I've been doing quite a bit of vocal recording recently and it's been sounding ok using my Rode NT1, but I'm being let down by the signal path after that.

Because of space constraints I haven't bothered with a proper studio mixer (don't really need one for what I'm doing), so I'm just running it through a really cheap phantom power supply into the mic input on my DJ mixer and between them those two bits of kit are adding a bit of noise.

So I'm thinking of getting a mic preamp - which would mean I could run into my mixer at line level (which it's much better at) and get rid of the horrible little power supply. Being on a mixer channel would be better anyway when I start doing a radio show/podcast again (which I've been saying I'm going to do for years now).

I don't want to spend too much - partly because I've already had quite an expensive year and partly because I think even a cheap preamp would make a great improvement. I wondered if any of you have had any experience with any of the lower budget mic preamps or had any advice/thoughts. Call the budget about £50 ($75).

I've been thinking about the ART Tube MP Original... or maybe the Studio V3, but that's twice the price so only if it's worth it.

I know it seems a bit silly squabbling over 30 quid when people spend literally thousands on a preamp, but my room isn't exactly Abbey Road!

I've also considered one of the XLR to USB options - either the Blue Icicle (pikey option) or the Shure X2U, but then I'd be lacking a fader for radio show use. But I would be able to record it on a separate track, which might be better anyway...

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Last edited by Stu Cox on Mar-19-2011 at 11:18

I have the Mp, its sounds great to me for what it is. But, you get what you pay for. I would really like http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ISAOne

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I've used the M-Audio Fast Track Pro (which I believe is no longer being made), and a couple of other sub-$100 mic pres that friends have.

It doesn't really matter what you get at this price point, is what I've determined.

They are all really close to each other in terms of sound, so I would look at feature set more (and likely tend to lean towards something more simple--one XLR input, phantom power, and your choice of output--RCA, 1/4", XLR).

You've got two applications you're talking about, if I understand your first sentence correctly? Vocal recording and voice-over over mixes? Those are two completely different scenarios.

For the voice-overs, it's probably more important that you have a decent side chain compressor so that the voice can standout over the music. Most of the new sub-$100 mic pres will do just fine in picking up your voice without adding a lot of background noise (and even if you have that, would likely get drowned out anyway with dance music in the background).

For vocal/singing recording, stay far away from anything in the sub-$100 category if you're attempting to make something release-able. Your Rode mic will provide decent clarity and definition, but will be diminished by being paired with a low-cost pre. They are more likely to cause colorization of the source due to lower-cost components and manufacturing quality. Their effective frequency range is smaller too, and not going to be very flat.

So, the DJ mixer is the equivalent of the cheapest of the cheap, because their purpose is not vocals, but phono and line sources. You'd be best off using the pres on a regular mixer for the voice-overs, but if you're going to record vocals for a track, nothing is really going to be suitable unless you buy a pre that pairs well with the Rode and the source audio. You don't need a $1000 pre for that, but you're going to be looking at the $4-500 range for decent entry-level pres (FMR RNP, Avalon M5, PreSonus, maybe Joe Meek, but they are known for colorization, etc.)

Hopefully you find some of the information useful, I may have gone overboard!

Stu - what are you using for an audio interface?

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Whats your soundcard??

There's absolutely no point in spending that little money on a pre. Just use the one on your soundcard*.

*If you don't have a decent soundcard, why the fuck are you looking at pres?

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Good points about the vocal recording.

My soundcard is an M-Audio Audiophile Firewire, so no mic preamps! And yeah it's not the best, but I could do worse.

The voice-over part is the more urgent of the two needs, so I'm now thinking I might just use a Behringer mini mixer my housemate has lying around for now to get that stuff off the ground - it's got mic pres which would at least be (slightly!) better than my DJ mixer and gives me the fader control.


I then might look at improving the chain for vocal recording in a month or two. I know I could easily go and spend 500 quid or even a grand on kit to improve my vocal recording quality (mixer, preamp, better soundcard, etc), but you can always spend more and more - I don't want to get into the trap of blaming my kit and not moving forward. I'd rather just take it a step at a time.

But with all that in mind, it may well make more sense to get a better soundcard first (particularly if I can find one with some reasonable preamps, or maybe go for something like the X2U), then upgrade to dedicated preamps at a later date, all heading towards a more ideal setup.

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quote:

Originally posted by Lith Hopefully you find some of the information useful, I may have gone overboard!

Not overboard at all, spot on - thanks.

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quote:

Originally posted by Stu Cox Good points about the vocal recording. My soundcard is an M-Audio Audiophile Firewire, so no mic preamps! And yeah it's not the best, but I could do worse. The voice-over part is the more urgent of the two needs, so I'm now thinking I might just use a Behringer mini mixer my housemate has lying around for now to get that stuff off the ground - it's got mic pres which would at least be (slightly!) better than my DJ mixer and gives me the fader control. I then might look at improving the chain for vocal recording in a month or two. I know I could easily go and spend 500 quid or even a grand on kit to improve my vocal recording quality (mixer, preamp, better soundcard, etc), but you can always spend more and more - I don't want to get into the trap of blaming my kit and not moving forward. I'd rather just take it a step at a time. But with all that in mind, it may well make more sense to get a better soundcard first (particularly if I can find one with some reasonable preamps, or maybe go for something like the X2U), then upgrade to dedicated preamps at a later date, all heading towards a more ideal setup.

OK... well I don't think you need a mixer or pres really. I think you need a better sound card which will fulfill the purpose of the pre and maybe a midi controller to work as your mixer.

Generally, the pres you get in a decent audio interface are the best way to start, unless your planning on spending quite a bit (ISA 1 or something maybe). You just need to remember that if you're passing audio through a device, it needs to be colouring the sound in a GOOD way. Using a behringer mixer, cheap pres etc is not going to do that. The point of dedicated pres is too add GOOD colour - cheap ones will just do the opposite.

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Last edited by kitphillips on Mar-20-2011 at 14:35

quote:

Originally posted by kitphillips The point of dedicated pres is too add GOOD colour - cheap ones will just do the opposite.

Well in this case it was more a case of just bettering the awful preamps in my DJ mixer - less noise, rather than going for specific colouring - but your point still stands that a crap one might do more harm than good.

Good advice, thanks.

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