Which mic preamp for shure sm58 ?

[AceFireForce117]

hi mates !

I'm currently looking for a convenient mic preamp for a low price to work with a shure sm58 to record the vocals for my band's demo.

Budget is about 100 to 150 euros which is probably 200$ i guess. If i need to put in a bit more for a much better quality then no prob

Now i know, i'm not expecting miracles but just something that will do the job correctly or even good. We all know that the source is what matters in every recording !

I read some articles and reviews on the presonus tubepre, the vtb1 from studio projects and the Joemeek ThreeQ (which has a Comp & a EQ, don't know about the quality though...).
These aren't my main choices, they were mentionned a lot in my research, but i don't know if they'll be able to do what i'm looking for...

Gear i already have (just so you have an idea) :
- A PC of course (4gb Ram, 3,2ghz processor)
- Cubase 5 with LePou plugins , waves, sp2...
- The Presonus audiobox 22vsl
- Shure sm58 with a pop filter
- And our precious instruments

Any constructed advice is welcome !

Thanks \\m//

AceFireForce117

 

[Lamsy]

use the pre's on your presonus??

 

[Ascendant]

use the pre's on your presonus??

This, I think you've been misinformed TS. You really don't need anything else than what you already have if all you want to do is record a demo.

- Cubase 5 with LePou plugins , waves, sp2...

 

[AceFireForce117]

Okay thanks guys

I admit it's not really what i wanted to hear but i guess you're right

We are "redoing" our ep because a friend did the recording and mixing (he's a sound engineer)
but as i feared the final songs didn't sound right at all and there was quite a lot of mistakes...
(+ he took about 6 months to finish it)... now we've got new ideas to put in our songs.

I wasn't sure if the pre on the sound card was that good for the vocals

 

[arv_foh]

It'd be more beneficial for you to get a better microphone, like an sm7b, than it would be for you to get a higher quality preamp, IMO

 

[AceFireForce117]

thanks for your reply , i had thought about that, i did compare both of them, really i find their isn't that much difference between them. I think the sm7b gives a bit more bass frequencies and overall is better but for the price, i think i'll stick with the 58 a bit longer

 

[MindMunch]

It'd be more beneficial for you to get a better microphone, like an sm7b, than it would be for you to get a higher quality preamp, IMO

Depends on how "higher quality" are we talking about. If it´s a $200 preamp I gotta agree with you, but I would rather use a SM58 on a Manley Voxbox than a SM7B or U87 on a regular preamp.

It´s a great mic that still fools people because of its price tag. Countless major records, that could have any mic in the world, were done with SM58 because it sounds great, including Faith No More, U2, AC/DC, Godsmack, Bjork, etc.

 

[BLUElightCory]

Save a little extra and grab the Golden Age Pre-73. You're not going to do better in that price range.

 

[Damian B]

You could check this out as well: http://www.blacklionaudio.com/content.php?p=48

 

[AceFireForce117]

Depends on how "higher quality" are we talking about. If it´s a $200 preamp I gotta agree with you, but I would rather use a SM58 on a Manley Voxbox than a SM7B or U87 on a regular preamp.

It´s a great mic that still fools people because of its price tag. Countless major records, that could have any mic in the world, were done with SM58 because it sounds great, including Faith No More, U2, AC/DC, Godsmack, Bjork, etc.

Yep ! Apparently (a bit sceptical about this one) the vocals in LoG's album Sacrament were recorded with a 58 with no pop filter.

The black lion b12a is nowhere to be found in Europe ! so no use looking into it...

That golden age pre-73 looks interesting though ! Just read an review on it by Audiofanzine, looks great !
Will it be necessary with the 58 and for my EP ? I'll have to think a bit more