VF 08, Outboard Pre Amp

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FROZ

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Hi folks,

A bit of advice please, if you would !

I bought a Fostex VF 08 about six months ago now, and as my birthday is rapidly approaching was thinking of adding a bit of gear to my studio setup. The problem being, I'm not really sure of what to get or if it will be worthwhile me getting anything at all !

My current setup is as follows :-

Fostex VF 08 Multitracker
Superlux condenser mic and shock mount
Shure SM 58
Shure BG 1.1
Arcam Alpha amp
Tannoy Reveal Near field monitors

My instrument collection is as follows :-

Martin DM acoustic 6 string
Boston cheapo 6 string with transducer
Vintage 12 string acoustic
Vintage Les Paul copy
Yamaha GX 100
Fender Jazz Bass copy
Bongos
Harmonicas

Most of my recording involves acoustic guitar and vocals through the condenser mic, but on occasions I play a bit of electric guitar and bass, plugged directly into the multitracker.
I have been very pleased with the results so far ( not that much recording done yet ! ) but wondered if there was any equipment that would give me better results.
I was thinking along the lines of an outboard mic pre amp but don't know if this will be any use to me ! I seem to get a reasonably hiss free signal using the built in pre amps on the Fostex but I do have to have the trim turned up to almost maximum.
Joe Meek do a Pre amp / compressor / eq. unit in their mini range
designed for computer based set ups. ( I presume this would still be OK to use with a VF 08 )

Would this be of any use to me ?

Any other suggestions are more than welcome

I am also planning to do more recording of electric instruments in the future, so anything you think may help the quality, please let me know

Thanks in advance
FROZ
 
You would probably get more mileage out of a good condensor mic then another cheap pre. Check out the MXL V69, 93 and the Studio Projects C1, C3. They all are great for vocals and guitar.
 
* Since you're recording a lot of things direct in to the recorder, I would look at getting a d.i. box and/or a POD amp modeler. I got a chance to use the Behringer V-amp for a while, and really enjoyed it. You will get much better recordings and more realistic-sounding electric guitars with the modeled amps from a POD or V-amp (than you will plugging it in directly to recorder).

As far as d.i. boxes go, I really like using my ART Tube MP. It's marketed as a mic preamp, but it doesn't work nearly as well for that as it does a direct input for bass guitar and keyboards. Especially since you'll be doing lots of electronic music, the toob will give things a slightly smoother, less digital sound. Behringer also makes a pretty simple d.i. box that supposedly isn't bad.

* Yes, an external preamp probably will give you better sound out of your mic. And it isn't all about hiss or noise; it's also about clarity. M-audio and Joemeek are both excellent choices (Audio Buddy, DMP3, etc.)

* You could even get a combination mic preamp and a/d convonverter. Generally, the analog-to-digital conversion on the portable 8-track recorders isn't the greatest either. I would highly recommend the Mindprint d.i. port, but there are also a lot of fans of the dbx silver series (386, for example). Also Joemeek has one, as well.
 
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