Presonus MP 20 Pre amp

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Member Since: Sep 22, 2002

Anyone one bumped into the Presonus MP 20 2 channel pre amp,i was talking to a guy the other day and he thought this was the best thing since sliced bread. What do you think?
Vikki (uk)

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Member
Since: Mar 04, 2003

Aug 05, 2003 12:49 pm

I picked up a used one with the Jensen transformers. It is my first outboard pre and INFINITELY better than the sucky pres in my UB behringer board.

If you can get a good deal, it seems to be the best (along with the RNP) preamp in the price range.


Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002

Aug 05, 2003 12:51 pm

Sucky UB pres? I like the pres in my UB1622...obviously a standalone pre is probably stronger, but the UB pres work great for me.

Contributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002

Aug 05, 2003 07:57 pm

Presounus pre's own behringer anytime dB :)

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002

Aug 05, 2003 08:44 pm

I didn't say Presonus wasn't better than Behringers, what I do challenge is categorizing Behringers as "sucky", cuz they definately are not.

Contributor
Since: Sep 09, 2002

Aug 06, 2003 11:51 am

they gotta sound better then the MX series pres ;O)

Member
Since: Mar 04, 2003

Aug 20, 2003 12:11 am

I didn't mean to insult the UB, but let's be serious. We are talking about the absolute bottom of the barrel. Yes, they work, they are quiet, but they don't sound that good.

A simple comparison with a quality pre, even a low priced one like the MP20 will reveal the flaws of the behringer pres. I don't own any top shelf pres (neve, api, etc), but i'd imagine that they blow away the MP20.

It's all relative.

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002

Aug 20, 2003 05:17 am

I would put up a Behringer against any other mixer in it's price range, plus many that are more expensive and they will out perform them.

It is totally unfair to compare a standalone preamp against a mixers built in preamp and use that comparison to call it bottom of the barrel.

Member
Since: Mar 04, 2003

Aug 20, 2003 10:44 am

Why is it unfair?

A mic pre is a mic pre whether it's in a mixer or in a rack. It doesn't matter. A neve or SSL is a "mixer" preamp, and they will outperform most "standalone" preamps.

Do you realize that there is no cheaper preamp on earth than a behringer mixer pre? Well OK, maybe something on a radioshack product.

You can spend like $70 on a full function mixer, and still get 4 mic pres. You must understand that each pre probably has about $2 worth of parts/labor in it. That makes it the "bottom of the barrel" in my eyes.


It doesn't mean they're worthless, it just means that almost everything out there sounds better. I encourage you to test it against some other mic pres (mixer or standalone) and see what you think. Once you get out of the cheapo mixers, you will hear an incredible difference.

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002

Aug 20, 2003 10:52 am

It is unfair to compare a product that has a preamp as a componenet of it to a product who's only purpose is to do that one function. Common sense dictates that would be better, hell it BETTER be better.

My "cheapo" mixer makes me good money and brings me happy clients, and I have played on MANY other mixers and prefer Behringer whether you think it's crap or not, and so do many collegues. I recommend you save the insults for someone else...fortunely I could give a crap what you think about it, what I do care about is the other people of this site being misinformed or misled into thinking their gear is somehow substandard when it is not.

Member
Since: Mar 04, 2003

Aug 20, 2003 11:18 am

You have failed to understand my posts. That you take anything I have written as an insult in suprising.

You said:

"It is unfair to compare a product that has a preamp as a componenet of it to a product who's only purpose is to do that one function. Common sense dictates that would be better, hell it BETTER be better."

You must have missed:

"A mic pre is a mic pre whether it's in a mixer or in a rack. It doesn't matter. A neve or SSL is a "mixer" preamp, and they will outperform most "standalone" preamps."


You said:

"My "cheapo" mixer makes me good money and brings me happy clients, and I have played on MANY other mixers and prefer Behringer whether you think it's crap or not, and so do many collegues"

I never said you couldn't make good recordings with behringer pres. I just said that there are other pres that sound much better. Arguably, if you are getting good recordings now, they will sound even better with some better pres.

You said:

" I recommend you save the insults for someone else...fortunely I could give a crap what you think about it"

This statement is beyond me. I wouldn't even know where to start...

You said:

"I do care about is the other people of this site being misinformed or misled into thinking their gear is somehow substandard when it is not."

I never misinformed anyone. I simply stated that there are better tools out there for doing the same job. I think by telling the readers that upgrading to a better pre won't sound any different than a berhinger is very misleading. I felt obliged to chime in to present what anyone with decent ears could hear given the opportunity.

You may have also missed the part in my first post in which I stated I do in fact own a behringer UB mixer. Before I got the MP20, the berry sounded just fine to me. But when I got the MP20, the difference with like night and day. I guess if you don't know what you're missing...

a.k.a. Porp & Mr. Muffins
Member
Since: Oct 09, 2002

Aug 20, 2003 11:33 am

Fellow Member Note:
Hey, you're dealing with the Administrator here. Better watch it :-) In my experience, Pre-amps don't even make THAT big of a difference if you don't need to boost a lot. A nice, simple pre-amp like the Behringer UB will do that. As long as it's transparent, it will do its job. Expensive pre-amps may add a warm tube sound or whatever, but it's not like you're going to notice it enough to argue so much about it. And dB did not fail to miss your points. You seem to have failed to miss his just as bad.

Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002

Aug 20, 2003 11:38 am

OK, calling things that I use and like "bottom of the barrel", and "cheapy" is insulting, as well as "Once you get out of the cheapo mixers" being very condesending. I have used SoundCraft, Spirit, Mackie and many others, which are some of them better? Sure, there are, but for MUCH, MUCH more money. To me, and several others around here and everywhere it's not as much better as the price would indicate. I prefer Behringer because they have a good sound for a good price, which is what most home studio owners look for and need.

Perhaps I took the remarks a bit to seriously, but this is one of the only forums on the 'net that doesn't act like so many others and mock people that don't have ProTools, or don't use a Mackie board and make people without such stuff somehow feel they are "beneath" the others on the board. That is something I hate, and don't want to see happen here. I have heard great recording done on many types of gear, software and such, and hate to appear as though people have no choice but to spend huge amounts of money that they really don't have to. So if I took them too personally, or incorrectly, I appologize, but that is how I read those posts. And honestly, it's how I still read them.

Member
Since: Mar 04, 2003

Aug 20, 2003 11:56 am

How can I be condescending to cheapo mixer owners, when I myself belong to that group?

I HAVE A BEHRINGER MIXER. IT IS THE ONLY MIXER I OWN. YES, I OWN A "CHEAPO" MIXER.

There, I said it for the third time. Please believe me. My only reason for posting was to put things in perspective.

To address PorpoiseMuffins:

I agree that a nice transparent pre is all you need to make good recordings. Stepping up to a nicer preamp from a behringer though, will show you how "un"-transparent the behringer really is. You will hear so much more that wasn't there with the behringer. And yes it IS a big difference, and it doesn't necessarily involve tubes or other "coloring" devices. True transparency does not come cheap.

As I said before the behringer gets the job done, and for an amazingly kind price. I have been very happy with my mixer.

...bringing sexy back
Member
Since: Jul 01, 2002

Aug 20, 2003 12:04 pm

following what db said, i record on some right sucky gear, and ive heard worse recordings than mine on better equipment...

a.k.a. Porp & Mr. Muffins
Member
Since: Oct 09, 2002

Aug 20, 2003 12:05 pm

I can't really argue with you from experience since I have yet to make that "step up." However, if the signal sounds the same as it did before the pre-amp boost (other than volume) than I don't see how you could get any more transparent than that. A pre-amp can't add anything that isn't already there (Other than noise), it just amplifies it more accurately. Personally, I hardly ever have to use a pre amp most of the time anyways since I'm running everything at -10...

Strange... but true...

Member
Since: Mar 04, 2003

Aug 20, 2003 12:11 pm

Technique and ears will always win out over equipment. This is a given.

A top-notch engineer with a portastudio could make a better record than me at a world class studio.

Then again, I've made better records in my tiny bedroom with almost no gear than some local fully equipped project studios.


a.k.a. Porp & Mr. Muffins
Member
Since: Oct 09, 2002

Aug 20, 2003 12:26 pm

I second that

Member
Since: Sep 22, 2002

Aug 31, 2003 05:27 am

Thanks Guys
Thanks for the info.
Vikki(u.k)

...bringing sexy back
Member
Since: Jul 01, 2002

Aug 31, 2003 05:52 am

so, when we gonna hear some tunes vikki...suspense is killing me!

Member
Since: Sep 22, 2002

Aug 31, 2003 08:04 am

Hi
Getting there slowly, getting all the gear together seems to be the problem, i was trying to get some reasonable gear to try and get some nice results.I think another problem is i,m out gigging 4 nights a week so i have to keep taking the gear out and in and putting it all back together again.
Won't be long, famous last words!
Vikki

...bringing sexy back
Member
Since: Jul 01, 2002

Aug 31, 2003 08:31 am

where abouts ya gigging? anywhere near london?

Member
Since: Sep 22, 2002

Aug 31, 2003 05:29 pm


Don't get that far down, Dumbleton and Swindon is the nearest these last few weeks, we've been working Birmingham, Lincoln, Norfolk and we did 28 nights in the N.E doing some country type shows All good fun but hard work.
Vikki

...bringing sexy back
Member
Since: Jul 01, 2002

Sep 01, 2003 04:05 am

cool! you should come play cambridge...thatd be class!

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