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anonymous 11 March 2005

Alright, I currently have among other things, an Alesis Studio 32 and A Eureka pre with B/B's. The Alesis is perfect, except I'm not happy with the pre's. But for routing, ins/out etc. perfect. The Eureka sounds good to me, especially as a DI. Although I can't get the level high enough (0db instead of +4 - or something) should've listened to others but didn't - kurt - damn I hate admitting that ;).

Either way the Eurekas going back. $430.

I need something decent to replace it. I'd rather not spend more cash, maybe $200 more. So, thats $630.

What is a decent gen. purpose dual pre for that $$. It would also have to be for Bass DI, Drum, Vox. I heard the RNP doesn't like bass much. I've looked at the lower Focusrite Trak models, and don't like - too many bells and whistles that take away.

I'd really like to bus groups out of my MOTU into a descent board, sum and return for final mix. If I sell the Alesis, I'll get $350-400.

Would putting the $1000 into a board like a Soundcraft M12 or A&H Mix Wizard be prudent. That would give me the Pre's, Line Ins, and the ability to mix OTB. I don't have any Idea how the pre's in those boards sound, and nowhere to hear them before I buy. I can't find anywhere in Minneapolis that has them to try out. I can buy, and return the A&H MW3 16:2 at Guitar C. But, I'd have to special order the soundcraft. And no return.

I've heard that the pres/EQ are better than mackie, what about what the Eureka sounds like, or an RNP, or the Focusrite platinums?

Any Ideas?

In this year I will be upgrading to higher end pre's, Trident - Focusrite ISA - I don't know - something in the $1000 range. But, for now (6 mths) I need something better than what I have.

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Comments

Davedog Sat, 03/12/2005 - 08:48

The pres in the A&H will be at least as good as the Eureka.This is not a slight to Eureka as I happen to like its sound.In the first part of your post you suggested that you were sending the Eureka back and would like to put only a little money towards a gap-filling unit until later whan you get the REAL stuff.Theres plenty of Mix-Wizards on ebay for around 400-600 bucks...Theres a seemingly decent shape Ramsa WR8112 mixer for ....well its at $150 right now....for those that dont know, these are way overbuilt and were very very expensive when they were new.The pres are on a level with the Yamaha PM series. They are modular...ie: individual channel strips...Direct outs...inserts...DI and mic ins...4 subs..a large and robust external power supply....phantom power..basically all you need for what youre doing until the REAL stuff gets there.Just a thought...Most people dont know about them...probably get one for next to nothing...surely theres a shop in Minneapolis that has one for sale..The A&H will also do the job.As would a Souncraft M series..Or a used Delta...as always YMMV......research.

anonymous Sun, 03/13/2005 - 08:20

People don't like the RNC compressor on bass, although it can work well enough if you know what you are doing. There are better things for that app., but it's useable.

From what I have heard of it (be it limited) the RNP DI is pretty good on bass. Punchy.

I've been doing a similar search, so far this is what I've come up with, $600 or under;

RNP
Safe Sound p1
Grace 101
Summit 221-2ba
Groove Tubes Brick
DAV BG#1

Each of these seems pretty good. The Speck 5.0 is supposedly great for $100 or so more.

good luck

therecordingart Tue, 03/15/2005 - 22:37

I've used the Brick on a kick, guitar cabs, acoustic, and vocals....all of which sounded really nice. Clarity, depth, and warmth are all there....the three things that you look for in a good pre. The only thing I don't like is that I can't "drive" the tube. A few people have said that you can't record really hot....although it is true....it hasn't yet been a problem for me.

KurtFoster Wed, 03/16/2005 - 17:13

The Speck 5.0 is a killer pre for the money. (I wrote a little review about it ... I goes like this [[url=http://[/URL]="http://recording.or…"]ah- haaaa![/]="http://recording.or…"]ah- haaaa![/])

Also worthy of mention is the Sebatron vmp-1000e ... and as mentioned, "The Brick" from Groove Tubes ... you can have 3 for under $1000! I haven't heard it yet, but 2 are on the way to be reviewed. I just got the email confirming this.

KurtFoster Wed, 03/16/2005 - 23:13

rkellus wrote: Kurt,

I joined this board because I got a kick out of your good hearted inability to not piss off folks when stating your opinions. No shit. I am sincere. With this said, I look forward to hearing a review of the Brick. Also would your opinion of the RNP improve if they ditched the wall wart?

Not sure what "good hearted inability to not piss off folks" means ??? but thanks for the words.

Ditching the wall wart would be a start but that would probably entail a whole new design and increase the cost of the unit. Still at issue for me is a cheap build quality and surface mounted pcb assemblies. The RNP is not "service tech friendly". As long as FMR is in business, this is not so much a problem but where do you turn in 10 years to repair a broken or failed unit if the company folds?

That said, the transformerless electronically balanced types of mic pres, are not my cuppa-tea. I'm thinking "The Brick" may be the answer everyone has been screaming for. A "real" mic pre at a very affordable price. At under $350, street price, no one can cry poor now. I suppose that someone will say it should be free ... but really at that price there's no excuse for not having at least one good channel of mic pre, unless you just don't give a rats butt what you record with as long as it's cheap.

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