Mic Pre or Compressor?

[carlos2909]

I need some Help. I really want to step up th quality of my audio. I get very good audio now, but I want to step it up to another level. This is my current setup:

Dual 1.8 G5 with 2 gigs of RAM
Rack 002
Apogee 800 Rosetta
Shure KSM44 (I have other mics, but this is my main MIC)
Mackie 32 channel 8 Bus Console (Preamps)

This is my main studio setup. I want some advice on whether I should buy a kick ass Mic Pre, or a kick ass Compressor. I am leaning more towards a compressor, just because the preamps on my mackie board are pretty decent. Cutting kick ass sounding vocals is may main objective. I also cut a lot of VO's, but I figure if it works great for Vocals it will work for VO's. And could You guys also recommend some gear? I am willing to spend around 2500.00

[gorka]

"the preamps on my mackie board are pretty decent"
They´re not. Get yourself a really decent pre & you´ll realize pretty soon.

[Concious Burning]

I second that. Get a good pre, you'll be way happier with your tracks. What kind of vocals are you doing for the most part? ie Rock, pop, rap, ect. That can help narrow down a good choice for a pre for you.

[Randirainbow]

You can buy a waaaaay better mic pre (Beringer is not known for their mic pre's) with a built in compressor and other goodies such as the Focusrite Platinum series (Voicemaster Pro or Twintrack) for about $450.00 on ebay. These mic pre's in the Platinum line are good quality and are a fine starting point for you. Also a quality mic cable like Mogami or Canare is very important. Your mic is very good for what you are able to do with it. Try not to run anything through your Mackie.

[cwhite771]

Why not get something with both compression and pres like an AVALON Design VT-737SP? Or you could even go for something a bit cheaper but still very good quality such as a Toft ATC-2. You'll even get some EQ as part of the deal.
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c

[carlos2909]

Thanks for all the quick responses guys. The Avalon channel strip was actually one I was really interested in, the only problem is that it is only 1 channel. I really want at least 2 channels. I actually AB the mackie preamps to some True Systems preamps, and I could not here that big of a difference. That is why I say they are descent. I usually record pop, a little rock, and also r&b. How about something to warm up my tracks.

[Concious Burning]

I would take a look at the Universal Audio 2-610, it'll give you that classic, warm, tube UA sound (the sound you hear on alot of Pop/rock albums). You might also want to look at the Summit Audio TPA-200B, or the Grace Design model 201. Both are Class A, but still very nice mic pre's.

[mike001]

Check out the DBX386 great dual tube pre. no compression. but still great for the price point.

M

[Master Bates]

If you've got $2500 to spend I would steer clear of any of the midmarket stuff (dbx, focusrite platinum, etc). You might as well get something great that will hold its value for years to come. API, Neve Portico, Langevin DVC, Great River MP2, Chandler, etc.

Also, you have an excellent computer and converters... what are you monitoring on? If you can't hear what's going on then fancy pres aren't going to help you much. The Dynaudio BM5As are supposed to be awesome and they're like $1000/pr.

As far as compression... the RNC will get you a lot of mileage for $200 and you'll probably keep it forever. I would start there.

Good luck!

[Erik Braund]

I would also reccomend steering clear of the mid-line stuff. If you are willing to spend the money, there is no reason to go platinum / low level DBX. I have the dbx 386 and 586, both of which i think are thin and harsh. I keep them around to have a few extra channels if I need them.

once i made the jump to pro stuff, i will NEVER go back, no matter how good of a deal you can get.
I picked up (all two channel)
DBX 786 (not cheap, even on ebay)
Api 312
never 1272 (both brent averill... both KILLER.. bought together for about $4k)
www.brentaverill.com

I like my Brent Averill API 312 pre so much that I am getting two, perhaps four more channels. I find that on drums, bass, and guitar, it is just the sh*t. I prefer the 786 of 1272 through vocals ( I also have a ksm 44).

Someone also mention the FMR Really Nice Compressor. I picked up a pair of them from mercenary audio, and have loved every minute of them. I had a joemeek sc2.2 that cost 4x as much money, but i wound up selling it because I just didn't like it compared to these.

My two cents. Good Luck!