Preamps..help me

[DaveDrummer]

hey all. I need a new preamp. im looking for that warm, full, analog tube sound because my band preforms covers of 70s rock bands, and sounds that way. Basically, im new to preamps. do you need a seperate one for every mic? can you recommend a good tubed one? (not more than $400 or so)

 

[tdukex]

You won't find even a single channel true tube preamp worth anything at that price.

 

[Recording Engineer]

Cheapest (price-wise) true tube preamp worth-while I can think of is $700 single-channel one.

 

[manning1]

dave a tip

if you go for tube colours on every track you will get a wash.
ie ; too many cooks spoil the broth etc. many engineers get that sound not necessarily using all tube stages. they mix it up with different colors of preamp and/or by clever eqing.
one of the popular mixers used for many years to get what your looking for was a high end trident recording console. not a tube in sight. in fact it used TLO71 op amps , if i remember.
a very inexpensive op amp. but the sound obtained was in the way the designers did the electronics including the quite warm
eq. if you want that sound you might also look at an older studiomaster used console to see if its nearer the sound you want as even a used trident is still quite expensive.
but the studiomaster depending on condition might need some upgrading. in summary if your looking for that older warm sound you might want to look around at older used british consoles with the warm british eq in the channels.

 

[chessrock]

You might want to scour the ebay scene and be on the lookout for a used Peavey VMP-2. It's a two-channel, and it's good, but it will likely put you about $300 over your budget. Anything less probably won't be what you're looking for.

And yes, you need a separate one for every track, so if you're tracking live, I would save it for just the most critical tracks.

 

[grahamware]

Though you may have your heart set on a tube, I'd say forget it. $400 can almost buy you a RNP - two very clear channels (for two mics), and no coloration. This way, you have the flexibility to change your sound in post and give it the coloration you're looking for.

I'm guessing that if your band already has a 70's sound, you're still going to have a warm sound on your recordings, even if your preamps aren't accentuating it.

 

[Richard Monroe]

You are tied to the foolish notion that somehow tubes=warm analog sound. Many of the greatest rock bands of the 70's recorded with perfectly good solid state preamps. You do need a separate channel for every mic. Usually, large numbers of less than critical tracks are summed using a mixer, and highly critical material (vocals, acoustic instruments) go through a dedicated preamp. Good tube based preamps are nowhere near $400, more like $1000 per channel. Best of luck.-Richie