Studio Projects VTB-1 pre amp ? any experiences?

[SureShotStudio]

hi forum

i'm thinking of buying a Studio Projects VTB-1 pre amp. does anyone have any experiences with this? if so was it good/bad. any suggestions if it was bad? cos i heard some nice things about them but i'd like to hear some first hand experiences .....

help will be much apreciated

thanx thomas

[chessparov]

It's a nice quiet mic pre, and it's built tough enough to take to a live gig too.

The "tube blend" feature could be handy once in a while,
however, it's smarter to save that idea for when you mix down-
NOT at the tracking stage IMHO.

I think Harvey Gerst's review at the Studio Projects website is
accurate BTW.

Chris

[ozraves]

it's ok. it's better as a pre than most of its competition (as always at its price segment). it's ok as a di but not as good as its competition. the price is good for what you get.

if you own something like a behringer, mackie or audio buddy, then i don't think the improvement you get on the mic pre is enough to warrant an upgrade. but, if you're wanting something different, then it's different enough to give you another flavor.

steve
www.mojopie.com

[chessparov]

Geez, all I know is that when I turn it all the way up it's quiet!

Chris

[Jay Kahrs]

There's a review in the new issue of EM that came today. It reads kind of like I expected it to read. I haven't tried one myself and I'm not really looking to either.

[Harvey Gerst]

Geez, I didn't even know that I had a review on Alan's site. I just read the EM review, and yeah, they "damn it with faint praise". So, is it a fair review?

To me, it sounded like he wasn't expecting much, and that's the approach he took in his review. I thought the VTB-1 was better than that. Not the world's greatest preamp, but better than it was portrayed in the EM review.

It's got some really nice points that shine in combination with certain mics. He considered the impedance switch as a gadget, but it really made my RCA 77DX come alive - better than some preamps I have that cost a whole lot more than the VTB-1. Of course, he did mention that he didn't bother testing the pre with ribbon mics. I didn't get the impression from the article that he tried the unit with a lot of different sources.

I thought it was a pretty well done, low-cost, preamp that had a lot of nice features for the price. The tube blend circuit actually sounded pretty good at low to medium settings, and unlike other "toob" preamps, you could bypass the function completely.

I understand these things are selling for around $130 these days. That's a pretty damn good price for what you get.

[ozraves]

btw, here's harvey's review and my review of the vtb1...

www.mojopie.com/vtb1.html

(harvey's follows mine )

[chessparov]

For whatever wierd reason(s), it does quite well with the
200 Ohm Beyer's and Sennheiser's (M88/Soundstar/421 etc.)
over the other dynamic microphones I've tried.

Chris

[chessparov]

Haarvey, if you get a chance, could you try your AEA R84 with one,
and let us know how you liked it (or not)?

Thanks
Chris

[SureShotStudio]

thanks guys for the info

i think i'll snap one up coz at the moment the only mic-pre's i've got are the ones on my behringher desk and their too noisy for anything else than close mic-ing and because i'm a student i'm definetly on a budget..... so it fit's the bill nicely

greetings

thomas

[Brent Casey]

I record with the VTB1 quite a bit. It's not a bad pre at all. I read that review in EM and the guy really slams the VTB1. The reviewer basically says that "no signal passes through it unchanged" or something to that effect. Yeah whatever. Maybe it doesn't sound good on his screechy heavy metal singer - fine. Personally, I don't have any use for the whole tube blend thing, but as a straightforward discrete solid state pre, it does nicely. Keep in mind, I'm not cutting vocals through it where somebody's screaming into a mic from 6" away. I almost always record live ambient style in semi-ok environments. It may be a trick to get good results, but the VTB1 helps me to do that.
Damn my left ear just unplugged violently when I blew my nose. (I have a cold)

Brent Casey
Studio Projects Microphones
877-563-6335

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally posted by Brent Casey
I record with the VTB1 quite a bit. It's not a bad pre at all. Personally, I don't have any use for the whole tube blend thing, but as a straightforward discrete solid state pre, it does nicely.
Brent Casey
Studio Projects Microphones
877-563-6335

And that's where Brent and I differ on the VTB-1. I found the tube blend thingy really added a nice effect for certain vocals. It did thicken up the lower midrange sounds nicely, without making it sound muddy, or like I was simply boosting some eq.

[Bernd G]

Originally posted by Brent Casey
The reviewer basically says that "no signal passes through it unchanged" or something to that effect.

hmm, that's exactly the reason why I got the NEVEs, and all the other preamps lying around ... because they CHANGE the signal -
I say GET ONE - there is Always SOME use for it.

[Brent Casey]

Originally posted by Harvey Gerst
And that's where Brent and I differ on the VTB-1. I found the tube blend thingy really added a nice effect for certain vocals. It did thicken up the lower midrange sounds nicely, without making it sound muddy, or like I was simply boosting some eq.

I think it's due more to the style of recording that I am doing 99% of the time. I'm not laying down tracks one at time, I mostly record live performances as they happen (live as in audience). For that, I have the tube dialed out completely. My approach to recording is K.I.S.S. so there is less to screw up in the moment. This is not to say that I dislike the blend on the VTB1, I just don't use it for what I do.
I found that quote from the review. The guy says of the VTB1:
"it’s incapable of passing a clean signal unscathed"
That's the statement which I am at odds with. I shoulda looked that up when I posted yesterday.

Hare Krishna,

Brent Casey
Studio Projects Microphones
877-563-6335

[alanhyatt]

So go figure, a review that is not that great...Read the new EQ Magazine review of the VTB-1. The guy loved it, and he loved it as a D.I. Here is what he said: At under $230, the VTB1 preamp is a real eye-opener. It combines solid-state and tube preamps in one small box — and has the added benefit of a “Tube Blend” knob that lets you mix the two preamp types together for an incredibly broad range of sounds. It also has a nice-sounding instrument (DI) input, and switchable impedance offering 200- and 50-ohm settings. For most applications, you’ll want to use the 200-ohm setting; the lower impedance is intended for ribbon mics, and in my tests had negative effects (reduced level/increased noise and increased top end) with other types of mics.

So like it, love it, hate it...for $129.99 it is an outstanding value and it gets the job done. Not everyone will agree with each other opinions...

Oh yeah, this is for J. Slators benefit. The EQ review will not be found on our website as well...

[chessparov]

I think that the opinions of pro audio engineers have much to do
with their style of how they like to work, sometimes beyond
anything "objective".

For example, George Massenburg doesn't like the Groove Tubes
Viper mic pre. That alone wouldn't knock if off my short list if shopping.
I still suspect the assessments of Fletcher, and other
end users, that it is a first rate mic pre are correct.

Chris

[Dot]

We've been using and listening to a lot of mic pres and the VTB-1 does an impressive job. It's an improvement over Mackie pres [ Harvey Gerst said this as well ].

To me, the idea with the VTB-1 is if you want the versatility of a SS pre with the flexibilty to blend some tube into the signal. Also impedance switching and the ability to run two channels out: one with the clean signal and one with the tube signal.

There's no other pre near that price range that does that.