Advice on Mic+Pre < US$1000

satellite542 · 16th June 2007, 11:35 AM

Hi all,

I'm upgrading my vocal chain from Rode NT1 + Behringer pre. At the moment I'm leaning towards:

M-Audio Sputnik US$699
M-Audio DMP3 US$249

Before I go ahead with this, are there any better options for < US$1000 ?

Cheers ^_^

Daniel.

satellite542 · 17th June 2007, 07:08 PM

Bump ^

Nu-tra · 17th June 2007, 07:13 PM

Safesound P1 and a CAD m9

BAM!

chrisgraff · 17th June 2007, 07:21 PM

Spend all your money on the preamp. API, Brent Averill, Great River....lots of choices.

Just about any $1k preamp + your NT1 will take you alot further than the combo you mentioned.

satellite542 · 18th June 2007, 09:54 AM

Hi guys, thanks for the posts :)

I haven't heard of the safesound before, i'll read up on it.

I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to tell me to keep the NT1! I've heard very good things about the Sputnik. I've also heard that the DMP3 is very clean and quiet compared to considerably more expensive preamps. I don't need eq/comp on the pre, just a wire with gain.

So, to spend more money on the mic or the pre... I'm more confused than when I started

More opinions most welcome

tINY · 18th June 2007, 10:03 AM

Is this for a variety of singers, or just one?

The most amazing thing about the Safe Sound is the dynamics control. Clean and smooth and the best expander that I've heard.

For vocal mics, trying out a few and finding one that works is important - if you record several singers, having a variety is a really good idea.

-tINY

satellite542 · 18th June 2007, 10:45 AM

It's only for one singer (me). Unfortunately there aren't a lot of places to audition mics and pres around here.

The intended usage is male RnB/Pop vocals. Ideally I would go with an avalon 737 / C12VR or peluso 2247LE... obviously I'm not going to get close to that sound, so I'm thinking that the best option is to just get a decent cleanish signal whilst tracking, and worry about 'flavor' compressors / eq in the mix.

djbrough · 18th June 2007, 02:51 PM

I have the safesound. It's a nice, very clean pre with lots of gain. It doesn't have much character, but it's great for certain things. The best thing about the safesound unit is the compressor and expander. The compressor is very smooth, and the expander is excellent for cancelling background noise. I will admit that if you could spend the entire amount on a great river pre, you might be happier, but you won't get the extra features.

SveNaj · 18th June 2007, 04:55 PM

+1 for SafeSound

mltamisin · 18th June 2007, 08:04 PM

The Sputnik will most certainly smoke anything in it's price range up to around 1G. I have one and it's easily the best bang for the buck. My main vocal mic is a Manley Cardioid Reference and when it's out I never hesitate to use the Sputnik. Much much better than the NT1 or the NTK. It comes alive with a nice preamp. For a vocal pre, I can't recommend the Chameleon Labs 7602 enough. Especially for vocals and for DI'ing bass and synth/keyboard stuff. The EQ is very very good and will add that high end sheen that you'll want. It's going to put you a little over budget but it's worth the wait. No plugin will even come close to this EQ. It's that good. A little tip. You can find authorized dealers for the Sputnik mic on ebay and get a nice deal that way. Just make sure they are an authorized dealer with a return policy. I picked one up for $475 that way and saved a little cash. Good luck.

Blindside · 18th June 2007, 09:57 PM

SM7b + CL 7602 = success

tINY · 18th June 2007, 10:45 PM

For male R/B vocals, you might want to think about a good dynamic mic like the RE-20, Heil PR30 or the SM7.

-tINY

satellite542 · 19th June 2007, 03:27 PM

Hi all, thanks for the posts, they have been very helpful.

I have decided to book some studio time so that I can try lots of slutty mics and see what flavor I need... 'the right mic for the right voice'. At least I have more of a ballpark sound to go for then :)

As far as pres go, I did come across the Chameleon Labs 7602 and its definitely on the short list and the reviews are very positive (even though it will blow my budget)! Also the P-Solo looks interesting. The avalon does have that sheen going on, but i've come to the conclusion that, as nice as it sounds to my ears, its less detailed than some other pres, and you cant add that after in the mix! At the moment the main thing is to get the clean vocal on disk, and then add the 'flavor' later in the SSL mix (if we get that far).

Also, thanks for the ebay suggestion, I have already had a quick look on there and there are some good deals!

Thanks again for the posts, I'm definitely on the right track now

Daniel.

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16th June 2007, 11:35 AM	#1
satellite542 Gear interested Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 7	Advice on Mic+Pre < US$1000 Hi all, I'm upgrading my vocal chain from Rode NT1 + Behringer pre. At the moment I'm leaning towards: M-Audio Sputnik US$699 M-Audio DMP3 US$249 Before I go ahead with this, are there any better options for < US$1000 ? Cheers ^_^ Daniel.

17th June 2007, 07:13 PM	#3
Nu-tra Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,537	Safesound P1 and a CAD m9 BAM! __________________ http://www.nu-tra.com

17th June 2007, 07:21 PM	#4
chrisgraff Gear addict Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 332	Spend all your money on the preamp. API, Brent Averill, Great River....lots of choices. Just about any $1k preamp + your NT1 will take you alot further than the combo you mentioned. __________________ -Chris Graff www.audioinstruction.com

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17th June 2007, 07:08 PM	#2
satellite542 Gear interested Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 7	Bump ^

18th June 2007, 09:54 AM	#5
satellite542 Gear interested Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 7	Hi guys, thanks for the posts :) I haven't heard of the safesound before, i'll read up on it. I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to tell me to keep the NT1! I've heard very good things about the Sputnik. I've also heard that the DMP3 is very clean and quiet compared to considerably more expensive preamps. I don't need eq/comp on the pre, just a wire with gain. So, to spend more money on the mic or the pre... I'm more confused than when I started More opinions most welcome

18th June 2007, 10:03 AM	#6
tINY Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 6,067	Is this for a variety of singers, or just one? The most amazing thing about the Safe Sound is the dynamics control. Clean and smooth and the best expander that I've heard. For vocal mics, trying out a few and finding one that works is important - if you record several singers, having a variety is a really good idea. -tINY

18th June 2007, 10:45 AM	#7
satellite542 Gear interested Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 7	It's only for one singer (me). Unfortunately there aren't a lot of places to audition mics and pres around here. The intended usage is male RnB/Pop vocals. Ideally I would go with an avalon 737 / C12VR or peluso 2247LE... obviously I'm not going to get close to that sound, so I'm thinking that the best option is to just get a decent cleanish signal whilst tracking, and worry about 'flavor' compressors / eq in the mix.

18th June 2007, 02:51 PM	#8
djbrough Gear addict Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Atlanta Posts: 358	I have the safesound. It's a nice, very clean pre with lots of gain. It doesn't have much character, but it's great for certain things. The best thing about the safesound unit is the compressor and expander. The compressor is very smooth, and the expander is excellent for cancelling background noise. I will admit that if you could spend the entire amount on a great river pre, you might be happier, but you won't get the extra features.

18th June 2007, 04:55 PM	#9
SveNaj Gear nut Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Zagreb, Croatia Posts: 95	+1 for SafeSound

18th June 2007, 08:04 PM	#10
mltamisin Lives for gear Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 1,001	The Sputnik will most certainly smoke anything in it's price range up to around 1G. I have one and it's easily the best bang for the buck. My main vocal mic is a Manley Cardioid Reference and when it's out I never hesitate to use the Sputnik. Much much better than the NT1 or the NTK. It comes alive with a nice preamp. For a vocal pre, I can't recommend the Chameleon Labs 7602 enough. Especially for vocals and for DI'ing bass and synth/keyboard stuff. The EQ is very very good and will add that high end sheen that you'll want. It's going to put you a little over budget but it's worth the wait. No plugin will even come close to this EQ. It's that good. A little tip. You can find authorized dealers for the Sputnik mic on ebay and get a nice deal that way. Just make sure they are an authorized dealer with a return policy. I picked one up for $475 that way and saved a little cash. Good luck.

18th June 2007, 09:57 PM	#11
Blindside Gear addict Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 483	SM7b + CL 7602 = success

18th June 2007, 10:45 PM	#12
tINY Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Orygun Posts: 6,067	For male R/B vocals, you might want to think about a good dynamic mic like the RE-20, Heil PR30 or the SM7. -tINY

19th June 2007, 03:27 PM	#13
satellite542 Gear interested Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 7	Hi all, thanks for the posts, they have been very helpful. I have decided to book some studio time so that I can try lots of slutty mics and see what flavor I need... 'the right mic for the right voice'. At least I have more of a ballpark sound to go for then :) As far as pres go, I did come across the Chameleon Labs 7602 and its definitely on the short list and the reviews are very positive (even though it will blow my budget)! Also the P-Solo looks interesting. The avalon does have that sheen going on, but i've come to the conclusion that, as nice as it sounds to my ears, its less detailed than some other pres, and you cant add that after in the mix! At the moment the main thing is to get the clean vocal on disk, and then add the 'flavor' later in the SSL mix (if we get that far). Also, thanks for the ebay suggestion, I have already had a quick look on there and there are some good deals! Thanks again for the posts, I'm definitely on the right track now Daniel.