What mic preamps are you using in your studios?

[albee1952]

I've been on Pro Tools for 5 years now and the only reason to use the 002 preamps is if you just can't afford anything better. While they are a step up from the original 001 preamps, they are not great. The 003 preamps are better enough to be worth using but I still choose to bypass them for the most part. All the DIGI mic preamps fit into the "yes it works, but..." category. The original Control24 has 16 mic preamps that almost nobody uses(except for a talk-back mic). The new C24 preamps are cleaner and more quiet but I have seen lots of complaints that they are too hot for drums without adding a bunch of external pads.

[rty13ibz98]

Originally Posted by shredmaster

stupid question, but for those of you using pro tools, aren't the mic pres in the 002 rack, as an example, good enough for what you do?

these are almost as revered as the stock behringer uln preamps or the old mackie vlz preamps.
they are ok if you just have to hear something, but are dull, lifeless, and sterile. alot of processing to them to get your tracks to pop out in a track. great preamps on the front end make the hugest difference. i found out the hard...and expensive way after years of running into behringer pres. now i have some high dollar pre's and find that i do less processing with plug-ins and more time just straight mixing.

rich

[shredmaster]

so what are you guys using for pre's? i don't have a lot of money to work with....just something better than the 002. i see racks for around $300, behringer, etc,...

[rty13ibz98]

Originally Posted by shredmaster

so what are you guys using for pre's? i don't have a lot of money to work with....just something better than the 002. i see racks for around $300, behringer, etc,...

get one nice channel, for $300 you'll be hard pressed to find a decent pre. go for $500 and you'll have a better shot! fmr rnp, grace 101, true p-solo, BLA auteur. even used!!! the chameleon labs 7602 is one of my faves!


rich

[shredmaster]

i thought of the one channel but...what if you're recording acoustic guitar, or need 2 channels? i was looking at the behringer ones online and whatever else came up on musicians friend. i'm not going to be too picky, since i'm pretty happy with the tones i get right now, but if you guys say i can do better than the 002 then i'm willing to try. i'm thinking that anything could be better than what i have right? i found a behringer 2-channel with 3 band eq for $300 roughly. has the tube in it..... truth be told i'm not too familiar with the pres, as i have never used them.

[rty13ibz98]

Originally Posted by shredmaster

i thought of the one channel but...what if you're recording acoustic guitar, or need 2 channels? i was looking at the behringer ones online and whatever else came up on musicians friend. i'm not going to be too picky, since i'm pretty happy with the tones i get right now, but if you guys say i can do better than the 002 then i'm willing to try. i'm thinking that anything could be better than what i have right? i found a behringer 2-channel with 3 band eq for $300 roughly. has the tube in it..... truth be told i'm not too familiar with the pres, as i have never used them.

i would REALLY advise against the behringer, the pres in the digi are better than those. i know, i had one. i had the "nice" one: 1953! those are not bad, but far from good. pretty boring sound and nasty as you blended the tube sound into it. honestly, if all you have is $300, look into getting an older analog mixer from the 70's/80's. old ramsa boards can be had on the cheap and sound INCREDIBLE!!!! i own 3 of them and they keep surprising me how good they sound. i use one as a main board and the other as a backup for my main. the older big boards are modular so they are easier to service. my ramsa's are setup in banks of 4 channels. each channel is its own strip. so if i have a channel go bad, it takes about 30 minutes to fix. i have seen good 8-12 channel boards on $bay go from $50-$350usd. i got my baby ramsa wr-s208 for $55 shipped! not to pretty, but sounds incredible. 6 preamps with insert direct outs and 2 channels that you can buss for a total of 8 outs for less than $100. they are smoking pres and can be had for cheap. just because something isn't in the latest MF or GC, doesn't mean it sucks. i doubt if you go to most GC's, you are going to find any BAE, API, or actually neve products on the shelves. if you get past all that low end gear; your tracks, projects, songs, ears, and clients will sit up and take notice and in turn, thank you in spades.

rich