Mic pre amps

[jingle_jangle]

Outboard gear, eh!

I've got a nice '48 Johnson 6 hp on my bass boat...been thinking about upgrading.

[seaneldon]

M-Audio interfaces do not have Focusrite preamps. The original MBox had these "preamps" which were not much more than a combo connector and a chip that said "Focusrite" somewhere inside. You have to take into consideration that the power supply is a vital part of a mic pre, and to have the MBox or similar devices be powered by USB...I don't know about that. That USB port has to power A/D and D/A, LEDs, preamps with gain, AND still have room for 48V of phantom power. Something tells me it doesn't quite cut it like it should. They cannot compare to a real, quality, outboard unit. Built in preamps in interfaces are, however, completely usable in a lot of situations. Me personally, I run a business with my studio. Interface preamps will not cut it. I have loads of outboard boxes.

I'd investigate the FMR RNP, which is a two channel unit, the Groove Tubes The Brick, and the ElectroHarmonix preamp that just came out, which has been getting tons of praise. All three are inexpensive. If you're looking to get a little more out of your mics, then I'd look into the Trident S-range of preamps and related (S20, S40, S80 Producer Box, 4T Celebration), Sytek, John Hardy, and Vintech.

[soundmasterg]

I've heard good stuff about the Electro-Harmonix preamp too. They also have those new mics available which look pretty nice. A quality ribbon mic for under $350 is a steal!

[jeff_ulmer]

I am going to have to disagree with Andy's coments on tube preamps, although my disagreement pertains to real tube preamps, not the budget level ones which, as Andy mentions, simply stick a tube in the circuit somewhere. There are many excellent tube pres out there, from vintage Telefunkens to modern builds. My D.W. Fearn VT-2 (www.dwfearn.com) is my go to pre, but its price tag will be well out of range of many people.

Discussing the merits of dedicated pres needs to be put in context, as there is a very wide range of quality and price in what is available. My experience is with the pro level tools - generally starting at around $1000, but most double or more than that. At these levels, they do make a very noticible difference in sound quality, but are beyond what most hobbyists can or should be looking at. Many also have very distinct characteristics which is why they are desireable.

Obviously the same applies to every part of the chain, from mics to compressors to monitors, and while the level of gear will have an impact on your recordings, the most important aspect, and one often overlooked, is the listening environment, and ultimately how good you are at understanding what you are hearing - which is something no amount of money can buy.

[soundmasterg]

I was recently in the studio recording some Hammond B3 parts, and I used my EH ribbon mic with the EH tube mic pre. These mic pres aren't all tube, and are a budget model compared to a lot of what is out there, but they perform well and sound pretty good. I'll be getting another one to use with my other EH ribbon mic.

The biggest surprise was how sensitive the ribbon mic is. It was able to pick up the clicking of the leslie foot pedal from about 35 feet away when the pedal and organist were behind a baffle, even over the noise of the organ! If you solo that particular track from the ribbon mic, you can hear the click, but I miked the leslie with 5 mics, and with the others in the mix, you don't hear the click thankfully.

I also used my previously mentioned Oktava tube mic. I've had it modified by Michael Joly (http://www.oktavamod.com/) and it really sounds great. Some of these had a hum problem, but mine never did. I did the grounding mod myself anyway just in case, and Michael did some other mods to decrease resonance and open up the sound. The engineer at the studio I use wants to borrow the tube mic for some recordings now, and it is rare that he asks to do that with something he doesn't know that much about.