For under $200 there is nothing I would recomend. Yes, a great pre will make a considerable difference but you need to be spending $500 plus before you are going to see an improvement. Work with placement, performance and take that $50 to $200 and buy a Studio projects B1 LD mic..

Look into finding a used Event EMP1..I think they can be had for about 150.00..I will work much better than the Tube MP ect..All those "toob" pres are are mud makers IMHO..Good luck

I think the M-Audio DMP3 ($150) sounds a lot better than all of the cheap tube gear that I've heard. It sounds better than a Mackie also IMO.

Roger Nichols recomend some 150$ pre from RANE...i never used that brant but, if Mr. Nichols say so...

It's no longer fashionable to say so, but actually some of the Mackie pres will do just fine in most situations. They are not a "great" preamp, but will do the job. When the 1604s first came out 10 years ago or so, virtually ever pro engineer liked them, and they have improved a bit since I believe. Some very top engineers I know still recommend the little Mackies as starter pres and utility mixers for people buying their first pre. Bucks/per channel it's a very good deal. Think about it.

As others have said, get away from the cheap "toob" pres, which usually don't use the tube within its linear range but as an effects device which smears the audio. I also agree you should get a good small collection of different mics before you worry too much about different pre flavors. Mics and placement will change your sound much more than pres. Assuming you get something decent...

cheers,
t

Originally posted by Aziel:
Roger Nichols recomend some 150$ pre from RANE...i never used that brant but, if Mr. Nichols say so...

The Rane MS-1 is a decent little basic mic pre that is nothing special but gets the job done. Like most cheap mic pre's it suffers in quality and freq response at near min. or max gain settings. You'd likley be better off spending a little more and getting something like the RNP, Joe Meek or geting a new or used small Mackie mixer like the 1202 which has basic, decent mic pre's as well as all the other mixer features. I own a massive amount of killer outboard gear but still love and use my Mackie 1202VLZ all the time. One of the most useful and best values in gear I know of.

There are several versions of the MS1, and the MS1b is the current model. All are based on Burr-Brown mic preamps, which are a good cut above the el-cheapo types.

I own a bunch of Rane and find it does very well in its price range. Rane is inexpensive and plentiful on eBay, so it is a mistake to buy it new. The MS1 shows up occasionally. It offers switchable +48 phantom power plus polarity invert. For $35 to $75 used, the MS1 is impossible to beat.

If my math is correct, the gain midpoint on the MS1b is 42, in a range of 18 to 66 dB. A quality mic output of 10mV amplified 42dB is 1.25v or right at +4 dBu line level. A really hot mic such as the KSM44 requires 33dB gain to reach +4 dBu. This is lower-mid point, but still well "in the middle".

Of course, this is all on paper, and YMMV.

still love and use my Mackie 1202VLZ all the time. One of the most useful and best values in gear I know of.

it`s good to hear that from someone like you AudioGaff...my respects. Everybody says around here "wackie" and stuff like that, it`s true it`s not a "pro" level, but, sure you can make it work with a little of patience and effort...maybe we must learn to do the job with what we have instead be a gearslut without money... :p:

wow! thanks guys for your input. i'm looking into everybody's suggestions now. i know behringer is a no-no by most people here but what does everybody think about the behringer ada 8000? it has 8 inputs, phantom power and digital s/pdif output....?