Help in choosing high end preamps

[Scherzerbaol.com]

As a newbie to this recording world, I seem to have more questions than sense sometimes, although perhaps asking questions IS good sense!

 

Everything I have been learning about recording gear seems to point toward the front end being extremely important. As a result, I will be buying a Mac G4 450 dual processor computer, a digi001 with its Pro Tools package, and an AKG 414 as my best mic (to go along with some Shure 57s and 58s). The digi001 preamps are said to be good, but not great. Therefore, I am thinking about adding a really good preamp. Among those I am considering are preamps by Avalon, Grace, and Manley.

 

My home studio is not meant for "public" use, and will be to record my blues band and. perhaps, some personal projects. Instruments (other than vocals) will be the typical blues band stuff....electric bass and guitars, sax, maybe an acoustic guitar, and drums (yes, I know I'll need more mics and pres for that). All but the drums will be recorded one instrument at a time. My ears love to hear a warm timbre, especially with a very open sound with a good soundstage, where each instrument is distinct and in its place when you close your eyes to listen. That makes me think that I should buy a good tube pre to warm up the sound in an otherwise digital recording setup. However, I'm open to trying to understand more about this. At the moment, it seems that one of the Avalon tube preamps might be a great choice, although the most expensive one. Are there reasons NOT to get an Avalon? Although very subjective, are there reasons to consider one of the other preamps?

[Uh Clem]

You should get that 3D Pre CD (www.3audioinc.com)- at least one of the Female/Acoustic Gtr or Male/Snare Drum.

 

There are 30 or so Mic Pres recorded for you to listen too. - even an Avalon so you can see how it stacks up in your opinion.

[3D Audio]

Originally posted by stevepow:

You should get that 3D Pre CD (www.3audioinc.com)- at least one of the Female/Acoustic Gtr or Male/Snare Drum.

 

There are 30 or so Mic Pres recorded for you to listen too. - even an Avalon so you can see how it stacks up in your opinion.

 

 

Not a bad suggestion, but remember that you need to listen in person to make an important decision like that. The CDs make a great starting point to decide which ones you want to pursue or forget about, but are not intended to replace "in person" auditioning. What's important is how your voice on your mic in your room into your tape recorder responds. You won't be able to tell that until you have it in front of you.

 

Of the units you mentioned, I think the Manley is the warmest of that bunch.

 

How much are you planning on spending? If you're not happy with the sound you're getting now, you might consider a better mic, which will make a greater difference, into a lesser expensive preamp. Just a thought.

 

And if you want to see the list and hear all 33 of the preamps, go to www.3daudioinc.com. You can find ordering info there. There are only about 100 of the Volume 1 CDs left and when they're gone, they're gone. I still have plenty of Volume 2, which officially starts shipping on Oct. 1, but there were copies all over the AES show floor, including Geoff Daking's booth, where he was playing samples for people. We sat around judging the snare samples on a pair of Genelec 1029s driven from a mini Sony CD player. It was amazing how much difference you could hear even there on the AES exhibit hall floor. It was fun.

 

Lynn Fuston

3D Audio Inc

Music Mixing and Mastering

On a scenic hilltop outside of historic

Franklin, Tennessee http://www.3daudioinc.com

email:go3daudio@aol.com