Mic Pre-Amp Poll--$250-$399 (old poll)

[Tweak]

ART MPA Solid Gold
WINNER
http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--ARTMPAD




Focusrite Trakmaster Pro

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--FOCTRAKPRO




ART Pro Channel

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--ART215




discontinued items removed

[vampire06]

no one using one of these?...

[stvfetterly]

The aphex 207 is a decent mic pre . . . lots of gain (65 dB) and quiet even at max gain. Very clear and present sound. I like the mic limiting features it has for those (accidental) times that you go over 0, other than that this is your typical preamp. I like how it sounds on drums, electric guitar and vocals, but I've heard better on acoustic guitar. The DI is pretty good for bass and electric guitar. As far as the tube in it . . . I don't hear anything particularly tuby about this pre . . . that said, it does have a nice sound overall.

[gdubs]

I use the Trackmaster, but that's it. So, my vote is very biased.

[vampire06]

yep... ive found some very good reviews of the trackmaster... but, you know, reviews can be "tricky". Thats why ive asked.

[aRath]

I have had the Focusrite trakmaster Pro for about 2 months now. It sounds really good with my AKG condenser. Mid scoop EQ is a nice feature, works well with the high-pass filter. The zero-latency monitoring was a nice feature before I started using my mixer for zero-latency monitoring. One complaint I have is that there is limited control over the compressor. There is a threshold knob but no numbers to go with it, so you can only guess as to where your threshold is. It has a set ratio (I would guess around 3:1) but has a "Deep" button which boosts the ratio (probably around 6:1 or higher). There is no control over attack and release except for a button called "Slow Attack". "Deep" and "Slow attack" cannot be used at the same time, so you have to choose one or the other. I try to use the compressor minimally as it is because I ultimately compress using plug-ins. Great for the money, the Vu meter is great. I only wish it was two channels... I would buy one again. If it's the compressor you need, buy a standalone hardware compressor. For everything else this unit delivers.

One more note: It produces some noise if you really crank the gain. This is especially noticeable when I put my bass through and engage the "Inst" input button. Once you lower the pre-amp level then it makes no unwanted noise.

[The Miles Park]

Anyone use the ART gold?

[loachampionedition]

yeah, has anyone tried the art gold? they look very impressive! 4 of those in a rack with the VU's swaying would look cool

[mamm7215]

ART MPA GOLD is awesome, could use new tubes, NOS GE or JJ over stock to really clean it up, but these are hidden gem pre's.

[pacificresonance]

This is a nice pre. I actually was a part of a recording project and a friend of mine had this. I had used some other ART stuff and was somewhat impressed, but this one is for real a great preamp. I've never used a trackmaster--I'm more curious about those now. But, for the record, the MPA Gold is awesome. There are 2 channels in this puppy, so it's great for just about whatever you can throw at it. I normally keep one channel set for vocals and I use the other one for just about everything. Love it!

[EricF]

This is a nice pre. I actually was a part of a recording project and a friend of mine had this. I had used some other ART stuff and was somewhat impressed, but this one is for real a great preamp. I've never used a trackmaster--I'm more curious about those now. But, for the record, the MPA Gold is awesome. There are 2 channels in this puppy, so it's great for just about whatever you can throw at it. I normally keep one channel set for vocals and I use the other one for just about everything. Love it!

The MPA Gold gets a bunch better with decent tubes in it. With the stock tubes, I found mine brittle and a bit noisy. A pair of JJ/Sovtek tubes has helped a lot. I've heard Amperex tubes make it even better.

[piksou]

Ok i'm looking to buy a preamp in this price range so i want some advice before. I have a At3035 microphone so i think a preamp in this price range will work well with my mic. what are you advice on this and which one do you think it's the beat in this category?

[Steven mc.]

Tweak....Come one, WHY did you forget the Brick? Groove tubes brick that is. 399$ single channel of tube.
Thats the one I chose to go with.

[Nanashiwanderer]

I think the brick would probably win this category too,

[Steven mc.]

Possibly. I don't know, But I'd like to see! add the brick tweak, If you can.

[hradek]

ART Gold... hands down. Like someone mentioned... if you want you can change out the tubes but even with the OEM ones this is a fantastic preamp to get in the door with and hang on to for a while.

[rcharles_7089]

Im using a presonus FP-10 interface, and I was wondering if any of these preamps would sound siginificantly better than the preamps on my FP-10. I'm learning to record drums and I pretty much have all the staple studio mics (SM-57, AKG-D112, etc.) along with a decent drum set. The sound im getting is acceptable but I think it could be better, would any of these mic pres help? Any suggestions for this recording novice would be appreciated.

[motorfin]

I can't really give you a fair comparison to the presonus being that I haven't heard it. I use the gold for kick and snare with results that suit my taste. You really have to get acquanted with the gold to dial in what you like. I love mine. It doesn't do everything, but I love it on the things that I use it on. Especially on vocals. Tube swaps are kinda mandatory to get the best out of em.

[rcharles_7089]

Iv'e had my eye on that particular preamp, I just would like to know if it's going to significantly improve my sound from my presonus FP-10 preamps. I really want my kick and snare to really stand out, I'm hoping this ART preamp is an afforadable answer. Thanks.

[Tweak]

Poll has been recast here:

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=74431