Will I notice the difference?

[booboo]

I've just purchased a Metric Halo ULN-2, which is supposed to have really nice preamps.

I'm struggling with the decision whether to purchase a dedicated preamp for around a grand.....


SOME BACKGROUND -

I'm a composer/songwriter, mostly working with samples and sample libraries (across 6 computers).
I would mostly be recording soloists to blend with the orchestrations.

With that said, will the ULN-2 pres be fine for me, or will there be this huge difference if I use...for instance, a Avalon M5, etc, etc?

[henryrobinett]

Depends on what you want. I think the ULN2 pres are great. If you want some extra color, of course get something else with lots of color. But I'd suggest you get to work making music. You have the convertor, the pres, the interface. If you have the mics and everything else, stop worrying and make some great music. Those are great pres.

The difference won't be huge. Arguable whether there'd be any "better."

[booboo]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking....

If it bugs me enough, I'll rent something and see if I can really hear a difference.

[lespaul666]

The preamps in the ULN-2 are probably the best I've heard in an interface for the money. I believe Metric Halo also has a Jensen transformer modification for the pres in these units as well, if desired.

[BenJah]

Have you thought about buying a nice transformer coupled compressor instead? Even if you don't hit it very hard on the way in, it can still add great colour to your sound.

[lowfreq33]

There will be a difference. Whether you can hear it or not is a question only you can answer.

[jslevin]

I can't think of a $1000, two-channel preamp that's better than what's in the ULN-2. For single channels, the Great River would be an obvious choice, providing both an outstanding channel and a different sound. I honestly prefer the ULN-2 preamp to the Avalon, and they're generally in the same color category (lack of).

Truth is, I think buying a preamp to accompany the ULN-2 is kind of a nutty idea -- almost anything would be a better use of the $1000. Unless you're getting a preamp with built-in converters to give yourself a four-channel system. That would make sense. API A2D for example. But in general, and depending on what kind of mic or mics you already have, you really should be putting that money into the mics.

When in doubt, spend more on mics, less on preamps and converters. You already have very, very good preamps and converters, but how good are your mics?

JSL

[Soulbrother]

"I'm a composer/songwriter,"

So write and compose some music, and stop being an audio dork: Focusing on the ridiculous apples and oranges world of preamps and convertors will quite literally steal your talent away from you. You'll wake up broke in a year's time, with racks full of shit you never use, having written 1 and a half songs, with a grey studio pallour around your eyes.

If you've got preamps that are good enough to do the job, go make some music.

You heard me, put down the B and H catalogue and go and make some music....Now!!! Thats an order.

There's a good boy (if you are a boy that is, if you're a girl you might get away with it - apparently men are only able to use one side of their brain at any one time - the right side (used for creative things) and the left (used for engineering things) - women are able to use both.

[jslevin]

Originally Posted by Soulbrother

So write and compose some music, and stop being an audio dork: Focusing on the ridiculous apples and oranges world of preamps and convertors will quite literally steal your talent away from you. You'll wake up broke in a year's time, with racks full of shit you never use, having written 1 and a half songs, with a grey studio pallour around your eyes.

Right answer.

JSL