Preamp Vs. Antares Microphone Modeler

  • Thread starter Thread starter lapieuvre
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lapieuvre

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Hi,

I am shopping for a preamp, and by reading here I noticed that saving money to buy a really good preamp was the option for me as I own a mackie console and a At4040 microphone. Buying a cheap preamp won't improve my sound, so I might go for avalon... or equivalent.

I was wondering if there is any difference between a good preamp and "Antares Microphone Modeler" software, as it really warms the sound of vocals.

I might be happier with my mackie's preamps and that software...

What do you think?

Thierry
 
To get the benefit of a really nice preamp, you'd have to spend at least $1000.00. And then the difference is completely subjective.
If you're a hobbyist, I'd try the modeler. It'll give you more versatility.

-my 2 scents.
 
lapieuvre said:
Hi,

Buying a cheap preamp won't improve my sound, so I might go for avalon... or equivalent.

I was wondering if there is any difference between a good preamp and "Antares Microphone Modeler" software, as it really warms the sound of vocals.

Thierry
Click to expand...

It's hard to believe these two lines are from the same person in the same post. :eek: First, wisdom, then an off the wall question, although I think it was just bad wording. ;) Yes, of course there is a big difference between what a good preamp gives you, and what AMM does. Think of it as the difference between using a so so lense on a camera, and then applying a smoothing filter (mackie pre & mic modeller) vs using a Zeiss lense with no filter. A really good preamp gives you focus and detail with crystal clarity. Nothing can add that later if it wasn't there to begin with.
I'm not saying that that's what you need though. Some great preamps are great not so much because of their "focus", but because of their sound, usually because of the transformers they use. So if you're looking for character more than clarity, and you think you're finding that with AMM, then that may work for you. Generally though, sound advice would be to start with a pristine signal path, then add the goodies later.
 
mackie preamps are just fine for lots of things if you don't drive them very hard. it's when they're pushed that they get grainy sounding.

still, they're NOT $1000 preamps. they're more along the lines of $100 preamps, if even that. but they're still quite usable.

now, about the antares mic modeler. it's an effect. nothing more. use it like you would a distortion or eq plugin. it is NOT a substitute for a good mic or mic preamp.

i have a hard time even calling it a mic modeler b/c it doesn't really even do that very well. all it does is apply a predetermined eq curve onto the source. sure it can make some things sound neat or different than they did before......but understand that it's an effect.


cheers,
wade
 
I'd invest first in gettting a good sound with basic tracking. Mike, pre, converters, room acoustics.

I tried the mike modeler and think it's a gimmick. A fun gimmick, but still, it just tweaks the sound that's already there. It doesn't transform it into something else, despite its claims.
 
Timothy Lawler said:
I'd invest first in gettting a good sound with basic tracking. Mike, pre, converters, room acoustics.
Click to expand...

That's probably the best advise you'll get.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timothy Lawler
I'd invest first in gettting a good sound with basic tracking. Mike, pre, converters, room acoustics.



That's probably the best advise you'll get.

Yeah, but he said he's shopping for a preamp.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timothy Lawler
I'd invest first in gettting a good sound with basic tracking. Mike, pre, converters, room acoustics.

Yeah, but he said he's shopping for a preamp.

Hi
Yes I am shopping for a preamp,

I said before that my gear was:
Mike: At4040
pre: _________
converters: Echo mia soundcard and M_Audio delta1010 soundcard (I use Echo 99.9% of the time)
room acoustics: the room I use for now sounds surprisingly good.
 
Good pre...mic modeler will not improve the quality of your tracking, it will just equalize to make your mic sound similar to the model chosen. Get a good signal path and equalize to your taste.
 
lapieuvre said:
Hi,
I was wondering if there is any difference between a good preamp and "Antares Microphone Modeler" software, as it really warms the sound of vocals
Click to expand...

A good preamp , please ! (or even a bad one) ! :D :D

It´s much better than this AMM, believe me...

As Guitar rig, this software only takes your original sound and process in a "sterile" form ...final result: worst than any "hardware" you can imagine.
Stay away (IMO,...)

Ciro
 
OK, heh, I understood what you've already got. My comment was a general one. To be specific...

better preamp yes

mike modeler no

One's a basic tool, the other's an effect.

as always,
YMMV
 
i dont buy into anything that says 'modeling'. mic modeler, amp simulators, whatever, no real awesome experience with em.
 
TragikRemix said:
i dont buy into anything that says 'modeling'. mic modeler, amp simulators, whatever, no real awesome experience with em.
Click to expand...

Ain't nuthin like the real thing baby......
 
Get a Presonus MP20 with the Jensen Tranformers, and the Burr Brown OPA627. Got mine on eBay for 420. Leagues above my Octane and Aphex 107 (also getting modded). And it's 2 channels! Not to say that 1 Avalon channel at 4x the price won't be 8 times as nice! Hard to say. Still, nothing beats my hypermodded Bogen! A few new transformers and tweaks, and it will be in heaven!
 
ive used the antares mic modeler on electric guitar tracks... it can help with some of the 'fizz' up top sometimes... but yes, it is an effect and its use is limited. can be fun tho! :) (get the preamp)
 
lapieuvre said:
I was wondering if there is any difference between a good preamp and "Antares Microphone Modeler" software, as it really warms the sound of vocals.



Thierry
Click to expand...


Two completely different things altogether. A good preamp would be a better investment.
 
TragikRemix said:
i dont buy into anything that says 'modeling'. mic modeler, amp simulators, whatever, no real awesome experience with em.
Click to expand...

I understand some of the model-based reverbs (I believe the term is convolution) are pretty nice.

Amp modeling isn't bad, either, IMHO. It doesn't give you the sound of a particular amp, but it is a useful tool for significantly altering the sound of an instrument in ways that you can't achieve with an amp by itself. Speaker simulators somewhat less so, IMHO.

Do modelers work for mics? Not likely. You'd have to start with a perfect microphone that captures everything exactly evenly. You can't add something that isn't there. It might turn a great mic into an okay imitation of another great mic. It won't turn a lousy mic (most mics) into even a halfway decent mic. And from what I've read about it, it doesn't sound like it is anything that can't be done with some basic EQ tweaks. It hardly sounds like modeling by the traditional definition of the word, IMHO. Maybe it is, but if so, the reviewers whose reviews I've read sure don't seem to think so.

What's important is that you see models for what they are---a useful tool for changing the color of your sound. It isn't intended to replace the real thing. It is like a paintbrush with an adjustable slide ring to compress the brush into a narrower pattern. It won't work as well as a bunch of single-width brushes, but that isn't its purpose. It is intended to provide a different style of brush stroke, not to replace all of your brushes.
 
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