El Cheapo Mic pre Amps

[Seizure.]

greatings, i'm looking for a mic preamp ,preferably solid state since like razorjack stated and like i allready knew somewhat... those things only get you somewhere if you spend some big bucks on them.

i allready looked into these:

http://www.thomann.de/thoali2873.html (8 channel.. which is nice.. but a Dual, (which is prefered) or a single would do aswell.)

next to that the presonus blue tube (which has bypassable tubes... and presonus micpre's are pretty nice in my knowledge..)

http://www.thomann.de/presonus_bluetube_prodinfo.html

then there's this one which actualyu is tube.. but damn it looks pretty nice.. and once i get used to working with it i might use the EQ and compressor on it..

http://www.thomann.de/artikel-174864.html

so please!! help me out!! i'm still a doofus when it comes to standalone micpre's (i always did it with a big ass mackie/soundcraft table... to bad they don't have affordable single or dual micpre's. the mackie onix one only comes in a 8 channel version+ADAT)

 

[EtherForBreakfast]

$100.

Studio Projects VTB1.

End of story.

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

The m-audio octane is below 500 right?

Also i think you can get a focusrite octepre used for less than 500

 

[Impy]

The octane is actually around $600.

I'd say go for a couple of Studio Projects VTB-1 like Ether... said, 99 bucks, great stuff.

 

[EtherForBreakfast]

are you deaf and blind?

VTB1.. you can get 2 of them for $200.

 

[Seizure.]

ollllllllrighty then...

so the VTB1 is a great option!! i shall look into it.. any people have experience with these baby's?

and i'm still pondering on this one, anyone heard about or used it?

----> http://www.thomann.de/artikel-174864.html

it looks mighty fine... but its pretty low budget.

 

[Impy]

are you deaf and blind?

VTB1.. you can get 2 of them for $200.

No, are you...?

I think you should read my post one more time...

 

[Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral]

Opps, my bad, i was thinking pre-VAT or something.

Ether: DON'T MAKE ME MAD OR I MIGHT FLIP OUT LIKE A WRINKLY NINJA

 

[Seizure.]

i just saw a review which wasn't all that positive on the SM pro audio... so i bet i'll check the VTB1 :hotjump:

any other ones?

 

[A Gruesome Discovery]

I'd avoid the Presonus stuff; every unit I've tried barely beats the stock pre's in my Mackie VLZ mixer. Some of the channel strips have decent compression and eq, but the pre's just don't stand up on their own, in my opinion. For the money, you should be getting more.
The VTB-1 is most likely the best starved-plate tube pre around, and the price is great. It makes a good DI box as well. If you can stretch your budget a bit more, also take a look at Groove Tubes' "The Brick", which is easily worth twice the price. Ugly little thing, but sounds sweet indeed.

 

[James Murphy]

i've brought this one up before... best under $200 pre i know of ($149 is the most common price i see around for it:

The Rane MS-1b

Review 1
Review 2

 

[unsilpauly]

i have a studio projects vtb1 and i love it. its a really good preamp for the money. like these other guys said, it is really good and at the least worth tryin out. im definetly gonna check out that rane preamp james has mentioned as well. i dont think the presonus preamps i have(digimax) are as bad as a gruesome discovery says. i like them, they are good for the money as well.

 

[A Gruesome Discovery]

i dont think the presonus preamps i have(digimax) are as bad as a gruesome discovery says. i like them, they are good for the money as well.

I was more referring to the lower-end stuff. I haven't used the Digimax, but it looks to be out of the current range we're talking about. Both Presonus and Focusrite make great high end stuff; the low-end stuff, though... not "bad" per se, but can be outperfomed for the same or less money, in my recent experiences.

 

[unsilpauly]

I was more referring to the lower-end stuff. I haven't used the Digimax, but it looks to be out of the current range we're talking about. Both Presonus and Focusrite make great high end stuff; the low-end stuff, though... not "bad" per se, but can be outperfomed for the same or less money, in my recent experiences.

im with ya. im done with low end mic pres except the vtb1 and im gonna check out the rane james suggested. i think you can get digimax's on ebay for probably around 600ish. thats what i got mine for.

 

[Seizure.]

the VTB1 it is!!! i'll look into a cool channel strip later. thanks all!!! and i'll be doing 2 bands these 2 months so i'm looking forward to posting some samples over here!!

anyway, the VTB1 was the one fitting my budget the most and i had a friend with the rane which i'm trying out in a week.

before i start another thread on channelstrips.. what channel strips do you guys reccomend?

and allready thanks in advance.. this has been quit a help

 

[A Gruesome Discovery]

The problem I've found with Channel Strips is that mic pres, comps, and, to a slightly lesser extent, EQs can be a very personal choice, especially with vocals. It's difficult, and somewhat unlikely, to find one box that contains your three favorite flavors. I think it's a good idea to select each element individually if you can't find what you want in one unit.
Having said that, I did come across some units in my search that were great performers, but just didn't suit my tastes. The new JoeMeek strips (the Q series, not he VC series) look to be extremely good values. The comps on these are great, the EQ is very usable, and the mic pre sounds good and is very clear when compared to the VC series (which were way too dark, almost muffled), but they're still very rich sounding, with healthy amounts of nice distortion and "warmth".
Also, you can never go wrong with FMR's RNP and RNC or RNLA combo; not truly a "channel strip", but FunkLogic makes a neat 1U box that lets you stick a pair of your choice into.
The Toft EC-1 is a bit pricier, but still in the "affordable" range. The pre is very clean, but definitely has enough weight in it also. The comp is usable, and the EQ is excellent (I may be wrong, but I believe it's a Neve design. It sounds good either way).
To illustrate the problem I outlined earlier, my "perfect" budget channel strip would probably consist of the Meek's pre, the RNLA's comp, and the Toft's EQ. Of course this won't be everybody's case, and you may find the strip that fits your sound like a glove, but definitely don't rule out building a chain one device at a time.
Good luck; the choosing bit is the really fun part.

 

[Seizure.]

ok, i checked the Joemeek, lots of possitive reactions... but how does everyone like it in here?

 

[MR NINE]

TL Audio 5051!
For a bit more than 500 bucks you'l get a nice valve c.strip!
I own one and it's fabulous!

ok! it's a bit beyond the 'cheapo' but...
The Rane that James talk about it's a good choice for this price range
the Joeemeks are cool too, if you are on a low budget.

 

[Daunt]

Has anyone used M-Audio Tampa?

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/TAMPA-main.html

At least DMP3/Octane pres are pretty nice.

 

[TheStoryteller]

Yeah, what about the Tampa? It has digital out, which is a good thing.