Poll- help me buy something!

[kayagum]

I'm about ready to take the plunge on my first standalone preamp- what would you pick?

[Professor]

Good for you, now step away from your wallet for a moment and explain why you're taking the plunge and what is going infront of and behind the preamp.
What mics do you have?
What are you recording to?
What kind of board do you have?
What other outboard stuff have you got?
Why do you think you need an outboard preamp?
What sound do you want from the preamp? (clean, neutral, bright, warm, dark, various, etc.)
What kind of music and instruments are you recording?

All the preamps you listed are alright for various things, but they run a range from like $150 a channel to $700 a channel and their characters swing pretty wide. Heck, the Grace is a single channel solid state all discrete while the Aphex is a two-channel tube based unit. Lots of possibilities. The average salesman will sell you whatever he gets more money for - at least here we can point you towards what is right.

-Jeremy

[kayagum]

I'll probably get laughed off of this list because of the crap I have, but we all have to start somewhere, right?

Current setup: Mackie 1402, Tascam 238s, RNC, Aphex 104/109, various Alesis stuff, Marantz CD recorder, Sony Minidisc. Mics: NT1, ML52, ATM25, SM57, C1000. Often record guitars direct through a blend of SansAmp and Tubeman. Lately playing Jerry Jones baritone. Amps: MIG60, ProJr, Kalamazoo Model 1, Bassman 2x12 cab. Various samplers, drum machines, a slew of guitar effects.

Upgrade possibilities: 1/2" 8 track, Cool Edit Pro.

I used to do theater sound design (I used live looping and samplers), but I want to record my own stuff. Sytek would be cool if I try to record other people, but I need help on the sonics. I'd prefer character over fidelity, but muffled mud is not what I'm after. Maybe I'm being stubborn, but I still don't want to give up on cassette quite yet. I still have fond memories of my Porta 01, which I gave to a good friend of mine, and I think the 238 has character potential.

[kayagum]

Oh- music style- I like sparer solo like stuff. Listening to Bill Frisell and the "new" Jeff Buckley / Gary Lucas release (now I know why the earlier songwriting was better- it helps if the lead guitarist from Captain Beefheart is helping ) Always liked Richard Thompson, Nick Drake and Low.

[eeldip]

seems to me like the rnp would be a good choice, in terms of price/performance. seems like a logical step up.

unless you find yourself tracking a whole bunch of instruments at a time, in which case the sytek might work. especially if you do the direct from sytek ebay thing..

[dwelle]

i agree with eeldip. i actually have both the sytek and the rnp. if i could only have one or the other, and didn't need the extra channels, i would get the rnp. i really like the sytek, but find myself using the rnp more. it seems to handle a broader range of sounds, and sounds quite nice....

[kayagum]

Thanks for the feedback- I'm probably going for the RNP first, and if I need more channels, I'll get the Sytek.

I probably can't use the Sytek for a while, at least until I get equipment that can handle balanced outs.

Again, this board is great for no BS feedback. Thanks!

[evan]

I'll probably get laughed off of this list because of the crap I have...

You're kidding, right? My setup is far, far more pathetic. Haven't been laughed off. Yet. Heh.

[Professor]

Ha, ha, ha, what a setup...

No really there is no shame here, since we have all started off with some pretty wacky stuff, and many of us either still have it or get misty eyed thinking about it.

I will toss out a little opinion on the bottom three selections for your sake and the sake of others who are similarly on the fence. The Grace preamps are about the most amazing ones you can buy for clean, natural, sound. They are by no mean dull and surgical sounding, but neutral and natural. I have two of the 801-R units for the school for exactly that reason, but that is probably exactly why that is not a good choice for you.
I also have an Aphex 207 for the school which I use as a direct to Masterlink two track recital recording system. The 207 is tube driven, but very well implemented so the tube doesn't impart as much distortion as it imparts smoothness. I love and think it is great, but you may want something that hits harder. I have not tried hitting it hard, in fact usually I have the limiter engaged which is very convenient on live recording. I chose it because it has one knob and a microphone level limiter which makes it easy and safe for the students to operate.
The Presonus may be an ideal next step for you because of a few things. One, because it is (like the other two I mentioned) a step up in my opinion from the RNP and Sytek and starts you on the climb upwards in gear rather than floating you sideways. It is a two channel preamp with a transformer for some character. It also has a very unique mix bus that may prove useful for you. I am not sure how just yet, but I think you should research that particularly feature and see if having the capabilities of panning the width of a stereo pair while tracking is useful. I can't recall if it does MS decoding but if it does, that would be another bonus. The mix bus may also afford you with a nice last link in the chain after mixing where you can send line level in, dial in a bit of transformer distortion (IDSS) and use the pan to balance your stereo image before the final mix. It's not the same as a mastering processor, but close.
Oh, as for the Studio Projects preamp, I don't think anyone can render an opinion because it is brand new. It received a pretty good review in the last Audio Media magazine (sorry TapeOp, for plugging another) and could yield the charcter you want. Two channels would run you around $300-350 street.
Of course there are also many other preamps in this price range including the Presonus Blue Tube, which could go well with a BlueMax compressor and land in the same price range, though again, I am not sure if it is as much of a step up.
I know the RNPreamp got some nice props, up there, but I might hesitate since you already have an RNCompressor and I don't think you will increase your sonic pallet by adding another circuit based on the same VCA.
I think you should consider that you are looking for character to expand your pallet, not just to buy more gear. I will toss out a recommendation that the syn-cassette be upgraded to something with a bit more resolution as you go searching for more sonic range, but I know that can be a slow process. I had a hard time giving up the Tascam 424, and it was a long while before I got another multi-track to get back into that game, but the step up to a DA-78 was huge. But that is a topic for your next round of buying.

-Jeremy