dudleys100 said:
I would also like to through another one in there. The Sytek with the 2 modded pre's. I really only need one or two channels, so would one channel of sytek be in the ballpark as the Great River etc.? To mention I am using a C-1, and a 603 for most of my mic duties. What is it about the Great River that makes it better for rock and the M-1 better for acoustic. I just am not sure why one would favor a certain type of music more. Thanks.
dudleys, the Sytek is very different from the Great River. The Sytek MPX-4 was originally developed for the Neotek Elan console. The Sytek pres are transformerless. Using a transformerless design does a few things: 1. It makes the "slew rate" - basically the speed of the signal in the pre – much faster. These types of pres are better for music with great degrees of dynamics and also instruments that have fast transient attacks – such as snare, cymbals, claves, etc. 2. Transformerless micpres also tend to be much more "transparent" in their treatment of the signal being passed through. These types of pres are favored by classical recordists - which is why you'll find mic pres made by companies such as Millennia being widely used to record orchestras. For more info on this, read the
Millennia Design Philosophy.
The Great River MP-1NV is on the other end of the spectrum. Not only does it have a transformer on the output stage, but it also has a transformer on the input stage as well. This does a few things: 1. It slows down the slew rate. 2. Gives the signal being passed through the mic pre a certain "color". To a purist, this would literally be known as a type of
effect. Perhaps much desired, but an effect nonetheless. The MP-NV mic pres are based on
the Neve 1073, which is known for a "big" sound. The term
iron which you might see written when referring to these types of pres, means the iron inside the transformer. The majority of transformers are made with iron and nickel. A sound passing through iron has a certain sound. It also has a way of sort of compressing some of the faster frequencies in the signal -so then, the slower elements of the signal "catch up". That's how you get that
in your face sound from certain mic pre manufacturers, such as API, Neve and Manley.
Some of the companies with a transformerless designs are Millennia, Earthworks, Grace and Sytek.
Some of the companies with transformer-based designs are API, Neve [and all of the Neve emulators ], Focusrite and Amek [ both of which are decended from Neve lineage and include Rupert Neve as the designer of many of their products ], Manley and the new FMR Audio RNP.
In modern music, where would you want to apply a transformerless mic pre? On all or most classical music, on Jazz and acoustic-based music such as Bluegrass. Also on drum overheads and stereo miking of piano and acoustic guitar. This is actually why it can be good to buy the first transformerless mic pre you buy to be used as a pair.
Some applications for transformer-based mic pres are in music with less overall dynamics and tonal range - which includes Rock, Hip Hop and other forms of popular "energetic" music in which you want to add some "balls" to the sound. The good thing about a pre like the Great River MP-1NV is that, for the most part [ if you're overdubbing ] – you can easily get away with one channel.
I'll post a little about instrumentation and mic pre selection when I've got a little more time.
Hope that helps.
