which mic preamp do you guys recommend for recording vocals

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livepast00

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hello everyone! and season greetings!


I'm deciding if i should get another preamp to record vocals over commercial/studio instrumentals, doing cover songs, I'm only do this as hobby and my studio set up is as following


-alienware computer super fast ass comp/ loads of ram/gigs/memory
-pro tools le 8
-mbox3
-audio-technica 4040 condenser mic/w primacoustic voxguard reflection filter
-MACKIE MR5 studio monitor 2010


my question is...

is my mbox3 preamp any good? someone told me that the preamp in the mbox sucks


should i consider buying another preamp and connecting it to mbox3 bypassing the mbox preamp if possible and if so which preamp do you recommend? my budget is 200-400$


what else should i consider buying to improve my vocal sound when i am recording and overall addition to my studio, note that i am only doing cover songs, mainly pop/hip pop/rnb songs. I am recording my vocals over studio instrumentals


my budget is around 200 to 400$


THANK YOU!!
 
Are you unhappy with how you sound now ? If yes, then there are numerous micpres out there in your price range. Generally speaking the more you pay the better quality. In your shoes I'd do some online research to help in your quest.
 
I personally like tube stuff to add flavor. I run my pre through my interface without using the preamp functions on the interface. Just sounds better to me. I personally run a Bellari MP105 with the Sovtek tube swapped to a Tung Sol... but being a minor gear nerd, I want to give a few other tubes a try. For an inexpensive tube based preamp, ART makes one for around $35. Also, you can find the Bellari model on eBay for probably around $60-65. Gotta be careful on the gain with the Bellari... it comes on really strong if you start cranking it past the 3 'o clock position (in my experience, it also depends on the mic being used too).

Things I recommend, for starting out anyway (as I am still a n00b, but this has worked for me), make sure that you get a pre with a pad switch, phantom, and a phase reversal switch. These should be about universal on any standalone pre, but I am not well versed enough in the numerous models to say for sure. But even the ART TubeMP has many of these features.
 
Unless the mbox' pres are particularly poor for the norm in the price range and literally 'don't cut it (someone here can likely chip in on that-) pres would be rather very low in the list of things that impact your end results.
 
It's hard to find a super-duper improvement in that price range. It's typically not until one gets into the $500+ price range with pres like the smaller Grace or True pres that stuff really starts to get "that sound".

That said, though, my boys at Product Recording just added an ART Pro MPA to their rack, that they matched up with an AT 4050 in the vocal booth, and the results have actually been quite good, with a noticeable positive difference between the MPA and the pres in the Presonus Studio Live board - the MPA being noticeably more intimate and transparent-sounding. So that might be something to look at in your price range.

But I'd make sure that it's the preamp that's disappointing your sound and not something else in the chain, because, frankly, the preamp is probably only going to make a fairly marginal difference as compare to, say, a different mic, a different acoustical environment or different studio monitors. I'm not saying that there necessarily is anything wrong with yours, just that in general, those are factors that often make a greater percentag of a difference than an incremental change in preamp.

G.
 
I will add this to my previous post and echo what Glen said, I started out with an ART TPSII upgraded to a Grace Design m101 micpre and a Mojave MA200, huge, huge difference. I have an AT4040 and it sounds much better thru the Grace.
 
Thank you everyone for your reply, much appreciated! :) if i buy another mic pre, can i connect it to my mbox3? or should i use the new mic pre on its own? what are some mic pre do you guys recommend that i look into for vocal recording and what type of mic pre, note that i am doing pop/hip pop/rnb cover songs, and i am sorry for the newb questions, but not to worry i will do my research as well
 
livepast00 said:
Thank you everyone for your reply, much appreciated! :) if i buy another mic pre, can i connect it to my mbox3?
Click to expand...
You can run it through the mbox3, but you should make sure you're running it into the "line in" and not the "mic in" on the mb3 - if they are separate plugs, that is.

Fdr1972 is trying to suck up to me, I think ;) The Grace m101 is one of my favorite mid-level mic pres and the MA200 my favorite LDC outside of a way-too-expensive Neumann. You can't go wrong with the Grace preamp, IMHO. That's over your stated price range, though. In your range, I'd look for what Focusrite might have as far as a one or two channel preamp. I forget exactly what they have available these days, but towards the top of your range you could probably find something kinda good. But, honestly, save up a little longer and get the Grace ;). You won't be sorry.

G.
 
thank you mr southside glen! just another question and im going to start saving for that grace or even better :D


when i hook it up to my mbox am i bypassing the preamp in the mbox3 or enhancing it(making the mbox perform better, sound better?) do i turn the gain knob down and the grace preamp up? can i get a little info on how it works if i connect it to my mbox3? and do i need a converter with the grace preamp?
 
livepast00 said:
when i hook it up to my mbox am i bypassing the preamp in the mbox3 or enhancing it(making the mbox perform better, sound better?) do i turn the gain knob down and the grace preamp up? can i get a little info on how it works if i connect it to my mbox3? and do i need a converter with the grace preamp?
Click to expand...
You want to bypass the preamp in the mbox. You do that by plugging into the "line in" like I said in the last post. That way you're using the pre in the Grace instead of the one in the mbox.

As far as setting the gain, that's something you'll have to play with that and see what combo works best for you. But chances are you will want most of your sound coming from the Grace.

If you're running the Grace through the mbox, that means you're using the mbox converters, since that's what is digitally connected to your computer. The Grace has no converters in itself, so it needs the converters in your mbox to get to digital.

Just plugthe line outs on the Grace intothe line ins on the mbox, and play with the gains to see where you get the best sound, and you'r cooking with gas.

G.
 
It's like asking what kind of salt is the best. It's salt. There's super fancy stuff, and there's table salt. Neither are unacceptable unless somehow defective.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
You want to bypass the preamp in the mbox. You do that by plugging into the "line in" like I said in the last post. That way you're using the pre in the Grace instead of the one in the mbox.
Click to expand...

I was looking for an answer like this. There was some discussion here but I didn't get the definitive answer I was looking for. Going Line-in made sense to me but I'm still learning. Thanks for the clarification.
 
Before you plunk down your hard-earned...

Read a few reviews on the MBox 3, and I think you'll find that the preamps in this unit are quite well regarded; miles ahead of those in the MBox 2 line.

So, given that your MBox 3 preamps are probably not the problem, you need to find out what the problem actually is.

Do some reading and research and learn how to evaluate your signal chain and your room to determine where the problem lies.

Given that you have fairly decent equipment, I would look first at your room treatment, if any. Ask some questions here, but make sure you separate the wheat from the chaff.

Too many newbies tend to think that money = magic and it simply doesn't. And for whatever reason, for too many newbies the preamp is the cure du jour. But the best preamp in the world isn't going to fix a lousy room, a crummy mic, or a sucky interface; it might make your music sound less bad, but it will still sound bad.

Anyway, good luck...
 
You have the mbox3!!! that's all you need.They have new converters and pres the same ones used in the protools HD boards so you are good!
 
Hello, I just purchased a MBOX3 Mini (was borrowing an MBOX2 Mini.) I mic my amp with a SM57 next to the grill cloth, and run to xlr input in back of the MBox., and on mic. I have to have my Amp up reasonably loud and the gain input turned 3/4 or more , just below peaking to get proper input(yes, the -20 pad is off) . This does not seem right should not have to tuyrn up so loud to get good input, driving my wife crazy... Anyone else have the same issue with the MBox3 mini? Seemed ythe MBox 2 was more sensitive , better input level.
 
Greg, This thread is from early 2011.
You're more likely to get a response in your ProTools forums thread.

Opening duplicate threads isn't really appreciated, but I don't think anyone would mind if you opened a new one in the digital recording and computers forum.

Good luck.
 
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