Best Mic Pre under $300 Poll..

  • Thread starter Thread starter NoFO
  • Start date Start date

Wich mic pre offers the best quality for the price?

  • ART TPS $180

    Votes: 28 4.1%

  • ART DPS (TPS with digital outs) $250

    Votes: 31 4.5%

  • Behringer Ultra Gain $170

    Votes: 34 5.0%

  • M-Audio/Midiman DMP-3 $199

    Votes: 159 23.2%

  • M-Audio Audio Buddy $120

    Votes: 23 3.4%

  • Presonus Blue Tube $150

    Votes: 83 12.1%

  • None of the above, (specify in post)

    Votes: 115 16.8%

  • don't be cheap, save your cash and buy something elitist

    Votes: 174 25.4%

  • Screw it all, go MIDI all the way

    Votes: 39 5.7%
  • Total voters
    686
OneArmedScissor said:
IMO, you already sort of wasted money by buying the cheap pres and comp. I would NEVER suggest those to anyone, because just a little bit more money gets you a keeper pre, while those others often end up completely useless.

Don't repeat that again. Just get a DMP3 and RNC. If you can manage better than a DMP3, go for it.

If you are really tight on cash, you should probably look at the Joemeek 3Q. It's about $200, with a good mic pre, comp, and EQ.

Other than that, I really wouldn't touch any of the cheaper combo stuff.
Click to expand...

This is kind of like saying someone wasted their money buying red and yellow paint, because for a little bit more money, you could have bought blue paint, so then red and yellow will end up completely useless ;) Sure, as one aquires more preamps, the relative worth of cheaper equipment will become apparent. Search around this BBS, and you will find excellent examples of stuff recorded with that behringer ultragain or the art preamps that suggest the fact they used the ultragain or ART had little to do with the success of their production! Those examples have taught me that preamps (most reasonably designed and constructed preamps designed for project studios) don't exist on some linear/monetary scale of better to worse - it's all about matching it up with the right mic on the right source.

JohnyMann, if all you have are starved-plate tube preamps, you will enjoy the diversity that one gets by attaining non-coloured pre's. Save the big bucks for the new mics - the things that are gonna make a HUGE difference in your productions.
 
Symetrix sx202

SX-202... no tubes... no complaints... crystal clear, no frills pre...
 
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teainthesahara said:
JohnyMann, if all you have are starved-plate tube preamps, you will enjoy the diversity that one gets by attaining non-coloured pre's. Save the big bucks for the new mics - the things that are gonna make a HUGE difference in your productions.
Click to expand...


teainthesahara,

I do want to get a better mic pre. And I am already a mic junkey. This weekend I ordered the FMR RNC (I looked around for the DBX 119 as you suggested but couldn't find any for sale) and a MXL V67G. I look forward to retiring my Nanocompressor.

I am constantly looking to improve my mic collection but I was under the impression that a better mic pre would help get the best sound out of the better mics.
 
JohnnyMan said:
teainthesahara,

I do want to get a better mic pre. And I am already a mic junkey. This weekend I ordered the FMR RNC (I looked around for the DBX 119 as you suggested but couldn't find any for sale) and a MXL V67G. I look forward to retiring my Nanocompressor.

I am constantly looking to improve my mic collection but I was under the impression that a better mic pre would help get the best sound out of the better mics.
Click to expand...

JohnnyMan,
Congrats on your purchases :) You are gonna have fun with that mic and comp. Don't get me wrong, those tools should help your recordings!

This board is FANTASTIC for researching new preamp/compressor purchases...lots of good advice to be found. What i find however, is that alot of great advice is given from the perspective of "the trees", without stepping back to view "the forest". Whenever I get the itch to buy some new gear that I am convinced is going to improve my recordings, I take a look at this thread:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=48339&highlight=sonusman+preamp

It's long, but worthwhile. Make sure you read until atleast the bottome of page 1. Good perspective in that thread. Again, dont get me wrong. I dig having as much preamps as i can get...i've got 5 different models, with the most expensive being my symetrix 528. At this stage of the game, all I will call the symetrix, however, is my most expensive. Not better or worse. With some mics, its an awesome match. With other mics, my 49$ ART mp or 80$ VTB1 do just as good, or a better job in some circumstances. Im relatively new to recording, but experienced enough to know that when my recordings dont live up to my expectations, its rarely because of the preamps I used.

Have fun with that new mic and comp :)

T
 
turnitdown said:
SX-202... no tubes... no complaints... crystal clear, no frills pre...
Click to expand...

Did you mean the 302? I've never heard of that brand before. I looked it up, and found no 200 something models, but there is a 302 dual mic pre. It runs $225 at B&H Photo, and Full Compass also sells it, surely for less.

Sounds like a contender. I'd be very interested in a comparison between that, a DMP3, and a MS1b.

turnitdown, you ever A/Bed it with anything like that?

EDIT: I dug up a few threads where it was mentioned. It didn't tell me much about the overall quality, though. Obviously, atleast some people know about it. Anyone else got anything to say?
 
Symetrix use to make the 202 before they replaced it with the 302.
 
teainthesahara said:
JohnnyMan,
Congrats on your purchases :) You are gonna have fun with that mic and comp. Don't get me wrong, those tools should help your recordings!

This board is FANTASTIC for researching new preamp/compressor purchases...lots of good advice to be found. What i find however, is that alot of great advice is given from the perspective of "the trees", without stepping back to view "the forest". Whenever I get the itch to buy some new gear that I am convinced is going to improve my recordings, I take a look at this thread:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=48339&highlight=sonusman+preamp

It's long, but worthwhile. Make sure you read until atleast the bottome of page 1. Good perspective in that thread. Again, dont get me wrong. I dig having as much preamps as i can get...i've got 5 different models, with the most expensive being my symetrix 528. At this stage of the game, all I will call the symetrix, however, is my most expensive. Not better or worse. With some mics, its an awesome match. With other mics, my 49$ ART mp or 80$ VTB1 do just as good, or a better job in some circumstances. Im relatively new to recording, but experienced enough to know that when my recordings dont live up to my expectations, its rarely because of the preamps I used.

Have fun with that new mic and comp :)

T
Click to expand...


T,

Thanks for the link. I started reading it last night but couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I was also bidding on a DMP-3 and lost it because I couldn't stay awake (it was a long day yesterday).

I will continue to read the thread. At this time I feel somewhat confused (I’ve mentally flip-flopped over 100 times). I did strongly believe that my preamps were my problem. Maybe I'll wait and see how the RNC sounds with my current signal chain before investing in a new pre. There are so many posts claiming how the DMP-3 is a great pre. I can get one for around $150 which is very appealing. Two Ranes will be twice that BUT if it’s worth investing in the Rane then maybe I’ll get one soon and then another down the road.

John
 
If you need lots of channels (like for drums or something), you could always get a DMP3 AND a few MS1bs. Just split up your investment over time, and pick up each piece along the way.

Btw, are you in school? Those DMP3s on Ebay tend to go for $140, which I think is pretty freaking stupid.

At www.academicsuperstore.com or www.studica.com you can actually buy them brand new for $140 with an academic discount.

Even if you can't do that, they barely cost more than that new.

I still want to hear more about this Symetrix pre, though! :D
 
So even if you got one new ($225, possibly $200ish), do you think that might be a better bet than a DMP3? I know this is all often preference and situation based stuff, but I'm just curious.

For example, Chessrock said that if he "had to do it all over," he would just get a few Rane MS1bs. I just find stuff like that interesting hehe.
 
OneArmedScissor said:
So even if you got one new ($225, possibly $200ish), do you think that might be a better bet than a DMP3? I know this is all often preference and situation based stuff, but I'm just curious.

For example, Chessrock said that if he "had to do it all over," he would just get a few Rane MS1bs. I just find stuff like that interesting hehe.
Click to expand...

I know. :confused:

Just when I am getting ready to buy the DMP-3, more pres are then put into the equation. I thought the DMP-3 was a pretty good deal at $159 new for dual channel but now I'm reading that the Rane is the way to go even though to have 2 channels it's going to cost twice the DMP-3.

Does the Rane MS1bs have metering?
 
OneArmedScissor said:
If you need lots of channels (like for drums or something), you could always get a DMP3 AND a few MS1bs. Just split up your investment over time, and pick up each piece along the way.

Btw, are you in school? Those DMP3s on Ebay tend to go for $140, which I think is pretty freaking stupid.

At www.academicsuperstore.com or www.studica.com you can actually buy them brand new for $140 with an academic discount.

Even if you can't do that, they barely cost more than that new.

I still want to hear more about this Symetrix pre, though! :D
Click to expand...

No, I'm not in school so the discount doesn't apply to me.

You are right about buying them for next no difference between new and used. I saw one used go $124.50 (shipping included) and you can buy them new for $159 on ebay.

I have all but completely convinced myself to go in the "DMP3 purchase" direction.
 
Btw, Full Compass sells DMP3s. You could probably get it a little cheaper than $160. They also sell MS1bs if you care to go that route.

Hey, you know what. You could probably buy one of each and see if the price difference in the Rane is justifiable to you, then return whichever one you don't want.
 
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