My preamp dilema

[Krystof01]

Hi,
I am looking for a preamp for recording a multiple of sources. I am leaning towards the Mindprint Envoice, Joe Meek VC-1Q or the DBX 386 (not 376).

First things first; I have not tried any out yet (I ill of course before commiting) so I am going purely on what I've read so far.

The problem is that I like the sound of the Envoice and the joe meek more than the DBX but the DBX is the only one that can accomodate 2 mic's at once which is crucial for recording (for acoustic guitar stero micing for instance). I am recording to my KORG D16 (it's preamp is crap), using the DBX I can record both and also have the option of going digital (though I would also have to buy a A/D convertor (say a midiman)).

So to sum up; I would like really to get either the Envoice or the Joe Meek (any opionions on which is better overall) but it seems a lot to pay to only be able to apply to one mic (my main two mics are Rode NTK and NT-1000; to record one through a stand alone preamp and the other straight in would be a real horrible outcome).

Any other alternatives you can think of, maybe buying the envoice and a cheaper mixer or other cheaper preamp.

Just one more thing; when looking at the Joe Meek VC-1Q it refers to it as a Transformer coupled mic pre amplifier, I don't get what the coupled bit refers to (it doesn't accomodate to xlr mic inputs does it)?

Thanks,
Krystof.

 

[chessrock]

Sounds like you're caught in a bit of a dilemna. 2 channels of "good" or one channel of "very good".

Right now, you only have one choice, and I think you already know what that is. Get the dbx for now, and save your "gold channel" for a later time.

There's one more reason that I'm going to mention that should put you over the top on this one: The dbx already has a very good a/d converter built in, so you won't have to buy a separate one if you go that route. And that's a very big deal when you're talking about the a/d converters on your Korg versus the a/d converters on the dbx.

In summary, the dbx is just too logical of an option for someone with a portable multitrack recorder -- the preamps are a big step up, and the a/d conversion is yet another big step up in terms of sound.