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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jun 23, 2022 8:01:51 GMT -5
After torturing myself trying to decide on a mic preamp I finally made a decision. I have an array of fairly decent but certainly not studio grade mics but nothing on the front end. I do have an old Focusrite Platinum Twintrak Pro that I almost never use (it's just "meh" with too many bells and whistles). Thought about everything from a Daking Mic Pre One down to some of the Golden Age affordables. That's when I stumbled across this company known for their modding/upgrading studio gear. Their "Vintage Audio M12 Solo" stuck out and I decided to roll the dice. Not expecting magic, but a sprinkle of pixie dust would be nice. We shall see. Vintage Audio M12 |
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Post by ninworks on Jun 24, 2022 6:07:01 GMT -5
A quality mic preamp will certainly make a difference. Especially when using it for many tracks. Even though it may be hard to hear a difference on a single source the benefit is cumulative when using it for many tracks. I never use just a DI. I always use the line or instrument input on a mic pre as my direct box and feed that to into Pro Tools. When you get to a certain point smaller increments with sound quality get more and more expensive.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jun 24, 2022 7:58:19 GMT -5
I don't and probably never will have the money to target the other improvements that would make sense; At least one top end mic and acoustic treatments. But even then a new DAW would be first in order since I'm operating on borrowed time with PT10 through a Win7 laptop. I figure a decent mic pre will be a sound investment (pun intended), even if I someday end up just recording myself with an acoustic guitar into Audacity.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jun 25, 2022 15:53:28 GMT -5
Ran the unit through some initial paces just to test function. DI bass notably better. It also has a male XLR output, I'll want to try an XLR to 1/4 cable into the line in on the Eleven Rack as opposed to 1/4"-1/4" balanced cable. The unit also has a tone switch to toggle impedance from 150k to 600k. My preferred Studio Projects tube mic is rated at 250 ohms so that may take some experimentation.
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Post by ninworks on Jun 25, 2022 17:36:26 GMT -5
Conventional input impedance for the preamp should be 3 to 5 times that of the mic. You will get the best frequency response from the mic at higher impedance settings on the preamp but if you have a very bright source then lowering the preamp settings can help tame that. You'll just have to diddle with it to see what it does to the sound. It's not usually drastic but it's noticeable.
The 150k setting on the preamp is usually for old ribbon mics with 50 ohm impedances.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jun 25, 2022 17:45:39 GMT -5
It seemed to have more presence at the 600k setting. It'll take some experimentation.
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Post by reverendrob on Jul 10, 2022 19:40:26 GMT -5
Yea, I never run DI myself any more straight "just into board" - it's always at minimum through the Pultec EQP clone.
It's become my preferred default channel strip.
I really need to get more of them.
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Post by ninworks on Jul 11, 2022 5:56:34 GMT -5
Pultec EQ's are the s--t! All I have are plugins and I use them often. Which clone do you have?
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Post by reverendrob on Jul 11, 2022 8:26:07 GMT -5
The Klark-Tecnik, replaced the tubes with NOS Tung Sols.
It sounded good before, mind you. It has a little more openness in certain settings.
Either way it smoked all my plugin versions - it was one of the only things I used plugins for.
It into an amp for recording etc is amazing
Just pops in the mix, the add-subtract game is "nothing else like it.
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Post by ninworks on Sept 14, 2022 8:49:37 GMT -5
Larry, just wondering if you've had the opportunity to run the new preamp through its paces yet. I have read up on it so I got more familiar with its characteristics. It's basically an API 312 clone from what I have read. It uses the same 2520 op amp and transformers on both the input and output. Looks like a solid machine.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Sept 14, 2022 10:02:09 GMT -5
I actually have not. It's sitting here looking at me and saying "are you kidding me??".
Been lacking the motivation and inspiration, but dang, it's hard to believe it's been almost 3 months since I got this thing.
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