Whats the common concensus on the VTB-1?

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tubedude

tubedude

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Great, good, decent, Mackie-like, less than Mackie, Grace-like, worth pimping your mom for, etc...
 
YES

I have never heard it, and I have inexperienced ears anyway...therefore, I can say, without having the slightest clue what I'm talking about, that the VToob-1 is the hottest, coolest, most bestus sounding mic pre to come along since Neve was a newbie.:D
 
It seems to sound good on vocals, but have that typical "tube" HF rolloff that makes it less suitable for things that you want to "shine", so I would be hesitant to buy it if I would record 12-string acoustics with it for example.

Somewhat like the Art Tube MP, id' guess, but better quality.

That seems to be the consensus.
 
REGEBRO, is that the case regardless how little of the tube sound dialed in?
-kent
 
Yes. The HF rolloff was evident in the samples posted here with "tube drive" set to 0. It's not actually a features of the tube (tubes don't necessarily have HF rolloff ) but a typical feature of preamps mentioning "tube sound". :)

For vocal use, the VTB-1 seems to be nice. For generic use I'd look into more transparent stereo preamps.

It's also dependant on the mic. With an SM-57 for example, a preamp with an HF-rolloff will often sound boomy, but a clear preamp will be good.

But recording vocals with my MK-319, the Tube MP sounds better than my (very transparent) Line Audio MP-1, because the HF rolloff makes it sound softer and closer.
 
RE: Samples;

VTB-1 on MP3 = "Sounds good"
VTB-1 In person = "Sounds Excellent"
Ain't nothing like the real thing!

Chris
 
Mp3 samples have poor high freq. response any how.

It gets good reccomendations from the most respected reviewers on this board.
 
IMO, the VTB-1 is well worth the miniscule price you pay. I have ran it through several tests and have found it to be very versitile. The amount of the tube influence drastically changes its character, which to me is good. I tried it on my voice and it works well for me, and Ive yet to try it with my 6 yr old daughter, the ultimate test on a mic pre if you asking. I hear her voice so often that if she sounds exactly the same through the mic-pre-monitors chain then Im happy. I have fallen in love with the hiZ DI in the front for clean guitar and bass. Its nice because since it sits in my rack, Its nice to just poke a button and be done with it when going direct. Mind you were not comparing this unit to $1200 vintage units, but Im sure as the burn in and aging occurs its character will change slightly. Oh and before I forget, it sounds awesome as a pre for sm57/Marshall 1/2 stacks combo's.:D

SoMm
Side note, MP3 compression is no way to do sound analysis, chessy is right believe me.
 
Son of Mixerman said:
... as the burn in and aging occurs its character will change slightly.
Click to expand...

That's what my girlfriend has observed about me. Although I think she left out the "slightly". ;)
 
Well, you have to think that even a year ago, about the best pre available for under a grand was the Presonus MP20 ( w/ the Jensen trans ).

To compare a VTB-1 to a $1200 pre isn't the same as comparing it to a $1200 pre a year ago. Things are really moving. John Hardy came out w/ single channel M1's and M2, and those guys are just a few bucks north of $1K.

The Grace 101 came out at $500. Dan Alexander has under-$1K Neve and API clones. Summit has a new offering. Great River just got under the $1K price point w/ the new MP-1NV. Sytek gives you four great pres for under $1K.

Some of the best under-$1K pres are pretty transparent, i.e 101, MP20, Sytek. And that may or may not be what you want. The VTB-1, OTOH, offers a lot more tonal variations. That's why I said in my review that if I only had one pre to use on a project, I'd seriously consider the VTB-1.

What you can buy for $200 today is much improved over what you got for $200 as little as a year ago. What you can buy for $1K is improving as well. Digital technology has plateaued and really just adding on more bells and whistles, but analog technology has really made some serious leaps for projects studio owners in the last year.

One thing I've been reading by a few people is that the DI on the VTB-1 is not quite what it could be. I can't dispute that because my DI tests were inconclusive.

I'd say the VTB-1 is the best pre value for under $500, and it's also better than a lot of pres costing over $500.
 
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Dot,

I'm curious to know which pre's (in your opinion) do you feel the VTB-1 compares in the "over $500" bracket.

You can always email me if you feel that being too specific may cost you.

bowisc@hotmail.com


-B
 
Bowisc, the VTB-1, IMO, is a better pre the most if not all of the pres in every channel strip up until you get into the HHB Classic Series / TL Audio C-1 level. And that'll run $1200+.

For the last few years the way to go for under $1K has been a good channel strip, i.e. HHB Radius series, En Voice, Meek channels, Drawmer...most of these units have been right around $700. There really hasn't been anything available from $700 - $1000. I've recommended many of these channel strips and thought they were the best bet under $1K. Since the introduction of the RNC and now the VTB-1, I've changed my tune. I no longer recommend the Radius series.

So, what I'm saying is that IMO, the VTB-1 is as good or better than any pre you could have gotten a year ago under $1K. And with the introduction of other great pres under $1K in the last year, I recommend that people buy a separate mic pre and run it w/ the RNC or one of the Meek compressors if they want more color.

Times are good and there's some great gear out now for under $1K
 
Dot said:
One thing I've been reading by a few people is that the DI on the VTB-1 is not quite what it could be. I can't dispute that because my DI tests were inconclusive.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what that means, Dot. I used the D.I. on the VTB-1 a few days ago for bass, and it did a pretty good job. No, it's not the same as the D.I. on the RNP, which I found spectacular, and very different from any D.I. I've ever used, but the VTB-1 D.I. worked just fine for the session. It's not the world's greatest D.I., but it's a good D.I., in my opinion.
 
regebro said:
Yes. The HF rolloff was evident in the samples posted here with "tube drive" set to 0. It's not actually a features of the tube (tubes don't necessarily have HF rolloff ) but a typical feature of preamps mentioning "tube sound". :)

For vocal use, the VTB-1 seems to be nice. For generic use I'd look into more transparent stereo preamps.

It's also dependant on the mic. With an SM-57 for example, a preamp with an HF-rolloff will often sound boomy, but a clear preamp will be good.

But recording vocals with my MK-319, the Tube MP sounds better than my (very transparent) Line Audio MP-1, because the HF rolloff makes it sound softer and closer.
Click to expand...

So, you have not used it then? If this is the case, I suggest you contact Midwest Audio. They will have the VTB-1 in by the end of the month. They distribute them in Norway and Sweeden.

Once you actually use it, I will be happy to accept your comments, good or bad.
 
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