Help choosing a preamp

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track pusha

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I'm having some trouble picking a preamp for my studio. I've been doing alot of reading, and I still can't decide on what to get. I record rap and i'm looking for a clean and warm sound. I've come up with a list of preamps that people have recomended to me, and i'd appreciate it if you guys tell what would be the best choice.

Grace 101
M-audio Tampa
Safe sound p1
Groove tubes "the brick"
 
3 hours really isn't a very long time to wait for a reply.

It is Saturday night.
 
Which one is the most affordable for you? What other gear do you have? What are you using it for?
 
I'm using it to record male rap vocals with a rode nt-a1 and studio projects c1 mic.
As far as other equipment i'm about to pick up either a firepod or a tascam 1804.
 
track pusha said:
I'm using it to record male rap vocals with a rode nt-a1 and studio projects c1 mic.
As far as other equipment i'm about to pick up either a firepod or a tascam 1804.
Click to expand...

Both pieces have useable pres in them already unless you just feel like wasting money.
 
I'm trying to decide what would be better the safe sound p1 or the brick, does any one have any clips of these pre's in action
 
The safesound might be good so you can get some compression as well.
 
track pusha said:
Man, wow! the second clip sounds very nice. Was it recorded just through the brick.
Click to expand...

The chain for the lead vocal was Rode NT1 --> Brick --> Tascam US-122 interface --> Cubase SE (I think I had an outboard compressor, either the dbx mc-6 mini comp or the RNC, in the chain for peaks, but I wasn't compressing heavily on the way in)

The track was mixed elsewhere, so I don't know what post-recording effects were added. The raw track sounded pretty good, though.
 
ok i just might get the brick if I don't get to hear the p1.
 
THe grace is a fairly nice pre as well from all i have heard
 
hopefully this will help...

Here is a good site with a decent review about the safesound pre-amp...

http://www.mojopie.com/p1.html

he gives it a great review, but this should help out...

Mike the Redfrodevil
 
oh, and another thing--you can see that there are at least some links to check out the sound of the unit, although i dont know that the reviewer actually tracked any hip-hop vocals through it...

Mike the Redfrodevil
 
or maybe....

For less than the price of the Brick, you can get a Rane MS1B mic pre (pre circuit is similar in design to the Grace but sells for only about $150.) and an FMR RNC compressor (about $175.)...that combo will be more versatile than the brick (the MS1B is cleaner than the Brick and incorporates Burr-Brown op-amps...great on vocals...and the RNC is the best bang-for-the-buck compressor out there...and it works great on Hiphop type vocals)...I don't do much Hiphop, but I do alot of Dancehall Reggae vocals which are very similar dynamically...this combo is about the best $325. you can spend...also for less of an investment, the Joe Meek 3Q gives you a good pre (Burr-Brown) with a decent EQ and Compressor for less than $200...not quite as clean as the MS1B, but at that price it's killa!...I have to work on posting some vocal tracks...
 
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