Mic & Pre upgrade
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Posted on Sep 26, 2008 09:21 am
ruisdb
Member Since: Sep 26, 2008
Hello.
I have a small home studio.
I use the behringer B1 (cond mic) with the Behringer 2200 pre. Then i record to a marian marc 8. The mic is used only to record voice.
Before the B1 i used a couple of AKG c1000. The b1 improved a lot the quality of my recordings.
Now i have some money to spend (+- 300 €)
Any suggestions of combinations mic/pre?
(Note: the Behringer 2200 is a dual pre; i don't need a double pre, because e record 1 mic at a time only)
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Sep 26, 2008 06:59 pm I'd look for a used Grace 101 or True Systems P-Solo. There are about 8-billion "super-budget-friendly" mic preamps out there that are all pretty much the same old thing. When you step up to a Grace, True or even the humble FMR RNP, you're in a completely different league.
The mic is another story to some extent. But no matter what, your mic is only ever going to be as good as the preamp driving it.
And (a lot of people won't believe me saying this) the MIC2200 could be worse. As long as you kill the EQ circuitry, kill the HPF and keep the levels very reasonable (it has literally zero usable headroom), it's not a really bad preamp... I feel like their insulting my intelligence with that "toob" in the middle, but I've heard worse preamps at four times the price.
True story - I have proof: studio-central.com/phpbb/...131&t=21759
Otherwise - Rent yourself a SM7b and see if that doesn't wake up your senses a bit.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Sep 26, 2008 09:50 pm I'll second Massive on the Grace and True Systems pre's as well the FMR unit is a great piece of gear for the money.
Out of the 3 I do like the P-Solo a tiny bit more and the 101 is a close second.
And yes Massive. It is surprising what can happen with some of the budget fear if it is used within its means.
ruisdbMember
Since: Sep 26, 2008
Sep 28, 2008 04:56 am Wll.. your answers are opening my eyes, ou better said, my ears.
But in a tight budget your options would be to invest it all in the pre?
GeoffSM7b the Chuck Noris of Mic'sContributor
Since: Jun 20, 2002
Sep 28, 2008 07:00 am the big thing is to live with in you means. learn to get the best out of what you have first , i've heard some decent recordings with a behriger mixer and a few sm57's . I'll agree with both noize and massive, don't skimp on the mic pre. I've done it and if i had waited and saved up a little bit more i would have been happier.
Sep 28, 2008 11:26 am I wouldn't invest it "all" in the preamp, but it's a chain -- The chain really is only as strong as the weakest link. Microphones can be very 'job-specific' - Preamps can be very 'good or bad' -
Putting it another way - The most modest microphones (look at 57's and 58's) can be just what the doctor ordered in many cases. But the preamp is always the final arbiter on the quality of the mic.
The world's greatest microphone will only ever sound as good as the preamp driving it. To that end, start with the preamp.** A good quality, reasonably transparent preamp made with reasonably high-end components as a "keystone" unit. Avoid tube units unless you're talking about "serious" preamps - And avoid tube units as that "keystone" unit. Too much maintenance, too little consistency, "tube warmth" (which actually has nothing to do with tubes) be damned.
If you browse a lot of forum fodder, you'll find the same three mentioned - True's P-Solo (IMO, the king of the cheap preamps), Grace Design's 101/m101 and FMR's RNP (the only dual-channel unit of the three). All three are capable of truly "professional" (for lack of a better term) sound quality and have little rope for the engineer to hang himself with. All three allow the chosen mic to be used to its potential. All three have actual "usable" headroom and reasonably consistent response along a wide dynamic range.
** If that seems backwards, my entire philosophy will also. IMO, every budding engineer should take every penny they want to spend on an entire setup and invest it into monitoring. Not cheesy, near-field, $500 speakers from Guitar Center - "Real," accurate, consistent, perhaps entry-level audiophile loudspeakers. Then listen to and study recordings for the next year while reading about recording techniques. THEN worry about selecting gear.
If more people knew what sounded good before investing in a bunch of bad-sounding gear, the entire industry would change.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Sep 30, 2008 02:53 am Not really a recomendation so much as just a bit of my own opinion. A nice pre amp is good, but from my experience, only really noticeable once you start getting into nicer mics. I think you will get more out of a nicer mic than a nicer pre amp, though I have no experience with the mics you mentioned. Once you have a nicer mic, and then you get a nicer preamp, you will notice the difference once you step it up. But if you get a nicer pre and stay with the same mic, I'm not sure if you will really see too much difference. That being said, I rock a grace 101 and a nice mic for vocals.
ruisdbMember
Since: Sep 26, 2008
Oct 01, 2008 01:41 pm Thanx to all.
Your suggestions and comments were very helpfull.
