Pres in the Clarett 2Pre

A

AndyBonn

New member
Hi guys, first time poster here. I'm just getting into recording some acoustic guitar and have picked up a pair of Oktava mk012s. Now i need an interface and have been looking at the Focusrite Clarett 2pre.

Could anyone who has had experience with this give me an indication of how the preamps sound? Would I get a decent sound out of them or is it better to spend a bit more money and buy standalone preamps? Looking for a nice warm sound but have a limited budget (up to 600US) I mainly play fingerstyle guitar but will also be micing up an amp from time to time.

Any feedback would be much appreciated :)
 
Pretty much any $500 range preamp/interface will be adequate for recording at a professional level.. But keep in mind, you may gain a bit with a $1500 preamp. But that is completely useless if you don't have a room worthy of it. Or monitors in a acoustically treated room to hear what you are recording.

Spend some time looking in to acoustic treatment man. It not that tough or expensive. Depends on how serious you are....

I bet it gets tiring hearing the same shit over and over, but there is a reason for it. Treat the fucking room or record at a studio that has done that.

You will be amazed at how $400 in acoustic treatment will beat a $1500 preamp. Been there, done that. Like 18 times over...

Oh, and then there is the audio monitors you are listening on. Not even going to go there because you didn't ask. But, that is likely second before any preamp or mic. Kinda like the top 2 most important ever. Aside from the other obvious stuff like having talent and a good instrument to record.

It all really depends on what you are looking to accomplish and how good you wish it to sound.

In the end, it is about creating and having fun!
 
jimmys69 said:
Pretty much any $500 range preamp/interface will be adequate for recording at a professional level.. But keep in mind, you may gain a bit with a $1500 preamp. But that is completely useless if you don't have a room worthy of it. Or monitors in a acoustically treated room to hear what you are recording.

Spend some time looking in to acoustic treatment man. It not that tough or expensive. Depends on how serious you are....

I bet it gets tiring hearing the same shit over and over, but there is a reason for it. Treat the fucking room or record at a studio that has done that.

You will be amazed at how $400 in acoustic treatment will beat a $1500 preamp. Been there, done that. Like 18 times over...

Oh, and then there is the audio monitors you are listening on. Not even going to go there because you didn't ask. But, that is likely second before any preamp or mic. Kinda like the top 2 most important ever. Aside from the other obvious stuff like having talent and a good instrument to record.

It all really depends on what you are looking to accomplish and how good you wish it to sound.

In the end, it is about creating and having fun!
Click to expand...


Thanks for the input Jimmy. You've given me some things to think about there. Guess I got so caught up in the mechanics I didn't even consider how treatment would affect results.
 
+1 to Jim. Plus, the 012s do not specc out as THE quietest mics around nor the most sensitive ~ 10mv Pa but good enough that almost any pre amp will serve because the mics will not need huge gain but are not SO hot that they will clip the front end. They also have a -10dB pad, useful against a cab!

Focusrite are noted for having very good preamps but this 'goodness' tends to be in the form of low noise and 'cleanliness'. Best way to go IMHO. You can always F.I.U afterwards but, F.U'ed on the way in? No where to go.

Dave.
 
Yep. Shit in = shit out. The sound of the room is likely 90% of getting a good recording in my personal experience.

Again, the instrument and player are the most important. The mic and preamp warrant are subjective to how the room sounds to begin with.

Over the years of my recording I have experience with many situations.

I have spent near $3,000 on room treatment stuff in my current home studio. But I have 4 rooms. The main control room has 8 2'x4'x4" rockwool panels to stop reflections. The ceiling above is filled with pink stuff and covered with cloth. And two 8'x2'x4" bass traps in the corners behind my monitors/desk. Drum room ceilings are filled with rockwool and covered with cloth as well as 7 hanging panels and 4 'office space' type panels hanging at angles to stop reflections. Guitar room only has the pink stuff with cloth walls. Vocal room is in construction mode.

Anyway, what I realized early on is that even a small bit of acoustic treatment goes a long way. Different for a live recording room and a mixing room tho. You can get away with less in an open large space for recording but that really depends on the room and what you are recording. Small rooms are way harder to treat. Recording acoustic guitar in the biggest (acoustically un-treated) space in your home will likely be better than a small (acoustically treated) bedroom. Talking like a 12x10x8' bedroom.

Granted I am lucky enough to have a decent size control room (27'x13'). Acoustic guitar and vocal recording in this treated space has been awesome compared to before I added the acoustic treatments. One time I had a singer just sit on a recliner chair in the room while he sang. No issues. But I typically hang two panels in a 'V' behind the mic when recording serious vocal tracks. Acoustic guitars just in the center of the control room. One LDC, and one SDC.

I do have one Neve clone preamp, and it gives a more unique sound. But honestly, if I didn't have the treated room and decent mics, I bet I wouldn't know the difference between that and the preamps of my interfaces.


So there is some insight into what I have done in my studio. Base your decisions on real peoples experience who do this in practice. Watch out for reviews and hype. And do not waste your money on foam products unless you know why you would need them for spot treatment.

And, to possibly throw you for a loop, sometimes many get great recordings without room treatments. It just depends on the room...
 
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