Tampas tone compared to ART MPA Gold?

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dickiefunk

dickiefunk

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Hi. I am using an M-Audio Tampa and DMP3 for my pres at the moment.
I haven't had a lot of time with the Tampa because of circumstances but the experience I've had so far is that the DMP3 and Tampa sound very similar:confused:

I normally use the DMP3 for acoustic guitar and the Tampa for vocals. I'm considering swapping the Tampa for the ART MPA Gold and do a tube upgrade as I would like something warmer and smoother for vocals and don't need the compressor or digital outs.

Would this be a good move or should I stick with the Tampa?
 
I have (but don't often use) a DMP3. I also have a Digital MPA (the MPA gold with A/D) that I changed the tubes in. I've never used a Tampa. For clean pres like the DMP3, I normally use my Black-Lion-Audio-modified MOTU Traveler. Before the mod, I preferred the DMP3, but after the mod I prefer the Traveler. I still do like the DMP3.

The MPA is pretty different from the DMP3 -- I like to use it for (my crappy) vocals, and for downtempo direct-in guitar and bass - I can get a kind of mellow, smoky sound [that partially disguises the crappiness of my voice]. Right before hurricane Ike, I replaced the Groove Tube 12AX7s I had in it with old GE 12AT7s, and I thought it sounded noticeably better. Then the power went out and it hasn't come back on yet. :mad:

The DMP3 is really clean to my ears, on the other hand.

I would recommend the MPA Gold / Digital MPA -- recognize this is coming from someone without much meaningful experience in these matters (unlike many others on the board), and without much exposure to high end preamps.
 
Thanks for the reply.

Any other people out there with experience with these pres?
 
dickiefunk said:
Thanks for the reply.

Any other people out there with experience with these pres?
Click to expand...

Yep. Me. I've got an Octane, which is 8 channels of DMP3 preampage, so I'm guessing it sounds pretty similar to your Tampa. I also have the MPA Gold.

The MPA is definitely warmer. I like clean pres on acoustic, so one of my favorite combos is the Octane (or other cleaner pres I have) on stereo acoustic, and the ART with a 57 on electric.

I also use the ART for vocals a lot. Some vocals do well with the cleaner pres, but some do better with the MPA, esp. with the variable impedence to tweak the mic's sound.

Oh yeah, lately, I've really been groovin' on the MPA as a DI pre for bass guitar.

So to summarize, they're definitely different enough that they both have their own uses, and for the $$ they do it well...
 
Love it on bass...I usually run it through a Radial JDI to the mic input on the MPA...I like that better than the DI on the MPA, but that's not bad either. I've also recorded some great vocal tracks with it.

Frank
 
Thanks for those replies and info!

Anyone else had experience with these?
 
Sir Dickyfunk,

No experience with the Tampa here, but I do have a DMP-3 and an MPA Gold. The DMP-3 strikes me as a solid journeyman pre. Not fancy, but it's clean and gives good service. Like WhiteStrat, I often use it for stereo SDC's on acoustic. The MPA, though, definately seems to shine on vocals. I swapped out the Tubes in mine. A Mullard 4024 in Channel one, and a Jan Phillips 12AT7 in Channel 2. Both sound great, with the Jan being a bit crisper. I like the two different tubes, as it gives an greater pallet of tones to work with.
 
dickiefunk said:
Anyone else had experience with these?
Click to expand...
You probably want to hear from someone who has one and *doesn't* like it -- I would too. Truth is, when I was doing my research, the only criticism I could find was by people who didn't have one, and assumed it was another starved-plate design (like the ART Tube MP, for example), which it's not. In those threads, once the truth came out, the criticism turned to the fact that it does employ solid state opamp gain (as well as the tubes) and does not have input and output transformers (all true) -- but these arguments were still only made by folks who had no first hand experience with the unit, and seemed to be based on pure theory, however compelling.

I never did find anyone with first-hand experience who didn't like the unit. Admittedly, everyone who owns one has some emotional investment (like with any gear), so it shouldn't be surprising to find advocates. But it's also usually easy to find at least a couple of first-hand critics.

I did hear a comparison between one and some high end pre, and it was pretty clear that the high end pre won out -- but I believe the MPA had the stock tubes in it for the test, which nobody recommends (I can't find the comparison now, and I could be wrong about that, but that's how I remember it).

Anyway, I'll be watching this thread too for any disses.
 
antichef said:
I did hear a comparison between one and some high end pre, and it was pretty clear that the high end pre won out -- but I believe the MPA had the stock tubes in it for the
Click to expand...

i bought my MPA based largely on a lot of the things that you brought up. very few bad comments from people that have actually owned them and the fact that have owned them that also own higher end pieces tend to like the MPA on it's own merits.

plus for the 175 that i paid for it there's nothing else that would really even be close and i already have a DMP3 so that would be redundant. even with the Jan tubes i've got less than 250 in it and it.
 
Has anyone on here been able to compare both the Tampa and MPA Gold?

I was also recently given a Yamaha MLA-7 which I haven't tried out yet. I've been told this is a darker pre to my M-Audio pres?

I'm also considering a final option of keeping my Tampa and DMP3 and get an Electro Harmonix 12-AY7 Mic Pre? I could then upgrade the tube. This way I could possibly have the best of both worlds?
 
In regards to the MPA...is it possible to use as a "clean" pre too?

I know everyone who owns it loves the color it adds, but is it possible to run more transparent or would one who is interested in an MPA (read: me) be well served to find another pre to handle those types of needs as well?

Also, if the answer above is "find another one, too" what would a good fairly cheap suggestion be? I'm trying to make a wish list for my wife to refer to for Christmas/B-days/anniversaries (if she can put up with me for years to come :D).

Thanks

***EDIT***

While rack mounting certainly isn't a requirement, it wouldn't hurt either.
 
Well for clean pres the DMP3 and Rane MS-1b are good options. After that we're looking at more money for something like a Grace 101 or DAV BG1. Obviously I can't help you with the transparency of the MPA Gold.
 
solaris1982 said:
In regards to the MPA...is it possible to use as a "clean" pre too?

I know everyone who owns it loves the color it adds, but is it possible to run more transparent or would one who is interested in an MPA (read: me) be well served to find another pre to handle those types of needs as well?

Also, if the answer above is "find another one, too" what would a good fairly cheap suggestion be? I'm trying to make a wish list for my wife to refer to for Christmas/B-days/anniversaries (if she can put up with me for years to come :D).

Thanks

***EDIT***

While rack mounting certainly isn't a requirement, it wouldn't hurt either.
Click to expand...

with the plate voltage on high i don't really notice my MPA adding color really. i'm sure that this will depend on tube choice to a point but i feel that i'm getting a pretty natural sound from it.
 
The MPA isn't a very low distortion unit, so if you want something with crispy transients I would look elsewhere. But if you run the tube on high plate (which I recommend at all times), set the VU meter to tube and keep it out of the red, it is transparent enough. That generally means you run the input gain relatively low, and use the analog output/digital output gain control to makeup the rest.

Also, if you want transparent, keep the input impedance on max.
 
Just a quick update to let you know I just picked up an MPA Gold for a fraction more than the Electro Harmonix Mic Pre costs!

I'm now looking to re-tube it
 
Never heard the Tampa being compared to a DMP3 before. To me the DMP3 was a one trick pony and would soon get "cluttered" when stacking lots of tracks through it in the same mix.

The Tampa had a LOT more character when really pushed and gave great clarity in a mix when used up to a certain level. I'll add that it ha plenty of gain to give before it starts to colour.

Can't comment on the ART stuff because I haven't used it first hand but I have worked with tracks someone else had put through one and wasn't overly impressed.

The Tampa is the standout box for me in this shootout every time.
 
LemonTree said:
The Tampa had a LOT more character when really pushed and gave great clarity in a mix when used up to a certain level. I'll add that it ha plenty of gain to give before it starts to colour.
Click to expand...
i completely agree on all points. i LOVE my Tampa. lots of great sounds in that thing.

If you find the DMP3 and Tampa sound very similar, I would suggest something's askew in your monitoring and/or room.

cheers,
wade
 
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