Mist" with it and a pair of TLM103's.
You can hear it here:
http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1656&alid=-1&20040703081136#13798

I think its a great pre provided:

1.) You don't try to drive the tubes too hard. You'll get that "bumble bees in tin foil" sound if you do.
2.) You use a quality mic with it.
3.) You have a fairly sparse mix.

Other than that, the one I have will ALWAYS have a place in my rack, right next to the API's and vintage Audix pres that I also own.
 
For tubes, I just bought a big bunch of vintage tubes off of eBay. I think I got 7 12AX7s for $20. Then I just tried 'em all until I found two really good ones. Eac h tube had a distinct personality, some were bright, some were used up, some threw off ridiculous amounts of overtones, some were muddy, and some were warm and clean.

I took one clean and one ridiculous.
 
The big difference between the two mic pres you mention has to do with the design.

The MPA . . . and anything by ART for that matter, is a typical transformerless, starved plate tube design. Basically a fancier version of the Tube MP. Nothing new or interesting there, other than the fact that you might like it's sound and functionality -- and quite a few people do, so I'm not really bashing it. As far as the starved plate stuff goes, it may be the best out there.

The Bellari, on the other hand, is at least an attempt to to make a tube mic pre with a design that's faithful to how real tube gear has traditionally been made. It has a distinct sound and vibe to it that the transformer front end and tube stage impart. This is not by any stretch to say that it's "hi fi" or upper crust gear, mind you. :D It's still pretty cheap stuff, but it does at least offer a type of sound that isn't very common with any of the other cheapo tube or chip-based stuff out there.

Just recently, in fact, I had a fortunate accident with the RP-220. I previously had it set up to record a very quiet singer. When the next singer stepped up to it, I forgot to adjust it -- and he was a very loud, aggressive type. As I'm sure you can guess, it was distorting and clipping every which way. Before I got a chance to turn it back down, everyone in the room marveled at how perfect the distortion was for that particular song, so I didn't touch it.

It can be a cool and fun toy to have around.
 
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