Kara-Moon Forum

Upon further consideration,I am leaning more towards the Presonus Studio Channel...as supposed to the Presonus TubePre.I think it would be wise for me to bypass any & all vocal enhancements within the Tascam,by utilizing not only the preamp of the Studio Channel,but also the parametric EQ & the compression of this unit.
As afterall,the objective is to improve upon my existing preamp & mic effects,by upgrading with a seperate unit,but without being too cheap about it.
I have read where people are changing out the Presonus stock tubes,with an after-market upgrade,to achieve more clarity,warmth & a clean,noise-free sound....which seems very reasonble for an extra 20 bucks.
The only problem is though,is I have yet to learn what type of tube to purchase & where? :-\
The Presonus Eureka would probably be the ideal purchase...but it's too rich for my blood,at $499...eek!

-Thom

Thom,
What kind of microphone are you currently using?

I have to tell you, man: I am not sold on tube pre-amps. Tubes introduce harmonic distortion.

Take the time to listen to a quality solid-state pre-amp and A/B it with a tube unit. You may prefer the warmth and clarity of the digital processing in a solid-state model, depending on your personal taste in sound.

I use no tubes in any of my gear - not even a guitar amp.

Oren.

Oren,

I'm using an AKG Perception 100.....as for the choice in preamps,I'll dig deeper & see what's available,as I have plenty of time to shop around...since I won't be able to free up any cash for a while.

-Thom

Where do you get the phantom power for your mic... the Tascam? Where did you power your mic from before you got the Zoom 8-track? Is it 48 volts?

Oren,

Yes...the AKG is 48 volts & it's powered by the Tascam.I was considering the Samson C Valve....as it's transitor-driven preamp with tube circuitry-which seems to be favorable,from what I've read,and I like the fact that it has a saturation control,VU meter & that it has an effect return & send.The price was right as well,at $89.
However though...I discovered the M-Audio DMP3 & this preamp is very well reviewed & in fact,I could not find a single negative review on it.
It's a very basic,no-nonsense,bare bones preamp....& I though to myself...this is what I need..M-Audio has focused their manufacturing budget solely on creating a clean & detailed preamp,while keeping the cost low,by leaving out all of the fluff,such as parametric EQ's,compression & such....which is something I should have been initially seeking out from the beginning.
This preamp seems to be the clear winner,as it seems to be the cleanest preamp out there for it's price,while also offering an astounding amount of gain...complete with VU meters!! :D

Good article!  8)

Looks to me like that little M-Audio DMP3 would be an excellent choice...

It is still a mystery to me how your mic pre-amp levels in the Tascam could be so low. I was wondering if your mic was getting all the power it needs, but I have very little experience with condenser mics... :-[
It's good to know you are doing your research before buying - there is no substitute O0

Very interesting article

And good advice :

k

This preamp very often compares favorably with much higher priced preamps-
I really like mine!

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Studio-Projects-VTB1-Tube-Blend-Mic-Preamp?sku=180360

A couple of very interesting links there.

I have the same and I'm very satisfied with it.

k