Preamp that can liven stuff up

T

tsl92802

New member
Hey, i'm in the market for a new preamp that can liven up distorted guitars a bit. Price range is absolutely no more than 1k since I have some other stuff to buy. I already own an Avalon M5, and it's just so sterile that I can't stand it anymore. I've been using AT4050s, Blueberrys, SM57s, and such to mic it with and know how picky some of the mics can be, so I don't think it's much of an issue there, the M5 is just so damn sterile IMO. I've been thinking that a tube preamp would do a good job, since distorted guitar is all about the tubes, but I also can't seem to find one that's sweet for under like 2k. I've also looked at the likely suspects such as RNP, the new Joe Meek stuff, etc. I know saving up for something better is always the way to go, but its just not at all feesable at this point. Thanks!
 
The Vintech is a decent preamp, but in my opinion a temporary piece. If it were me I would go for either the Great river or the Universal audio as mentioned above. I find both to be more of a "keeper piece". For flexibility I would say the Great River is the better choice, then maybe down the road add the Universal Audio preamp for a little more "attitude".
 
I can't really think of any mic pres that "liven things up" as you put it. At least not to me.

I know plenty of compressors that will make things interesting, though, real quick.
 
Ok, so I'm really on the cusp of just buying a great river ME-1NV. All this talk has got me pretty much sold.

However if i can get a couple questions answered that would be great.

this first one is stupid i know:

what is "color". i hear a lot about adding color to the mix. is it a mild distortion? a change in the eq. I just wonder what exactly it is. from my understanding, actually wanting color depends on what you are doing and is a matter of preferance. (I do mostly things under the rock and roll umbrella).

second:

is this a big upgrade from the pre's that are in my tascam fw-1884? and what are the differences i will hear? Stronger overall fidelity?

any help would be awesome.

jay.
 
I would say its a huge upgrade. Tighter fuller low end response, cleaner clearer and airier high end response without sounding "harsh", better headroom, less self noise, and most likely a much better dynamic range. I would say it will probably sound like someone pulled cotton out of your ears.
 
oh ok, so i am right or at least partially right in saying

"any alteration to the original sound as heard from the source by the mic" ?

jay.
 
let us know how you like it, and how much better it sounds than the mic-pre's on the fw-1884.

i'm in the market for a digital mixer and the fw-1884 is my front-runner thus far.
 
If you are looking to liven up one of your vacuum tube pre-amps try out this place here in Tempe Arizona called Antique Electronic Supply. They have great New-Old-Stock tubes like RCA, Telefunken, and Amperex. A new high-end valve can really bring life back into a unit. I put a Telefunken 12AX7 smooth plate from those guys into a Presonus TubePre ($100) and it now sounds great! Better detail, better dynamics, and a more live sound instead of compressed.
 
used it on some guitars yesterday. So far so good. tonight i'll use it on rock and hip hop vocals. That will be a good test. At first it made heavy guitar almost sound worse just because it made the mic "hear" what was coming out of the speaker so accurately. But after hitting the polarity switch and turning the input stage down a little things starting sounding very very good.

I did use it yesterday for a bass DI. It was ok. not as good as micing a cab IMO. But it would be passable for some projects. Bass is one of those things that needs depth and life, and i could do ok w/ the DI but not where i wanted to be.

jay.
 
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