preamp suggestions?

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endertak
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preamp suggestions?

Post by endertak » Sat Jul 10, 2010 10:51 pm

i am looking for a decent 2-4 mic preamp for anywhere between 5-700 dollars.
i know that to get something nice i should probably keep my inputs to 2, which is fine with me.

could people please post their suggestions within this range?
i couldn't find any information via searching the forum for my specific question...

btw- i have an RME fireface and supposedly the preamps aren't bad.
i am using an oktava mic through them and my particular unit is sounding like crap.
sporadically, i get these loud crackles and noise building up that airs on the painful side while i am monitoring and of course gets into the mix. it's totally unacceptable. all i can do at this point is either send it in for repairs or get an external preamp so that i can boost to +4dbU

thanks for any suggestions and/or comments
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losthighway
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Post by losthighway » Sun Jul 11, 2010 7:48 am

Sytek MPx4aii. Four channels, used within your budget. I've been using them for a few years now and I still think they're great. Clean, fast, almost no noise. Really versatile. Clean, in a way that's not boring.... like visceral clean. Especially for drums.

I can't think of anything I've ever recorded on a Sytek where the preamp got in the way. Sometimes I might enjoy something more colorful, but the Sytek always works well.

The Burr-Brown option rounds them out just a little, but I think it's a subtle stroke.

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Post by Producer/Engineer » Sun Jul 11, 2010 5:21 pm

+1 on the Sytek MPx4aii ! The noise problem could be a cord problem. Do you get the noise while monitoring on headphones? Start swapping out cords until the problem goes away. Also look at your settings if you are using a daw. Call RME tech about your settings/set up and just go over the settings with them including your buffer settings.
Really though, could just be a wire/cord solder point! So, I'd start by swapping out cords, especially your playback cords/wires.

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Post by Jim Williams » Mon Jul 12, 2010 7:33 am

Studio Technologies Mic Pre Eminence. About $300 used. It's a double balanced design, very similar to Millenia Media. It was used on MJ's voice on Thriller.
They clean up well too.
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Ryan Silva
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Post by Ryan Silva » Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:07 am

Trident S20's can be had for $400 used, and $700-$800 new (they are discontinued, and some places are blowing them out) GC always has them racked up for cheep.

Great snare, and Acoustic Guitar pre in my experience.

http://www.proaudioreview.com/article/518

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tdbajus
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Post by tdbajus » Tue Jul 13, 2010 8:39 am

+1 sytek. awesome.
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Post by drewgrass » Tue Jul 13, 2010 10:46 am

i would look for used hamptones. they can be had in that range. tube or jfet you cant go wrong i have the tube version. also its a bit more but i just got a neve portico 5012 for a grand. the price on these have nose dived. and you can pick them up for that or maybe cheaper and they are great. worth waiting to raise the extra couple hundred dollars for. and if your recording people for money or plan to someday being able to have the name neve on your gear list may help. (may not) even though its not a 1073 its a great versatile pre.

endertak
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Post by endertak » Tue Jul 13, 2010 2:43 pm

So, I should mention that I ran the quick test-
I provided a 48V power source to the mic via an external recorder, and now that the phantom power is off on the RME unit, there is no crackling/noise. This must be an issue with the power supply and it not jiving well with the phantom power source. Could anyone tell me what there opinions are on that?

I have to admit, I am using a separate input (there is one on the front for line level, and the same input takes XLR as well), so that might not rule out what a previous poster said about it potentially being a cable issue.

But I have tried a different cable and I still get the same noise issue. I'm sure there is nothing wrong with my cables.

The larger problem is that the preamps in my external (zoom) recorder are pretty crappy and don't add anything pleasant to the sound. If anything it has destroyed the mic's ability to pick up a proper spectrum once it goes to my interface.

So I have two questions:

1. Don't people think that this sounds like a case of needing to service the unit?
2. If not, might a higher quality preamp allow for a more transparent recording of the mic?

Thanks,
e
e.n.d.e.r.t.a.k.

endertak
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Post by endertak » Tue Jul 13, 2010 2:48 pm

by the way, thanks for the suggestions so far.
i really don't record bands at all, so my needs are more about getting a close-up recording of sound objects and foley.
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Ryan Silva
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Post by Ryan Silva » Tue Jul 13, 2010 3:40 pm

endertak wrote:by the way, thanks for the suggestions so far.
i really don't record bands at all, so my needs are more about getting a close-up recording of sound objects and foley.
Sytek then.
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Post by KennyLusk » Tue Jul 13, 2010 4:57 pm

endertak wrote:by the way, thanks for the suggestions so far.
i really don't record bands at all, so my needs are more about getting a close-up recording of sound objects and foley.
Then transients will be real important to you and you'll want pre's with dimension and clarity. The ART Tubefire has nice dimension and the pre's on the ZED14 are super fast for excellent transient response without being brittle or coloring the source. the FF has awesome converters so I'd guess you want to keep the pre's pretty clean and neutral...like a console sound[?].
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