The last purchase... a preamp! (choose your own adventure)

Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 8:43 pm

Allright, good people. So I need some advice on what to do here. I'm recording in Protool LE with a Mbox. Using 2 Rode NT5s. Basically tracking some quiet acoustic tunes. I need to get a preamp for around 200. 2 channels so I can record in stereo. Some recommendations:
M-Audio DMP3
or
get one of the following and switch out the tubes...
ART TPS II
PreSonus BlueTubeDP

any thoughts?
many thanks...

Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 9:43 pm

I have a DMP-3, along with various other cheap pre's (including Mackie VLZ, ART Tube Pac), and I'll say I like the DMP-3 on acoustic guitar. From my limited gear experience, its nice and transparent on acoustic guitar. Never used the NT-5 with it. I've had good results with a pair of AT2020's, and also the Naiant Studios MSH-1 omni's. We're not talking "primo" here...this is the budget forum, and I think the DMP-3 is a good buy for stereo mic'ing an acoustic guitar. Never used one, but from what I've read, the BlueTube sucks, and the ART TPSII, doesn't seem to play nice either.

Here's a link to the myspace page of an artist I recorded...

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=55202870

She was/is the only person other than my own stuff I've recorded, and we put together an album nicely. Most of the acoustic guitar was recorded with AT2020's through a DMP-3. Some songs varied mics and pre's, but the 2020/DMP-3 combo won out most days. Hope this helps! Andy

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 9:29 am

Are you using the MBox 1?
No $200.00 preamp is going to exceed the built in pres.

Even if you did get another pre, interfacing would be a dilema, you would either need an SDIF output on the new preamp, or custom build a pair of cables to use the MBox insert return. (XLR pin 2 to ring on a 1/4" TRS, and disconnect XLR pin 3, and tip on the 1/4", XLR pin 1 to 1/4" sleeve)

Use the MBox pres.

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:04 am

Its an Mbox 1 Mini. You think that would be the equivalent? Wouldn't a preamp fill out the sound more?

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 11:23 am

Quote:

Its an Mbox 1 Mini. You think that would be the equivalent? Wouldn't a preamp fill out the sound more?

No such animal as an MBox 1 Mini, there is however and MBox 2 Mini.

An MBox has preamps built-in. The MBox 1 has very nice preamps.

Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 2:12 pm

Yes, if you have an M-Box 2 mini, you only have a single microphone input. You do however have stereo line level inputs. So, yes, you could purchase a stereo microphone preamp which you could then plug into the M-Box 2 mini stereo line inputs. But instead of that, why not just purchased yourself a good sounding microphone mixer? With a mixer, you could input more than 2 channels simultaneously. Of course you can only record 2 at a time but let's say, you wanted to record an entire drum set? You're going to be using seven microphones, which you will mix to 2 channels which will then feed your M-box 2 mini and voilà.

Or you could purchase something like a Mackie Onyx device (microphone preamps and/or mixers with FireWire interfaces) that could include up to 8 microphone inputs to a FireWire connection. That device also includes a multitrack recording program called Traction. Once you do your tracking of your multiple microphones into traction, you can then import everything into ProTools for mixing as long as you have your M-box 2 mini connected to the computer.

Now you can go crazy!
Ms. Remy Ann David

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