Warmth or Silence, That is the question.

[Danny Knight]

Hello,
I am in the market for a Mic Pre-amp and I do appreciate all the messages about the Art tube MP single channel mic pre. But it raised more questions. Considering the clarity of the digital domain, I'm torn between the choice of getting a Mic Pre that shines in tone or sonic transparency. This is depending on the recommendations of the wonderful suggestions of all the very informative accoustical engineers of this site. Of course noone really said many bad things about the MP, but I would like to know how a completely solid state pre-amp holds up, example; Event, Behringer, or Midi-man Audio Buddy. I just purchased a Marshall Electronincs,Inc. 1" diaphram Condensor MX2001 W/shock mount for only $150.00 very sensitve but I needed to crank the gain on my Samson mixer to get the signal. I'm using cakewalk as the recorder. BTW, I'm a vocalist.
Thanks
Note: My first time posting so I figured I would test the waters and get my ass reemed out for writing too much! Hopefully not!


[This message has been edited by Danny Knight (edited 02-01-2000).]

 

[jnorman]

certainly the selection of a mic pre is highly dependent on the application, and the mic it is to be coupled with. the marshall mic will display a upper frequency lift common to most large diaphragm condenser mics, and for vocal use, it will most likely benefit from a tube mic preamp and a fair amount of compression (most compressors will attenuate the higher frequencies as you increase the threshhold setting). use a pop filter, and work the mic at about 6-8" to best utilize the proximity effect of the mic. most of the less expensive tube mic pres use low-voltage circuitry that really doesn't drive the tubes properly, and also use some really cheap chinese-made tubes. for those of you who use entry-level tube equipment, pull the factory tubes out and replace them with some high-end tubes. some of the tube channels (combo mic pre, compressor, eq, etc) are good deals for budget studios, though selecting each piece of processing equipment separately offers more flexibility and quality (plus it costs more, and i know that spending as much money as possible is always one of our primary goals!). i do know that in the long run it is best to buy really good gear to begin with instead of buying cheap, not getting the results you wanted, and then having to upgrade. the least expensive tube gear i've seen that drives the tubes at proper voltages is the HHB line.

 

[Danny Knight]

Thanks Jnorman.
One more thing. I'm generally a nice person so I feel obligated to thank everyone that replies with some information. But I hope that everyone will understand my appreciation for there time in advance so I don't have to reply to every post. So thanks.