yet another preamp thread...

Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2004 4:00 am

djui5 wrote:

Bruce,
The 9098 pre's are from the Amek 9098i console designed by Rupert Neve (just incase you didn't know), and the quality of the 9098i is far superior to the older Angela.
The 9098 pre's don't sound anything like the classic Neve pre's...

The 9098 rackmount unit also sounds nothing like the pre's in the 9098i Amek console which is FAR superior. I really, really wish they sounded the same because the pre's where the best thing the 9098i had going for it.

Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2004 10:25 am

I owned a Sytek and was unimpressed. The preamps in my Allen & Heath sound just as good with more head room. Unless you are recording a pro quality drummer (very consistant dynamics) I would not suggest the Sytek for drums. They are very clean, but I would go with the John Hardy pres, Sebatron, API, or Langevin. They are well worth the extra cash.

Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2004 8:44 am

I own the sytek, rnp, john hardy as well as a phoenix audio, calrec 1161 and telefunken v76. I find the John Hardy 1st class and use it or the v76 first. The sytek i use after the other pres but i never feel like I'm sacrificing my sound when I use it. It's a great bang for the buck. The RNP hasn't really done much for me and I'll be selling it soon. I'd go for the Hardy AND the Sytek. But then you're probably over budet at that point.

Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2004 11:39 am

when I started this thread on 3/1/4 I hadn't bough my sytek yet and I got it soon afterwards. I am getting good results with it, happy so far. Its clean, lean and with the burr brown option channels I find it good for vocals, especially using a tube mic. I haven't tried the john hardy or the RNP yet but since I am happy with the sytek you could say that this might be really a case of "ignorance is bliss...." but then again I am happy with the results am getting, what can I say!

Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2004 4:19 pm

I was wondering if the 9098 pre had anything (musically) in common with a 1073. I've never had the chance to hear either but everyone gawks about how "warm" the 1073 is and how all neves sound so good but when I listen to 311 covering the cure's "love song" on their new 9098i console, warm is the last thing that comes to mind, not that is doesn't sound great but if you could only have one pre would it make sense to use something real flat or something very colored? I suppose what I'm getting at is that I can spend up to $2,000 on a 2 channel pre and I've been looking at the Great River MP-2NV / vintech X73 designs as well as the 9098DMA and even a Trident S20 / S80 and MTA but my friend at the local studio (with neve 12 sometings) keeps telling me that the API 512b's are the way to go for rock music. Point is that I'm going to make an entire low-budget independent album (very drum and guitar heavy, but not metal, more ambient; something like tool meets radiohead) but I'm going to do it with just 2 nice pres and 2 AT4060's and a laptop using a tc finalizer as a converter. I want it to sound clean but I'm afraid that the 9098 might be better suited for orchestral type sounds and I don't know anything about the APIs but I don't want it to be muddy or alter the attack of the singnal (too much). The last post was talking about two catagories, one being transformer coupled and the other being transformerless. I'm pretty sure I want that "iron" sound over the super accurate transformerless sound but I'm stuck in a town that doesn't have any way for me to get access to good equipment and decide for myself. I would appreciate anyone's input especially if you have made an album with just one pre.

Thanks,
Ryan

Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:04 am

From what I'm hearing you say, then you want the Great River Neve which can be both clean and colored. The API would also serve you just as well being a little thicker/harder and is often the 1st choice for drums and guitars no matter what other mic pre is available. I surely would not hesitate to just use the API and hundreds of professional records have been done with just using the API mic pre with many of them being top billboard hits.

This topic sponsored by: