Going to buy a pre-amp.. so which one ?!

[BobRogers]

I have the RNP. I still use it quite a bit when I'm tracking a lot of instruments or using my ribbons. (It's very careful about phantom (always off when you turn the preamp on and it ramps up slowly when you choose phantom) and I have it couples with an FMR RNC so I can use that to give a little more gain if the ribbons need it.) The problem with the preamps in this price range is that they really don't have the headroom that more expensive preamps have. So while they might sound better than your mbox preamps you are still going to have to baby them - keep the gain low so they don't get pushed too hard. But when I bought mine I didn't have the experience to do that reliably. So sometimes they would sound better than my interface preamps and sometimes they wouldn't. Then I bought some much better preamps (e.g. API 3124) and they always sound better than the interface preamps no matter how hard you push them. A couple of years later and now I can baby the RNP reliably.

[Davedog]

Bob has hit it right on.

My contention with less expensive gear has always been that in order to get good sounds you have to use it within its parameters. This takes a lot of patience and experimentation. Most people give up quickly after unboxing something they think should give them mind-blowing differences when in actuality, the differences are going to be subtle at this level for sure.

The real telling point will be in the multiple tracks made with a device. There is always build-up when you are using similar or the same input no matter what the source and stacking particular nuances on top of nuances can get you a buildup of things that you might not notice in a solo or a lean number of uses situation. A lot of these things will cause you all kinds of teeth gnashing, head scratching, and general use of expletive laden language, in trying to deal with the clutter and sometimes cloudy sound this can create.

[song4gabriel]

you know, with Avid now officially releasing Pro Tools without the need for digi hardware there has been a ridiculous amount of digi 002's, and 003's showing up on craigslist for around 400 bucks. im actually gonna pick one up for my gfriend to get her started learning recording.

contrary to the lyrics of my adl song (which was technically about the 002), the pres on these boxes are not that bad. plus you would get a bunch of i/o options with the box. and of course, you can run any daw with these

[Voiceofallanger]

Thanks for all the options guys. I'll weigh them up and see where it takes me. Interesting that 003 are going so cheap but I will need more inputs than that methinks. Only has 8 doesn't it ? Anyways yeah. Got some stuff to think about. Thank you all for your input. It was most helpful as always.

I have time to experiment and I don't mind doing that. Hell I have no choice. I can barely afford anything LOL. But yeah, we'll see how it works out. Hopefully you will hear some tracks from my NEARLY BUILT studio soon and we'll see what you think !

[iandyha]

sell your PreSonus and get a lil more and work toward api lunch box? roughly 800 all together US if you can find a good deal.

[Voiceofallanger]

I don't have a presonus. I don't have anything.

[Kurt Foster]

Hold on a minute! Don't open your wallet just yet. What you already have really should work just fine. The Tascam 1641 has mic pres doesn't it? Those should certainly sound just as good as any other pre you would get in the budget arena. Save your money and work on the recording chops and the musical content. That will go a lot further towards achieving a good recording than any piece of equipment.

Considering that buying gear these days is more of an expenditure than an investment in todays financial climate, I wouldn't recommend to anyone purchasing any type of audio gear other than the most basic set up required. A perfect example is that 003 you're speaking of that is sooo cheap. You know why? IT'S OBSOLETE!

Reasonably decent monitors, mics and pres can all be found on the cheap new or used. Processing can all be done ITB.

What are you going to do with your final product. Convert it to MP3 / MP4 or post it on a music streaming site or YouTube? You really don't need to break the bank considering that most people these days wouldn't know a great recording if it walked up and bit them. In that context I suppose a RNP would work just fine. (I never thought I would say that !!!)

If you insist on a new pre one of the basic criteria for building a great pre is high volt rails. You only get one chance at capture and mic signals (especially when recording low level acoustic instruments) can be extremely low requiring a lot of clean amplification.

[bigtree]

Old thread Kurt, Voiceofallanger has a 16.4.2 StudioLive now and is making and mixing music to die for.

[Kurt Foster]

Old thread Kurt, Voiceofallanger has a 16.4.2 StudioLive now and is making and mixing music to die for.

I believe it! Those PreSonus mixers look pretty yummy and the software looks to be just the answer to Pro Tools we all have been praying for.

The guys the designed Studio One are old Nuendo / Cubase guys. I have heard nothing but good stuff about the line.

[Davedog]

Old thread Kurt, Voiceofallanger has a 16.4.2 StudioLive now and is making and mixing music to die for.

Yep. Dan's stuff is quite spectacular. Unfortunately his management made him pull all of it so we all have to buy the record now. But its really some of the best recordings and material I've heard in many years.