Presonus blue tube...? peep!

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PRiZ

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Hey, I'v been told this is one of the best preamp for under a 1000 and got 19/20 in a review and so on...
Everytime I read something about this preamp it seems to be more specified towards instruments. I'm going to be only dropping vocals, Is this the preamp for me?
I'm willing to spend about 200/300 US. but if it's needed I guess I could go a little higher.
I want phantom power for condenser MIC's etc, ability to be able to have two vacalists at once with two MIC's...
What do all of you think about the preamps on the omni studio?
look forward to your replys...thanks for reading!
 
I think the best pre for under $1000 would be the Focusrite Platinum series, actually. The penta is under 4 bills. I think one of these will be MY next pre.

H2H
 
I seriously doubt the Bluetube is anywhere near the best preamp under $1000 (you hear that from a Presonus salesman?), but I've heard good things about it considering its price. Do a search, there have been quite a few threads about it as I recall.

The preamps in the M-Audio Omni Studio are also quite good. They are in fact based on the design of the M-Audio DMP2 mic preamps which have gotten very good reviews:

http://www.digitalprosound.com/Htm/Reviews/June/DMP2.htm

http://www.midiman.net/reviews/DMP2PAR2.pdf

I have a DMP2 and I can vouch for its quality. If you're looking for a good, clean, quiet sound they are hard to beat for the price. On the other hand, if you're looking for that "tube sound" (or "tube gimmick") I think an ART Tube MP would be another good option besides the bluetube. Our own sonusman uses these quite a bit and his results speak for themself.

The mic pre thing has been played up quite a bit lately and you really have to consider how much of it is just marketing hype. (kinda like the whole "tube" fiasco) Sure, its important, but there are enough low-cost yet quality options out there that you just have to decide which one best fits your needs. Either a used mackie mixer at $200 or a Tube MP for under $100 will give you something pretty decent to start out with. I think if you're just starting out with this, you should get one good basic signal chain and then just learn how to use it. By signal chain I'm talking about mic => mic pre (or mixer) => recording device (sound card, 4 track, etc.). The Omni Studio would take care of 2/3 of that. Add a mic or two and you're there. You can do amazing things with just a couple pieces of gear and a DAW.

You say you want phantom power and at least two channels so you can record two vocalists at once. Almost all preamps I've encountered have phantom power but unless you're using tight pattern dynamic mics or you have a good way of isolating your singers, it is probably not such a hot idea to try to record two vocalists at once. It could be done, but I would suggest multitracking instead. So if you're looking to save money, I see no reason to not go for the single-channel Tube MP. If you have some $$ to burn and you want something a bit more flexible, a Mackie 1202 or an Omni Studio would fit the bill nicely.
 
yeahhhh!

I love this site...

"as far as the BEST PREAMP under $1000. the PRESONUS BLUE TUBE($199) won the 2001 editors choice award for preamp under $1000. refer to electronic musician jan 2001 vol 17,no 1.

when it was reviewed in electronic musician feb 2001 vol 17.no 2 it was given 19 points out of 20. so if you get an external pre amp i would go with that one. thats my opinion. i bet the PROS who wrote the reviews would say to go with it also. so if you are going to go by a PROS opinion this would be the pre amp for you."

this was said by "Czar of Bizzare" on my long post about various options to buy.

What do you all think of it now...?
 
Well.... you have to take reviews with a grain of salt... These are the same magazines that have recommended the Marshsall MXL2001, and also way back, gave favourable reviews to the Alesis 3630...

Reviews to me have the same merit as specs, they only tell you 20% of the story. They can be a starting point, but they really only relect the one reviewers opinion, just like you get here (except here you get more than 1 opinion!)....

Your best option is to try an intended piece of gear yourself in your own setup with your own ears -- then judge its merits. If a store is not willing to let you try gear out, run - don't walk - to the next one over that will....

Bruce
 
Well....Bruce, what pre do you recommend for under 1g? what do you think of dbx's 386 pre?
 
Well... I personally use the PreSonus VXP ($900 cdn)... I like it a lot... The MP20 is similar - without the vocal-type extras. I haven't tried the 386, but have heard good things.... I'd recommend you give it a try and see for yourself!
I tried the Focusrite Platinum and wasn't impressed - with that Focusrite label I expected more, but really it fared no better than other pres in its price range.

I've also heard favourable things about the MindPrint EnVoice, but again YMMV -- you need to try it to see if you like it!

I mean, would you buy a guitar without playing it, strictly on the basis of what a buddy tells ya about it?

:D

Bruce
 
good reviews...!

The more I read reviews on preamps, the more I keep thinking to myself that I should really be getting a really good one, due to the fact I wanna sound as good as I can.
I have a few questies pertaining to the reviews...
It said MIC stage overloads when fed by close-miked, high output capicitor MIC's...I'm not really sure what their saying, do they mean this happens when on satge...?
Also much like the other question it said it was quieter with ribbon and dynamic mics than a hot condenser MIC, I'm getting the oppinion it can't handle a condenser MIC very well,...I was planning on getting a condencer MIC because I've got the impretion their the best for lead vocals, main vocals etc, and the proffesional standard...If you can explain any of this it would help.
This truly sound good and cheap, if this is a replica of the omni studio's preamps I might be sold.
 
Trying it yourself before buying it aint always possible and when it is...its good to know where the conventional wisdom stands on a given product. Any one persons opinion is based on their experience which is usually limited. In particular I havent had alot of hands on with all the midrange pres out there. Additionally, trying something out once or twice does not equal real knowledge about a product, its when you use it over time in dif situations, when youve done a mixdown using a particular mic or preamp or compressor...post effects that you start to get a more complete picture of the product.


:)

Gus
 
Gus,

I hear what you're saying - and I don't disagree!

But I wasn't suggesting trying before buying - it's perfectly reasonable for a store to require payment for an item. But I would only deal with a store that will allow the unit to be at least exchanged, but even better, returned - if the product is not what works for you!

Bruce
 
what's the difference...

how are tube preamps and regular preamps different.
I've heard tube are newer and much better, is their a different sound from each of them or what...?
please respond.
 
So, they say...were going to put out a cheap pre amp, how do we get their attention...? AHA! WE'LL PUT A TUBE IN IT! Its cool for the price, definately not transparent. Am I tripping, or is this a 2 channel pre, but has only 1 tube?(?)
 
Oy.... ok... here we go...

Kinda what Robert was alluding to, I think...

Is a "tube" preamp at under $1K going to give you a sound that's any closer to say, a Manley, than a under $1K non-tube pre? DEFINITELY NOT.

The word tube is a hot marketing buzzword right now... the non-pro market is huge and gear manufacturers know that people who have been mislead into believing in the so-called "sterility" of digital now have a hard-on for anything with the word tube on it.

The reason a Manley tube pre costs $4K is NOT 'cos the Manley name is worth a lot, it's 'cos designing a great tube pre is expensive!

So what does a manufacturer for the low to middle end do? He designs the middle of the road, basic solid-state pre, perfectly usable... THEN, adds a tube gain stage in parallel with the normal output, adding a dash of tube "color" to the signal. Does that make it a "tube" pre?? I don't think so... yes you get a coloration, that may even be beneficial to you, but you can't really call it a tube pre. If you pull the tube out of the circuit, I bet you the pre still works just fine (!), even though you've ranked what would normally be a crucial element out of the circuit! You would just simply lose the coloration portion of the signal.

So, a tube somewhere in the path does NOT make it a tube pre, BUT you can bet those marketing guys will certainly plaster the word "TUBE" all over the front panel in order to capture joe-public's attention and increase sales.

You want a tube preamp, be prepared to throw a few thousand on it.... anything less is simply "tube modelling"........

By the way, I'm not putting down the under $1K pres - they are perfectly usable and can be good-sounding (I use one myself!) -- I just don't like people being misled by marketing hype, especially if marketing hype is what is causing them to consider the purchase of a piece of gear.

Bruce
 
Re: good reviews...!

PRiZ said:


I have a few questies pertaining to the reviews...
It said MIC stage overloads when fed by close-miked, high output capicitor MIC's...I'm not really sure what their saying, do they mean this happens when on satge...?
Also much like the other question it said it was quieter with ribbon and dynamic mics than a hot condenser MIC, I'm getting the oppinion it can't handle a condenser MIC very well,...
Click to expand...

If I'm not mistaken a Capacitor Mic IS a Condenser Mic, I have no idea why the reviewer would choose to use such an uncommon variation of the name. Basically what the reviewer is saying is that if you are using a high output Condenser Mic and you close mic whatever you are recording that the preamp overloads, when he wrote 'mic stage' he simply meant the section of the unit that amplifies the mic.


Some guys who have used the Blue Tube had some things to say here:

http://www.audioforums.com/forums/Forum6/HTML/000585.html

Good Luck
 
Your best option is to try an intended piece of gear yourself in your own setup with your own ears -- then judge its merits. If a store is not willing to let you try gear out, run - don't walk - to the next one over that will....
Click to expand...


bear said that and i have told you that from the start. i also gave you the reviews on the blue tube because you were asking for REVIEWS when it came to products. so why not list the reviews and opinions of "professionals" and see what they have to say? its all a matter of opinion and i just posted that in the other thread. opinion. electronic musicians opinion,my opinion,bears gidges. you have to get what is right for YOU. no PERFECT piece of equipment exists. no BEST piece exists. you might have a GREAT MIC and GREAT PRE AMP. however you might not get a GREAT SOUND because you dont practice proper mic techniques or your room is bad. what you need to do is know exactly what you want to do and go from that point. if your still doing guess work DONT buy a damn thing yet. READ,RESEARCH AND TRY IT OUT!!!!!



czar

ps im NOT saying the people on this site dont know what they are talking about. im just saying its a matter of OPINION.
 
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