the Mic-Pre Challenge!

[Outlaws]

The Microphone Preamplifier Challenge!

(Please read all of this....)

This is a sample of two mic pres. The difference is up to you. Please listen closely to both samples and pick the one that you think sounds the best.


The guitar is a Fender '52 Re-issue Telecaster into a Fender SuperReverb amplifier with a bit of the amps reverb. No processing was done before or after tracking.

One preamp is somewhat expensive compared to a "homerecording" budget, and the other is more of an entry level.


PLEASE: No one express what pres they think may have been used, and definatly don't give away what sample is what. Cool? I hope so, I hope this is something that we can all learn from. I know I did.

Again, this is to see if spending extra money is worth it really. And if anyone happens to want to stake their reputation on what is the better one......please don't...

Please don't! I want everyone to vote competely honest on this. I do not want anyone to be influenced by someone elses opinion and vote with them just so they can say they knew what was what.



SO PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS IN TYPE!

Just vote. Thats it. You can email me if you want to take a guess just to show off Thats cool with me. Just don't tell people what you think it is.

I will post which is which after about a week or so......sooner if I get a lot of responses to the poll.


MicPre 1

MicPre 2

 

[Outlaws]

PLEASE!!!!! Do not post your response in writting!


And I apologize for the slight volume variation....

 

[tdukex]

There's a big difference to me, but I'm listening on carppy headphones at work.

 

[CanopuS]

One sounds slightly better to me. However, the fact that the guitar is out of tune kinda puts me off lol.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Be advised that MP3 is not a good format for comparison. The audio compression will vary depending on the signal involved and is not constant for all files, which means the audio compression process can affect the 2 files differently, creating more of a distinction than there actually is.


The other issue is - define "better".... the coloration of the one sample over the other may be more appropriate in a particular context, making it the "better" choice... in this particular clip, I thought the darker clip suited the guitar sound better overall.

And dude -- tune the fucking guitar!!!!

 

[dwillis45]

“Please don’t respond in writing.” Sorry.

I have to agree that to be meaningful the test is only as good as your design. An mp3 format using no controls for listening environment or listening equipment is likely to generate as many opinions as their are listeners. I also wonder if the test tells us much of anything since very few people produce songs featuring a single instrument. To me, the real test of a good/bad preamp is the sound quality after it has been used multiple times in multitrack setting. In addition, you have asked people to compare two unknown preamps but you state that one is low-end and one expensive by home recording standards. This suggests that you may get responses that reflect the listener’s attitude about spending money on equipment--not an independent assessment of equipment. For example, there MUST be a difference between the two preamps because one is more expensive.

If you are interested in a high quality mic preamp test, check out the 3daudioinc.com site.

http://www.3daudioinc.com/3daudio_prelp.html

 

[chessrock]

I think the big question here is . . .

Have you figured out how to go line-in on your roland yet, or are you still going through your stock preamps.

 

[Teacher]

I think the big question here is . . .

Have you figured out how to go line-in on your roland yet, or are you still going through your stock preamps.

ROFLMAO...

 

[Outlaws]

I have to agree that to be meaningful the test is only as good as your design. An mp3 format using no controls for listening environment or listening equipment is likely to generate as many opinions as their are listeners.

Loosen the fuck up jackass. Homerecording ie limited shit. Fucking rich ass snob.




Chessrock..........I'm not even going to go there....

 

[Middleman]

I don't find electric guitar samples especially revealing. Neither one sounds better depending on what else is in the mix. One is more midrange and high focused but I would not want to make a judgement on which is better.

Run a vocal sample and it would provide a better comparison. Or perhaps acoustic guitar.

 

[Outlaws]

oh and is a 320 kbs MP3.

 

[chessrock]

Well, I think I have a definite idea of which one I like better. And based on past posts of yours, I think I can pretty much guess which ones we're comparing, here.

And based on the poll results so far, it appears that what other guys here think is pretty much in line with what I'm hearing, also.

I still think the differences between most mic pres, budget or otherwise, is pretty negligable in the grand scheme of things. Changing to a different amp, changing the strings, playing slightly different, or EQ'ing or compressing would have made a very immediate and/or noticeable difference, in comparison.

 

[Outlaws]

Ches,

What happend to you post where you said which pre you thought was what?

 

[chessrock]

I just went back and read your rules where you said not to post which one we thought was which because you didn't want to throw things off. So I deleted it out of respect for your wishes.

 

[Outlaws]

I just went back and read your rules where you said not to post which one we thought was which because you didn't want to throw things off. So I deleted it out of respect for your wishes.

Thanks for also taking note in your "by-pass the Roland Pres" post too. Are we getting selective here?

 

[heylow]

Thanks for also taking note in your "by-pass the Roland Pres" post too. Are we getting selective here?

OK.....but DID you? I haven't seen you answer that question in all the times it's been asked. I don't mean to seem jerky, but it matters.


heylow

 

[Outlaws]

Its been answered....but somewhere else.

 

[heylow]

OK....I just listened.

Dude...you CAN'T hear a difference between the samples? Listen to the entire frequency spectrum...the high, the mids, the lows. Listen particularly to hose highs and mids.

I can't believe they sound the same to you.

Good luck.


heylow

 

[Outlaws]

OK....I just listened.

Dude...you CAN'T hear a difference between the samples? Listen to the entire frequency spectrum...the high, the mids, the lows. Listen particularly to hose highs and mids.

I can't believe they sound the same to you.

Good luck.


heylow

There is another thread you should go and reread.

 

[Outlaws]

Just for the record, I am not the person who voted that they cannot hear a difference. I did not vote.