Best compatible API 500 preamps for rock music.

[pan60]

A-Designs P-1 will sound amazing no matter what you throw at it!
i really like the OSA MP-1L3 on bass and the C is great on vocals.
for me the A-Designs P-1 just kills!
when ever i plug into a pre it is the one i reach for without thought.

[Rob King]

They are ALL great...So many flavors, but I would go for the Shadow Hills Mono Gama.. You have 3 discreet tones in that pre.. I have a pair and will never sell them.

[bobx]

can't go wrong with a-designs. my red is the best thing for a nice kickass rock snare.

[84K]

BIZ, or more 512s

[s.d.finley]

P1!!!

Shadow Hills Gama is cool too!!

[heathen]

P1, just get it, I'm getting a Buzz elixir today and a couple of P1's asap, I prefer it over the Pacifica.

[wwittman]

more of the same, so that they will all be the same and because nothing is BETTER.

[thenoiseflower]

meaning the 512's ? I'm with that, but I'm also not stopping buying 512's til I have at least 8

[drundall]

I like 312's. You might check them out if you dig the API sound. I'm sure everybody here will have a different opinion.

[pramrod]

BIZ

[crypticglobe]

Originally Posted by drundall

I like 312's. You might check them out if you dig the API sound. I'm sure everybody here will have a different opinion.

Yup... 312's are the Holy Grail for drums in my opinion. Just amazing really. The character is different than modern API stuff... I don't care what anyone says. They are hard to find though.

I also think the P1 is stunning. I am just beginning to fill out an API 10 space 500 series rack. I started with a pair of 312's. I would like to have at least 2 more but I may go with 512's for price reasons, then it's going to be 4 P1's... and then almost surely a pair of the shadow hills.

This all mainly for drums. I already have an 8 pack of Seventh Circle Audio pre's, 2 A12's, 2 N72's, 2 J99's, and 2 C84's. Those combined with the Chandler stuff I have and a filled out 10 space 500 series rack will have me set to cover just about any tracking session I encounter.

Then.... it's eqs. I have a speck ASC-T which is REALLY great. I might do another 10 space 500 series rack and do 5 of their new vertical EQ's and 5 of the API 550bs.

[uncle duncan]

The power supply of the 6b lunchbox is 360ma. The power rating for the Buzz Elixir is 150ma each. You know what that means? 2 buzz Elixirs in your 6B lunchbox and you've only got enough power to run one more pre. I hear api will be putting a bigger power supply in the 6b in the near future. Whether or not you can get one from them and upgrade your box remains to be seen. I'm hoping that's a possibility, because I'm in the same boat.
Most pres are rated at 50-60ma, except, I think, the Shadow Hills, which is higher. Another source for pres is Eisen Audio. He sells diy kits, but he also custom-builds pres, and his prices for pre-built kits are competitive.
On the A-Designs front, the Blue pre is kinda in-your-face. More so than the P1, IMHO.

[superburtm]

if I could do my lunch box over I would have just got all 512's...they sound great and I love the metering

[heathen]

Tim Farrant mentioned it's quite a conservative estimate, you could probably do 2 elixirs and 2, 80 ma modules and most probably be safe, thats say 460 ma. Probably is the keyword though.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by Wakena2003

Hi,

I own two api 512c preamps in a lunchbox 6B. But I have 4 empty modules and I thinking of buy a new pair. I usually record rock music.

What do you advice me for filling my lunch box?

A- desing? Buzz elixir? OSA?

I would either get another pair of API's or consider the P1...

[macr0w]

I am in the same boat as the o.p. and I think I'm going for 2 more 521c's. I love the sound and the metering is a bonus for sure.

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by superburtm

if I could do my lunch box over I would have just got all 512's...they sound great and I love the metering

The front XLR isn't bad, either.

don't forget to put a 1000 ohm resistor across the output.

[Pohaku]

Originally Posted by max cooper

The front XLR isn't bad, either.

don't forget to put a 1000 ohm resistor across the output.

Yeah, I really like that front XLR. I wish all modules had them.

[burst]

Originally Posted by max cooper

don't forget to put a 1000 ohm resistor across the output.

expound, please... ??

[gm5k]

Originally Posted by burst

expound, please... ??

LOL i was thinking the exact same thing.

[kats]

if I could do my lunch box over I would have just got all 512's...they sound great and I love the metering

I had a rack of them for spares on a gig last month. First time I ever really used them. The meters drove me bananas. The fricken things had me second guessing myself at every turn

I threw them on toms in the end. Md421's, pads on and IIRC - anywhere past about 1/3 gain and it was red light city. Didn't sound bad at all, quite good actually - but the fricken red light drove me nuts.

[macr0w]

Originally Posted by gm5k

LOL i was thinking the exact same thing.

I think he means to pad the output in order to hit the input harder. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Brad McGowan]

I just put some 2520 opamps in my Eisen Audio preamps. I had Hardy 990C's in there until a week ago. All I can say is wow! It's sounds like what my API wants to be when it grows up. It still has the characteristic API forwardness, but it has more extension on the top and bottom and seems to resolve the transients a little better than my API 3124+. I had the preamp set up for the Hardy opamps and was concerned that I may have to change a couple components. However, I emailed Jens and he said it would do just fine by swapping it as is. "Fine" is an understatement!

So my advice to anyone that likes the API sound, but wishes it had more top end and deeper bottom end, get yourself an Eisen kit and a some 2520's and then get in touch with me.

Brad

[chriscoleman]

Originally Posted by burst

expound, please... ??

I'm about as far removed from an EE as you can get, but I remember reading that the 512c circuit was designed to perform/sound its best when it sees a 600 ohm load on its output, because it was originally designed to drop into an API console frame where that was the case.

That's the general idea anyhow - someone much smarter than I can explain it better I'm sure...

[joneps]

The Purple Biz with a ribbon is righteous on gritty guitars.

[heathen]

I just got a Buzz Essence compressor too (slightly off topic) these little comps are awesome, I reckon they would be great with a P!.