DAV BG1 vs M-Audio DMP3

  • Thread starter Thread starter dickiefunk
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I have not experienced the DAV myself, also due to cost. Not that it was on the shortlist of pre's I was looking to upgrade to, but I wound up (surprisingly) not having a ton of cash after Christmas for pre upgrade when I needed it, so I went with the DMP-3.

In terms of 'how good it sounds', it doesn't produce much coloration, which I was looking for. Not having the money to assemble a set of pre's that offer unique sounds, the DMP-3 works great at amplifying signal, and leaving it alone.

I was more interested in upgrading to a better LDC, so I spent the bulk of my recording gear budget on the mic, and ended up going with a Rode K2, and a replcement tube, and that combined with the DMP-3 gives a smooth, uncolored sound. So, I would say, best spend the money on a better mic before spending a lot on the pre, since there are so many viable, inexpensive alternatives.

Perhaps I missed it above, but what mics are you using, and for what? Just curious, as I've now gone through plenty of inexpensive recording solutions over the last couple years, so perhaps someone here can recommend a good set of pre+mic for your situation. Good luck :)
 
I'm using a Rode NT1a and a Studio Projects B1 for mics. I use them for mainly vocals. I work with a large variety of vocalists from the soft husky male tenor tone to full on Aretha Franklin female mezzo soprano gospel voice and lot's more in between! I am also thinking about getting some more mics this year like an Audio Technica 4040, CAD M179, Rode NT2a or K2. All the mic pres I own are coloured and this didn't suit all the voices so I am looking for a good transparent uncoloured pre. I don't think I can justify the DAV BG1 at the moment if the DMP3 will be perfectly good enough.
I am keen to find out how the DMP3 would compare to my SPL Goldmike, Studio Projects VTB1 and Soundcraft M8. Has anyone had any experience with these and the DMP3? Also how does the DMP3 compare to say the Mackie Onyx and VLZ3 pres?
 
dickiefunk said:
I'm using a Rode NT1a and a Studio Projects B1 for mics. I use them for mainly vocals. I work with a large variety of vocalists from the soft husky male tenor tone to full on Aretha Franklin female mezzo soprano gospel voice and lot's more in between! I am also thinking about getting some more mics this year like an Audio Technica 4040, CAD M179, Rode NT2a or K2. All the mic pres I own are coloured and this didn't suit all the voices so I am looking for a good transparent uncoloured pre. I don't think I can justify the DAV BG1 at the moment if the DMP3 will be perfectly good enough.
I am keen to find out how the DMP3 would compare to my SPL Goldmike, Studio Projects VTB1 and Soundcraft M8. Has anyone had any experience with these and the DMP3? Also how does the DMP3 compare to say the Mackie Onyx and VLZ3 pres?
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the dmp3 doesn't sound much different than a vtb1 to my ears. there is a difference but not much. i think the dmp3 sounds a little more pristine and the vtb1 sounds a tad thicker. i have a dmp2, dmp3, vtb1, and some other crappy pres lying around here. dmp3 is the best bang for the buck but since you already have a vtb1, i wouldn't waste your time and money.
 
tdukex said:
How much personal experience do you have with the DMP3? If you do have experience with it, can you honestly say it isn't extraordinary for the price?
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If you'll re-read my post you'll notice that I never commented on the DMP3. That's because I haven't used it.

One concept that I think can confuse people is the concept of "good for the price". While most of us have to deal with limitations of how much we can spend on gear, I think it is healthy to also eliminate that factor in terms of understanding where the gear fits into the bigger picture. A preamp that is an extraordinary buy at $100 is still not necessarily an extraordinary preamp. You are left with the question of simply: what's an extraordinary preamp? Then you look for those and figure out how to get into the most affordable of them.

I have compared the DAV BG-1 to other preamps. For example, I used to own a Grace Designs 201--a $2,000 preamp, and a great one at that. When I bought my DAV BG-1, I sold the Grace. That may help give you some idea of how good the BG-1 sounds (at least to me!). I've also compared it to the lower end Focusrite, Presonus, and M-Audio preamps, although not the DMP3 specifically. None of the units I've heard have been even close.
 
SonicAlpert, you and I are generally in agreement. I'm just busting you a little bit because of the the way your post was worded. I do not expect the DMP3 to sound as good as a Hardy--or a DAV, but it does sound good. You, SA, could make a professional acou guit recording with it and nobody listening would question the quality of the preamp.

I also love to spend $ on gear. I always say buy the best gear you can reasonably afford, emphasis on "reasonably." Which leads back to one of my salient points: not everybody can afford the $700 or so for a DAV or the $1,700 for a Hardy. Really, they can't. Sometimes ya just gotta buy a cheaper piece of "good for the price" gear and get on to recording. For example, when I started in 1998 all I could afford was a cheap $80 behringer mixer. Sure, it sucked, but it gave me 2 years of recording experience and allowed me to spend $ on a decent monitoring chain and some decent SDCs. Then, when I got the DMP3 I could actually appreciate the difference in quality. Also, I have a $1,200 Sebatron that I really, really dig, but for solo acou guit I still usually prefer the DMP3.
 
If I were you

For starters, I don't really know what your Soundcraft pres sound like, but I would imagine they're not that bad.

I really think you would probably be better off with another mic at this point, but I guess only you would know whether or not it's working for you.
 
Kevin DeSchwazi said:
I think he meant that the fact he digs his user name is nothing to do with this thread. ;)
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Yeah, I think you're right now that I look at it again. But usually when someone seperates statements on different lines with periods at the end that means it's a seperate statement.

Not here I guess! ;)
 
tdukex said:
but for solo acou guit I still usually prefer the DMP3.
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A lot of guys who own more expensive pres say that about the DMP3. That statement itself says a lot about this solid low cost preamp.
 
SonicAlbert said:
One concept that I think can confuse people is the concept of "good for the price". QUOTE]

Yup. I've bought a few things that were good for the price, but not really any good.
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Ok thanks for the info guys. The DAV BG1 is going to be well out of my budget because I would like to spend more money on Acoustic treatment and mics. I'm thinking that I might sell the VTB1 and get the DMP3. This would give me the SPL Goldmike for coloured pres and the DMP3 for transparent. I'm also thinking of starting a new thread to see how people think the DMP3 compares to the Mackie VLZ and Onyx pres- what do you reckon?
 
dickiefunk said:
I'm also thinking of starting a new thread to see how people think the DMP3 compares to the Mackie VLZ and Onyx pres- what do you reckon?
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Probably a little better than the VLZ, and comparable to the Onyx. Although to be fair I have no experience with the Onyx, and based on others' reviews the Onyx could be in another class.

.
 
there is a Rackmount version of the DAV now too. the DAV BG-1u (or something like that??)

howdy folks, howdy Chessrock. ;)
 
chessrock said:
Probably a little better than the VLZ...
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I would agree with that assessment. The DMP3 is not as brittle, especially when pushed, and it has better stereo imaging IMO.

From the acou guit comparison I've heard between the DMP3 and the VTB1, the DMP3 is far superior for that app--not as good as a bass DI.
 
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