montreux2 Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Hello, I'm recording mainly outboard synthesizers and drum machines and occasional sound effects with a stereo Rode NT4 mic. I currently have a UAD LA610 as my only pre just to add some "analog warmth" to my recordings. I was thinking about adding another LA610 for stereo or going a completely different route, selling my LA610 and opting for a stereo preamp. Any help, advice in the decision would be invaluable and greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sozomuse Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 There are a great number of quality preamps available that would suit your needs. My first suggestion would be the versatile Great River MP-2NV for rock use to fairly clean, and the Grace Design 201 for very transparent. For recording synths and drum machines a quality DI like the the Radial JDI Duplex with the Jensen transformer or Whirlwind2 are a cost effective way of getting "iron" in the signal path for good ol' analog warmth plus helping with noise issues. Frankly, I went on a search for a quality preamp and discovered for my purposes, the preamps built into the Firestudio Mobile and Duet work very well. I use a Shure KSM44 when I want my best signal path and an SM58 for scratch tracks. The best resource for preamps is: http://www.3daudioinc.com/3db/index.php You can even buy a preamp shootout CD to audition various preamp and mic pairings. BTW, I am not in any way affiliated with the above products or services. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montreux2 Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 Hey Sozomore, Thanks very much for the various recommendations as well as the 3audioinc resource, looks promising. Doing some research about DI boxes I noticed many claiming that they roll off highs in some cases as a method of reducing noise? Not sure how reliable that info is but I'm very curious to know just how helpful/desirable it is to have one in the signal path? I'm using a Polyevolver, Voyager and Jomox 888 in my setup running through to an Apogee Ensemble. Would it be a practical application to have a DI box between these instruments and the ensemble? Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s0niccurve Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Give this a look. http://www.ridgefarmstudio.com/rfinew/cprod.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sozomuse Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 It's been awhile since I've looked at DI specs but a significant reason for recording with one is increasing gain while holding noise down. Another is introducing harmonic distortion (warmth or coloration) into the signal path from transformers or tubes. Inserting a Di between instruments and the Ensemble's analog in is worth a shot, especially if you play live. Providing a balanced input to the mixer will ingratiate you to sound guys everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montreux2 Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 That gas cooker looks quite tasty Thanks for turning me on to these DI boxes guys, can't wait to experiment w one! After reading lots of reviews the Avalon U5 looks pretty flexible and may be a potentially wise purchase for me, namely w recording bass/kicks. Btw Sozomuse sorry for mistyping your screename in my last post. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holger Lagerfeldt Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I'll second sozomuse's suggestion about the Great River. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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