Tube mic AND tube pre ???

  • Thread starter Thread starter DeadPoet
  • Start date Start date
DeadPoet

DeadPoet

carpe diem
I'm sorry if this was asked before, but a search on tube, microphone and preamp gave me too many results..

IS it a bad thing to have 2 tubes in your signal path (or more, as I think of it, eg. tube compressor) ?? I think I read it's not a good think, but would it hurt ??

I'm surely gonna buy a Rode NT-K, but was thinking of adding a pre too.

Thanks,
Herwig
 
Before solidstate was born, you had tube mics, tube pres, tube comps, tube mixing desks, and tube tape recorders, and it sounded good. It WAS the reason the de-esser was invented though due to sibilance problems, but if you gonna have 2 tube units in your recording path I don't think you'll have any trouble, unless you crank them into full distortion.

PS. Todays tube gear may have a more "defined" tube sound, to appeal those who seek the magic warmth and thus being more problematic when paired with more tube gear of the same kind.
The original tube gear was designed to sound clean and clear.
 
To reiterate what Stephan said, modern tube gear IS designed to provide a certian amount of pleasing distortion.

I have a SP T-3 (a nice tube mic) but I really don't have a GOOD tube pre-amp to test this theory but; it seems to me like running tubes on tubes in your chain would be like wearing a belt AND suspenders.
 
Michael Jones said:
To reiterate what Stephan said, modern tube gear IS designed to provide a certian amount of pleasing distortion.

I have a SP T-3 (a nice tube mic) but I really don't have a GOOD tube pre-amp to test this theory but; it seems to me like running tubes on tubes in your chain would be like wearing a belt AND suspenders.
Click to expand...

This is a common misconception, probably because it's somewhat true concerning modern CHEAP tube gear. The specs on high quality tube gear rival that of solid state. If both hi quality tube gear and hi quality solid state gear are pushed to their limits, both will distort. In some cases the tube distortion will sound subjectively more "musical".

One of my favorite signal chains on critical tracks is:

Lawson L47mp (tube mic) —>
Tube Tech MP-1a (tube preamp) —>
Millenia TCL2 (tube compressor)

I defy anyone to describe the resulting sound as "dark", "distorted" (pleasing or otherwise), or "too tubey" (whatever that means). The belt and suspenders analogy is completely inappropriate here - each piece is chosen because it does a particular function REALLY WELL. Think of them as engine, transmission, and brakes (they all use metal parts? wouldn't all that metal be redundant?).

Whether your particular piece of gear that contains tubes will work well with any other particular piece of gear that contains tubes can only be truly answered by listening to them. Your chances are certainly much better, though, if the gear is of high quality design and manufacture.
 
littledog said:

The belt and suspenders analogy is completely inappropriate here - each piece is chosen because it does a particular function REALLY WELL. Think of them as engine, transmission, and brakes (they all use metal parts? wouldn't all that metal be redundant?).
Click to expand...
OK Great, someone that really knows chimmed in. I said I had no way of testing the theory.
But it's good to know. ;)
 
Hi Herwig.

The sound you'll get from using a tube mic and a tube preamp
is really subjective - a matter of personal taste.

A couple of months ago I tried my Lawson L47MP through a
UA 2-610 preamp. I can't say that I was thrilled with the result.
I much preferred the "cleaner" sound I get through my Neve
9098. It's not that the 2-610 sounded horrible, it just sounded
different.

My advice is to borrow (beg or steal) the combo you're thinking
about and simply try it. That's the only way you'll know for
sure.

All the best,

Lee
 
The UA pre is definitely a unique sounding piece, and not everyone likes it. It's not surprising that you had those results, but you might have felt that way with any mic through that pre, regardless of whether they were tube or not. Did you find any mics that you DID like through the UA?
 
I'm routinely using a Rode NTK into a Joemeek twinQcs, and they get along just fine.-Richie
 
I'm routinely using a Rode NTK into a Joemeek twinQcs, and they get along just fine
Click to expand...
I don't think the twinQcs is a tube pre. They didn't mention that it was on the joemeek.com website, and I think most of their stuff is solid state.
 
...which brings us to the point, do you think you can have too many GREEN things in the signal chain?
 
Well I'll be damned! not even a tewb. It's not easy being green...Richie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top