Mic Pre Kit's. Worth it?

  • Thread starter Thread starter TragikRemix
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well, i have neither talent, nor knowledge, but i have the will to learn and the gear to work with. i dont give a rats ass about names either, i want the best sound for my buck. i'm going to get the SCA rack and PSU, and one kit for now. the hell with it, maybe i'll just get the kit and make a wooden chassis/box thing and a power supply for it. if im really happy and i want to build 7 more preamps, then ill get the chassis and psu.

i agree about having the name brand gear. its my call right? my client (1), is a good friend of mine, and since i have never recorded someone else 'for real', im doing his band for free. they have a few songs and it's no pressure. their current demo is an acoustic guitar recorded through the 1/8 line in, a computer mic, and midi drums.

im using DFH drums, with a roland vdrum kit, and going DI on bass and guitar. it can't sound totally bad, especially since i've decided not to use my acoustic kit with mics. there's two vocalists, one who somewhat sings (more like cry's) and another one who screams (he can use a 57...)

they're not complaining about not playing through u47's and avalons because what i have is what i have... as it is, i placed a monster musicians friend order and rushed my purchase on ns10m's to be ready for them, (costing me around $1300 within one week-thank god for platinum payments..)

great river makes a neve clone, i wonder how the SCA one stands up against it... I know two people with them, i must build mine and do a comparison test...
 
If your client is pleased with your work, they won't care if it says Radio Shack, Sears, K-mart, or whatever on the stuff in your rack in most cases. There are those who have been around enough studios to recognize names that have demonstrated quality, and they may be hesitant to hire you if you don't have a good reputation with the gear you use. It will be impossible to match the workmanship of a good studio with a good engineer though. That being said, I've read some good things about SCA.
 
There are also Many "NON-Kit" pre amp projects that you can do....

There are Quite a few Pre-amp Schematics and PCB Designs on the Net that you can use to Etch your own PCB"s and Just source the Parts yourself ,which is what I"m doing with my "Green Pre" Project.....

The Green only costs between $50 and $75 per Channel to build and the Info avaiable on the net is very extensive and you don"t need to be an electronix genius to build one as I have never built anything like this before and Every one who has built one says that the audio quality rivals some of the best Mid to high end Pre"s.....

Here is a Pic of my Not quite complete Pre amp, I just have to wire up all the switches an XLR"s and LED"s and Mount it in the Box and test it and Make a Heatsink For my PSU....

Pre.jpg



Cheers
 
Minion said:
Here is a Pic of my Not quite complete Pre amp, I just have to wire up all the switches an XLR"s and LED"s and Mount it in the Box and test it and Make a Heatsink For my PSU....

Pre.jpg



Cheers
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Nice lookin' work :)
 
Of course another reason for the DIY route is that it's good fun not to mention fulfilling.

It's nice to work with gear that you know intimately, if you've built it yourself you'll know every nook and cranny inside the box and if something does go wrong with it you have a good chance of being able to fix it yourself.

In fact "it's cheaper" is probably the last reason I grow my own.

Yes the 'green' is an incredible pre cosnidering what it costs you in parts. The circuit is based on the pres found in the Amek Mozart console, very clean.

My current project is the Gyraf G9, a 2 channel tube pre. High voltage and transformer balanced; just valves, transformers and passives in the path (although there are some semiconductors in the PSU). Just waiting for my front panel and I'm planning on wiring up the torroids today.
 

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BigRay said:
Maybe it is different , but here in my line of work, noone gives a shit. They ONLY care about results. the guys that have the skill get gigs. the guys who suck dont.Gear aside. Boy am I glad I work in Classical music. :)
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It is different. Somewhat knowledgeable bands that know the buzz words will ask me if I have ProTools and Neumann mics. They know words like API & Neve. So the studio down the street has them and I have SCA pre's and Microtech Gefell & Royer mics. But I have to sell it to them. Unfortunately, there is something to be said about Big Name stuff.
 
MadMax said:
It is different. Somewhat knowledgeable bands that know the buzz words will ask me if I have ProTools and Neumann mics. They know words like API & Neve. So the studio down the street has them and I have SCA pre's and Microtech Gefell & Royer mics. But I have to sell it to them. Unfortunately, there is something to be said about Big Name stuff.
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Something wrong with those damn people. Any gefell will STOMP any modern neumann. ;)
 
BigRay said:
If you build a business on integrity and your work speaks for you, and you set the course, the clients will come to you no matter what gear you have. This name recognition bullshit is fucking silly.
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Amen to that! Thank You! Clients are smart enough to make their final assessment based on what sound they hear......not on what name brands they see in your rack. If a guy gets fantastic sound and has a ton of kit stuff in his rack, I will be amazed and I will send all my friends there. Even if the guy down the street has a room full of Neve but he cant get the same sound...
 
BigRay said:
Something wrong with those damn people. Any gefell will STOMP any modern neumann. ;)
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What's wrong with those people is the old adage "I know just enough to be dangerous". And yes Ray, you are indeed lucky, smart, or both to be working in classical music. Congrats on that. Unfortunately, there's thousands of aspiring bands out there for every orchestra, so the bulk of recording opportunities is with the, let's say less classy clientel. :)
 
Robert D said:
What's wrong with those people is the old adage "I know just enough to be dangerous". And yes Ray, you are indeed lucky, smart, or both to be working in classical music. Congrats on that. Unfortunately, there's thousands of aspiring bands out there for every orchestra, so the bulk of recording opportunities is with the, let's say less classy clientel. :)
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N o arguments here...! :) Hopefully I am able to maintain my grip on my clients here. I will resort to drugging and violence if neccessary. :p There are a lot of bands to be recorded, but there are also a million studios per capita that do that sort of work..not so many with classical music..so I guess it all balances out.
 
Kevin DeSchwazi said:
High voltage and transformer balanced; just valves, transformers and passives in the path (although there are some semiconductors in the PSU).
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Transformers are semiconductors, so are diodes. You likely meant "there are some integrated circuits in the PSU."
 
i've never made or seen anyone do this before. is it hard? is it worth getting compared to a product you can just click and buy on sweetwater.com??
 
buryher17 said:
i've never made or seen anyone do this before. is it hard? is it worth getting compared to a product you can just click and buy on sweetwater.com??
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If you haven't ever done any schematic reading or soldering before, it may be hard for you.

The SCA A12 is comparable to the API 512."The A12 is a simple, single stage preamp roughly based on classic American designs of the early '70s. Built with the suggested transformers and op-amp, the result is an amplifier with an aggressive midrange and pronounced transformer coloration. The A12 sounds fantastic with rock drums and electric guitars, but is versatile enough to be used with a wide variety of source material and microphone combinations."

The SCA N72 is comparable to the Neve. "The N72 delivers the unmistakable character of the highly sought-after Neve single-ended, class A, transformer coupled console modules. The N72 has become especially popular with digital recordists, since many feel it provides a certain warmth and color that can greatly benefit the hyper-accurate quality of digital recording. The basic circuitry of the N72 is essentially the same as that of the BA183 modules used in the 1272, 1073, and other Neve modules, and from a sonic perspective is virtually indistinguishable from an original Neve. "


Do a Sweetwater search for API & Neve and you'll see what they cost.
$$$-wise, the SCA stuff is a good deal for what you get.
 
MadMax said:
If you haven't ever done any schematic reading or soldering before, it may be hard for you.

The SCA A12 is comparable to the API 512."The A12 is a simple, single stage preamp roughly based on classic American designs of the early '70s. Built with the suggested transformers and op-amp, the result is an amplifier with an aggressive midrange and pronounced transformer coloration. The A12 sounds fantastic with rock drums and electric guitars, but is versatile enough to be used with a wide variety of source material and microphone combinations."

The SCA N72 is comparable to the Neve. "The N72 delivers the unmistakable character of the highly sought-after Neve single-ended, class A, transformer coupled console modules. The N72 has become especially popular with digital recordists, since many feel it provides a certain warmth and color that can greatly benefit the hyper-accurate quality of digital recording. The basic circuitry of the N72 is essentially the same as that of the BA183 modules used in the 1272, 1073, and other Neve modules, and from a sonic perspective is virtually indistinguishable from an original Neve. "


Do a Sweetwater search for API & Neve and you'll see what they cost.
$$$-wise, the SCA stuff is a good deal for what you get.
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yea i have 0 expeirience with soldering and schmatic reading.

if you asked me to build a house, then i could do that haha. but i dont know much about electrical anything


ill definately look on sweetwater, i love that site.
 
Transformers are semiconductors? Did you mean transistors are semiconductors?

mshilarious said:
Transformers are semiconductors, so are diodes. You likely meant "there are some integrated circuits in the PSU."
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MadMax said:
Do a Sweetwater search for API & Neve and you'll see what they cost.
$$$-wise, the SCA stuff is a good deal for what you get.
Click to expand...


Yeah....no so much API and Neve on sweetwater. Too fancy even for them. Mercenary is more like the place.

As far as difficulty building the SCA, I was kind of a dummy going into it and I was able to do it. It all depends on how much research and learning you are willing to do. And you will need a few supplies like a soldering iron, solder, etc. You can get a Vintech 1272 for about $400 more than you can build the SCA version, and that is a decent deal if you don't want to hassle building it. Actually, 2-channels of SCA N72 prebuilt by Tim will cost $400 MORE than the Vintech version. The kits for 4 channels of A12's will be about $800 less than the API 3124.
 
The cost per channel of the SCA stuff isn't that great if you are only populating 1 or two channels, assuming you use thier chassis and pwr supply. It's when you start to fill up the rest of the slots that it really pays off.
 
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