presonus blue tube review

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dobro

dobro

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A few months ago, there were ripples of interest surrounding the Presonus Blue Tube pre that had arrived. Recording magazine (Feb) finally got around to reviewing it this year. Keep in mind that Recording magazine makes a point of never saying anything outright negative about any gear (Funny, that - gear manufacturers and sellers are their main advertisers). Yet the review about the Blue Tube had loads of qualifications, and by the end of the review, the conclusion you drew was 'pretty good for the money, especially for electric bass, and for electric guitar if you don't overdrive it much. Get a better pre for vocals.'

Lesson One: you get what you pay for.

Lesson Two: don't believe all the excitement that surrounds the release of a new product.

Lesson Three? the ART Tube Pre's still where it was on the gear totem pole.
 
Doesn't your lesson number one, you get what you pay for, put the Tube MP behind the Bluetube ? The Tube MP costs less. None of the magazines I read did a head-to-head comparison of the two. Maybe if someone owns both they could do a quick review here.

I think they are probably both worth owning. I just wish they didn't use wall-wart power supplies, even if it raised the price a little bit.
 
the presonus sounds a little smoother than the art.

Tom
 
Thank you, both of you - that's the sort of thing I'm looking for. One's logical; one's experiential.

Is that the end of the story?
 
Neither units generate enough voltage to properly drive the tube.for a few more bucks the presonus mp 20 hangs with the big boys.And neither the bluetube or art mp is especially well designe.Its not what Id call "true" tube pre amp.the tube is there as an effect that sits on top leaving its filmy coating.A well designed pre amp goes beyond this imho.

If you want tubes check out the peavy vmp 2.Its not a prestigous name but it has been recognised by audio snobs and laymen alike as a quality well designed and warm sounding tube pre amp.Its under 1g and it delivers.Lots of people seem to enjoy manley as well.

I was gonna get a bluetube but decided instead to wait and think about it.Now, im either going to get the presonus mp 20 or a peavy vmp 2.

Another curious things about the bluetube is that its a 2 channel unit with only one tube.Still as was said, good for that funk.Not to be used for opera(not that I do opera)

btw, the dual channel art pre costs more then the bluetube.Could this be becasue it actually has a tube for each channel? Also the blue tube got torn apart on rec.pro.audio because it isnt true 48v phantom power supposedly.They even went as far as to remove where it says it on the unit.I havent heard of any problems because of this, so no biggie.

Per channel the blue tube is cheaper then the art mp.

I think that art has a higher priced tube pre that actually does supply the proper voltage and sounds better if I'm not mistaken though I havent heard it myself.Still I wouldnt take any of these units to the operahouse, but for guitar our basas hey...

I bet either one would be fun with synths as well.
 
robert-

It's hardly fair to compare these two units to things costing three or four times as much. I have the BlueTube and I haven't compared it to many pre's but it kicks butt on my Mackie 1402vlz's pre's on almost everything. The Bluetube simply delivers a much stronger, fuller signal. Don't ask me why, I'm no engineer.

If I have any complaints on the BlueTube, it's that it gets really hot and I wonder if this will reduce the life of the tubes or the unit itself.

We are talking low-budget tube pre's, not solid state. There just isn't a lot available for under $200 US. The Behringer Ultragain Pro and Bellari Single Channel qualify.

I'd love to hear from someone who owns the ART Pro MPA preamp...I'm considering trading my Mackie for one.

Robert, I think you are wise to save up for a higher quality pre, even though these are probably good enough. There is something about quality gear that just feels right....or maybe I'm just trying to justify my gear lust. The reviews on the MP20 were outstanding.
 
Both units have their sounds the art mp and bt.Those soundsare funky and can spice things up for cheap.Still personally I have decided that the presonus mp 20 is something I wont outgrow for a while.The bluetube is something that is really cool and I may get one of those as well.Thats the beuty, these things arent terribly expensive(though to us down on earth their not cheap either) so I say get the bluetube and mp 20 if you can.They are different thingy's.
 
Weird. I've had my Bluetube a few months and it is not working right at all now. I recorded with it last night and it sounded fine, I listened to the tracks to confirm it. It is distorting like crazy and making noise and hum, even when only turning the gain up a tiny bit. I tried everything but I think it's just messed up. Makes me wonder if tubes are worth the hassle or I just got a lemon.
 
So are you telling me NOT to get a Blue Tube? Hmmm.

I already have a Tube MP, but I realized that with some channels to spare, I could record THREE channels from my acoustic guitar. Two mics, (the Octava and the AKG dynamic) + the builtin pickup. :)
No sweat, but I would like to by pass that Boss-mixer. Those preamps arean't the most transparent in the universe... :) So I thought a blue tube would be great, it has two channels, right?

Whats the next step upwards in preamps?
[I did try to search, but I got 5 billion hits... You guys discuss preamps too much. :)]
 
Hi regebro

I felt I should share the problem with my Bluetube after I gave it a good review. I like the sound of it, especially on acoustic guitar and percussion. I turned it on again today and it's definitely defective. It's just one person's experience and I don't think it should stop anyone from buying one. I own a lot of tube gear, mostly guitar amps, and I've had problems with those from time to time but guitarists' accept that because there is no other way to get "that sound".

Yes, the BlueTube is a two channel unit. You might want to consider a channel strip like the Joe Meek VC3Q or VC6Q, or ART Tube Pac. I have experience with my friends VC3Q and I like it on voice and electric guitar ( he plays bass in our group) I've never used it on acoustic guitar because he won't loan it to me, and he uses a dynamic mic with it. I am planning to have him come over and let me put my AT-4033 condenser mic through it.

Those are all pretty affordable but they are only one channel. The VC6Q has a 1/4" input on the front so you can plug a bass or electric guitar right into it and has a built-in power supply.

I like to record multiple acoustic guitar tracks myself. It's difficult to arrange them and figure out different intervals, so that each part compliments the other part.

Good luck regebro
 
But is the VC3Q's preamp that much better? I mean, its not more expensive, really since it includes a compressor and a preamp... For $350 (instead of the VC3Q's $300) I can get a Blue Tube + RNC, and then I have two channels, and better compression (although no EQ).

So the question is: If you listen to JUST the preamp, is the VC3Q really "three times" better than a Tube MP / Blue Tube?
 
I don't know if the preamps are comparable because I didn't try the VC3Q with my system, it was at a friends. However, I did notice that when you turn the preamp up high on the VC3Q it was quiet. On the Bluetube and TubeMP you will get some noise if you turn them up high but that's inevitable with cheaper tube preamps. That's something to consider when compressing the signal because a compresser will always attenuate any noise that is present.

The RNC comp. doesn't give you two independent mono channels, it only handles one source at a time but that source can be stereo. I'm not describing that very well, someone could explain that better I'm sure. If you don't have an outboard compresser than the RNC is worth considering. The reviews I've read love the thing but I've never used it.

Do you have the ART Tube MP ? If you do then you know if you like the sound of tubes or not. It is a different sound than a solid state preamp and some people like them and some don't. If you want one for vocals then go to the store and take your mics and listen. I like tube preamps because a lot of my music is synthesizers and drum machines and I think they sound great through tubes.
 
I have a Mackie with VLZ pres and the blue tubes are superior IMO. I use them for drum kits w/SM57s, D112s and MC012s. The MC012s do require phantom power and the powering on the blue tubes do seem to work fine on these.

I have read that some people have had trouble powering some mics with this unit. I will try my 4055s on there when I get a chance
 
I own the PreSonus BlueTube stereo mic preamp. I've just used it with regular non phantom powered mics, and I think it works great. I'm now looking at purchasing a AudioTechnica AT4033/SM condenser mic, which requires phantom power. I was wondering if anyone has had any trouble powering up this mic with the BlueTube. I assume that if you can power other mics in the AT4000 series, you should be able to power the AT4033SM, correct? Anybody.

Thanks,
Mathan Webber
 
Same here. works fine for me. This bluetube preamp is a bit noisy for voice applications in my opinion. I prefer a joemeek or a dbx

I would use the blue tube on drums or guitar cabs personally
 
I should just add that the blue tube doesnt sound that bad at all. It sounds much better to me than the mackie vlz pre's. Its only $150, but i reiterate that sonically its an improvement over the mackies or other cheap mixers. A good buy at $150 IF it works with your mics that is...
 
For vox especially with a good condenser, has anyone tried the ART Tube channel. More $$$ and only 1 channel but I gotta tell ya I've been able to lay down some killer tracks with this baby.
 
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