Suggestions for a mic pre

Rick

Rick

Axe-Master
I want to do some tone matching now that I am a little more familiar with V6, but I find I need a mic preamp. As I would like to use it for computer recording also, I assume I'd want one that will serve the USB function there too. I have a Super Reverb I would love to have in my Axe Fx II...

All of my studio recording experience has been on the musician side of the glass. I know a bit about the process from home recording on my Tascam DA-88, and a little using the Studio One software through my Presonus board. In any case, I don't have any experience at all with mic preamp/computer interface types and wondered if you fine folks might share your experience on a good unit. I'm not looking for the Cadillac of preamps, but would like something capable and decent sounding that can be had for a couple of hundred bucks.

So, mic pre, phantom power a plus, usb capable, not a gazillion bucks.

Thanks in advance.
 
I have a few Higher of lowend preamps of the following Chameleon labs 7602's, Art MPA Gold, Art PRO MPA II and a Black Lion Audio Auteur and the Auteur is my favorite hands down very good bang for the buck.
 
Thanks for the early answers. I was considering an M-Audio earlier. I wasn't familiar with the Black Lion product, but a little research shows they have a lot going for them. I know there has to be lots of options out there, so I was hoping to get the best list of suggestions from my fellow Axe users to narrow the list of what I'll need to research before buying. Thanks for the help!
 
I am using a Studiolive 24.4 but I don't keep it at home with my guitar gear. I thought if I had a pre here, I wouldn't have to bring the mixer here just to record a bit of guitar. It's true that recording with the Studiolive is a breeze, I've done whole 24 track band recordings with one button push! This is more for home projects with the Axe II. Thanks for the suggestion though!
 
For the money you cant really beat a Focusrite Isa One

focusriteisaone.1.jpg



Thats the digital version but its half price if you dont need the digital convertors (which you dont)
I highly recommend it, its a huge step up from that entry level crap :D

Or maybe a GAP73
 
+1 on the ISA.
Roger Nichols sweared by the rane when we worked together. I never gone for one, but he did carry it around. Goes about for £200.

Other suggestions on that range, would be RME quad mic, presonus, the better ART stuff (around £300). You also have the SPL goldmike for about 400 and the new Audient MICO.

If you can go for the ISA bracket, I would really be only considering between MICO and the Focusrite ISA-one. If you can only afford slightly less, I would be interested to see how the RANE actually sounds, but the RME do a decent job, so do presonus and ART.

Don't get me wrong, but M-audio is a brand I steer clear of, so is the focusrite platinum stuff. Fair enough I used their "older generation" stuff, but it's god awful. Little headroom, lots of phase shift, etc etc.

If you can afford 1k+ let us know different ball game there :)
 
I could get the money to go higher, but for what I will do with it the suggestions I am seeing here fit the bill pretty nicely. Really, anything higher than this and I'll be heading into the studio! Ready up on the ISA unit now, I was not familiar with that one. Most likely, I will make a list and go Ebaying for a used piece. Perhaps that will let me go to the higher side of these suggestions within the budget I have in mind. Any other suggestions are still welcome, I will add them to my reading list!

Thank you all for your help on this one, mic pres are definitely not an area of expertise for me.
 
I'm sure the M-Audio is not the best thing ever, but you mentioned you wanted USB and I don't see USB on the other ones people suggested.

Wouldn't you then still need a computer interface to plug that Black Lion Audio Auteur or Focusrite Isa One into?
 
Tamerz said:
I'm sure the M-Audio is not the best thing ever, but you mentioned you wanted USB and I don't see USB on the other ones people suggested.

Wouldn't you then still need a computer interface to plug that Black Lion Audio Auteur or Focusrite Isa One into?
Click to expand...

I think you may be right. I noticed the M-Audio and two Presonus pres I looked at have the USB connection. The search continues...
 
jplebre said:
True, but the ISA one can be bought with digital card. You can use your axe as the sound card.
Sorry I do apologise did not realized the USB bit.

... on the other hand spent the day drooling over this at work USBPre 2 Microphone Interface for Computer Audio | Sound Devices, LLC

Well worth it! 2 preamps, works in standalone, built for location recording. And those preamps, man they are clean! plenty of headroom as well
Click to expand...

So I guess anything digital with an SPDIF would be fine? Interesting, good to know.

It is strange that the product you listed has a USB 3.0 type B connection. They don't mention USB 3.0 in the specs. I wonder if it is just to future proof it?
 
Decided to stay with what I know... bought a Presonus AudioBox USB. The suggestions here led me to the right places to look though, I didn't know this box was out there. It is 24/44.1/48 sampling, which I think will match the Axe II rates. As I already have Studio One Pro on my laptop, this will fit right in. Thanks for all the help and suggestions! It was $127 shipped from Music 123, so that's about as cheaply as I am going to get anything of decent quality.
 
I'll chip in here - midrange pres aren't worth buying. Either get an inexpensive one which meets your needs, or spend the money to buy something decent.

If you know nothing about pres, then just remember "1073". This is the model number for the Neve preamp, which is indisputably the most famous preamp of all time (I'm not going to get into a "best preamp" argument, as that could go on for days, but it is definitely the most famous).

You can buy the Neve branded version (not cheap), or any one of (literally) hundreds of clones. I'd be willing to wager that there are at least a couple of 1073s in the Fractal backrooms.
 
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