Preamp for Marshall MXL V57M?

[crossroads]

I'm recording with a Tascam Portastudio 424MKIII. I've been using a Marshall V57M straight into the Tascam for vocals and acoustic guitar.

The other day I ordered a Studio Projects TB1 for vocals, and thought a preamp would help, so I ordered a Studio Projects VTB1 tube mic preamp, then learned that, because the TB1 is a tube mic, a tube preamp won't help at all. Yikes.

But what about the Marshall? It's not a tube mic (right?), so will the VTB1 preamp allow me to improve the recording quality when I use the V57M mic?

And is a mic preamp pretty easy to use? Just plug the mic into it, and plug the preamp into the Portastudio?

 

[snow lizard]

I'm not sure who told you that, but it sounds like a story to me.

The VTB1 is a "tOOb" preamp, it uses a starved plate design for the tube to add coloration to an otherwise solid state preamp. There's a blend knob on it that allows you to completely remove the tube from the circuit path.

Beyond that, there aren't any rules to say that you need or don't need tubes anywhere for whatever reason. Beware of misinformation.

You might find the VTB1 handy if you get into dynamic mics that need a lot of gain. I'm guessing that the Tascam can already supply phantom power to your V57, so having an external pre might not be absolutely necessary. It might still sound better than the Tascam's internal pres with the V57 if it's not giving the correct 48 volt phantom power to the mic. I can't find any specs on it, so I'm not sure.

The TB-1 microphone already has its own power supply, and fairly hot output. It doesn't need phantom power or a stunning preamp to do its thing, but the VTB-1 is probably still a step up from the Tascam preamps.

Worst case, you don't need the VTB1 yet. It might help the V57, and it's a pretty good, inexpensive preamp. The manual will explain how to use it.


sl