Good preAmp for AT 4040

[defari84]

I'm searching for a preAmp with a compressor that sounds good with my AT4040 for not more than 600 dollars. I'm only recording rap-vocals. My interface is a Presonus firebox.
I was thinking about the ART Pro Channel, M-Audio Tampa, the Presonus Studio Channel or Presonus Eureka which all have a compressor included. But i've read the Presonus are bad for rap-vocals...

Any idea or experiences?

Greetz from germany.

[warrior545]

"Universal Audio" got some nice preamps which is very versatile and worth checking, I mean the more expensive ones, which is right for the price,
but of course there are a lot more companies that people will write here.

here you have a great article about microphone and preamps :
http://musicdm.wordpress.com/2010/12...specification/

if you have any question, feel free to ask.

the most important thing is that you listen for yourself and check which one suits your needs best, don't take what people say here as the best answer ever,
but their advices will direct you to a better choice.

good luck

[Tuberizer]

If you are considering the ART, why not try the super cheap ART MP Studio ($40) which can easily beat the Great River ME1NV. Check this threat:

Can You Tell The Difference? ART vs. Great River!

It's fascinating!!!

[EDF]

Just read that Tube, thanks for the heads up.

I need to find a nice warm pre for my mobile recording set up.

Right now I'm running an AT4040 directly in to an MBox 2, the pre's on it are aight.

[warrior545]

I know there are some experts, but do yourself a favor and listen for yourself if you want to make a great choice and not just a good one.

[Tuberizer]

Originally Posted by warrior545

I know there are some experts, but do yourself a favor and listen for yourself if you want to make a great choice and not just a good one.

Posts like yours make me want to set myself on fire sometimes. How is your comment helpful in any way? He's not asking because he wants us to choose his preamp for him. He wants us to share our experiences. He wants some inspiration and ideas what pre's might be worth to be given a shot, not some schoolmasterly listen-for-yourself bullcrap. Sorry for the rant.

[defari84]

nobody else with experiences here with that famous mic and some different preamps?

i think I'm gonna try the presonus studio channel and the art pro channel. i'll listen which works better for me and then gonna post the result later on.

[musicjohnny]

Originally Posted by Tuberizer

If you are considering the ART, why not try the super cheap ART MP Studio ($40) which can easily beat the Great River ME1NV. Check this threat:

Seriously, those preamp shoot outs are a load of bull. It's what happens when you use good pre's across all the tracks on a whole mix that counts. Sure, the ART might have a little more treble that makes it sound more crisp and appealing when it's by itself, but track a full band with it, and you've got a mess of harsh overtones and nasty frequencies jumping out of the mix. I'm not saying the ART doesn't have it's place (I actually own the ART and a Great River and I use both) but having used both and tracked full sessions with both, I promise you there's no comparison when you use a cheap pre vs a nice one on a lot of tracks.

[musicjohnny]

Also, for $600 you can have a SMOKIN' Golden Age 73 preamp that's fully modded to be super close to a Neve 1073. The basic preamp is $299 and the full mod is also $299. Even unmodded it's great!

[miscend]

Originally Posted by musicjohnny

Seriously, those preamp shoot outs are a load of bull. It's what happens when you use good pre's across all the tracks on a whole mix that counts. Sure, the ART might have a little more treble that makes it sound more crisp and appealing when it's by itself, but track a full band with it, and you've got a mess of harsh overtones and nasty frequencies jumping out of the mix. I'm not saying the ART doesn't have it's place (I actually own the ART and a Great River and I use both) but having used both and tracked full sessions with both, I promise you there's no comparison when you use a cheap pre vs a nice one on a lot of tracks.

That is what you use subtractive EQ for on the your channel strip.

[D.O.P.E. Music]

Originally Posted by musicjohnny

Also, for $600 you can have a SMOKIN' Golden Age 73 preamp that's fully modded to be super close to a Neve 1073. The basic preamp is $299 and the full mod is also $299. Even unmodded it's great!

I have an AT4040 straight into the MBox 2 as well and am looking for a nice pre to use with it. Can you explain the modding of the Golden Age 73 pre? Where would you get it modded or through who? Thanks for the replies.

[Steab]

Originally Posted by musicjohnny

Seriously, those preamp shoot outs are a load of bull. It's what happens when you use good pre's across all the tracks on a whole mix that counts. Sure, the ART might have a little more treble that makes it sound more crisp and appealing when it's by itself, but track a full band with it, and you've got a mess of harsh overtones and nasty frequencies jumping out of the mix. I'm not saying the ART doesn't have it's place (I actually own the ART and a Great River and I use both) but having used both and tracked full sessions with both, I promise you there's no comparison when you use a cheap pre vs a nice one on a lot of tracks.

You obviously have no idea what you're talking about, I'm pretty sure it's hard for you to realize the small amount of difference each preamp impacts to the sound though, after all you've read here and elsewhere.

[D.O.P.E. Music]

Can anyone help with the modding of the Golden pre amp question?

[dustyreels]

Originally Posted by D.O.P.E. Music

Can anyone help with the modding of the Golden pre amp question?

Look here. You can also buy fully modded 73's from this site.

I would look into a Grace m101. Built in the USA like a tank. Miles ov clean gain. It is a different beast from the GAP. I love my m101 paired with my at4050.

Be sure to include build quality as significant part ov your criteria. Also consider what kind ov company you are supporting.

[Mr. Wilson]

I have an AT 4050 and 4047...brother and sister of the 4040. I have used them both with the Presonus Eureka which is a truly decent channel strip that you will like for many years to come. Mine is offline currently since I've migrated to a Lunchbox with pres and comps...that's enough of a channel for me since I prefer to use mics and pres for my EQ color. I have a GA pre 73 which I run thru various comps and it is everything that its' cracked up to be. But I'm keeping the Presonus around since it does clean and slightly colored if you want. My .02.

[D.O.P.E. Music]

Originally Posted by dustyreels

Look here. You can also buy fully modded 73's from this site.

I would look into a Grace m101. Built in the USA like a tank. Miles ov clean gain. It is a different beast from the GAP. I love my m101 paired with my at4050.

Be sure to include build quality as significant part ov your criteria. Also consider what kind ov company you are supporting.

Thanks for the reply. I've been talking to some of my professors here at MTSU about pres for my home studio and most have said to find the money and invest in something more like a lunchbox with the API 512c. It's a huge difference in price but they really make it seem like it's worth the investment in the long run, plus I can add compressors and eqs to the lunchbox later. That's what I'm leaning towards at the moment but I'm still researching my ass off before I make a decision.

[Audio Hombre]

Originally Posted by EDF

MBox 2, the pre's on it are aight.

they're actually as awful as they get.terrible...

[Big Jinx]

I also mainly track hiphop/R&B vox in my studio here in WA. Current setup is At4033 (modded) -> SSL Alpha Channel -> ART PRO VLA II.

If I were you, I'd purchase the items separately (pre/comp). This will allow greater flexibility with studio upgrading in the future. Have heard alot of the equipment listed in this thread, but I've personally used both the ART unit and both Presonus strips ...And none one of them fit what I was trying to accomplish. Either pre was good/Comp was not or vice-versa. As an example, one of the channel strips in your price range is the Focusrite TrakMaster sitting in my rack right now. It gets preamp usage, but no EQ/Compressor use at all.

The GAP73 would be a killer pre as it will give your vox a nice feel with the AT4040. Also in that price range is the Focusrite ISA One and True P-Solo which will both give you an ultra clean/quiet mic pre.

Unsure if there are stores in your area that have a nice selection of preamps/channel strips to choose from. Be sure and check out both tube and solid state units as they will offer greatly different sounds.

Purchase the pre first, then save up for a nice comp (DBX160a/GAP Comp54) in that same price range. Use of decent gain levels and ITB compression will yeild you nice results for now. Good luck on your decision....

[dustyreels]

Originally Posted by Big Jinx

If I were you, I'd purchase the items separately (pre/comp). This will allow greater flexibility with studio upgrading in the future.

This is my approach as well.

[rafferty]

get a focusrite ISA one, it's a great preamp, it has different settings of impedance so you can change the sound,and it sounds GREAT!

[defari84]

Originally Posted by Big Jinx

The GAP73 would be a killer pre as it will give your vox a nice feel with the AT4040. Also in that price range is the Focusrite ISA One and True P-Solo which will both give you an ultra clean/quiet mic pre.

Purchase the pre first, then save up for a nice comp (DBX160a/GAP Comp54) in that same price range. Use of decent gain levels and ITB compression will yeild you nice results for now. Good luck on your decision....

thumbs up for the pre-73, really great advice! thumbsup I tested today the presonus studio channel against the golden pre-73 and it was really obvious to my ears that the golden pre-73 sounded much greater! and in general i have to say that it's really amazing how much better the vocals sound with the pre-73 in comparison to no pre-amp in front of the interface.

[Marshall Oliver]

Originally Posted by rafferty

get a focusrite ISA one, it's a great preamp, it has different settings of impedance so you can change the sound,and it sounds GREAT!

+1!!

[defari84]

AT4040 owners: you engage the high-pass filter on the mic when recording rap vocals?

[Phizal]

Originally Posted by Tuberizer

If you are considering the ART, why not try the super cheap ART MP Studio ($40) which can easily beat the Great River ME1NV. Check this threat:

Can You Tell The Difference? ART vs. Great River!

It's fascinating!!!

To inform the readers, I want to add the GR can do what the ART MP can do, but the ART can't do nearly what the GR can do. The GR is superior to the MP and no one can validate how hard the input was driven on that test.

Although, I would suggest to the OP that he may want to pick up the ART Pro Channel out of the 3. I would never suggest a high end piece of gear cause of the cost involved, but for the price of the ART you won't break the bank for something you may like or not over time.

[medicinefoot]

Tagging onto this thread, would anyone like to give their thoughts on choosing between the ART Pro Channel and the Presonus Studio Channel for the following purpose? This is for personal home recording (so budget-minded) and primarily trying to warm up vocals that are coming in very clean, but almost a bit antiseptic or sterile. Vocal style is not rap or metal, but more in a rock/folk-rock/Americana style. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[defari84]

Originally Posted by medicinefoot

Tagging onto this thread, would anyone like to give their thoughts on choosing between the ART Pro Channel and the Presonus Studio Channel for the following purpose? This is for personal home recording (so budget-minded) and primarily trying to warm up vocals that are coming in very clean, but almost a bit antiseptic or sterile. Vocal style is not rap or metal, but more in a rock/folk-rock/Americana style. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

test them both and hear which one works better for your purpose. i have no experience with the art pro, but i've tested the presonus studio channel..its a step up from the standard-recording-through-interface-sound, but it wasn't that good than i expected it to be..
try the golden age pre73 for a nice vocal-colouration and then next get a compressor like a dbx 160 or FMR AUDIO PBC

[perform/record]

Originally Posted by defari84

AT4040 owners: you engage the high-pass filter on the mic when recording rap vocals?

Anything below 80Hz is not really desirable for any kind of vocal, unless the music is very minimalistic and those lows won't interfere with the other instruments or unless it's Barry White. Generally, you'll want to use that filter all the time and even use eq to roll off below 100 or even up to 120hz, it helps to keep the vocal clear in the mix.

The filter also helps eliminate any thuds and thumps from tapping your foot, etc..

BTW, if you are still interested in the GAP73, don't worry about the mod. I listened to audio samples from mod'ed and regular and the difference was really just insignificant. Certainly not worth twice the money. I'll put it like this, if the mod cost $50 I would think about it. I like it just the way it is and so does 99% of the people who have them unmod'ed. I also have a 4040, the combo is good, but for vocals it really depends on if the mic fits your voice, not so much the pre. HTH.

[defari84]

Originally Posted by perform/record

BTW, if you are still interested in the GAP73, don't worry about the mod. I listened to audio samples from mod'ed and regular and the difference was really just insignificant. Certainly not worth twice the money. I'll put it like this, if the mod cost $50 I would think about it. I like it just the way it is and so does 99% of the people who have them unmod'ed. I also have a 4040, the combo is good, but for vocals it really depends on if the mic fits your voice, not so much the pre. HTH.

yea i already have a gap73 now, it's great thx 4 your statement. i was curious about the difference between regular and moded version, now i know that i'll spend the money elsewhere
right now i'm looking for a nt1a mic with a michael joly mod for a step up from my at4040..