£20000 to spend on 16 good preamps or 8 very good preamps

[JustinFrench]

I have around £20000 to spend on preamps for a studio Im building at the moment, I was really looking to get 16 but would i be better off getting 8 incredibly good ones?
I'm going to be recording a multitude of different things from guitars / piano to ethnic instrument including skin drums of all kinds, bells, bass, violin, vocals etc so Im kind of looking for a election of preamps that can compliment almost anything

[lpkyer]

Originally Posted by JustinFrench

I have around £20000 to spend on preamps for a studio Im building at the moment, I was really looking to get 16 but would i be better off getting 8 incredibly good ones?
I'm going to be recording a multitude of different things from guitars / piano to ethnic instrument including skin drums of all kinds, bells, bass, violin, vocals etc so Im kind of looking for a election of preamps that can compliment almost anything

I would look at 2 Pendulum MDP-1 preamps and 2 Forssell 2 Channel Discrete JFET Mic Preamp

[jindrich]

€20,000??? that's an obscene amount of money to waste on preamps, which btw aren't magic wands, but simply put, devices that take the weak level of microphones and raise it to line levels. Nothing less, nothing more.

Get some 8304 GML preamp units at €3k for 4chs, and don't look back. They are great for everything and will last a lifetime.

Or for that much money, get a 24ch refurbished SSL4000 E.

[PraiseStudios]

Originally Posted by JustinFrench

I have around £20000 to spend on preamps for a studio Im building at the moment, I was really looking to get 16 but would i be better off getting 8 incredibly good ones?
I'm going to be recording a multitude of different things from guitars / piano to ethnic instrument including skin drums of all kinds, bells, bass, violin, vocals etc so Im kind of looking for a election of preamps that can compliment almost anything

Are you the same guy building the studio in deserts of Morocco?

My suggestion would be to get analogue console like the 32 -Toft or Trident and about 3 choice preamps for vocals and as your needs increase you can get more.
My 2 cents.

[jindrich]

I just saw your other thread about setting up a studio in morocco around a 24ch d-command, PTHD and plugins.

If you want some beefy, versatile and great preamps, there's no need to reinvent the wheel, get the classics: telefunken v72s (tube), neve 1084 (vintage with eqs) and GML (fast and transparent). Those have been around for decades are still unsurpased (and hold their value quite well).

also, watch out for the sandy air, (and seasalt), i talk from experience.

[JustinFrench]

thanks for all the replies, i'll take everything into consideration, i no the budget is a bit ridiculous for just the preamps but that was really the top end of my budget and i have already budgeted for everything else, except cabling, what do people think about the John Hardy M1 or M2 as 4 channels then 2 Pendulum MDP-1's, neve 1073 DPA, neve 1084,Forssell SMP-2 Discrete JFET Mic Preamp and to finish off the GML 8304.
I would go down the analog desk route but i really wont have the room in the control room to have both the Icon and the SSL, plus all the extras and maintenance for the ssl would eventually add extra cost down the line.

to tell you the truth i really should find a way to lsten to all of these before making the purchase, but i guess if i buy them all from the same supplier they might be kind enough to let me send any of them back if they're not to my taste.

oh and yes i am the guy building the studio in the desert, and thanks for the advice, i no sand is going to be a real issue, especially considering that we get really bad sand storms over the summer months, im going to have to find a way to filter the air coming into the studio somehow but im sure i'll work something out.

[drBill]

Originally Posted by jindrich

Or for that much money, get a 24ch refurbished SSL4000 E.

ick. Those would be the last pre's I'd ever want to use.....

[themaidsroom]

get a board. not an ssl.

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by drBill

ick. Those would be the last pre's I'd ever want to use.....

I don't know about the LAST preamps, but buying an SSL for tracking isn't exactly a dream studio for most.

Now, a small Neve sidecar (like the Neve Melbourne I had the pleasure to use in Electric Avenue, Sydney last week) would be magic.

Otherwise, I'd suggest pairs of boutique "flavours" plus 8 cheaper but good utility preamps (something like two racks of 4 APIs, not that I'd call them utility necessarily - just a little more affordable). All those listed are viable options (to which you could add any number of other manufacturers).

At least the OP is bright enough to realise they need to try them personally.

[dualflip]

Ok, some people might hate me, and i dont care ehe, but i love my MCI JH-500, wouldnt trade it for anything...

[drBill]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

I don't know about the LAST preamps, but buying an SSL for tracking isn't exactly a dream studio for most.

OK, you got me!!! Maybe mackie would be the last......

STill, I only use the SSL pre's in a pinch when there's nothing else....

[Darth Fader]

I'd suggest:
API 3124+
UA 4110 (very flexible)
2 Neve Porticos 5012
1-2 racked Neve 1073 or 1084 (or just the 1073 DPA)
1-2 chandler Germs
Manley dual pre (I'm a fan of the Voxbox, but we're only talking PRE here)

So you got 16 channels with lots of different flavours & colours to choose from.

And still some money left for better A/Ds.

[JustinFrench]

Originally Posted by Darth Fader

I'd suggest:
API 3124+
UA 4110 (very flexible)
2 Neve Porticos 5012
1-2 racked Neve 1073 or 1084 (or just the 1073 DPA)
1-2 chandler Germs
Manley dual pre (I'm a fan of the Voxbox, but we're only talking PRE here)

So you got 16 channels with lots of different flavours & colours to choose from.

And still some money left for better A/Ds.

I see where your coming from with that selection but to tell you the truth im really looking for much more neutral sounding preamps that have little or no coloration, and maybe a few witch do, the budget i proposed is onlyfor the preamps, ive budgeted for everything else including AD/DA and mics

[Trp]

Originally Posted by JustinFrench

im really looking for much more neutral sounding preamps that have little or no coloration, and maybe a few witch do, the budget i proposed is onlyfor the preamps, ive budgeted for everything else including AD/DA and mics

I don´t like having only one or two channels of one preamp like many have suggested, but that budget could buy you a lot, especially if this is for peamps alone (no EQ).

8 ch GML (2 times 8304)
8 ch DAV (2 times BG 2)
4 ch 1073 (2 times 1073 DPA)
2 ch Thermionic Culture Earlybird

would be 22 channels of great pres to choose from in a 8U rack for appr. GBP 11.000,- plus VAT.

[narcoman]

second hand console and a rack of DAVs for what you said you're going to be recording. Also get yourself 1073 DPA - great and prety cheap.