Quality mic pre's for $300 - 400?

[Speeddemon]

Golden Age Project PRE-73MKII.

Or something used; maybe a Focusrite ISA One?

[dickiefunk]

My recommendations in that price range would be Focusrite ISA One, WARM WA12 or GAP Pre73 DLX.

[musicmachineshop]

Used ISA one.

[guitarboy94]

Go for a used ISA ONE. I own both, and think the ISA ONE is a classier sounding preamp than the stock Gap Pre73.

[Chrisc_o]

Do a search. There are so many threads discussing low-end preamps that this one is useless.


Good luck.

[dickiefunk]

The ISA One would get my vote aswell! I had a PRE73 mkI here and definitely preferred the ISA One. I've seen the ISA One for $399 new on ebay which I would say is a bargain!!!

I haven't used the WARM WA12 but from listening to various clips online I'd say it would be a good compliment to the ISA One. I'm quite tempted to pick one up myself at some point!

[guitarboy94]

Dickie,

The more I read your posts, the more I think you and I agree on nearly everything when it comes to gear! Still using that Kel Hm2d I sold you a while back?

[dickiefunk]

Originally Posted by guitarboy94

Dickie,

The more I read your posts, the more I think you and I agree on nearly everything when it comes to gear! Still using that Kel Hm2d I sold you a while back?

Yes still using the KEL HM-2d. I ended up selling my SM7b after using the KEL. I really like the ribbon like tone that it has. I also like the fact that it can take eq / compression really well and has low self noise!

I'm no longer looking for a ribbon or dynamic mic for my collection!

[guitarboy94]

Originally Posted by dickiefunk

Yes still using the KEL HM-2d. I ended up selling my SM7b after using the KEL. I really like the ribbon like tone that it has. I also like the fact that it can take eq / compression really well and has low self noise!

I'm no longer looking for a ribbon or dynamic mic for my collection!

Awesome. Okay, looks like I disagree with you about the Kel, though. LOL

I actually liked the tone of my SM7b better, so ended up selling that Kel. The SM7b has got a softness, clarity and thickness to it that I wasn't getting from the Kel. Something was sounding kind of stuffy on the Kel on the top end to me (maybe I"m just not used to working with "ribbonlike" mics? I found I had to add a massive amount of high end frequency to the Kel to get it to work in a mix. The Kel is a nice mic, though. Glad you like it!

[dickiefunk]

Interesting, I found the KEL to sound smoother and less harsh than the SM7b on the vocalist I record. Thanks for the good price on the Hm2d!

[theveiv]

My suggestion: save up and get yourself something in the high-end with great circuitry that will sound amazing + accumulate value over time. Just my 2 cents.

[TurboJets]

For $400 you can buy a ZED14 and have 6 pre's that sound fantastic. Clean, fast, plays well with every mic I've used with it. The EQ is pretty useful also, in small quantities of cut/boost and the mids are sweepable.

Plus with the inserts you can insert your favorite FX or comp to color.

Another consideration is a pair of EH 12AY7 tube mic pre's which definitely have a little mojo going on.

[dxavier]

Originally Posted by dickiefunk

Interesting, I found the KEL to sound smoother and less harsh than the SM7b on the vocalist I record. Thanks for the good price on the Hm2d!

I have always thought the SM7b is a little harsh too. It's the solution to World peace on here, but doesn't work for me.

BTW, I have heard some of your stuff. Singer smokes! Was that done on a KEL?

[dxavier]

Originally Posted by theveiv

My suggestion: save up and get yourself something in the high-end with great circuitry that will sound amazing + accumulate value over time. Just my 2 cents.

If only it was that simple. This is NOT my recommendation.

You need to check out mics and find one that suits your voice. High End, Low End is not the point. One thing I have learnt being on here, is that a mic that I hate and would gladly throw into the sea, might be a go-to mic for someone else, simply because it suits their voice or the voice of the person they work with. It isn't a high end low end thing.

[theveiv]

I am aware that a 400$ mic can sound as good as a $4,000 given the perfect source for it. In that context, it isn't always about high-end or low end.

However, this guy is talking about a microphone preamp. You can plug a decent mic into a shitty preamp and get an OK sound, or you can plug a decent mic into a great preamp and get a stellar sound. It's ALL about Harmonics my friends. Circuitry is the key!

It depends on his goals as well. Are you trying to build up a studio to record proper records, or are you just in it as a hobby/spare time activity?

[guitarboy94]

...And the good news is that you can get a worldclass preamp these days for 350 bucks used: ISA ONE. I can't think of any other worldclass preamps that get used in pro studios in that price-range.

[Doc Mixwell]

FMR Audio has a Dual Channel Mic Pre/DI, called the "RNP" that is super clean and low noise for $475

[germanduranv]

For the price... +1 FMR

[germanduranv]

FMR RNP, very clean, very versatile, but without character (obviously this is for more expensive preamps).

[toddreloaded]

If your'e looking for character in your preamp, Warm WA-12 slays ISA-One and FMR like William Wallace.

[Silent Sound]

Originally Posted by theveiv

My suggestion: save up and get yourself something in the high-end with great circuitry that will sound amazing + accumulate value over time. Just my 2 cents.

Accumulate value over time? Now that's funny!

[dickiefunk]

Originally Posted by dxavier

I have always thought the SM7b is a little harsh too. It's the solution to World peace on here, but doesn't work for me.

BTW, I have heard some of your stuff. Singer smokes! Was that done on a KEL?

Thanks! I have used a mixture of mics and pres on her voice. The mics I've used on the clips on my site are :-

Studio Projects B1
Neumann TLM102
Audio Technica 4040
Audio Technica 4047
Akg Solidtube

Of all these mics the 4040 and TLM102 worked the best. All these songs were recorded well before I bought the Kel. One mic that I really liked on this vocalist is the Oktava MK319. Unfortunately it developed a fault so I didn't really get the chance to use it properly. The 319 has been sat on the shelf for over a year but I've just got round to getting it repaired and had it modded at the same time! Am looking forward to trying it out again on some serious recordings in the next couple of weeks!

I have used the Kel quite a lot on another female vocalist who has a very thin whispy voice. This added nice body to the tone and sibilance was non existent!

[theveiv]

Originally Posted by Silent Sound

Accumulate value over time? Now that's funny!

If high-end gear didn't keep or gain any value over time, may it be based on increasing rarety in the digital world and unique hand-made circuitry, vintage gear wouldn't be worth anything today.

[Mbsobez]

Originally Posted by theveiv

I am aware that a 400$ mic can sound as good as a $4,000 given the perfect source for it. In that context, it isn't always about high-end or low end.

However, this guy is talking about a microphone preamp. You can plug a decent mic into a shitty preamp and get an OK sound, or you can plug a decent mic into a great preamp and get a stellar sound. It's ALL about Harmonics my friends. Circuitry is the key!

It depends on his goals as well. Are you trying to build up a studio to record proper records, or are you just in it as a hobby/spare time activity?

My goal is to get the best guitar sound that I could possibly get for my little home studio without spending tons of cash. My home studio is for my personal projects / friends projects, nothing that I actually charge money for.

I just graduated from SAE, so i'm still new to this all. I just recently upgraded my microphone, which has helped a tremendous amount in my guitar recordings, and I am very eager to see how a higher quality pre-amp will affect my sound. It's one thing to learn about it in my school, but actually practicing this all, I want to hear everything for myself because I think that's the best way to learn.

[Mbsobez]

Thank you all very much for your input, it's much appreciated.

Looks like FMR & Focusrite Iso-One take the reign here. Very interested to do a little more research on them both to see which might suit my needs the best.

Could anyone weigh in on my last question? How might my MBOX compare to something like a FMR / Iso - One? It's the only pre-amp i've ever used, so it's hard for me to judge how it's affecting the sound.

[prizebeatz1]

Maybe you could check out the Groove Tubes "The Brick". Personally I think you will hear a slight improvement in your sound but there would be a bigger difference if you could save up enough money to get something in the $800 price range and above. I also agree that a great mic preamp adds more value to your arsenal than a great microphone.

[OmegaP]

Contact docdj112 his shop builds custom preamps and can probably make something you'd love in that price range just for you. Best of luck in your search !!!!!!

[theveiv]

The best thing for you to do is just like you said, learn by practicing and experimenting. The reason I mention saving up for higher end stuff is so you can start off already getting familiar with some great quality stuff and learn about it's circuitry. I wouldn't blame you to start off with a $400 preamp. It's a great start! But also focus your attention on higher-end stuff and keep an eye out for deals. I just bought a "used" but "never been used" $3k compressor for less than $2k. Remember, it's not about being "high-end" or "Hi-fi", it's about the signal path and what it sounds like. Music is about music, the rest is just details.

[rsadasiv]

Originally Posted by jdomini00

Maybe you could check out the Groove Tubes "The Brick". Personally I think you will hear a slight improvement in your sound but there would be a bigger difference if you could save up enough money to get something in the $800 price range and above. I also agree that a great mic preamp adds more value to your arsenal than a great microphone.

The Brick has some character, and I love it as a Bass DI, but I can't recommend it as a general purpose preamp. It's only got 30db of gain, and the last 10 or so db get wooly fast, so it's not a great fit with low output dynamic or ribbon mics. In addition, it doesn't deal well with high output condenser mics, so really the only mics you can use it with are medium output condensers.