Utility Mic Pres 4+ Channels

[stoplaughing]

Might consider the Millennia HD 3-4 or 8. the 8 channel unit ends up being around 500/channel . You'll end up liking them on lots of stuff . The gain structure of it feels strange at first, but its a pretty nice piece.

[Andrew Kinsey]

Wunder Audio Pafour Plus is four channels, and not quite as coloured as the Neve's... a bit more hifi sounding. Then theres the API 3124 aswell which is good for drums. For more transparency id look at Grace Design, Benchmark and Millenia who make 4 channel preamps that are very clean sounding.

[Doc Mixwell]

Originally Posted by acstctws

Anything out there better than Sytek MPX-4Aii price/performance? Planning on using them for things like hihats, toms, etc when tracking a full band, but want something that can hang with the big boys. At least 4 pres per unit is preferable since I'm trying to keep things compact, and I'm not looking for too much coloration ala API/Neve.

Thanks!

I really like the Shinybox "Si" for the money. I think its $1400. These are great sounding "clean/clear" preamps. If you do not need any Direct Inputs, maybe this unit is worth a look!

[Rednose]

Originally Posted by Doc Mixwell

I really like the Shinybox "Si" for the money. I think its $1400. These are great sounding "clean/clear" preamps. If you do not need any Direct Inputs, maybe this unit is worth a look!

Cool, I'm looking for something similar and I wasn't aware of the Shinybox, will check it, thanks!

[Astrain]

Ive been seriously considering the DAV, from the samples around here they sound great, clean/transparent but full sounding,

Prices are around $1350 for the 4 channel unit and $2100 for the 8channel

[mml]

True systems are great but can be a little hot on drums without inline pads. Really nice though for the money. Sytek has the same issue though.

[NathanEldred]

Buzz Audio QSP 20. Big Class A discrete sound with Lundahl transformers.

[Nobilmente]

Originally Posted by Astrain

Ive been seriously considering the DAV, from the samples around here they sound great, clean/transparent but full sounding,

That's a good description, we use them here and wouldn't part with them.

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

In addition to the Millenia, John Hardy, Great River (out of production, but...) and I think Buzz have four channel one rack space offerings.

[cheu78]

John Hardy pres are top notch and fits your description imo.. another box might be the ATI 8mx2 (now JDK with a new faceplate, but apparently the same guts)..it's an 8 channel with some added features.. The pre's are on the clean side but very ballsy.. can't reccomend them enough for a multi chann box! imo these are among the best out there..on the "clean" side but not sterile at all..they sound great!
These will be the first two products I'd check out..

Btw I'd also seriously check out the following suggestions:

If a more budget oriented solution is needed:

Originally Posted by Doc Mixwell

I really like the Shinybox "Si" for the money. I think its $1400. These are great sounding "clean/clear" preamps. If you do not need any Direct Inputs, maybe this unit is worth a look!

Or/and if you want a class A preamp:

Originally Posted by NathanEldred

Buzz Audio QSP 20. Big Class A discrete sound with Lundahl transformers.

I'd try to find a dealer and audition these 4 suggestions.. and then decide what YOU prefer..



Cheu

[Bill@WelcomeHome]

Yeah, I am a BIG fan of the ATI 8MX2. Wish that I had not sold mine.

[Frost]

well, albeit good suggestions all of the suggestions thus far are double the cost of the sytek. For the money I think the bla auteur (you would need 2 but that fits in 1 rack space) and the sytek (1 own one) are really top shelf for the money. The sytek has a ton of gain and a bit of grab/bite whatever but in a pleasant way for things like electric guitars and drums. The auteur being smoother and thicker but still sounding expensive.

If you want to spend more, you can do better but those give you the most bang for the buck as originally requested.

BTW, I have a sytek and a hardy, and the hardy gets used a lot more often than the sytek, but the sytek pairs much better with my beyer ribbons and is 1/3 the price.

[Rev. Robb]

Daking Mic Pre IV

Daking Mic Pre IV | Sweetwater.com

These could be used as utility or for your most crucial application. First class mic pre and not overly priced.

[Slikjmuzik]

Originally Posted by acstctws

Anything out there better than Sytek MPX-4Aii price/performance? Planning on using them for things like hihats, toms, etc when tracking a full band, but want something that can hang with the big boys. At least 4 pres per unit is preferable since I'm trying to keep things compact, and I'm not looking for too much coloration ala API/Neve.

Thanks!

If you want something nicer/better for miscellaneous sources, that Sytek is going to be hard to beat unless you get into the $2k territory. With that said, you mentioned toms and hat and I happen to like the Focusrite ISA428 for that very duty. Little more color and headroom is fine for those sources. That's rare coming from me as I don't care for the ISA pres on vocals or guitar in any way.

Only other thing I would consider being 'better' would be 4 Warm Audio WA12's, a Daking 4pre and/or a used API 3124. Any more expensive per channel and it's not a unit that I'd ever use on toms or hat

[Revson]

4 SCA T15 preamps with chassis. Assuming you can work with a soldering iron, that should run less than $800 total and you have room to expand if you want other SCA preamps. They're nice and clean and the full fader trim knob means you won't need a pad for loud sources.

You can also order them built by the folks at SCA and total the price is less than $1200.

[MickeyMassacre]

If you aren't looking for color its honestly hard to beat Sytek's for the price, or features. I have 2 of them in my rack for 8 channels. They kill on a drum kit!

[acstctws]

Thanks so much for all the input! Definitely some things here that I wasn't aware of. I should have made it more clear in my post, but as Frost suggested, price is one of the main considerations. I have a limited budget, some of which is going to some API and Neve style pres, but at the moment, I think my finances will be better utilized on things other than expensive pres that will only be used when tracking lots of sources at once. Eventually, I'll be able to sink more $ into this, but in the mean time, I need something that's usable and that I won't feel like I need to replace due to it being subpar.

I'll definitely check into the SCA T15s, I'm actually building most of my other gear so that wouldn't be a problem. The BLA and the Shinybox also look nice for the money, and I'll check the used market for some of the other suggestions and see if anything comes up.

[mml]

Bug fan of the Sytek but I prefer the true systems. Used I've seen them for $1600-1700 used. The mid/side option is nice too. The Sytek has a low mid bump to me that across a lot of tracks builds up. Easy eq fix, I just prefer the true systems. If you don't need that many channels them the Sytek is the way to go.

[gamrecords]

I think the Sebatron VMP 4000 is a great unit for an extra 4

[Mattct]

Originally Posted by Doc Mixwell

I really like the Shinybox "Si" for the money. I think its $1400. These are great sounding "clean/clear" preamps. If you do not need any Direct Inputs, maybe this unit is worth a look!

I love mine. Use them constantly.

[RUSCO]

I think the sebatron vmp4000e is the best value.
You get four high quality mic pres that can double up as Direct Inputs ( D.I's)
and some passive EQ on the way in.Two outputs per channel so you can monitor with ease.
Other than that , probably the Sytek with the difference spent on mics.

[cheu78]

Originally Posted by acstctws

I'll check the used market for some of the other suggestions and see if anything comes up.

If you're looking for a used ATI 8mx2 (8 channels in 1 RU and some added features), make sure to buy the version (newer red face) with the phantom power on the front which has a quieter fan.

With these your search for preamps is over (they really are that good IMO) and if sometimes you might need 5 or 6 channels (instead of 4), you'll have them, you don't need to add another rack unit..(and spend more money in the long run).

I hope this helps,

Best regards,

Cheu

[John N]

I've got the Sytek and a DAV BG1. The Sytek easily hangs with the DAV on the sources I've done the most comparisons; acoustic guitar and voice. The DAV is slightly fuller and woodier but the Sytek is faster and has more sparkle. For my Martin, I prefer the Sytek most of the time - also depending on mic choice.

FWIW, I'm not a real high end guy, but I think the Sytek would be impossible to beat for the money for 4 channels. You'd have to spend a lot more per channel to get a significant upgrade in audio.

Just saying...

jn

[Bassmankr]

Read the threads here on the Urei - JBL 7510A and 7510B. This easily beats it on price (around $25 per pre) however they sound very different from the Sytek . This unit is a true utility unit, extra channels when needed and is an option for remote use since it can have 24 pres in just a 3 rack space case. It has a very mid forward API sound without as much 3D (what do you want for that price). There are simple mods to make the units more useful for studios. A full unit used to have a list price of $5800, however I don't know what the actual street price on them was (given most were probably sold to government they probably sold for $10k a unit LOL). A good used price guide is $100 per module card in the unit ($25 per pre) although price fluctuates and when people first learned about them and there was higher demand, prices were double. They are really a matrix mixer with priority and a gate, switchable per pre (think government meeting with tons of open mics and the the big shots with override) however each mic pre has a line level unbalanced send to make them usable for us as individual mic pres. It has 4 mic pres per module card and can hold up to 6 module cards per unit for a total of 24 pres for a fully populated unit. Might not be what the OP is looking for since he said he wasn't considering API/Neve sound-type pres but it certainly beats the Sytek for value and usage as a utility mic pre unit.