Is This The Best Mic / Pre Combo for $260?

G

guitar-dave

New member
Hi everyone,
Been searching the forums for days looking at info about mics and mic pres, and was looking for some quick advice. I am about to purchase my first mic/mic pre for vocals and acoustic guitar (with my EMU 1212m) and have chosen:

Studio Projects B1
Studio Projects VTB1

This is going to cost me £140 / $260. I just wanted to check if this was the best combo for my purposes for the money, and if anyone has any better ideas?
Cheers,
Dave
 
Another pre that you can consider is the M-Audio DMP3 for about $160, and since the B1 is $100 its an equal to your budget. Alot of peole here seem to like the DMP3. I cant vouch for it as I have never heard it. Hell, I have never even got a chance to demo mic pres!!! I am accustomed using the horrible crap in my soundcard!!! But I just ordered the Audio Buddy and am waiting for it to get here so I can try it and get on with doing vocals for 3 tracks I am working on now.

D
 
mxlv67d/dmp3........

or mxlv67g/joe meek 3Q (a little more and only 1 channel but u get compression and eq)
 
Guess there would be several options. Studio Projects B1 and MXL V67G are often pointed to as good buys in this price range, when speaking of LDC microphones. another options would Oktava MK-319. The B1 is brighter, the V67G is "darker" -- so it depends on your voice and guitar which one will suit you better.

You could also get a SDC such as MXL 603 or Oktava MK-012.

Or maybe a SM57 could serve you well, when you have a good preamp.

For the pre-amp, both VTB-1 and DMP3 are both sensible options. Joemeeq 3Q, or whatever it is currently called, is also an option. DMP3 is pretty clean and uncoloured, VTB-1 has an option to add a bit of "toob" distortion (i.e. some colour). The Joemeek 3 has the option to colour or warmth by using even a tiny amount of compression.

I ended up with a SP B1 and the Joemeek 3-whatever-CS between some of my first buys. Works as expected.


Bottom line: You need to test the mic/pre-amp with your own voice and guitar, preferably in your own room, before you buy -- thats the only way you can find out what works best for you.


-- Per.
 
guitar-dave said:
Hi everyone,
Been searching the forums for days looking at info about mics and mic pres, and was looking for some quick advice. I am about to purchase my first mic/mic pre for vocals and acoustic guitar (with my EMU 1212m) and have chosen:

Studio Projects B1
Studio Projects VTB1

This is going to cost me £140 / $260. I just wanted to check if this was the best combo for my purposes for the money, and if anyone has any better ideas?
Cheers,
Dave
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry too much about the "best" in that price range, or in any price range for that matter. It gets kinda subjective. There are sertainly many combinations of mic and preamp in your price range.
 
Thanks for all that help guys...

My main problem is that I'm in the UK, and MXL stuff is very hard to get hold of, and most other stuff is much more pricey that in the US.

I like the look of the DMP3, and most people here talk very highly of it, but, in the UK it costs £170, which is $315. Since I don't really need two channels, I'd rather save the money and buy a compressor etc.

About the Joe Meek 3Q, I can get that for about $250, is it worth the extra $80 for the compressor and EQ. I like the idea of having these options to teach myself about these things, but are they any good?

Thanks very much for your time,
Dave
 
Thanks for all the advice and opinions guys.

I have gone for it and bought the VTB-1 and B1 combo for £140 / $260. Whilst reading about them I saw someone who said that the preamp needed time to "burn in". I was wondering how I go about running in a preamp. Do I just leave it on for a while, and if so how long? Does a mic need to be plugged in (or another noise source?) I could for example run white/pink noise through it for a while?

Does the mic need breaking it at all? Will its characteristics change as it gets used for the first few times?

If anyone can point me to a "breaking in kit" FAQ I would be most appreciative...

Thanks once again in advance,
Dave
 
guitar-dave said:
Thanks for all the advice and opinions guys.

I have gone for it and bought the VTB-1 and B1 combo for £140 / $260. Whilst reading about them I saw someone who said that the preamp needed time to "burn in". I was wondering how I go about running in a preamp. Do I just leave it on for a while, and if so how long? Does a mic need to be plugged in (or another noise source?) I could for example run white/pink noise through it for a while?

Does the mic need breaking it at all? Will its characteristics change as it gets used for the first few times?

If anyone can point me to a "breaking in kit" FAQ I would be most appreciative...

Thanks once again in advance,
Dave
Click to expand...

Great choice. I have the same gear and love it. If I plan to use the tube circuit on the VTB1, I turn it on 1/2 before use to stabilize the temp, though I rarely dial in the tube. I can't speak to the burn-in thing...

One thing though, I've never had a problem with SP mics, but it was suggested that when not in use, I keep the B1's in a glass jar with a silica gel packet in there too. Condensors can be prone to picking up moisture on the diaphragm, which is not a good thing. Also, use a pop-shield in front of the mic when recording vocals. It cuts down on p's exploding and it helps keep moist breath out of the mic.

Set your VTB1's impedence switch properly for the B1 (200ohms, I think) and have a blast. You're in for some fine recording.
 
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