Help me out - it's about pres.

S

Shakuan

New member
Hey I'm looking for a 2 or 4 channel mic pre, with or without eq/comp, rack mountable, between 700$ and 2500$.

Here's what I'm already considering:

- Focusrite Red 1 :: 4 chans, no eq/comp, 2500$
- Focusrite Red 8 :: 2 chans, no eq/comp, 1700$
- Toft ATC-2 :: 2 chans, eq+comp, 1000$
- Buzz MA-2.2 :: 2 chans, no eq/comp, 1900$
- Earthworks 1022 :: 2 chans, no eq/comp, 1700$
- Phoenix DRS-2 :: 2 chans, no eq/comp, 2200$
- G-River MP2-NV :: 2 chans, no eq/comp, 2200$
- Drawmer 1968 ME :: 2 chans, comp only, 2200$
- A-Designs MP-2 :: 2 chans, no eq/comp, 1700$
- RNP+RNC+rack :: 2 chans, comp only, 700$

I haven't really decided yet if I'll be recording with a Delta1010, an RME or a Lynx card but it's gonna be one of those 3. I'll be recording electro-pop-rock music much like supergrass, midlake, umbrella sequence, radiohead, muse, modest mouse and so on.

I'm gonna need at least 2 high quality channels for stereo micing of guitars, pianos, flutes and vocals (DI for guit and bass too). Then I'm gonna need maybe 4 more channels (less expensive ones) for a total of 6 to mic my drums.

If you know any other preamp that should be considered please lemme know. If you have any suggestions/recommendations or comments, please post them.

I gotta admit that 1000$+ per channel is maybe a little too much for me but I dunno. If it's really worth it, I'm game. I'm the kind of guy that prefers buying quality the first time instead of trying to save a couple bucks to finally end up paying more in the long run cause the gear no longer satisfies me. Also, if I'm to go for the Red8, I'll just get the Red1 since it's so much cheaper per channel. That's my thinking.

Thanks!
 
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More interrogations...

If you had to choose between the TAC-2 or the RNP+RNC+rack kit, which one would you get and why?

What are the advantages and inconvenients of having a seperate preamp, eq and comp instead of having an "all-in-one" unit like the TAC-2? I'm not planning on having multiple pres, eqs, and comps to have different coloration options. I just want 2 gold channels equipped with the best I can afford.

How does the Focusrite Red 8 compare to the Great River MP2-NV?

Let's say you invite a friend over and you use the Focusrite Red 8 and the TAC-2 in front of him. Do you think he could tell which unit is the more pricey just by the sound quality difference of the pres or do you think that it takes a trained engineer hear to be able to notice the difference in quality?

Let's say I buy the TAC-2 and after 2 days I realise it's not good enough, can I exchange it for a better unit?
 
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I think your first order of business should be to decide what features you need.

I know it's tough to decide these things, but no one can do it for you. :D You have to figure out if you need just good mic pres, or if you need all the other bells and whistels . . . EQ, compression, etc. etc. What I would do if I were in your shoes doesn't help you very much, because you may prefer working differently, or may have different priorities than I or someone else would.

However, :D that said . . . this is what I would do, and what I think would be great for your purposes if I were in your shoes:

First off, I'd get a rack, a patchbay, and bunch of cables.

Next, I'd pick up 1 Sytek 4-channel mic pre for drums and other various odds and ends.

After that, it just depends on how you prefer to work. Are you recording in a DAW environment, and do you like working with plugins and that sort of thing? If I was in that position, then I might just skip the whole idea of loading up on a bunch of outboard processors, and just pick up a UAD-1 card and use that for your compression and EQ.

Now if that wasn't my bag, and I was the type who prefers outboard processors, then I'd probably scour the ebay scene and get a couple DBX Project I Parametric EQ's. Being the cheapskate I am. Then I'd probably grab a couple of RNC's to round things out.

Then I'd grab whatever I could scrounge up for my gold channel, depending on how much I had left over. Maybe a John Hardy or a Great River. That kind of thing.

But that's just me, and what you're going to get the most benefit or use out of might be completely different.
 
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