ART Pro MPA II vs API 3124+...can you tell the difference?

[DR Music]

I like 2 a little better..

[isawsasquatch]

Preamp 1 has a nice midrange and transient response. Preamp 2 has a wider low end (which may or may not be "better").

The top end is difficult to judge because you've either uploaded a poorly-encoded mp3, or the soundcloud streaming using some kind of lossy codec. Either way, it sounds terrible.

Nice drum programming, by the way.

[Yummerz]

Originally Posted by isawsasquatch

Preamp 1 has a nice midrange and transient response. Preamp 2 has a wider low end (which may or may not be "better").

This is what I heard too. Very subtle, but it's there. I'm guessing the ART is preamp 2, since it's a little "flabby" on the bottom. Big sounding, but not tight.

Never owned a 3124 but I'm guessing it's the more focused pre.

Even so, I think the example shows that a "budget" pre is not going to make or break your recording. (Remember the ART vs GR thread?)

[isawsasquatch]

Originally Posted by Yummerz

I'm guessing the ART is preamp 2, since it's a little "flabby" on the bottom. Big sounding, but not tight.

Agreed. But given the poor quality of encoding, I'm not totally confident.

Even so, I think the example shows that a "budget" pre is not going to make or break your recording. (Remember the ART vs GR thread?)

I thought the ART vs GR thread was rather obvious, in that the GR sounded much, much better. This test strikes me as a bit less scientific, and a bit less revealing, considering the approach the OP took to do the test.

[Yummerz]

Originally Posted by isawsasquatch

I thought the ART vs GR thread was rather obvious, in that the GR sounded much, much better.

On second listen, in a good monitoring environment--definitely.

[jinksdingo]

Pre amp 1 sounded better to me on my 4" Edirols.
Preamp 2 sounded compressed, all segments very hard to differentiate and I thought it was a trick to get the track listened to, with some compression applied to pre 2.
But as I said my PC monitors are only 4" Edirols.

[AnnihilationRob]

Haha, no tricks here. Here's the wave file if you aren't liking the soundcloud compression.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/75652364/ART_VS_API.wav

Obviously, it won't be labelled but you can probably figure out which measures are which by checking the soundcloud labels.

[disconinja]

Could you PM the answer?

[PoorGlory]

I prefer 1 for this style of music, which is what I do almost exclusively. PM the answer please?

Also, killer song/performance!

[AnnihilationRob]

Hey guys I'm not planning to post the answer here. Just PM me for it.

isawsasquatch, I think this is about as scientific as it gets. The ART vs GR thread is actually rather unscientific since it was two different performances. In this test the only variable that changed at all was the preamp. Everything else is utterly identical.

[chazmar]

I like 2 better. Nothing significant, but it seems a little snappier and a bit more expensive sounding.

This could be a very ironic outcome. :^)

[DR Music]

Originally Posted by chazmar

I like 2 better. Nothing significant, but it seems a little snappier and a bit more expensive sounding.

This could be a very ironic outcome. :^)

Good ear!!

[madehumble]

Can I get the answer to the MPA VS API thread. Thanks.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

[JonnyGinese]

Using my AT - m50 headphones i couldn't really hear any difference.. Maybe one of them had slightly more "punch" but nothing that couldn't have been made up for with a slightly different Compression setting.

Listening to the WAV file I cant tell when anything changes.. Do you have the same Tubes that come stock in the ART MPA ii?

I Facebook messaged you, reply answer in there please

[guitarboy94]

The differences are extremely subtle. Almost to the point where just a splash of additive or subtractive EQ could make the tracks sound identical. I'll be keeping my Art MPA and spending my cash on ANYTHING other than high end preamps. Thanks for posting! I'm also not hearing that "mud" buildup from stacked tracks that's often touted as the reasoning for investing in expensive preamps. What a load of crock..