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

[earworm]

i just want to add a little thought of mine, nothing special:
at first i also thought: 'wow, tubes, thats gonna warm everything up',
untill i started testing cheap tube gear and it ALL disapointed me !
better get a real good solid state machine instead of a cheap tube of course,
like two weeks ago a bassist came over with his behringer tube preamp thingy, it was hissy, boomy, dirty, useless, the DI signal straight into my M8 (no tubes) sounded SO MUCH BETTER

but of course, if u spend 900$ then you should get some pretty decent stuff

right now there's only one tube machine that impressed me and thats the SE electronics Gemini (ldc mic), i record hiphop with it,and its so cool,
the rapper raps, i record and it sounds fine !!!! with an akg414 i always have to tweak the sound of the vocal...

i've used a TL audio eq ...cant remember the type/model,
wasn't impressed, thought that driving the tubes would give me an interesting sound, instead i got annoying distortion, i'm not yet sold to TL audio

 

[Richard Monroe]

Are you getting it yet? Here's the Reader's Digest version- First, I, for one, like the Joemeek twinQ just fine, but it is *not* a tube preamp, and *warm* is not a word I would use to describe it. Second- an all tube channel strip with a compressor that's any good is an expensive sucker indeed, more than you want to spend. Example- Pendulum Audio quartet- $3,250, Manley voxbox- $4,000.
Third, you really must let go of the idea that tubes=warmth. Warmth is subtle, selective distortion that hides detail in sound, like airbrushing a photograph. That can be good or bad, sepending on what you are trying to do. Tubes *can* create warmth. So can lots of other things, especially mics. You can get inexpensive hybrid designs labeled misleadingly as "tube" amps. As a rule, they are much better for creating nasty distortion than "warmth".
Fourth- a DBX 386 is not a 2 channel version of the DBX376. The 386 uses the same basic preamp, but there is no compressor or EQ section. And whatever it is, it is not warm.
What these guys are trying to tell you, quite correctly, is that you can get very good solid state preamps with onboard compression in your price range, or you can get a good preamp, and add a compressor as a second unit. Not only is what you are asking for not in your price range, but it probably won't do what you want it to do. My best advice in your pricerange- Buy a Great River ME-1NV $1075.00 and an RNC compressor. The RNC will allow you to control dynamics, and the Great River pre really is "warm", based on the old Neve preamps, without a tube in sight.-Richie

 

[pohaku]

Fourth- a DBX 386 is not a 2 channel version of the DBX376. The 386 uses the same basic preamp, but there is no compressor or EQ section. And whatever it is, it is not warm.
-Richie

My bad. I was thinking primarily of the pres. Of course what Richie said is right on the mark and far more direct. The Great River is a great box. I keep thinking that I'm going to have to pick one up myself sometime. But I keep getting distracted by other stuff

 

[Mr Music]

Wow thats great stuff!
Thanks for the help thats for sure!

I learned a lot out of this thread...will consider everything that was said and get myself one this week...

Thanks again!

 

[MCI2424]

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.

Is this true? Can I buy yours please?

 

[chessrock]

Is this true? Can I buy yours please?

You sound like a pretty nice guy, and I don't want to rip you off or anything, so how 'bout $700 instead of $800 ?