New Mic...help

[Bassman]

Hey all,

Well I did it, I laid down 300+ Bucks and bought a NT1 and a ART Tube MP...and to say the least, I am impressed.. BUT I have a question, and though I know the answer is gonna be " what ever sounds good to you", Ill ask anyway. The gain settings on the Pre.. how do you go about adjusting them.. like you would on a guitar amp? get the sound you like with the Input stage, and then adjust the over all volume with the Out?.. Or is there one that I want to keep as low as possible?.. what is the purpose of the +20 db pad? what will require such a boost.. Any suggestions would be helpful ( even though it sounds great.. but then again I have virgin ears).

Much thanks, as usual
Scott

 

[drstawl]

I was out trolling for virgins when I saw your post.... wait; wrong BBS.
I'm also new to the mic/ preamp fun but went with a different preamp. My question to you is: What does your ART manual say about the 20 dB pad? Does this boost or cut the signal when engaged? Is there a pilot light to let you know which setting you've selected?

 

[James HE]

It's not a 20db pad, it's a 20db boost. I wouldn't call that lousy sheet of paper that comes with the Tube MP a manual. Lose it and forget everthing it said about setups if you can. Basicaly the +20db boost is there in case you need more volume, but what it really does well is overdrive your signal. So unless you want a lot of gain on your signal, or you can't get a hot enough signal, keep it in normal mode. (especially with condensors) As far as setting the input and output levels. I've found that keeping them about equal is the the best way to go. It just sounds cleaner to me that way, but experimentation is the key. With the boost engaged, it seems to emphasise upper mid frequencies- with in most applications is a sound I don't like. But hey, I'll go for that sound when I think I need it.

-jhe

 

[drstawl]

Damn- that's really confusing. My preamp has a 20 dB pad switch that attenuates the input signal by 20 dB when engaged. But here again the best sound is obtained without the pad engaged. Both the input and output stages have their own cut/boost pots.
Does ART really call it a 20 dB pad?
How do you tell what setting is in use?
Maybe it's English that's at fault.
When I pad my income, I'm adding to it.
It's like those "Turbo" switches on 486 era
PC's that actually underclocked the CPU. Normal mode was full speed.
Is there some way to keep the marketing guys away from technical writing staff?

[This message has been edited by drstawl (edited 04-05-2000).]

 

[James HE]

I don't think in the manual that they refer to it as a "pad". Actually i think they just call it a "+20db switch".(LOL) if the button is pressed and locked down it's on if it's up it "normal".

I'm just chilling in my pad right now.

-jhe

 

[kristian]

ok ok, i dont have an dual mp yet, but i will sometime in the near future. from my experience especially with tube gear the whole "warmth" or "saturation" happens when the pre gain is pumped higher to create gain, slight distortion and the post or volume is kept lower to control overall levels. i think the reason for using the art is to dirty up the signal slightly with tubes, need some gain to make it worth the $250

 

[Bassman]

Ok Ok ... so I F..ed up the terminlogy, but in my defense, I submitted the post from work and didnt have the manual handy.. in any case, on the unit it is labeled as +20 db Boost ( who knows where I got pad from ) and the manual says the same.. sorry for the confusion...