Vocal Preamp?

[Vinny]

Ok, so my band is looking to start recording vocals with our new vocalist.
I am looking at getting a Shure SM7B but I dunno what preamp to get.
The guy at guitar center said a preamp was a necessity for vocals.
So what preamp would you recommend for screaming vocals like As I Lay Dying, Children Of Bodom, Haste the Day, etc.?
I am using a POD Studio UX2 as an interface.

Thanks.

 

[Damian B]

The XLR inputs on the front already have preamps. It won't make sense to buy higher quality ones until you have a better interface.

 

[zackpennington]

But if he's getting an SM7B he'll need a pre with more gain to get anything out of it. I agree that a better interface is a better investment. I have a profire 2626 and it runs hot enough for the SM7B.

 

[egan.]

I recommend the GML 2020. .....but seriously, why don't you go home and try it before you buy an additional piece of gear.
If you find you need a better preamp you may do well to consider a better interface as part of the package as others have suggested.

 

[Fragle]

it doesn't quite sound as if you're already somewhat experienced in recording vox.
in that case, i'd just get a sm58, and put the saved money towards a better interface (m-audio profire is a good starting point). the pre's of that one will most likely be sufficient for now, plus the sm58 is much more foolproof than the sm7b....as someone already mentioned, the sm7b needs a lot of clean gain from the mic pre, something budget pre's often struggle with.

 

[narcossintese]

I´m saving for a Manley Mono mic preamp

IMO there´s no sense on wasting money on a semi-good mic pre (or a semi good mic)

 

[BLUElightCory]

I´m saving for a Manley Mono mic preamp

IMO there´s no sense on wasting money on a semi-good mic pre (or a semi good mic)

I've used this on a couple records, a freaking amazing preamp for sure.

 

[pipaguapique]

you need a better interface if you want to use an external pre amp, otherwise you will not hear a difference.

 

[AntonioPetrole]

...The guy at guitar center said.....

I would watch out for this. Not saying that all people at guitar center lie to you, but you gotta keep in mind that they only make money if they sell stuff. Get a better interface for sure. I recommend the Profire 610 as a good 2 channel interface, and the preamps on it are great IMO.

Edit: Shouldn't this be in the equipment section?

 

[AndrewPGlover]

Buying an external preamp for a UX2 with poor converters would seem like kind of a waste in my opinion. I agree with the person who suggested a Profire610 because the preamps in that will definitely provide a good amount of gain for the SM7.

 

[greyskull]

I've used this on a couple records, a freaking amazing preamp for sure.

i miss that pre.
used to use the 2 chan version.
definatly one of the best pres....ever.

 

[narcossintese]

I've used this on a couple records, a freaking amazing preamp for sure.

Yeah. To be honest I´ve never used it, but I used a Manley Voxbox, and the pre secion of Voxbox is an exact clone of Manley Mono Mic Pre. As the Voxbox is way out of my price range and I like to EQ, De-ess and Compress with plugins on the DAW rather on outboard gear I thought I couldn´t go wrong with it. IMO it´s not THAT expensive. Manley´s site list these prices:

Mono Microphone Preamplifier Monoblock: $1,600
Dual-Mono 40 dB Microphone Preamplifier: $2,400

But I´m still saving for the mono version : )

 

[Omega_Void]

More gain wouldn't necessarily be advantageous with a budget interface.

Some chap on Gearslutz posted a thread on how most semi-pro interfaces start to crap up the sound when the input gets over -18dB.

My own experience bears this out - you lose a little in the SNR, but the sound quality is much better recording at lower levels.

why don't you go home and try it before you buy an additional piece of gear.

+1