Good Pre amp for use with AKG 3000B..

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Altruist

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Just want to know which way I should lean. A tube pre amp or a solid state. Thought I would run it past ya...This is gonna be used for hiphop exclusively.

Thanks

-Geoff
 
The 3000 tends to be a litle bright (some would say harsh. So a tube pre would likely help to warm it up. However the pre would likely be more than the value of the mic.

I have heard decent results running a 3000 thru a Joe Meek - the coloration of the Meek seemd to help the 3000's brighter tone.
 
We run one thru' a Focusrite Trakmaster, for a female singer. A touch of tube emulations and a few db rolled off the highs. Might be a bit downmarket for you, but I can let you hear what it sounds like if you want. (It seems to me and many who know better that this mic is good for certain female vox and useless for anything else).
 
Damn I kept hearing that this was a dope mic for rappers(kicking myself for not testing it instore). I have used it a bit this weekend and found it a little harsh. Its funny I was looking at a focusrite preamp to buy along with it. I may just do that after a test at the store. The thing is, I want to grab a nice pre I won't have to upgrade when I buy acouple more mics. Sooooo thanks for the answers.
 
Altruist, sounds like you have "good ears".
Except for (typically) some female vocals, it IS a harsh mic.
This is per the pro studio I sold mine to BTW.

Best advice is probably for you to get rid of it too.

The "real" tube mic pre's cost some heavy change BTW.
Expect to pay around $300+ per channel used for a good
quality one, like a Peavey VMP2.
You can get a good solid state mic pre for much less $$.

Chris

P.S. Would a hand held microphone be of any use?
 
Hand held eh...Well I got my buddies cordless mic for shows and it does the trick so I don't really need any hand held stuff. My next mic purchase was gonna be a Rode NTK..Best believe I will go by sound of ear before word of mouth on this buy. and I will save for some tude gear maybe it will add alittle as they say warmth to the akg...If I can't find someone who wants to buy it in the meantime. Maybe I will just take it back but i think my girlfriend tossed the receipt.
 
You don't have to take "my" word for it, however, if you ever want to know about other "warm" microphones that have sold millions of records, you're always welcome. :)

Including those that DON'T need a tube pre to sound warm.
Just picked up one off e-bay that fits that bill BTW.

Chris
 
Maybe I should have mentioned it cost only about $100(!).

Chris
 
Altruist, I would see how much you can get for your C3000 (I suspect around 230?) and get that NTK you're talking about. You won't regret it one bit. I was quoted on the hr-faq.com about all the uses I've found for it.

And, BTW, the C3000 is the ugliest mic I can think of. I need to start a thread about that.
 
$100 you say chessparov. Really for a nice compressor or are you talking about that hand held??

I am seeing if I can take back the akg I found my receipt so maybe I can get some store credit.

I have had my eye on the Rode NTK for a while now.
 
I was trying to be humorous in those last posts to some extent.
On a more serious note...

If you're of an adventurous sort, like me, you may want to also investigate some "sleeper" vocal microphones like;

1) Electro-Voice EV 666 (this was the one I bought for $100:))
2) Electro-Voice EV RE15 (or RE16)
3) Beyer M88 (or M88TG)
4) Sennheiser 441 and/or 421
5) Beyer Soundstar MKII (also called Model 400)
6) Shure SM7
7) Electro-Voice EV RE20 (or PL20)
8) Beyer ribbon's (M160, M260, M500)
And some others...
(almost all have each been on million+ selling records)

If I was limiting myself to "tube" condensers I'd also try out;

1) Studio Projects TB1
2) Studio Projects T3 (probably w/factory tweak that "flattens" it)
3) Marshall V69
4) AT 4060 and/or 3060
5) CAD M9

Chris

P.S. The EV 666 sounds is reputed to sound just like a RCA 77DX
ribbon when run through a (real) tube pre. It's giving every
indication (so far) that's true.
The Meek compressors are about to be revamped-worth
getting for vintage style compression. Fmr. Audio RNC is
a fine VCA compressor that'll complement it very well.
 
Sometimes a C300 can be just the thing for a quiet, breathy vocal to get it sticking out of a thick mix. I've used it on cymbals with great success and for millimeter close whispered backups nothing even comes close.

It's not a bad mic, people just try to use it in bad ways.

I've used it with my stock Roland VM 31oo pres, TASCAM mixer pres and an event EMP 1 solid state pre....all worked nicely but the EMP1 did more for the mic's sound than others.
 
The C3000 isn't a very good mic. With that being said, it works better when paired with a Joemeek. Also, it CAN be of good use if you really want something to cut through the mix.

But all in all, I don't like it.
 
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