AllyMusicGirl Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 http://www.paia.com/tubestuff.asp What are these? Any good - not much with a soldering iron! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Nahmani Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 I wouldn't... I mean a preamp is a delicate thing to build, and those prices look suspiciously low. Preamps are probably the most expensive part of your recording chain. I would recommend saving up for a proper one (good preamps don't have tubes). The first preamp I would personally consider is the Really Nice Preamp (http://www.fmraudio.com/RNP8380.htm), but even then I would rather wait for something better, in the $2,000 to $3,000 range. Since I can't personally afford that (yet), I am happy for now with the preamps on my audio interface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyMusicGirl Posted May 22, 2007 Author Share Posted May 22, 2007 David, Why not tubes? I'm really going for a retro sounds - very Beatle-esk. Warm and Fat... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashermusic Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 David, Why not tubes? I'm really going for a retro sounds - very Beatle-esk. Warm and Fat... Well then http://www.uaudio.com/products/analog/LA-610/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkik Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Hehehe...tubes are nice. But, you are then "trapped." That would be "task specific purchasing," which is great, IF you have the cash. Botique and neo-botique come with a price, and usually a hefty one for good ones. Lower priced usually equals lower quality. IMO, rather than track with a crapy tube piece (undo-able! once captured, you will NEVER get that take again), track with the cleanest, most pristine piece you can afford NOW. Use plug-ins to warm it up, and then when you have the cash later, re-amp it. With that Nady I recommended, and a nice, clean pre, you should have no problem getting "old tone" with the help of some sneaky mixing tricks. I know the Nady has been discontinued, so it can be found for $200 or less. Mine is plenty warm, with pleasant mid's. Like David said- a "good" pre? Hhehehe- ~$2k. I have an Earthworks that I LOVE for it's clean, uncoloured purity. It was just over $2k, and worth EVERY penny IMO. For colour...well, you have Brent Averill, Vintech, Buzz Audio, Millenia, Chandler, Groove Tubes, Lavry (and so many, many, many others), and a slew of lunchbox guys out there, plus real, vintage "pulled" channels (Neve, API, EMI, SSL, etc), typically lunchbox'd as well. But, entry level is typically ~$2k, with the cream being closer to ~$6-7k...oft times per single channel. Oh- and yes- utilized properly in the right hands, you DO obtain a noticeable difference. Seriously. Oh- plus, tube and older botique gear comes with upkeep as well. Spend a week interning (for free) at a real, pro, fully analogue studio sometime. It will lead to an appreciation of the ease and cost of what you have for project/home use today, as well as possibly creating this incredible urge...desire...lust...for that old-time vibe. Mmmmmm....new tape smell....open box, wet self......degaussing...ugh...puke. Push button, OS loads, launch app, record. Eh. But, at least it isnt costing an arm and a leg. (and no degaussing or aligment or threading or.... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Nahmani Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 I really wanted to recommend the UAD as Jay suggested. That might be the best option in a reasonable price range. Tubes are usually just a marketing gimmick (in mic preamps at least - I still like tubes in my guitar amps). Most very high quality mic preamps don't use tubes, but a lot of the cheap preamps have tubes because a lot of people think "if it has a tube it will sound warmer". The good mic preamps: http://www.mercenary.com/micpres1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkik Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Hehehe- we are all goin back n forth at the same time! Yeah- that UA unit is sweet. DEFINITELY a nice entry level unit. And, under $2k, so I need to take back my earlier claim of $~2k being entry level I guess And just as David said- usually, tubes in lower price dpieces are gimmicks. Yeah, even in mics. But, with the mics, sometimes...well, sometimes it just works. With a pre, the tube(s) is just...well, clouding things. Peoples' hearing love "smear." Mercenary is good people, good stuff....beware the Fletcher...hehehehe (j/k- he is definitely good people...just more opinionated than me, and most people I know...lol... He knows his stuff, so if you ever get to speak with him, seriously- listen, and learn. Worth more than any college course on audio engineering IMO...ok, maybe that's an exageration...lol...) BTW- mics and pres are usually unique. Not every mic will flatter YOUR voice, and not every pre wil be a happy partner with the mic and voice in question. This can also take some experiementation to discover the magic combo. But, usualy there are TONS of combos that will work "well enough." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkgross Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I love tubes. and Fee Waybill. http://www.thetubes.com/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkgross Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I'm really going for a retro sounds - very Beatle-esk.: yo Ally....here's a Plug-In ya might want: http://www.soundsonline.com/Fab-Four-Virtual-Instrument-pr-EW-170.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prospect Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I recently got the UA LA-610. It's the best deal out there, works great on vocals and on bass (both string and synth). I personally like the slight dirt, and smoothness I get from using a tube pre amp. It's not transparent as some producers may like, so it's really a matter of preference. The studio I work at part time has a slew of the APIs (as seen on David's link for about 600 bucks), those sound great but it's strictly a pre (no eq, no compressor, etc etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyMusicGirl Posted May 23, 2007 Author Share Posted May 23, 2007 WOW! That Fab Four plug in is...amazing! I just wish they'd offer all of the pre's, boards and rack gear that they recorded everything through! Does anyone know who might offer something like that? Virtual rack gear based on vintage pieces? Thanks to everyone who commented! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threlly Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 §§§§§ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyMusicGirl Posted May 23, 2007 Author Share Posted May 23, 2007 ummmm... I was just asking for some input on fatting up my output. - I made a funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threlly Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 §§§§§ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prospect Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 WOW! That Fab Four plug in is...amazing! I just wish they'd offer all of the pre's, boards and rack gear that they recorded everything through! Does anyone know who might offer something like that? Virtual rack gear based on vintage pieces? Thanks to everyone who commented! Focusrite LiquidMix and the Universal Audio UAD stuff. I have the LiquidMix on my sights for a future purchase. It models most of the popular vintage compressors and EQ's as well as some of the fancier newer ones. The UAD stuff looks a bit cumbersome and it's somewhat restricted to Universal Audio's software offerings. (The LiquidMix has free updates/downloads for life) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashermusic Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 WOW! That Fab Four plug in is...amazing! I just wish they'd offer all of the pre's, boards and rack gear that they recorded everything through! Does anyone know who might offer something like that? Virtual rack gear based on vintage pieces? Thanks to everyone who commented! Ally, it's the guy (gal) not the gear. The equipment the Beatles used was the best available but there was nothing magical about it. The EMI engineers and producers all were very well trained and the Beatles were...well.... the Beatles. The key to your sound being of that calibre lies in your performing/writing/arranging skills and the engineer (you perhaps) really knowing how to get the most of the gear. Take it from someone who has been in this business a while: Worry less about what you have and more about really learning how to use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dream Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 I have an Avalon vt737 sp and It's the best preamp I ever used. I've used API,Neve, Manley, SSL, and more and I love what the Avalon does to the vocals and guitars I record. If you want to hear clips of what it sounds like, you can visit my "myspace" site. It's www.myspace.com/dreamalitymusic Currently I have R&B tracks I wrote and produced up there, but I use it on any production I'm doing no matte rthe style. BTW...Avalon VT737 SP is a mono tube preamp with an opto compressor and EQ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkgross Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Worry less about what you have and more about really learning how to use it. a few more glasses of wine, and I'm pretty sure my Self-Censored posting will go right out of the window with that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dream Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 I guess it just comes down to this..."Opinions are like a** holes. Everyones got one and they all stink!" Pardon the use of the word A**. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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