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preamp for Neumann TLM 103 and Motu828MKII

Submitted by anonymous on Wed, 01/19/2005 - 20:55

Hello,
I have Neumann TLM 103 mic and Motu828mkII. I am looking for a preamp for voice and acoustic guitar. My music style is pop, vocal, soft rock. The recorded voice sounds harsh using the preamp inside Motu828mkII and TLM 103. My budget for preamp is <$2k. one or two channels. Two channels are preferred because I can play guitar and sing at the same time, but sound quality is No#1. I like to use the preamp for live performance and studio recording.

Sebatron Vmp-2000e: preamp only
Avalon 737 sp: w/ compressor and EQ
Millennia STT1: $4k beyond my budget

Anyone has used Avalon 737sp? How is it compared to Sebatron ? Any other preamp suggestions?

Thanks.
Dave

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Comments

anonymous

LittleDogAudio wrote: I would suggest the John Hardy M1 (2 channel) -$1645.00
Or
Millennia HV3-C (2 channel)- $1,795.00

Both are super-clean and will work on just about any source you through at them.

Chris

Hi Chris,

I visited Millennia website. From products page, I see HV3-B and HV3-D. I could not find HV3-C(2 channels) you mentioned.
Millennia HV-3 is solid state. Do you think a tube preamp will be better for TLM 103 that is a solid state mic?

The Millennia is specially designed for classical accoustic music. Do you think it is good for pop music voice too?

What do you think about Millennia TD-1 "Twin Direct", $1,495.00, Twin Topology Class A recording channel? It is similar to STT1, but does not have compressor, much cheaper than STT1.

I am still looking for information about John Hardy M1. I could not find its website from google. Do you know its manufacture website?

Thanks for help.
Dave

Thu, 01/20/2005 - 01:34 Permalink
anonymous

I've been using a Sebatron vmp-4000e as a DI box lately. I am doing pre-production for a recording session coming up in late Feb. We had issues last time with bleed, it is a rock band with double bass, acoustic and electric guitars and drums and they like to play together, loud. I thought I'd give the DI's a chance, at least for the guide tracks while we do the drums if we decide to overdub.
I've never got a pleasant sound out of a DI'd acoustic before, but I've been pretty damn happy with the sounds I've got out of the Sebatron so far. It is perhaps not as pretty as using a nice mic in a quiet room, but it sounds a hell of a lot better than using a mic in a noisy room and will probably be used in the final mix. It is definitely very usable as a live acoustic sound, I've had the guitarist in my band plugged through it for rehearsals. It is important to use the pad though, no pad can be a bit boomy and full on, -15 is cleaner but still with a bit of guts and -30dB is a little too clean for my tastes!
I've had really nice results from the double bass DI as well, much better than expected based on previous experience with DI'd acoustic instruments. I've always had good results using the Sebatron for vocals in the past. Harsh is definitely not something I would use to describe the sound of a Sebatron.
I haven't heard the Millennia or Great River pre's, but I can definitely vouch for the Sebatron being quality.

Thu, 01/20/2005 - 05:51 Permalink