Yes. Mic preamps. Pardon me for not being specific. I thought a guy of your intelligence would have been able to figure that out on his own
(JOKING!! Don't have a cow, man!)
The Preamp Shootout!
- Thread starter Glenn Fricker
- Start date
Yes. Mic preamps. Pardon me for not being specific. I thought a guy of your intelligence would have been able to figure that out on his own
(JOKING!! Don't have a cow, man!)
That's wierd. No problems on my end. Try using "save as" to download it.. might help.
Torniojaws
They call me Juha
Best - A
2nd - D
3rd - E
split last place - C/B
A was the most pleasing and even sounding one, without overgain and mud.
D was slightly more bass heavy, which I didn't like, but otherwise it was decent
E was also a little too bass heavy and overgained
C and B were both pretty bad sounding to my ears, for different reasons: C was a little overgained sounding and slightly muddy and B was very dark, muddy and overgained
Personally I would only use A and D out of those five, if I had the choice.
2nd - D
3rd - E
split last place - C/B
A was the most pleasing and even sounding one, without overgain and mud.
D was slightly more bass heavy, which I didn't like, but otherwise it was decent
E was also a little too bass heavy and overgained
C and B were both pretty bad sounding to my ears, for different reasons: C was a little overgained sounding and slightly muddy and B was very dark, muddy and overgained
Personally I would only use A and D out of those five, if I had the choice.
tdr
Member
alright, listened quite a few times yesterday and today, just through some cheap sennheiser headphones (the best I have for now). as others said, they seem to be very similar, but I think after several times, you start hearing the differences.
my opinions, but I maybe completely wrong:
A: sounded grainy to me, not much color, to me the worst sounding, I guess this one could be the cheapo pre
B: kinda similar to B, more bottom end, looking at the gearlist on your site, this one could be the great river
C: very tight and forward sounding, I guess this one is the API
D: similar to B, but less punchy bottom end, this could also be the great river pre, who knows...
E: even fuller sounding than B and D, but less punchy, and the highs seem "rounder", again looking at your gearlist, that`s how I think a Neve clone would sound, so I guess this one is the Vintech
I may be completely wrong, but thanks for posting this, this is a good practice. I am looking forward to see you reveal the solution.
my opinions, but I maybe completely wrong:
A: sounded grainy to me, not much color, to me the worst sounding, I guess this one could be the cheapo pre
B: kinda similar to B, more bottom end, looking at the gearlist on your site, this one could be the great river
C: very tight and forward sounding, I guess this one is the API
D: similar to B, but less punchy bottom end, this could also be the great river pre, who knows...
E: even fuller sounding than B and D, but less punchy, and the highs seem "rounder", again looking at your gearlist, that`s how I think a Neve clone would sound, so I guess this one is the Vintech
I may be completely wrong, but thanks for posting this, this is a good practice. I am looking forward to see you reveal the solution.
broken81
Used by Protools
yea i was thinking E was the vintech also and C was the api. Ive never personally used either so I'm going on how i think those pre's would sound. I'm probably way off on both and like B and D will be the them!!
Oz you should have posted all your mic pre's used so we can try and match tones with mic pre's and see if anyone gets all of them right. Maybe give a prize of 1 song reamped free This is very cool though anyway and can't wait to find out which is which.
Oz you should have posted all your mic pre's used so we can try and match tones with mic pre's and see if anyone gets all of them right. Maybe give a prize of 1 song reamped free
This is very cool though anyway and can't wait to find out which is which.
Radd
Self Portrait
Control click text file, select "info", take out the .txt. extension to change it to a .rar only file. Double click rar and let Stuffit expand the files.
Loren Littlejohn
Lover of all boobage.
in all honesty, i'm surprised at how little of a difference there is between the tracks - while the differences are audible in each, they tend to be somewhat subtle across most of them. all in all, i would venture to say that the mic pre is probably the LEAST important step in the signal chain for guitars.
i must say though, B sounded like ass compared to the rest - A sounded really good, along with D.
i must say though, B sounded like ass compared to the rest - A sounded really good, along with D.
cobhc
Amiga Enthusiast
Jaymz
Stymphalian Productions
J.DavisNJ
\m/
im soo glad I just bought some monitors off ebay....cause I can't really hear much difference in the clips with my Logitech computer speakers (poor nigga's monitors):Smug:
With what I'm working with....I'm thinking E is my favorite.
With what I'm working with....I'm thinking E is my favorite.
tdr
Member
I have to admit, guys, the lack of differences shocked me as well. For this particular application, miking a heavy rhythm guitar the preamp does seem to be the least important. ..on the surface, anyway.
Of course, when you start stacking multiple mic setups & quad tracking, the subtle differences can grow. Add EQ into the picture, & some tracks might take an EQ better than others.
That being said, it seems to me that moving your 57 a millimeter or two around the cone of a vintage 30 would have a bigger effect on the sound than swapping a preamp. But the biggest influence on the sound is the guy playing the guitar.
One last thing, you have to use the right preamp for the right application. A couple of you noted how "B" is dark. Yes it is, & certainly isn't my first choice for heavy rhythm guitars. But, it sure sounds great on a set of overheads! ...Or an overly bright acoustic guitar like a Takamine.
Of course, when you start stacking multiple mic setups & quad tracking, the subtle differences can grow. Add EQ into the picture, & some tracks might take an EQ better than others.
That being said, it seems to me that moving your 57 a millimeter or two around the cone of a vintage 30 would have a bigger effect on the sound than swapping a preamp. But the biggest influence on the sound is the guy playing the guitar.
One last thing, you have to use the right preamp for the right application. A couple of you noted how "B" is dark. Yes it is, & certainly isn't my first choice for heavy rhythm guitars. But, it sure sounds great on a set of overheads! ...Or an overly bright acoustic guitar like a Takamine.
The differences weren't THAT big to me since this was only one mono track and I've always found it hard to hear major differences in preamp tests if it's just one track. However it would be nice to hear for example a mix 2 or 4 guitars recorded through different preamps, because that might make it easier to hear the differences. None of them sounded bad to me and they all had their pros and cons.
A definately had the most pleasing high end and it sounded well balanced, but it sounded the smallest. C had good punch and sounded aggressive and rich. D had a lot of "air" in the lows/lowmids and sounded open, but was a bit too muddy and vintage sounding for these riffs. E was kinda neutral... B was maybe a bit boring. In this situation (this player & guitar setup & music) I would choose A, C or E.
A definately had the most pleasing high end and it sounded well balanced, but it sounded the smallest. C had good punch and sounded aggressive and rich. D had a lot of "air" in the lows/lowmids and sounded open, but was a bit too muddy and vintage sounding for these riffs. E was kinda neutral... B was maybe a bit boring. In this situation (this player & guitar setup & music) I would choose A, C or E.
wooooooooooord
i've seen dudes who can play thru a squier strat and crate amp, and sound awesome. i've also seen guys who were playing thru emg-loaded guitars into marshalls and mesas, and totally sucked. it's all in the hands...
Ok, now what you've all been waiting for..... what clip was what pre. I wanted to wait a day or two before posting this because I didn't want preconceptions & prejudices getting in the way. So here's the results:
A: Vintech Dual 72
B: Ward Beck m480c
C: Great River Mp2Nv
D: RME Fireface stock preamp
E: Api 512c
A: Vintech Dual 72
B: Ward Beck m480c
C: Great River Mp2Nv
D: RME Fireface stock preamp
E: Api 512c
Torniojaws
They call me Juha
Whee, I voted my Fireface as 2nd best I guess I won't be getting that API 512c after all, since I didn't like it as much for guitars.
Now, a similar one for bass and perhaps kick, snare & overheads?
I guess I won't be getting that API 512c after all, since I didn't like it as much for guitars.Now, a similar one for bass and perhaps kick, snare & overheads?
