mic pre

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Novocaine Records Engineer
Member Since: Feb 21, 2009

i'm looking into buying a ART Tube MP Studio Mic Preamp

my budget is rediculously low, considering i am a college student trying to make some money on the side doin what i love...recording

i'm looking for a mic pre, preferablt with a tube that would warm up my vox (anything from a mellow lou reed painful speach to a kurt cobain scream), i'd also like to use the same pre as a direct for a bass and/or guitar

i've read reviews on the ART pre and people seem to like it, they say it works great for bass DI and for vox, it's only like $30, seems like a steal from what people say,
doesnt anyone have one? or know of its quality?
or if anyone knows of something a ton better that's still reasonably cheap (under $60, under $50 would be great)

thanks

-Dan

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http://www.reverbnation.com/2ndg
Member
Since: Nov 27, 2007

Mar 12, 2009 12:43 am

hey mate, im in Aus. and i dunno what qual you would get there for 30 bucks, but i would buy 10 of em if they were good qual and 60 bucks here.

I would be thinking you'd basicly be buying a interface quality mic pre at that price.

if that be the case, then i would save my coin, till i could get a better one.




SM7b the Chuck Noris of Mic's
Contributor
Since: Jun 20, 2002

Mar 12, 2009 09:56 am

I read some good things in TapeOp . it'll boost you signal, and i've read that they work alright for DI boxes and hell a DI box for 30 bucks isn't bad. keep in mind just because it has a tube in it doesn't give it that great tube sound. I've had a few cheap tube pieces and they didn't "warm" up the signal like say a UA pre would, but that 30 buts to 2 G's so, if it did one or two jobs well i'd be thrilled. Your not going to get much better with the ART tan you are getting with your Omega Studio or Behringer mixer, a bit more gain .

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003

Mar 12, 2009 10:26 am

I've had one for a while now. Its not a great pre, but it'll do for an entry-level setup. It does do a good job for a bass DI, but I find that it really makes everything you put through it a little muddy. The high-frequency response isn't all that great from it. And don't expect the tube to do anything. It's a starved-plate design, so the tube is basically just for show. I doubt if it even glows under its own power, it probably has an LED behind it to make it looks like its glowing.

But for $30, I can't think of another pre in that price range. Maybe take a look at the Behringer Ultragain in that same price range. They're a little brighter than the Tube MP but a little less reliable. The ART unit is built like a tank.

All in all, its not a terrible pre, but temper your expectation as far as the tube "warmth". You won't find that in any $30 preamp. The cheapest preamp I can think of that actually uses full-voltage preamp tubes is the Electro Harmonix 2ube Pre, which runs just under $200. It's designed as a guitar stomp box so it doesn't have XLR inputs, but it does have a 300V plate voltage across the tubes. Other than that, the Groove Tubes brick weighs in at around $500 and gets great reviews.

In the budget/entry level preamp market, you'll probably want to stay with solid-state. Or just get a small mixer and use its preamps, that's the most economical answer.

MASSIVE Mastering, LLC
Member
Since: Aug 05, 2008

Mar 12, 2009 10:38 am

"Cheap" and "tube" in one sentence generally leads to "crap" in the next.

Also consider the fact that literally every single preamp out there known for its "warm" sound is a solid-state unit...

"Toobs" in most (okay, I'll say it) cheapie GC garbage out there are about "marketing" - Not sound quality.

And not to say that TUBE gear can't be good gear - Manley for instance - Amazing quality stuff, mostly tube-driven. But their solid-state stuff (mostly the Langevin line) is also amazing quality stuff.

It's not the tubes that make it amazing... It's the tubes that make it fussy, high-maintenance, inconsistent, hot as a pizza oven. I avoid them like the plague at every possible chance unless the piece actually relies on the tubes for its function (enter the Manley Variable Mu compressor).

But if someone could come up with a piece that sounded just like the VariMu in a solid-state unit, I'd drop the VM like a really, exceptionally hot potato.

Cheap-as-hell preamps that won't embarrass - M-Audio's DMP3.

SM7b the Chuck Noris of Mic's
Contributor
Since: Jun 20, 2002

Mar 12, 2009 12:50 pm

diddo. I have one tube pre now and it an Electro-Harmonix 12AY7 Tube pre and it works very well i was supprised but it's not my go to pre it works very well with a SDC mic on an acoustic guitar , and it's not too bad as a bass DI. My go to pre is a solid state True P Solo, all i can say is "nice". that said everything M-audio that I have and have had has been great and not too expensive.

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003

Mar 12, 2009 01:00 pm

The DMP3 came to mind as a suggestion as well. But I think its right out of his price range. I don't think that the AudioBuddy is much to write home about, but it might be a good entry-level preamp to use.

So you're using a Lexicon Omega and a Behringer Europower mixer? In that case, don't worry about buying an external preamp because anything in your price range won't be any upgrade over what you already have.

Novocaine Records Engineer
Member
Since: Feb 21, 2009

Mar 12, 2009 02:48 pm

alright, well i don't use the behringer mixer to record that's just something i have, i use a yahama to mix with and record

my behringer is just used for live backyard show kind of setups

so you guys are pretty much jst saying save up and wait?

SM7b the Chuck Noris of Mic's
Contributor
Since: Jun 20, 2002

Mar 13, 2009 07:14 am

i don't speak on the behalf of everyone but from me you're better off using what you have geting to know how to use it to the best of you/it's abilities and then upgrading later . JMO.

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006

Mar 13, 2009 01:42 pm

I'm saving up for a P-Solo. I could do the drums on my interface pre's and then all other tracks through the solo, can't wait.

SM7b the Chuck Noris of Mic's
Contributor
Since: Jun 20, 2002

Apr 15, 2009 09:54 am

Cpt . dude I'll post some recordings soon with the P-Solo and a few different mic's. It's a nice clean pre amp, just what i was looking for. A friend of mine has a Grace 101 and honestly its hard to tell the difference , they both have a good deal of head room.

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