Cheap Preamp test (for those that wanted to look at them)

[gcapel]

chessrock, out of curiosity, what are your preamps of choice?

I know he favors the sytek for mid range priced stuff.

 

[MCI2424]

chessrock, out of curiosity, what are your preamps of choice?

Pre-amp sound is totally subjective. The same problem with high end stuff as lo end stuff. If you like it, it is good.

Every pre-amp made has lovers and haters no matter what the price range.

The trick is to be able to hear and use it in your setup and that is next to impossible if you have no one to lend you one.

 

[chessrock]

I tend to plug in to whatever I happen to have in my rack that isn't occupied at the current moment.

When I'm lucky enough to freelance, I tend to plug in to wherever I happen to find a spare XLR input.

If three open inputs happened to be within inches of one another, and two of them were labeled "Behringer" and "ART" ... I would definitely opt for whatever the third one was - don't get me wrong. And if an API was within a reasonable distance of either of those, then I suppose it would tend to get the nod as well (and I might go out of my way for it).

But I generally wouldn't spend more than a few minutes' worth of thought on the topic. I really don't feel that any more is warranted when time is of the essense.
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[kojdogg]

I tend to plug in to whatever I happen to have in my rack that isn't occupied at the current moment.

When I'm lucky enough to freelance, I tend to plug in to wherever I happen to find a spare XLR input.

If three open inputs happened to be within inches of one another, and two of them were labeled "Behringer" and "ART" ... I would definitely opt for whatever the third one was - don't get me wrong. And if an API was within a reasonable distance of either of those, then I suppose it would tend to get the nod as well (and I might go out of my way for it).

But I generally wouldn't spend more than a few minutes' worth of thought on the topic. I really don't feel that any more is warranted when time is of the essense.
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yeah, but what do you actually use? what, besides a rane ms-1b, is worthy?

 

[chessrock]

yeah, but what do you actually use? what, besides a rane ms-1b, is worthy?

I got a hodge-podge of shit. I really do. And it's kind of a revolving door. The first thing I plug in to, generally, is a Symetrix 528 that I spent a shitload of time tinkering with.

Not for any amount of sweat I may have made over what minute sonic benefits it might bring to the table over whatever else I might have lying around. But more for the fact that it's got a de-esser, a compressor, an expander/gate, and three bands of sweepable EQ ... all in one little rack space. That's a convenience factor that I can get in to.

Any tiny bit of energy I don't have to exert futzing around with the patch-bay for even one small second means that much more time I can waste on this board, surfing for porn, or grabbing me a sandwich - or all three.

I got me two of those things, by the way. And a Rane VP12, which basically has all of the same functions. Ergonomically speaking, that packs 3 mic pres, 3 comps, 3 gates, and 3 EQs ... in 3 rack spaces. After that, I've got a Sytek and an Audio Upgrades 2-channel High-speed mic pre. I suppose those particular units are a bit more fancy-pants, but I haven't put near as much tinker time in either of them. Plus, they require me to strain at least a few brain synapses on the patch bay, generally speaking, if I should wish to use some EQ or compression or whatever. For that reason, they get a little less action, but then I tend to be a track hog, so who am I kidding -- everything gets a lot of use. And I like the whole "4 mic pres in one rack space" idea. It appeals to my ergonomic sensibilities.

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[kojdogg]

what do you think of the jim williams high speed pre? i was toying with the idea of getting a 528 and having him do his thing.
i definitely agree with the ergonomics factor. having a couple nice channel strips in my langevin dvc with eq and limiting has been awesome for me. they keep the controls limited and simple-- fewer choices = quicker recording. i use it more than the a-designs p1s i thought that i would end up tracking everything through.
i'm all for the channel strip thing. i understand that the art tube channel (the 2ru one) is a good deal for the $ and people give love to the tampa and the meek 3q as well-- any of those wouldn't be much more expensive used than a dmp3 for example. conversely, i've heard a lot of bad reviews from end users of the cheaper focusrite strips
back to the op, though, after trying out a whole bunch of pres this year though, i am surprised at how very decent the dmp3 sounds...

 

[chessrock]

what do you think of the jim williams high speed pre? i was toying with the idea of getting a 528 and having him do his thing.

If you like the whole channel strip thing, then it's a really worthwhile thing to have around. I did my own modifications to the 528, which were somewhat time-consuming, but not too difficult. The whole Jim Willams thing is all about fast and clean -- Everything he does is about faster, more modern electronics, etc. and he really pushes the envelope on all of that -- for better or worse. At least with his stuff, you'll know that there aren't any slow or outdated electronics holding it back or clouding the picture ... for at least another 30 years or so.

after trying out a whole bunch of pres this year though, i am surprised at how very decent the dmp3 sounds...

There's nothing wrong with it -- does the job ... you plug a mic in to it and it gives you gain. And it doesn't suck in the least.

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[promesis]

Symetrix 528 that I spent a shitload of time tinkering with.

chessrock, would you describe these "tinkerings" and your reasoning behind decisions taken throughout the process?

i realize this may be out of context with regard to the op .. but it sounds interesting .. maybe for another thread or email me .. even a short "thumbnail sketch" would be appreciated... any special upgrades/ideas to/for the sytek?