WHAT MIC PRE SHOULD I BUY

[atlantis]

I have a Shure KSM-32 and I do rap and some r&b.I trying to big time vocals.Anyone have any suggestions on a good mic pre and comp.Im looking to spend about $2500.00 to $3000.00 no more and that includes for both total.

[killahjamez]

i suggest a faocusrite isa 428 or the isa 430 and get a better mic.....

[AdamJay]

Originally Posted by killahjamez

get a better mic.....

no doubt.

[byunsen]

i own an avalon 737 with the same mic and it sounds pretty decent .. but considering the cost of that avalon .. if i had to do it again, id pick up something else.

i'm really digging the sound of the great river pres (the mp2nv). that neveish growl for lack of better description mmm

[DivineMusic]

i'd look at a the API 7600 or Millennia STT-1 if you wanna get a great strip.. iboth are around $2.5K but i think you can get a hole new front end for the same amount (give or take) and have a great sound vs having a great ch.strip and an ok mic.

so with that in mind i'd check out

Chandler Germania
Great River ME1-NV
Millennia TD-1
Phoenix Audio DRS-1
BAE 312A
A Designs MP1a
Focusrite isa220

with a Blue blueberry or Soundelux U195

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by atlantis

I have a Shure KSM-32 and I do rap and some r&b.I trying to big time vocals.Anyone have any suggestions on a good mic pre and comp.Im looking to spend about $2500.00 to $3000.00 no more and that includes for both total.

Shure SM7 and Aurora Audio GTQ2mkIII... It may not have the compressor, but you could add a DBX 160xt for another couple hundred bucks...

[DivineMusic]

tony loves that aurora.
is it b/c you sell them or do you just like them that much? i used one this weekend and i liked how it sounded but just wasn't the right sound for the artist. i ended up using a Shep SN-8 though a crane song trakker with a Ifet7

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by DivineMusic

tony loves that aurora.
is it b/c you sell them or do you just like them that much? i used one this weekend and i liked how it sounded but just wasn't the right sound for the artist. i ended up using a Shep SN-8 though a crane song trakker with a Ifet7

Which studio did you try the Aurora at?

Also, did you ever stop to think "he likes it so much he decided to sell it?"... I'm the president of the company, so I sell what I like.... I also sell a lot of other things I like, companies like API, Crane Song, Chandler, and Empirical Labs just to name a few... I don't own Aurora, so why would I recommend it if I didn't think it was an incredible piece? People don't have to buy it from me... Although, I will gladly sell them one of those or anything else. We are a dealer for 100 different manufacturers even though the site doesn't reflect that yet.

[DivineMusic]

my partner just bought the aurora along with lynx aurora converters for his studio. its not a known studio.. just a private home studio(not your avg home studio though)
tony by no means did i try or want to offend you or anything.. i just so often see you recommend the aurora. i'm actually rather amazed you don't use one yourself, YET

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by DivineMusic

my partner just bought the aurora along with lynx aurora converters for his studio. its not a known studio.. just a private home studio(not your avg home studio though)
tony by no means did i try or want to offend you or anything.. i just so often see you recommend the aurora. i'm actually rather amazed you don't use one yourself, YET

What do you mean... I originally had the MKII, and upgraded to the MKIII when they were released. I use it more than any other piece of outboard I own. I use the GTQ for almost EVERYTHING... vocals, guitar, bass, DI inputs, etc....

As far as vocals I use the GTQ 80% of the time.

[atlantis]

So you guys think that a API 512 and a Disstressor wit the KSM-32 it would give me a big sound.Becaues I mainly record a guy who has the feel of T.I. and also another fellow who reminds you of Bonecrusher.But basically Im tryn to get big vocals off the jump.

[DivineMusic]

tony i was drunk lol good ole Greygoose was talking...
and api 512 with a distressor will always give a good sound. the ksm isn't a $hit mic.. but its not great either. i've done a few songs with a ksm44 that came out sounding very good though.

you could get a Blueberry, u195, any peluso mic or 4060 with a isa220 and call it a day. it would give you that big sound your after... question.. what kinda converters do you have?
using my isa220 though a 002R was cool, using though my apogee converters was a huge difference in sound.

[I C LIGHT]

I allways wounder what that bleding nob for the compressed an uncompressed singnal sounds like on the focusrite 220. I believe the people on the board that the eq is great. I only tried there the four channel pre. The pre makes me feel sad to sing through. Meaning if a studio had that for me to sing through I would leave fast. Love clean pres to capture mojo. I would have bought that for the compressor an eq but I don't like the pre for that amount of money.

[TonyBelmont]

I don't like the ISA-220... The EQ is cool, but the compressor was akward to use and I could never get a setting that I liked with it... The pre is bland, not a whole lot of character at all... Plus, the lack of output transformers really changed the sound I remember from the ISA-110 units I have used...

[HDGuru]

Whats everyone think about the Focusrite ISA430mkII? Seems to have a lot of great features, but how does it sound?

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by HDGuru

Whats everyone think about the Focusrite ISA430mkII? Seems to have a lot of great features, but how does it sound?

I had the original 430, which I'm told sounds better than the mkII....

I felt it was lackluster. It was missing the magic of the vintage ISA-110's... I also had the converter card, which I thought was actually quite nice. But, as far as the pre and EQ I was left with the feeling that it was pretty good, but nothing I would spend my money on... I had both the 220 and the 430 for 6-8 months. Although, I will say I also was never extremely impressed with the original 110 mic pre. It was a little too neutral sounding for me, although I wouldn't mind having a rack full of those. One of the best EQ's around, and the preamp was actually very nice when paired with a very colored microphone...

[whitepapagold]

If you look at the blueberry mic beware of its limitations. I only use mine with one singer-but he sounds amazing through it. Its great on a big robust bass heavy voice but on small voices or higher pitches I find it too thin and hot on the top end.

Tony got me hot for the aurora to the point I sold some gear to get one. Though I was offered a GML 8200 for a ridiculous price so I spent the cash. Now its a matter of resisting a germanium pre and saving enough for the aurora! They need to make a single channel-though I would love stereo! The minute the price goes above 2000, the other temptations begin....ooooh so many options!

[bussy]

Bluberry have a thin sound?

[Joe-L]

I just bought a Chandler Germanium pre, for around $1000 its a great deal for the sound

[basstracker7769]

Jim Williams Audio Upgrades Mic Pre and then get a used Aphex Expressor 651 ( not the tube version) have him mod it and then get a Shure SM7

lets see
$1500 mic pre(2 channel)
200 expressor /150 for the mod
SM7 mic 300

total
2150
Clean, Clear solid warm full sound and wont break the bank

[youngmain]

Seriously, take these chains into consideration:

Mojave Ma-200, Avalon VT-737. Butter and Huge.
TLM 49>Great River MP 1 Smooth and Warm

[psycho_monkey]

Hopefully the OP has bought his mic pre, sometime over the past two years!

[cpu]

Originally Posted by Joe-L

I just bought a Chandler Germanium pre, for around $1000 its a great deal for the sound

I love my Germanium....so much that i had to buy two of 'em.

[Titans55]

Originally Posted by DivineMusic

and api 512 with a distressor will always give a good sound.

What is a distressor?

[phillysoulman]

Originally Posted by Titans55

What is a distressor?

lol.... are you serious????

[Agno]

You may want to consider Seventh Circle Audio pres.... they are beasts. MP2NV, TG2, and others are great as well.. but it depends on the voice and mic you have to work with. It's all about the right ingredients for you.

[mr.gefell]

gordon audio....best ther eis

here's the vox cut with a Pearl dt40 and gordon mic pre

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYqwaZjVr3k

[Traxx]

I noticed someone suggested a millennia stt-1, if you are interested i have one i am thinking about selling myself pm me if you are interested. I would also look into the summit audio everest, that is a new channel strip from summit audio that is a phenomenal piece. People overlook that company for some reason and that channel strip has a great compressor with a passive eq and a mic pre that rivals the best also being able to still blend tube or solid state, trust me you can't go wrong with that unit. Please research it and check it out....Its in the 3500 price range though..I can help with that if you are interested in it as well..

[Traxx]

And if it means anything I recieved the millennia stt-1 from Joe Satriani himself....some ppl believe in the whole mojo thing lol

[mdjice]

Originally Posted by Titans55

What is a distressor?

this is a distressor: