help me to choose preamps!

[numberthirty]

Without really having a solid budget number, this Tape Op review seems very positive -

http://tapeop.com/reviews/gear/99/521-z ... ic-preamp/

[Dot]

I mix-produce and i make arrangments for many kinds of music.I need all around preamps which suit with my mics.That's why i mentioned those preamps.I record in a 4x5 m room.it is well made with traps,diffusors etc.
I have a joemeek vc1 brick which i have to repair.i have never heard it with neumann u 47 fet i own.Anyway this preamp is coloured like neve-like so i am still looking for something cleaner-more natural sounding.
I also hae 2 ch of a very nice custom preamp which it just doesn't suit with u47.it colours ther sound on the same areas that u47 is coloured so...it is problem.it is a clean preamp.Finally i have 8 ch. preamps of the maudio profire 2626
I use myter stereo 96 adc converters and hd24xr (with jim williams mod).
All the preamps i mentioned are within my budget...i could spend a little more for each channel for something which really deserves the difference..

Sounds like you've got some good mics, but are lacking in good preamp quality to bring them out. I'm still unclear on the kinds of music you're recording and the kinds of sound you're wanting.

Here's a mic preamp graph that shows a lots of pres and where they are on the color-transparent scale. http://www.prostudioreviews.com/mic-preamp-graph.html

If you really want a big, natural sound out of that 47, and your other mics, I'd recommend the Millennia HV-35. http://www.mil-media.com/HV-35.html
and also the Forssell SMP-500 http://www.forsselltech.com/products/2/#!/products/2

Both of them have very transparent sound and very fast slew rates.

I'd steer clear of the True if you're really wanting something deserving of your mics. The Warm pres, while being a good value, are not going to get you into serious territory.

The Meek VC1, while being colored, sounds nothing like anything Neve-like.

The Shadow Hills Mono Gama is in the range of API and Purple Audio, with punchier forward mids, and tighter bottom end, which may or may not suit what you're wanting. If I was recording an indy rock album or street hard hip-hop I'd be happy with all channels of any of them. Any of them are great for toms and amps. For other kinds of music and applications, it depends, and there are probably better choices.

I'm still not sure about a more colored preamp to recommend. There's a lot of them. And you say the custom pre you have is colored. In what way? What are you liking and not liking about it? What kind of design is it? What opamps and transformers?

For something that's a good all around preamp in the clean-to-slightly colored range, the LaChapell 583 is really versatile. You can really dial in a lot of sonic variables depending on the input/output ratio. You can drive the tube and get a really nice colored "bloom" to the sound, or back if off for something cleaner.
http://lachapellaudio.com/lachapell-mod ... es-preamp/

For something a bit more up the colored scale, the A Designs P1 is another great all around preamp. The P1, and the Pacifica, do a really good job of getting that Quad sound, which sort of splits the difference between API and Neve in a really good way. http://www.adesignsaudio.com/500-series-mic-pre.htm

Hope that helps. If you get more specific on the music you're doing and maybe provide a few sound samples, I could make even more informed recommendations.

Cheers...

[joninc]

Coloured: I really don't think you can beat the germanium. I LOVE it. Very useable and some cool tone options with the feedback vs gain and pad/thick switch. A really good di as well. Vocals. Electrics. Keys. Bass. Drums. All good.

Clean: for what mics?

[blungo2]

Sorry, i haven't read the whole thread, but for highly colored neveesque sounds the avedis ma-5 is great.

edit: gotta add a plus one on the a-designs pres. I have a pair of the reds that i'm in love with. I'd say they are very similar to apis, but maybe a tad smoother in the mids and highs.

[musictech]

the truth is that i haven't found a suitable preamp for the u47 fet yet.
the custom preamp i have is somehow coloured in the area 3,5-6 khz in a very nice way.it is very clean,based on a millenia model.it has open ,detailed sound.
it has lundahl transformers.it is awesome with vip 50 and other mics but u47 is alredy coloured in the same area so..i guess that is the reason for my problem

I really mean that i want to deal with many kinds of productions-mixes ,so i need an allaround preamp.I think that i can colour the sound the way i do later with saturation,drive,eqs and many other nice plugins i like to use.

What about dav and rane ms1b preamps?/

[Jim Williams]

Those are SSM based chip preamp designs. You can use the older SSM2017, the that 1510, BurrBrown INA217 and Analog Devices SSM2019. Oh, did I mention the Audio Upgrades PIP modules replaces all of those?

60v/us slew rate, -132 db EIN at 50 ohms, .00015% IMD and high output current.

[musictech]

Those are SSM based chip preamp designs. You can use the older SSM2017, the that 1510, BurrBrown INA217 and Analog Devices SSM2019. Oh, did I mention the Audio Upgrades PIP modules replaces all of those?

60v/us slew rate, -132 db EIN at 50 ohms, .00015% IMD and high output current.

which are SSM based chip preamp designs.??

[joninc]

i thought the deal with a lot of super clean/fast/uncolored/transparent pres was the lack of tubes and transformers - no?

aren't the millenia transformerless? except for the SST one that has all the options...

I have some SAGE pre amps that are super clean. pretty cool for stuff that you want to sound "real". i did some stereo vibraphone today with a pair of 414s through it and it sounded like i was right there.

[Jim Williams]

Those are SSM based chip preamp designs. You can use the older SSM2017, the that 1510, BurrBrown INA217 and Analog Devices SSM2019. Oh, did I mention the Audio Upgrades PIP modules replaces all of those?

60v/us slew rate, -132 db EIN at 50 ohms, .00015% IMD and high output current.

which are SSM based chip preamp designs.??

There are many. Trident S-20, Rane, Safe Sound, dbx 760X, DAV BG, and some are found in Toft and AMEK consoles.