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OK so I was told by Roland that their mic preamps are fine. BS.

OK so I was told that mic preamps don't mean all that. BS.

OK so I was told expensive mic preamps aren't necssary. BS.

I went by my instincts and electronics knowledge and spent a lot on pres.

I have a UA SOLO 610 and an LA 610, Great River ME-1NV and a Summit 2BA-221.

They were worth every penny and it was expensive. they all do different things well.

What a difference in sound and tone. I use the SOLO 610 for my guitar and POD. I use the summit for some drum stuff like cymbals and the Great River is awesome on a kick. I'm still working on all of them with my RODE mic to get the best sound for me. I'm still learning about these pres and recording as I am a true neophyte, but I was blessed with good ears and a lot of actual musical experience.

I hate not having real tone controls on the Roland 2400, I am going to get some matching EQs eventually and compressors. I don't know when I can afford them but they are on my list.

So to those who want to get a better sound on your home studio. spelerge on the best mic preamp you can afford. If you can't get a real tube pre, then get a good solid state one. Don't get a phony tube one, your better off with something like a RNP which is on my list.

The sound is so much better, fatter, bigger, warmer and more detailed with depth and dimension.

It was amazing what the SOLO 610 did for my guitar sound since I cannot mic an amp in my apartment. I also have to go direct with the bass and I use drum pads. The Great River and Summit added such realism to the sound of those drum pads I was shocked.

The Roland has some nice on board stuff but nothing beats analog units with actual knobs to get a true sound.

I'll be posting my next and second recording soon, I just taught myself how to play drums so don't expect too much. And my vocals are just close to good enough.

Comments

moonbaby Sat, 01/05/2008 - 01:18

Keep it up, man! I know a blues guitarist in 'ouisiana who uses a Roland studio-in-your-lap. He's made a few CD's that get some favorable press.
He's in a different situation, though. Real drums. Real Hammond (C-3). Real amps. In a home where his wife puts up with it. I've tried to tell him that he needs to get a decent pre for that Roland. Does he listen? No...LOL!
Anyway, when it comes to the blues, the big thing is the FEEL. If you have that, you're 80% there. Good luck, Daddy-O!

sshack Mon, 01/07/2008 - 10:25

Holy piss bigdaddybluesman...you're RIGHT up my alley.
I started out with an M-Audio interface that rendered a horrid digital nastiness to my recorded guitar sound and decided from there on that it was time to just pay some money to get decent equipment rather than to try polish a turd.
I too looked at both UA 610's that you mentioned but in the end went with the ME-1NV as I got a deal on it and heard that it was overall more versatile than the UA's.

However, I still want to get one as I'm all about great sounding electric guitars. I won't be recording drums, so that doesn't matter to me right now.

Can you elaborate on the differences between the SOLO and the LA?

Also, have you used them exclusively with the POD or have you had a chance to mic a real amp, etc? Better yet, got any clips you can share?

Thanks.

anonymous Mon, 01/07/2008 - 12:41

I can't do the amp mic thing. It's my bedroom in an apartment complex.

I'm working on my second recording now. The first was just a 12 bar blues thing with me on bass and guitar.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=777372&songID=6064317

http://www.myspace.com/texassouthernblues

The SOLO 610 is a simple preamp the LA610 has a compressor and an extra gain stage, it's more mic friendly. The Solo is more of a DI. I use it now for the POD only.

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