New Pres?

  • Thread starter Thread starter tkingen
  • Start date Start date
tkingen

tkingen

Djembes Rock
I am looking for opinions as to whether I should upgrade my mic preamps. The current setup is a Delta1010 sound card with MAudio Tampa and DMP3 pres. Mics are Neumann TLM103, KM184, and Shure KSM44 and KSM32. The monitoring section includes a Presonus Central Station into a pair of Mackie 624's or Event 20/20's
The reason for the question is that I don't plan on upgrading anything else in the chain. When I first started with a Mackie 1604vlz, I noticed that at times it was difficult to discern mic differences through the limitations of the Mackie pres and monitoring section. Now, with the current setup, the mic differences are evident. But, to go a step further (upgraded pres), does my signal chain have the capability to fully realize the improvements that would come with a Pendulum, Avalon, Great River, or any other more "professional" mic pre?

Thanks,
Terry
 
tkingpen,

i agree that not discerning mic differences is a problem with the mackie board pres. it's also a problem with lower cost mic preamps.

the grace mic preamps can be startling at times due to their realism and the differences they reveal in mics you might not hear elsewhere.

i highly recommend the great river nv series of mic preamps for their versatility. the great river would be a good fit with your existing mic collection. as well, you'd find yourself getting into dynamic mics b/c the great river will open up dynamics for you in ways the mackie cannot.
 
Hi,

There are two aspects to consider...well at least two. The line inout of the Mackie 1604 (and smaller) mixer was designed with a few less parts than the larger format Mackies. This economy of design causes problems with the line input. As a result, if you use a top shelf external preamp and come in through the line inputs, you're losing a lot. Better to input directly.

The other issue is the A/D conversion. I don't know enough about your rig to say, but replaceing the A/D converison on a Digi 001 with RME AD-I 8 DS converters was an improvement for me.

Regards,

Ty Ford
 
Thanks for the responses. I should probably clarify that I am no longer using the Mackie 1604vlz.
The front end chain is mic > Tampa or DMP3 > Delta1010 inputs > DAW(Sonar3). Monitoring chain is DAW > Delta1010 outputs > Central Station > HR624's or Event 20/20's. Cableing throughout consists of Mogami, Monster and BLUE.
So, with an upgraded pre, I'm wondering if the A/D/A converters in the 1010 are quality enough to realize the benefits of a world class mic pre. As for the rest of the chain, the Central Station and HR624's are recent additions and I don't intend to go back to a hardware mixer. As far as my wife is concerned, I've probably just about blown my wad with recording gear for awhile, unless I can show her that a new mic pre would make HER voice sound wa-a-a-a-y better with our current rig.
Btw, we are mostly recording voice and finger style guitar - acoustic blues, folk and Americana.

Regards,
Terry
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top