Really Nice Pre Competitors?

[DanV]

I am in the market for a stereo set of all around nice mic preamps with di's in the sub $500 range. making it $250 max per channel... i can't save up and don't feel like waiting months for some rare gem to pop up,, so as far as new or easy to get models go... what does everyone suggest? the rnp sounds a little boring to my likes,, i think i want something that gives my tracks a unique and favorable color. i've been reading reviews and threads for days and still can't decide,, so i figure i'll add to the pile of "what pre should my poor ass get" threads. what is everyones take? thanks

[Fletcher]

Ain't nothin' in the "sub $500- range" that I've heard that can hold a candle to the RNP... as always, YMMV.

[jho]

keep saving

[ozraves]

after the rnp there's the grace 101 and it's not a pair. the sytek mpx-4aii is under $800 for four channels, which comes to $200 per channel. the next thing that comes to mind is the a designs mp1, which is around $800 or $900 for one channel.

in essence, what fletcher said.

steve, www.mojopie.com

[Mr Funk]

What about the new Toft dual pre or Focusrite TwinTrak? I haven't heard any of them, but thet are in your price range!

[Mr Funk]

Also TFPRO's P2 and 'B-stock' P8 (Edward the Compressor) are in your budget I think? TFPRO have 4 P8's that have little dings on the back pannels, but are technically perfect for £759 (Export)!

It's funny (and annoying) that people outside of the EU/UK get them cheaper than those inside the EU/UK.

They also may be woth grabbing while they are available as who knows what is going to happen to TFPRO with the PMI situation???

Actually, maybe some of the new JoeMeek stuff may be right for you also?

[DanV]

what about this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=23790

[faeflora]

Hmmmmmm. One of my gear buying guidelines is the following:


If a piece of gear shows off the glowing tubes inside, it's trying to persuade the user that it sounds good.




I see vents in the face of that ebay piece, and TL audio displays the tubes in their other gear too, so I avoid it.

Personally, I like clean pres. Have you used a very good clean pre before? IMO they're much more flexible than colored ones. Then again, I do the coloration thing elsewhere.

[DanV]

those tfpro p2's seem like they would rock! yowza,,, they are too darn expensive! now would those p3's give me what i want?

[BattleAngel]

DW Fearn or Crane Song Flamingos, man... real cheap but very cool.



Seriously, though- I don't know how you can do better than the RNP. My friend has two (I think it's two, not sure) and flips over them. He's got a very modest recording set up but the sound he gets bests everything I've heard from a very small studio. Of course he's an absolutely brilliant engineer so that helps.

Wasn't there a group of people who dug something or other by m-Audio?

[DanV]

has anyone got wardbecks racked? know anyone who does this? how much would a pair run?

[BattleAngel]

Benjy King does- maybe you can flag him down.

[DanV]

cool, i just shot him an email. thanks

[BattleAngel]

Sure no prob- Benj is a great guy and I'm sure will be of great help :-) He's got some RNC's that he loves too, btw. That company makes great stuff.

[littledog]

Originally posted by faeflora
Hmmmmmm. One of my gear buying guidelines is the following:

If a piece of gear shows off the glowing tubes inside, it's trying to persuade the user that it sounds good.

I see vents in the face of that ebay piece, and TL audio displays the tubes in their other gear too, so I avoid it.

Personally, I like clean pres. Have you used a very good clean pre before? IMO they're much more flexible than colored ones. Then again, I do the coloration thing elsewhere.

That TL piece (or one just like it) was actually my one of my very first outboard mic pre purchases years ago. i sold it a few years ago.

I can tell you it is a hybrid design - one tube on each channel. It is musical sounding, but headroom may be an issue - not the best pre for a wailing vocalist. Pots tend to get kind of noisy with age, so you might want to specifically inquire about that if interested. It can be a nice step up from a Mackie board pre, but I've never heard the RNP so I can't compare.

I think when they were in production the street price wasn't much more than $500 new, so $450 might be a little high. At $350 it might be considered a pretty good deal.

[DanV]

i'm a little afraid of those all in one boxes,, i wonder how the rme quadrapre will sound and cost.

[BattleAngel]

Mic pre's are so important man- you really can't go cheapsie on them and expect to sound better than 'oh.' unless you're god's gift to the engineering world. Bite the bullet and get the RNP's if you can't afford anything better, but don't go under- just go find a good deal on them. Maybe some used ones.

[DanV]

rnp's or should i see if i can get some ward becks racked?

[Tim L]

What are you using for a pre now? And, more importantly, what mic's? Pre's are definitely important in a major way but a decent pre aint' gonna do all that much for you if your mic's aren't up to snuff. Next to the artist the mic is the most important link in the chain... at least that's been my experience.

[DanV]

right now mackie 1604vlzpro crap pre's. aiming for a saturated gentle psychadelic male vocal sound, like some strawberry alarm clock or west coast experimental pop art band sound.. also fond of yes style prog vocals --- thats the coloration i want and the sort of the vocal sound i'm going for even though the music i'm working on is not really either of those styles. i still havent decided on any decent mics yet, just working on pre options atm - but i plan to go with a dynamic mic, possibly the blue ball thing if it is good. Also need to use the pre for bass/synth di and i'm looking for a 2 channel affair. thanks

[Tim L]

Caught me in the middle of editing on that last one... If I were you I'd start with a really good mic and build your chain from there... I really can't stress enough how important the mic is in the scheme of things. Good luck with it.

[BattleAngel]

Amen Tim.

[pounce]

i'd think you'd do better to get an RNP now, and think about tracking to tape, or at least getting something ala an avalon 747 so you could get the tone you are describing. the only good colored pre's are more money (ala api's) since the lunchbox just got a reduced price, when you can go for about 500 a channel, you could go that route at a small savings over the old prices. or the old school audio api type pre's, slightly less money still. how about something like the aea mic people are gaga over? that would make many things sound pretty cool in a way that might compliment your music style, that mic would make more of a difference than the pre would, but you could add a pre to taste and have a killer signal path. good luck. mostly the answer seems to be that you have to pay to play, but i'm mightily impressed with the fmr gear that's in the budget

[DanV]

noone has commented on the ward beck stuff yet,, how much do used rnp's run for?

[DanV]

believe me - if i had the spare cash i'd be willing to pay a lot more for 2 channels. looks like you edited your comment already. i guess i am refering to the 470 pre's by ward beck which many say are api/neve like.

[chessparov]

On a core piece of gear, like your mic pre, it's wiser to get it new instead of "taking a chance" used.

When you factor in all the years of use, you're saving very little,
and risking a lot otherwise.
And if you get the RNP from www.mercenary.com they double the warranty to boot. Not that it's at all likely it would ever need it.

Chris

[PlugHead]

Maybe henchman will chime in - he loves the Ward Beck's. I have a pr being wired up as we speak, and the fellow who has them uses his often. They are what I would describe as a good sounding midrange, much like Neves, and not tons of low bottom, nor extended highs, tho that is just my impression - never put it on a graph or anything... No p48, so you have to add that into the cost as well (if you plan to have p48 mics running through it)

They are dirt cheap as bare cards, about 30-50 bucks Cdn., but the hardest thing to find (at least in my experience) is a +- 25 V pwr supply - McCurdy (another Cdn broadcast mfgr) makes them, but they are getting scarce - you might end up paying more for the pwr supply than the pre's!

YMMV,

[DanV]

who is wiring yours,, i've written 2 folks who are rumored to do it with no reply so far. thanks

[HEDDnut]

Hmm, more people saying RNP than anything else, should tell you something, IMHO.

I have one and I love it.

[DanV]

thanks, looks like i'm going to go for the rnp, but first i'm working to get a pair of the ward-becks from drthomas just because i get the feeling the 470a's must be better than the rnp's. cheers and thanks for all the help.