What "Low end" or cheap 2nd hand mic pre for a big fat clear tone?

[Blast9]

Obviously I've just used vocabulary which describes many of the high end units regularly discussed here...

SO... are there actually any value-for-money units for us low enders? I'm thinking maybe to capture the whole drum kit as the main sound

I guess the FMR RNP may be a contender for a newbie, but perhaps it is just "clear, accurate and honest" rather than big and euphonic...

How about Joemeek stuff... More overtly coloured than "big and clear?"

ps I'm not capable of soldering kits!

[Blast9]

PS, I guess a lot of what I'm describing comes from the input transformer, and OBVIOUSLY the quality of components!

However, I'm still intersted in anything you guys have experienced first-hand, and any observations/wizzdom you can add to the chicken stew!

[tINY]

Shure used to make some portable microphone mixers that were pretty decent. The high end was a little rolled off, but not horribly so...

You could probably find one for almost free in the back of some closet at a church, school, or civic center.



-tINY

[Blast9]

Interesting... shoulda guessed Shure did mic pres too!

[remo]

- whats your budget?

- do you want a channel strip with eq, dynamics etc or just a mic pre?

[Blast9]

My budget is strictly low end! Lets say £400 GBP max (700 US?). As life is more expensive here, lets say $600!!).

I.e. in the ballpark of RNP price.

Seems to me the modern trend with i.c. based pres is to have lots of clean headroom: RNP, Grace, Safe Sound P1 etc.

I'm not interested in channel strips, just the pre, and 2 channels would be great, but I'd rather go for one now and one later, if price/quality is an issue...

Thinking out loud, the beauty of an accurate pre with lots of headroom and no colour would capture the fullness and transients of the source, if the source and mics are happening...hmm

[doorknocker]

I started out with an ART Pro MPA (overpriced and now discontinued), then I got a second one (second-hand and cheap).
I still use them (and still try to sell one) whenever the priority ones (TG-2/ UA 6176+ 2108) are already in service, so it's toms or room mics mostly.
Despite a somewhat bad rep (I don't know why except that they used to be overpriced and are a bit the 'the poor man's tube pre') I think they are an excellent value if you're able to find one reasonably cheap (Buy mine!! Sorry, wrong forum )
FWIW, The MPAs were a HUGE improvement over the Digi 001 pres.

Andi

[Blast9]

After a bit of digging round, there seems to be an astonishingly GVFM pre in my "back yard"... DAV BG1. 2 channels for £489 ($600 in the US).

According to Plush they're pretty magnificent, so I'm gonna go for it when I've got the cash sorted. (there's a thread in the hiend forum about it.

Short list of recommendations from all & sundry on the net:

These are the ones (subjectively) outperforming the usual cheapo units Behringer, Mackie... All colours catered for

Rane MS 1b
Studio Projects VTB-1
FMR RNP
Grace 101
DAV BG1

Anyone concur? Any additions? How 'bout Meek VCQ3, TFPro?

[RoundBadge]

These go for about $800.00.For that little more $, steps up to another level and you probably won't resell it later.
http://www.brentaverill.com/312a/312_1_p.htm

[Black Seal]

Save$$$, Save$$, Save$$$$$ for a good invesstment.

Black Seal

[RoundBadge]

The Averill IS a good investmentstike

[Blast9]

Wise words! ... get my calculator out! call bank manager etc

[Black Seal]

Hey Blast,
You're trying to mic a drum kit. What kind of channels do you currently use to mic your kit? Another choice would be to get some cheap MXL V67's for your kit. Are you planning on using the RNP for the kick and snare? What about the other parts of the kit? Just curious?
Black Seal

[Blast9]

Hmm... Just starting to move from programmed demos to kit-in-a-room demos!

I'm in love with the sound of 1 overhead or 1 in front of the kit (LDC) and one kick mic, so I want to start my (small) collection with a high-headroom "not-sterile" pre to, er... kick-start the proceedings... Totally amazed what you can get out of 2 mics, but I want to use 4 ideally.

Low end nirvana:

I've got an old Calrec SDC that sounds very fat in the room, unhyped and velvety...

... and a cheap good sounding LDC from REd5 that takes the SPLs no prob. I borrow any dynamics I need, but hey I've only got 5 channels anyway (2 in my Motu 828, 1 TLA 5051 (quickly gets indistinct and smeary with drums, but works well with dist gtrs at ahem... "reasonable" vol), 2 Behringer channels (**!!!!**) For demos, I like to blend samples and room sounds to get me there.

[Blast9]

Apparently ADK are coming out with an API style pre for around $600

Quote from Dot over at Studioforums:

ADK is coming out with an interesting new pre that's made in the USA and takes a lot of ideas from API pres - including the use of 2520/990-style opamps that you can swap out. Also swapable transformers - so if you want to run Lundahl or Jensen it's up to you.

Now thats pretty interesting for us low enders!

[Black Seal]

Hey,
It maybe a little more, but I think the Sytek 4 ch pre would be ideal considering your other options. For about the same price as one Brent averill you can have 4 ch of the Sytek pre. It's maybe not the best pre, but it should meet your needs(Burr Brown channels for kick and snare, and the clean channels for overheads).
Black Seal