Hi !
I've been in the market of a 4 preamps unit and been looking for ISA428 or Daking or something similar.
Thing is my budget is limited (like everyone says) and I've came by the Sytek which is well priced and got good reviews.
The problem is, I can't have any reviews or discussion about them since 2009'
I went on their website, their review links are old, the site is also old and they use gmail addresses..
I sent an email just to know the shipping delay and they answered within the hour.

They seem to have a good product at an affordable price but, I kind of fear the seriousness of the company and the fact that they are kind of underground, unless it's just one guy that does it all..

Hello,
looking for some opinions on the character "character" comparison between the D.A.V. Broadhurst Gardens No.2, Shinybox Si4, and Sytek MPX-4?
What one do you recommend? Will be used mainly for "rock" in conjunction with Daking pre's.
Besides the Focusrite ISA pre's, they are all transformerless designs, but yet every pre still has different sonic "character" even when aimed at being transparent.
I'm just trying to find the most musical pre out of this bunch.

Hi guys,

Hesitant to ask yet another preamp question for those who are sick of them...

I'm not a gear junkie, but I don't want to be limited by my gear either. I'm looking at these preamps because I'm hearing/reading good things about them. And in fact, in the case of the Auteur by Black Lion Audio I've still never ever heard anything less than stellar about it.

So I'd like to have an excellent quality, 'go to' preamp of at least 2 channels that is under $1000. So? If it were you, what would you buy?
Are there some out there I'm missing?

FYI I am NOT:
-interested in an ART, or a Behringer, or the Joemeek 3Q, or something that 'appears' to be a big bang for the buck. I already have lots of cheap pre channels.
-going to get a kit from Seventh Circle or Five Fishes or similar. They have to be perfect in their construction and I don't have access to someone who can do it for me.
-interested in a single channel for $1000, no matter how incredible it is. I can't justify that kind of dough per channel.

Current sources: acoustic guitar, male baritone voice, female alto/soprano, electric guitar cab, bass-direct through a Radial JDI. Future recordings will include violin and cello. Most other goodies done in Reason

Current arsenel of mics:

1-AT 4050-The new 'go to' for me.
2-KEL HM-1'
2-Audix OM2
1 SM57

Current Preamps:

PreSonus firepod-seems fine until you A/B it with anything else-this will likely go.
Old 16 CH Tascam mixer from the 80's-actually sounds not bad, but noisy, and a little hot around 125Hz
Altec 1567-from the 60's, converted into a 4 in-4 out pre. I currently only have 2 channels hooked up. It definitely adds it's own colour to the mix.

Thanks for the input folks.

Keith

Well after much research and seeing what's out there in the used console market according to our budget, we have decided to build another small studio and to purchase a new (used) board for our 'A' room. Unfortunately, we can't afford an SSL or API so our choices are between a Neotek Elite 40 input, seemingly in good condition with all upgrades offered by Neotek or a DMR 12, which would be delivered totally gone through and recapped and warrantied for one year by a very reliable DDA experienced tech. The DMR 12 would also be 'modded' in the master section and at least 8 of the inputs. My initial vibe is that the Elite is higher quality--however, it is over 20 years old and not been recapped. With the potential mods and the reconditioning of the DMR 12 leads me to the quandary of picking between the two. The prices are almost the same for the two. All feedback and comments welcome

Hey, I don't really post much, but I've been floating around for a while..

Anyway, I play in a reggae influenced band outta buffalo, NY. I've been doing the band's latest recordings in our home studio, (Mackie Board, MOTU A/D Converter, Soundcraft Compact 4, various mics, etc. )

I need to get some decent preamps come February. For the last month or so I have been sold on getting 4 n72s from Seventh Circle Audio (Assembly not an issue, electrical engineering background)..

But over the last couple weeks the Sebatron VMP-4000e has been catching my eye, as well as the Focusrite ISA 428 and the Sytek 4 channel.

I know a lot of guys around here are partial to the Sebatron s.. I am trying to hit the boards which tend to lean towards different preamps, the guys over on gearslutz seem to be really big sytek fans...

The sound I am going for could be described as LUSH, CREAMY, ORGANIC, yet AGGRESSIVE! err... I am not into the ultra clear modern sterile digital pop sound...

Ideally I would be recording to 1" tape, but that is not an option...

You can hear some poorly compressed examples of our music here:

http://www.myspace.com/theops

The first two recordings were done in our home studio (they have some issues, I know, specifically in the bass region, but look past that) look at the style, listen to the singer, let me know.

This is one of my favorite bands in the world. I think they have some of the best sounding recordings out there (for this genre).. I want to move more towards this sound than the recordings we have...

http://

Look on the left side of the page, there is a little player under the record cover art, song is called 86 The Mayo..

Any help or advice you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated!

-grif

I am a student at the Conservatory of Recording Arts in Phoenix, Arizona. I have completed my first cycle and am about to start cycle 2. This is when I am gonna be in "studio B" most of the time working on the Neotek Elite. Basic signal flow is the stage I'm at now, but will have a proficiency test soon on this board. Any suggestions or clues to make this a total success for me? I appreciate any input whatsoever. Thanks

I am looking to buy some transparent mic preamps and
am considering the Sytek. I've read that Aerosmith (big deal) and the Seattle, Chicago and somewhere else orchestras bought them.

Would I be better off saving for something like a Millennia 2-channel?
Keep in mind that the Sytek is 4 months salary and the Millennia is 8 months salary.
I'm really only interested in opinions of people
who are very familiar (have actually heard and worked) with both these units.

Thanks a million.
Wilding.

Hey
Whats up everybody!
Ok
Who has ever used a Neotek Elite? I'm in on 1 tomorrow and i'm just wondering if there are any tips and tricks? I'm familiar with consoles like the SSL-G, TLA and other analog consoles but first time in on a neotek.. i've had the basics and signal flow but as with every console there's always cool things or ways of doing things..
Think its a 56ch 16bus, 4 stereo channels, 3 talkback buttons! thats the best bit for me.. i hate having to sit 1 end of an SSL and break my back just trying to say something haha
Anyway any tips or tricks on this?
Thanks

if anyone has any of the following items for sale or know one who does or where i can find some then please email me and let me know. needlesstotry @ hotmail dot com. you know the drill

looking for:

sytek mpx4a
racked or unracked channel strips or pre sections from auditronics, api, osa, purple audio, telefunken, neve
urei 1176ln
urei la4a, la2a
let me know.

Hi, I am in the market for some ultra clean/transparent mic preamps. I currently own enough high end 'colored' mic preamps and have been doing some research on some 'transparent' channels. The usual list of course applies i.e. Grace, John Hardy, Millennia, GML etc...

I recently came across a brand called Sytek which appears to have a nice cross section of price and performance. The only problem is I don't know anyone that owns them and the stores in my area don't sell them (they appear to sell direct).

So I am looking to all the gear snobs out there (yes you to Kurt) to let me know if I should bother trying to audtion one of these things (MPx-4Aii) or just stick with the names I have mentioned above. Also I would be happy to hear any other suggestions, based on what I am looking for, from the group, thanks.