You guys, seriously, please help me with the TL Audio 5060 !

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mr Music
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Mr Music

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I am looking to buy a nice TUBE preamp...with a compressor...
I have about $800-1000

Ive looked at the Focusrite....but its solid and not tube...
Ive looked at the Joemeek and it doesnt get as good reviews...and is also much more expencive...

So this is what im out for i guess...and something im going to buy in a few days...

http://www.tlaudio.co.uk/tlaudio/docs/products/5060.shtml

maybe theres something else to consider...

i have a MIDIMAN AUDIOFILE card...
i have an AKG 3000c microphone....

Im looking for warmth...

please help me out and maybe sway my decision...


At that price, there isnt much to pick from....

HELPPPPP!!!

I want to spend 800.....not 1000....

but still...

anyways please help!!!!!!


what do u think about the TL audio 5060 also...

http://www.tlaudio.co.uk/tlaudio/docs/products/5060.shtml

THIS IS FOR VOCALS....MONO.....SINGLE CHANNEL....

BYE!!!
 
Tube does not equate warmth. Warmth comes from eq and compression and mic selection and mic position and room treatment and steady handed engineers and years of experience and .......an aphex aural exciter (which I happen to be selling)
 
It's not a proper tube unit I'm afraid. I use a 5050 ivory series preamp and compressor. It's not bad by any means but a proper tube unit it aint.

If you look on their web site they say their Ivoryy series stuff has a "hybrid design".

I'll leave the recommendations to the folks who have experience using proper tube pres in the price range you've mentioned. I can't think of any with a compressor as well for that price anyway tbh.
 
@Big Kenny-

I am aware of everything you just said...but didnt i mention the compressor?
also...i cant afford an equalizer now so ill be using plugs...(or more like my engineer will)
also, my room is treated...i spent more money on the treating than anything else...as far as the exciter, can you please PM me about that....which one is it and the cost etc.....also, how long did you use it for....thx....
Eventhough i should say thanks for the reply, i didnt see much input on what I asked for...but ya nevermind...

@Kevin DeSchwazi-

umm, not really sure what you mean by not a proper unit...but ok thx....



Basicly I dont get it...what am i left with then?

The presonus unit doesnt have a compressor...
The focusrite is not tube....
The joemeek wasnt recommended and is too expencive for reasons that dont seem to beat out the other pres....

800-1000 and i cant find a freaking pre/compressor

this blows!

I have everything now...monitors, nice mic, treated room, sound card, fast computer...quality cables....etc etc
last thing i need is this......but cant seem to find something thats good

what do you guys use??????

as far as ive noticed, people here either have a crazy cheap pre like 300 dollars....or a crazy expensive, like 3000....

1000 isnt so bad....


BYE!
 
Hybrid means it's part tube, part solid state. Probably the solid state provides the gain, while the tube provides the color, I could be wrong but that's usually how it works.

My suggestions is to actually listen to a few of the units before ruling them out because they aren't tube. As stated by someone else, "warmth" (which is mostly just a marketing term) comes from more than just a box with a tube in it. Some options might be a GrooveTubes Brick for the pre and something like a FMR RNLA for the compressor. A M-Audio Tampa might also give you what you are looking for.
 
What I mean to say is it's not a proper tube unit in that the circuitry design and components aren't the same as what you'd find in a piece of equipment using traditional valve based circuitry. Those types of designs require a high voltage to be passed through the tube stage/s and you don't get that with designs such as the TL Audio, hence you'll often hear these referred to as 'starved plate' designs. I'm not a technical guy so I can't give any more detail than that.

It's basically a solid state design with a few valves chucked in so they can say "warm" a lot in their advertising.
 
Kevin DeSchwazi said:
What I mean to say is it's not a proper tube unit in that the circuitry design and components aren't the same as what you'd find in a piece of equipment using traditional valve based circuitry. Those types of designs require a high voltage to be passed through the tube stage/s and you don't get that with designs such as the TL Audio, hence you'll often hear these referred to as 'starved plate' designs. I'm not a technical guy so I can't give any more detail than that.

It's basically a solid state design with a few valves chucked in so they can say "warm" a lot in their advertising.
Click to expand...


ya thanks!

i saw that too when i was reading their sites etc.


@ reshp1-
ill check out the M-Audio Tampa
thanks!
 
I dunno

I checked out the MAudio tampa......cant be better than the TL Audio 5060....

but something to consider i guess....


damn it, i never knew itll be so hard to pick a damn pre/comp....

maybe i should buy seperate, but thatll be so much more expencive...and will cost me so much more than 800....

uggghhh....
 
For a grand, you can probably find something along the lines of a used Great River, Dan Alexander, Vintech, etc, etc preamp that would be light years warmer than the TL stuff (which I've used...not bad, but not in the same league as the other stuff I mentioned). If you need a channel strip, for a grand you can get two channels of Toft eq, compression and preamp. I'd not describe it as warm, but definitely would say it's worth the thousand bucks.
 
Mr Music said:
I checked out the MAudio tampa......cant be better than the TL Audio 5060....
Click to expand...

Someone had a quote in there sig a while back, something like "talking about audio is like tap-dancing about architecture" You can't compare two pieces of equipment based on their descriptions, specs, or even their price. You've got to listen. Would you buy a car without a test drive?
 
reshp1 said:
Someone had a quote in there sig a while back, something like "talking about audio is like tap-dancing about architecture" You can't compare two pieces of equipment based on their descriptions, specs, or even their price. You've got to listen. Would you buy a car without a test drive?
Click to expand...

agreed, i guess the price threw me off...but youre too right



BUT YA, YOU GUYS, HOW ABOUT THIS RIGHT HERE...
pure TUBE....the only con about it is it doesnt have knobs for attack and release in the compressor...just buttons...
but i heard good stuff about this...

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--DBX376



by the way about the TOLF, is it all TUBE? or 1/2 1/2 solid...
 
Mr Music said:
...the only con about it is it doesnt have knobs for attack and release in the compressor...just buttons...
Click to expand...

The other con is that it sounds like shite. I really don't like those 300 and 500 series dbx units one bit.

Tube or no tube is definately a red herring. An Avalon 737 is a tube unit and sounds very clean (and not at all what anyone would call "warm"). A Neve 1073 is solid state and sounds thick (or what some may call "warm"). I'd stay away from most tube stuff in your price range. You'll get a better sounding unit by going solid state.
 
Here's a review on the DBX unit.
http://emusician.com/mag/emusic_dbx/

The 386 is the two channel version of the 376 box.

I'd go with a Peavey VMP-2 and a FMR Real Nice Compressor myself, rather than trying to find a box with both pres and a compressor. You can typically find the VMP-2 for between $600-750 or so and a used RNP is about $125. I have both - picked up for a total of $725 plus shipping. The Peavey unit is about as cheap as you are going to find for a real tube pre with the exception of the GT Brick and perhaps the EH unit. I've not tried either of those, although I have a couple GT Dittos that I like (Tube DIs that are like the Brick) and I generally have like GT equipment. The Peavey will give you two channels and limited, but useful, two level EQ on each channel. If you want, you can even improve the sound somewhat by changing out the stock Sovtek tubes for NOS or better grade tubes. Makes a slight but perceptible difference.

As others have said, tube does not equal warmth. For the money you are looking at spending, there are other nice preamp choices that would sound great, especially if you are willing to buy used. The RNP, the GT Brick (or a GT MP1 tube preamp if you can find one), a Drawmer MX60 (which I think does have a compressor), and the Speck micpre 5.0 come to mind. I think HHB also offered a decent unit in the Radius line at that price point. While there are a variety of decent inexpensive compressors, the RNC is a pretty safe choice at its price point (actually at its price point there is nothing better IMHO).
 
What will really give you some warmth, and don't laugh, I'm serious. But an aged, broken, non-functional Aphex Compellor will add tons of warmth to your tracks. What happens is when the power transformer on the Aphex units made between 1970 and 1985 blows, even though the box itself does nothing ... all of these awesome harmonics are created. I think it was Steve Albini who said he swears by them ... that they're even better than tubes. I think he used one on the Paige / Plant records, and apparently Robert Plant liked the effect so much, he went out and bought like 20 old Aphex Compellors off Ebay, and purposely broke them for the warmth effect.

I have one I might sell for around $800 or so. Remember; it is a compressor. And even though it doesn't work, it will sound really really warm.
 
sebatron vmp1000e is $800 . valve preamp with some eq. this is useful for recording with a little bit of color . i have been getting amazing results
 
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