Tubedude request

[Middleman]

FINALLY......


An RNP track with a vocal. I liked it. Now if somone knows of a Sytek and Grace 101 vocal track I will know what to buy.

I liked the sound of this very much. Thanks Ozraves.

 

[ozraves]

FINALLY......


An RNP track with a vocal. I liked it. Now if somone knows of a Sytek and Grace 101 vocal track I will know what to buy.

I liked the sound of this very much. Thanks Ozraves.

M--

Don't you read Mojo Pie?

There is a Sytek audio sample link at the end of the Sytek review: www.piemusic.com/mp/sytek.html

I am going to record some stuff with a Grace 101 this month and I'll post up a song.

--Steve
www.piemusic.com

 

[Middleman]

Yes, I do read Mojo Pie but that one slipped by me. Thanks for the link. Really liked "Fly" great tune and voice.

Gotta say however between these two files I am leaning towards the RNP. There is just a liveness to the sound that is very appealing and sounds as if it would be a more versatile unit. I realize there is more compression on the Sytek file but the clarity and high end is not as prevelant within the sound of that track. The Sytek is more midrange too and it seems very focused in that space. A lot of this could be MP3 straining too so the variables are no doubt high.

Can't wait to hear the Grace 101.

This whole preamp thing is just mind boggling. I did a search for preamps today and there has to be over 100 various units under $1000, not to mention channel strips.

Over a grand I counted about 30 models.

The ever elusive search for the ultimate low cost preamp continues.....

 

[chessrock]

I get the feeling the only truly reliable way anyone can really get a feel for the difference between two different mic pres would be to track the exact same song twice in a row . . . on the same day, in the same room, etc etc. . . . with the only difference being that you unplugged the mics from preamp A and immediately plugged them in to preamp B with levels matched as close as possible, etc. and tracked it again. I really don't trust the splitter idea, as that will inevitably affect the load the mic sees.

It would easily make for the most valid possible comparison anyone's made to date, albeit still not perfect. And I'd be willing to pay money for it (if someone would put it on CD) a lot sooner than I would those silly "Boston Pre Party" CDs or that 3-D Audio thing.

In fact, if anyone had the motivation to do that, I think you could make some decent cash. In fact, I'll be you're first customer and will gladly pay in the neighborhood of $25 or so. Just a thought.

No disrespect intended, as I think this is all great, and I love the fact that we're sharing stuff we've tracked with various mic pres . . . highly encouraged.

But if we're going to do it, let's be sure to do it right. I think we're deceiving ourselves, or overestimating our ears, if we think we could tell that we liked MicPre A better than MicPre B, because we heard a sample from one guy a while back who used A and we thought it sounded far superior to another guy's work who used B. Again, no disrespect, but it's rather foolish.

 

[Middleman]

I totally agree, its virtually impossible to make a judgment call with disparate information. Actually my last post is rather silly now that I think about it. But given the lack of a better comparison thought I would give it a shot.

I would add one thing to the shootout. No compression. I want to hear the transient response of the preamp as in most cases this reveals one of its key characteristics.

 

[ozraves]

Yep, there are a lot of mic preamps. And, there are so many ways to think about evaluating them.

There are some great units under $1,000...

John Hardy M1 (maybe want one)
Grace 101 (got a loaner but want one)
Earthworks Lab 101
Sytek MPX-4Aii
FMR RNP (i got but it's out on loan)
Great River MP-1NV (maybe want one)

And, there are some great budget units such as the Audio Buddy (got one), DMP3 and VTB1.

And, there are some very impressive $$ mic preamps that I love such as the Phoenix Audio DRS-2 (definitely want) and the Gordon Audio Mic Preamp (the stuff that sonic dreams are made of).

The FMR RNP really opens up a lot of options moneywise for diversifying your channels. A good plan would be to get an FMR RNP and then add a Grace 101 and a Great River MP-1NV. You've got three shades of great mic preamp sounds for around $2,000 that you can piece together over time rather than bellying up the whole $2,000 at one time.

--Steve
www.piemusic.com

 

[Middleman]

Then there are the channel strips dbx, focusrite, LA Audio and all the neve kits under $1000. Some of these are drival though.

One other I might add to the list would be the Avalon M5.

 

[ozraves]

Then there are the channel strips dbx, focusrite, LA Audio and all the neve kits under $1000. Some of these are drival though.

One other I might add to the list would be the Avalon M5.

Due to the nature of the beast, mic preamps are never going to seem to be as good values as some of the microphones. I think people are waiting for that price/performance breakthrough that we thought hit with the Rode NT1 but really hit with the Studio Projects C1 and some of the choice lower cost mics that followed in its wake.

I could see having a well equipped project studio with a Shure SM57, an Audio Technica AT3035 or a Studio Projects C1, and a small condensor or two such as an MXL 603s or an Audio Technica AT3031. None of those mics cost over $200. You might add a Studio Projects B1 or a B3 to that list.

Add an FMR RNC.

With the minimum of mics and compressor, you're out at least $500. Add the quality preamp and that's $500 by itself. But, for $1,000, you've got a nice set up if you remember to not soil it with bad cable.

The mics and the RNC represent the best bangs for the buck you're ever going to get. Altogether, they cost as much as the preamp.

After that you're next real upgrades would be maybe a Royer R-121 ribbon mic ($1,000 or so) or another nice compressor ($600 to $1,000) or an EQ ($550).

--Steve
www.piemusic.com