It's finally time that I invest in a proper mic preamp. I have less than $500 to spend, the cheaper the better but I won't skimp if I don't have to. I only need 1 or 2 channels. It will be mainly used for mic's on guitar cab, and very rare use for vocals. Don't need an EQ, Comp, etc I already have those covered. Any suggestions?
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What preamps do you already have? I'm not sure putting all your
What preamps do you already have? I'm not sure putting all your money into a RNP would be the best upgrade? If it were me I'd put most if not all of that into a mic.
What are you recording?
There are a couple of really decent budget pres that are in the same league as the RNP - Rane MS-1b & M-Audio DMP3. If it were me I'd get one of these and use the rest on a really nice mic or two!
If you don't need to get a pre now, Studio Projects are releasing a new pre in January called Envy which could possibly raise the bar in this budget!
Other than the gain trim on my Fantom's 1/4" input, we have no p
Other than the gain trim on my Fantom's 1/4" input, we have no preamps whatsoever. I guess my Soundcard has a preamp, but a shoddy one at best. We've gotten away with running everythhing direct thus far because we've never needed to make a proper recording.
Now we do, and we need some preamplification, and fast =O
Currently as far as mics go we have 2 Sm57, 1 Apex 435 LDC, 1 Sm58, and some no-name brand dynamics that were free.
Would I be better off getting a good mixer such as a Mackie Onyx and using its onboard preamps over getting just 1 dedicated preamp?
Dickiefunk's and Groff's suggestions are worth looking at, espec
Dickiefunk's and Groff's suggestions are worth looking at, especially since the price is a lower than the RNP.
When you say 'soundcard', are you referring to the standard sound card in your computer? If so, you will need to look for some other way to get the pre-amp signal into the computer. It would be waste to take the signal from a good pre-amp and then send it through a Soundblaster line-in AD. You might have a look at the E-MU 0404 pci card to replace the internal soundcard (around $100). A combo like a Rane MS-1b and a 0404 pci card would give you a good solid single channel input. You could add a second MS-1b in the future if you need a second channel. Of course, some of the other options would work out well too.
You could go the mixer route. But, the pre-amps suggested above would be better quality then a mixer in your price range.
One pre-amp in that price range which gets very positive reviews
One pre-amp in that price range which gets very positive reviews is the FMR RNP (http://www.fmraudio.com/RNP8380.htm) It gives you two channels.