scarboro78 said:
Well Actually I'm planning on upgrading my mic as well.. so either way I'm still in the same boat. Right now it seems like the tampa is getting the most votes but the Presonus Voicemaster pro seems to have the most versatility. How well would these work with the AKG414 or a mic of the same caliber?
Really, you won't know if you are in the same boat UNTIL you get a new mic. What you probably don't know about mic/preamp combinations is that seldomly is it either component that is at fault, rather, how the mic and preamp pair together. I swear, I hate the way a SM-57 sound via Focusrite Red preamps. But via a ART, the SM-57 sounds very good! So, which peice is at fault here? Which one do I get rid of? The ART? The Focusrite Red? The SM-57? I can just take those two preamps and talk a long time about how different mics sound between those two preamps. Some mics sound MUCH better on the Focusrite while others sound MUCH better on the ART. Then in some cases, depending upon WHAT you are recording, the whole thing can change. For instance, I think the AT 4033 sounds great on vocals via the ART. It sounds horrible on vocals via the Focusrite. But, the 4033 sound great on acoustic guitars via the Focusrite while it isn't that great on acoustics via the ART. So, again, which peice of gear do I dump?
The 414 is a good mic. It is versatile. As a vocal mic though, it has very limited uses. In many years of recording, I have only found a few vocalists where it won out over various other mics. While it never sounds "bad", it seldom sounds "great" on many vocalists. It lacks a "round" sound. On many voices, it can downright be cold and stiff sounding. Unless you have a very plain, sort of bassy voice, I doubt it will please you regardless of which preamp you run it through.
Again, I am betting that if you tried a variety of mics between that ART and any of those other preamps you are considering, you will get varied results on which pre sounds better. I think you really need to settle on a mic that is suitable for your voice first, then worry about the electronics later. I have yet to hear anything via those other preamps that I thought was stellar compared to many "lesser" preamps. Microphones are where it is at! Have many, and try them all out for what you are doing.
I will commonly line up all my LD's and run them all via a very average preamp and try them all out first on a vocalist. When we find the one mic that suits their voice best, we try different preamps. Here, the changes in sound are VERY subtle, and often the artist can't really tell the difference. At this point, I am usually picking the one that just sort of "feels" right at the moment. I will tell you though, I have had many times where ART's and Mackie preamps have done quite well against "better" preamps with the same mic.
Preamps are overrated.
Good luck.
