Can you REALLY tell the difference between Mic pre-amps?

[BasPer]

Humm they were the same people that made that doggy digital patch bay I was on about in another post only it was sold under a different name (SK Audio).

ST Audio is what they like to call their pro-range nowadays, but I prefer to keep saying Hoontech 'cause I find it very much consumer grade still. That being said, the line inputs are perfectly satisfactory to me, but I do avoid the mic inputs like - as you said - the plauge.

 

[ozraves]

I've got an M-Audio Audio Buddy and I was wondering if It's worth getting a better pre-amp. I'm pretty damn broke, and don't want to spend another $200 (about all I can afford) on a better pre-amp if there's little to no noticeable difference. Also, if there is much difference, does it start to get lost once you start layering and adding other instruments?

I don't think you're going to get an upgrade for $200 that's worth the money. To my mind, you don't get a true upgrade until you get to the FMR RNP or the Grace 101.

I'd save the money.

Steve
www.mojopie.com

 

[ozraves]

Fletcher,
Would Grace 101 fall into the "save the money and not invest in more crap"? Or does this model compare to Great River and others in that range?

I think the Grace 101 is definitely worth the money and then some if you like realism in a mic pre. And, sometimes, it can be a little too real. If you don't like realism, then go with something else like an FMR RNP which has a nice color to it.

Steve
www.mojopie.com

 

[chessparov]

Giga, the wierd thing about the Aphex 107, is that the more gain,
the LESS noisy it is. Strange yet true...

Chris

 

[TexRoadkill]

Save your money. The only new recording stuff worth spending <$200 on are:

cables
room treatment
patch bays
SM57 and a few other select mics
mic stands
guitar pedals
booze and drugs

 

[Fletcher]

I think the Grace 101 is definitely worth the money and then some if you like realism in a mic pre. And, sometimes, it can be a little too real. If you don't like realism, then go with something else like an FMR RNP which has a nice color to it.

Everything is "colored", its a question of whether or not you like the color or not. "Hard" is a color, "airy" is a color, "thick", "soft", "full", "thin"... all colors.

As for 'realism', I have no idea what that might mean... real how? A microphone doesn't hear the way our ears hear, so you can't get "audio" to sound like "the sound in the room" no matter what you do [unless you're both listening and recording in an anechoic chamber... which is bloody unlikely].

 

[chessparov]

It means some "colors" are more equal than others.

 

[Dr.Grace]

Anybody tried the Rane MS1b?

On Roger Nichols' forum, he's recommended the Rane MS1b "Microphone Stage", saying that in an informal shootout with a bunch of other more expensive pres this little $150 box held its own quite well. Has anyone here tried it?

http://www.rane.com/ms1b.html

I love the descriptions of the Rane products--quite a sense of humor at that company! The MS1b blurb says,

"Featuring a true differential input with high common-mode rejection, use of the MS 1b guarantees performance usually found only in mixing consoles costing thousands of times as much. Of course, for all of that extra money you receive a proportional increase in KPSI (knobs per square inch)."

Don

 

[ozraves]

Everything is "colored", its a question of whether or not you like the color or not. "Hard" is a color, "airy" is a color, "thick", "soft", "full", "thin"... all colors.

As for 'realism', I have no idea what that might mean... real how? A microphone doesn't hear the way our ears hear, so you can't get "audio" to sound like "the sound in the room" no matter what you do [unless you're both listening and recording in an anechoic chamber... which is bloody unlikely].

To me, the Grace 101 is like a photorealistic painting. It's not the same as the real thing but in some ways it's more real than real. And, sometimes, the overt reality can be very pleasing and other times it sucks.