PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

a discussion about MIC PRE AMPS - Post your opinions links etc

Hi,
I really need some advice on the following : i need a tube PreAmp for my microphone (AudioTechnica 4033) to feed the A16 (not ultra).
Question: I would like to have opinion by users about the ART tube MP , and if it deserves the "pro" thing or if it's mere marketing. Is it noisy, is useful or not etc...
Myself for my home studio, i use as a preamp my old Spirit Soundcraft 12/2, which has a 48v phantom, but is colder than the antartic and i have to get something better.
There's also the Presonus, but a don't need 2 channels. one is enough.

Thanks for your answers : i ask here because i know there are people that can help, or may be even use the TUBE MP with an A16 or with Pulsar.
a few links to pictures :
art tube mp : http://www.artroch.com/ or Picture
presonus : http://www.presonus.com/html/products/bluetube.html

Thanks a lot for your opinions. If you know other gear, thanks to drop a message or a link

Mehdi
http://www.spacef.com

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2002-02-12 16:20 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2002-02-15 13:41 ]</font>

I have the dual tube MP (2 ch. rack space).

It is not noisy, and offers a fair amount of warmth - it is *not* transparent; it definitely colors the sound. It is good, but it obviously aint no Avalon or anything. Good price/performance ratio. Check out the Joe Meek stuff also, if you want something cheap but good. . .

Thanks algorythm ! it's exactly the kind of info i was looking for. I've checked the avalon and it is certainly what i would want but well, ...
I've read that Tube MP also cuts some high frequencies, more than a device like the LINE-DP1 i've found on http://www.axemusic.com/products/audio/ ... gn_dp1.htm and http://lennart.regebro.nu/music/preamps for a review if people are interested.

Thanks for the info about JoeMeek stuff, i'm going to check it.
mehdi
http://www.spacef.com

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2002-01-22 06:13 ]</font>

Here is a joe meek pre amp + comp+ enhacer, in the same range of price as the ART TUBE MP , but it seems to be without tube. deserves to be tested.
http://www.joemeek.net/joemeek/products/vc3qinfo.htm

I have two ART Tube MP's with two Neumann KM184, everything sound well.

I use a DBX MiniPre, which is exactly the same as the Art, only nicer looking and cheaper. (Here in Denmark anyway)
Then add a CompressorX & VintageEQ from TimeWorks, and you've got a killer "warm" sounding recording setup.
If you want a more clean sound, go for the Focusrite TrackMaster. It's absolutely the best of the "transistor" channels I've tried in the lower price range.

Kim.

i have tested the mp1 and i think it's a good pre.dbx also makes a good pre.any good pre will do if you only have one.(none are best for everything)when i compared the art to my mid 80's soundcraft 1600,i could hear no advantage to the external unit over a good quality mic pre in a pro board.with some of those expensive things by companies like manley,avalon and converted neve pres however, there might be more advantage.more different pres and mics,more sounds.one can never have too many sounds.

I'm not too sure if this is on track but I'm working on a focusrite vocalmaster and it's been putting up fine quality for the past 3 years. Got phantom, and a lowcut>gate>saturator>comp>eq>de-ess combo. So I guess it's a bit more than a mic pre... more like a combo effector almost.. Anyway, I haven't had the budget to get a tube-ed one but so far, the vocalmaster's been enough for me.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: kensuguro on 2002-01-23 14:47 ]</font>

I know the Art MP, and I think it´s a good piece of equipment, nice sound and very handy... maybe a bit too handy, the weight of the cable alone can almost draw it off the table, so be careful!

Thanks for everyone who answered my questions. It helped a lot in finding what i'm looking for (now i should test all the stuff).

I'm posting direct links to "entry price" Mic Preamps that i found of interest:

ART TUBE MP STUDIO : has a vu meter and leveling output
http://www.artroch.com/products_detail.asp?PRODUCTID=74

This is the one that makes me hesistating betweeen JoeMeek and ART TUBE
http://www.joemeek.net/joemeek/products/vc3qinfo.htm

DBX MINI PRE (i haven't found in France yet)
http://www.dbxpro.com/minipre.htm

Some people find Focusrite products a little bit too cold. I guess it depends on your microphone (tubbed or not) and your other gear. more expensive than the others.
http://www.focusrite.com/products/platinum/p1.html

This can be a nice alternative as it uses the same tubes as the art tube mp.
http://www.axemusic.com/products/audio/ ... gn_dp1.htm

I think that's it...
Thanks again

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2002-01-25 04:45 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2002-01-25 11:07 ]</font>

You can get the Tube MP's on Ebay for a song. I have a few of them as well as a couple of JoeMeek's and an Avalon 737.

The ART's are nice little mic pre's - highly recommended if that's all you can afford.

The next step up is any of the JoeMeek stuff - even the solid state stuff sounds fantastic.

Obviously, the next step up is the Avalon which sounds rich and PHAT!

The JoeMeeks have a distinctive 60's vibe to them. Their compressors are wonderful.

My friend(electro acoustic engenier) made me Tube preamp-that awesome!absolutely clear,fat sound with level adj.
He also made tube amp. I realize what the difference between so-called "Hi-End" gears and this one.
And about mic's.In USSR time was "LOMO" mic's
That great stuff.

Ah, yes sure, if i could build the things myself.....

I'm pretty sure to go for the JoeMeek, even though i have to wait a bit more and it's not tubbed, but it sounds very good and seems appreciated by many people.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2002-02-01 08:30 ]</font>

Myself, i have a Art Tube MP, and there is not much gain in.. Sound OK, but just OK, not more... I would not recommend Art MP Tube for someone really serious... It's doing the job, but barely.

Hello SpaceF!
My friend can make it for you very cheap prise or even without money if you can be near,but the problem that we are from different sides of river.I need fucking VISA to go to your country,so if you'll find solution how to do it-it's yours!

LOL . thanks for the proposition. i've been thinking about it again, and if it sounds ok, that's already better that my current mixtable which has a pretty high level of noise....
It's possible i go for ART Tube MP STudio- but at this price, tubes may not be the best choise and i 'll wait to get a JoeMeek (or test it first)... However, i'm always upset to buy something i can have in scope (the meekalizer ? could be fun to modelize, so may be....

Whyour friend does seems very good but i don't know how it could be done at this distance ....



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2002-02-03 00:13 ]</font>

Why our friend does seems very good ?Becouse he love music and want to help it!He want more music from us
Someone not so bad in our Planet-it's help to belive that not only money drive the Earth

sorry it is some mistyping of mine . ("what your friend do", not "why" !!). i wanted to say that "the amp that your friend do may be a cool piece of gear" or something like that

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: spacef on 2002-02-03 05:53 ]</font>

I don't know - this topic is staring to wander all over the place.

Let me state again (since I have one of practically everything here)...

1) The ART units are nice little devices for warming up a mic signal. I've even used these little boxes for warming up the audio from my CD player (way cool). But they don't compare to the sound quality from any JoeMeek unit (even the non-tube JoeMeeks sound fantastic).

2) The JoeMeeks will produce a very 60-ish vibe - warm and phat before "phat" was even a word I wish a I had a rack full of these things. I'd say the JoeMeeks provide one of the more dramatic differences in sound quality. The quality of the actual microphone gets kinda lost with a JoeMeek. It's the sound of the preamp that takes precendent. Who cares that he killed himself and his landlady?

3) The Avalon 737 is, well, about as good as it gets although some may differ. This unit is a bit more transparent than the JoeMeeks. More modern sounding and the quality of the microphone comes through better, I think. If you were to compare the sound quality of an Avalon to an ART Tube MP, you'd notice the difference immediately. The Tube MP's sound a bit raspier in the upper freq's compared to the Avalon (even using the ART Levelar).

Again - get what you can afford. The JoeMeeks seem like a real good "bang for the buck" kind of unit. They are priced under a grand and sound fanatastic. Here's another: check out the dbx units. They sound a little better than the ART's (the rackmount units) and are more modern sounding than the JoeMeeks. Plus they have digital outs which are nice.

thanks for the valuable info !
mehdi