preamp shootout

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macle

macle

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Acoustic guitar to mic to preamp to Reaper, no EQ or locut, just a simple little shootout. Did best to level match, etc. Had to mp3 to upload here. Kind of dumb, I suppose, to do a shootout with mp3s, but they're both equally mp3ed, and to me, you can still hear the general differences

Thanks for any feedback.

http://www.nowhereradio.com/macle/singles
 
I liked the first pre better. It seemed to have better bass response, was warmer, had more clarity and sounded tighter. Pre 2 was a little brighter, had more presence and had some kind of delay going on which I didn't like as much.
 
I think having it double tracked as it is makes it a little tougher to tell, but I'm hearing the transients on sample 1 as being more clear and realistic (well, OK, at least what I'm imagining "real" to be in this case as obviously I didn't hear the guitar live). Overall sounds good to me though another might hear it as slightly veiled. Sample 2 sounds a little harsh with the transients a bit jagged in comparison, and its low mid's are a little boomier. If it were me comparing pre's in my own studio, I'd be looking to hear which one sounded more like the guitar in the room and go with that one. What does the guitar sound like live?

Tim
 
NYMorningstar- Thanks for the feedback. I don't know what the "delay" is that you're talking about. :confused:

Timothy-I was sort of thinking that doubling it would make the differences stand out more, all though they're pretty different already I suppose. Maybe just listen to one channel. What does the guitar sound like live? Good question!! I never really listened to it live, kinda hard to hear it really when you're playing it yourself. But, I went and tried to compare, and I think I know, but I won't say yet so as not to influence anyone else.

Thanks!!
 
I added a drum test, too. Hastily done, just threw up an overhead, then looped a bar. A bit trashy, but I think it gives an idea of the differences of the preamps.

Any feedback on this appreciated as well!
 
On Acoustic, I definitely like the first one better, because of the transient response. Pre 2's sound doesn't have as much sparkle. On drums, however, these squashed transients can be quite nice, if you're going for such a sound.
 
Thanks nessbass.

I should say on the drum clips that I put both through a compressor (settings the same) to see how they sounded smashed a bit.
 
Of the drumset clips I prefer No. 1. No 2 is a brighter but the high frequencies don't sound as natural to me. Sounds like the compressor was releasing a little differently on each.

nessbass said:
On Acoustic... Pre 2's sound doesn't have as much sparkle.
Click to expand...
I don't get what you're saying about pre no. 2.... I thought it was much brighter than No. 1.

My preference for guitar clip 1 is is based partially on the fact that I think it would balance out really well with just a little low end roll-off, maybe with a slight bell cut at 350 Hz. Its low end isn't boomy dynamically, it's just a little hot. The high end is really nice, and to me that's the part of an ac gtr's sound that's the most critical and hard to alter without hurting the sound quality.

Tim
 
I agree completely. By sparkle I meant not the amount, but the definition in the high end. Pre 1 produces a much nicer image of the picking attacks, IMO.
 
Preamp 1: Brent Averill API

Preamp 2: Echo Layla3g

Thanks for the feedback. I wasn't even looking to get a new preamp, I was checking out the Layla just as an interface, but I'm thinking I want a preamp that splits the difference between these 2.
 
Interesting to know the pre secret identities.

You should check out the Electroharmonix 12AY7 tube pre.
TapeOp threadI first heard about it from Joel Hamilton here. A very high quality, clean pre and rediculously priced. Also can get a saturated sound when driven hard. Has to go to a balanced line input though.

Tim
 
Timothy Lawler said:
Interesting to know the pre secret identities.

You should check out the Electroharmonix 12AY7 tube pre.
TapeOp threadI first heard about it from Joel Hamilton here. A very high quality, clean pre and rediculously priced. Also can get a saturated sound when driven hard. Has to go to a balanced line input though.

Tim
Click to expand...

Hey Tim, thanks for the tip. Never heard of that before. The price is right. Will have to check that out.

Thanks.
 
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