valve pre amp?

[donnieb]

hi im currently running an m powered set up using an allen and heath desk and firewire 1814. my question is will a valve pre amp such as an avalon or focusrite be a good investment? i was planning on using it on an aux channel on the desk before it goes to the 1814. would make a good difference to the sound?signal before it reaches the computer? thanx darren

[dillon99999]

i use an avalon M5 as my pre-amp.

although i like the 1814's pre-amps, i do not think they are as good as the avalon.

there is something about putting an avalon with a neumann u87-a that creates a distinct warm sound when recording vocals.

vocalists that i have recorded with swear that it's the best sounding mic / pre-amp combination they have ever heard (and makes my home studio rival the big ones).

you just have to hear it to believe it.

i also use the M5 for my guitar tracks, which makes them have that warm tube sound (even though the M5 doesn't have a tube in it - it is still Class-A, so the circuitry is discrete).

i run the signal into a dbx 166XL compressor as a final step, just before it goes into pro tools, so that there is no clipping what-so-ever on the signal that gets sent into the DAW.

i haven't heard or used the focusrite, but i know they are very close to the avalon in terms of quality and "class-A" performance.

pre-amps are an area where you get what you pay for (you cannot compare a $100 pre-amp to an avalon - and you "hear" the difference immediately).

[donnieb]

sounds good!! they are a bit pricey though! can any one reccommend a good mid priced pre amp?cheers darren. p.s. dillon 99999 how do u set your pre amp up in your system. do u use the sends and returns from your desk?

[dillon99999]

i run the mic directly into the pre-amp.

i run the output of the pre-amp directly into a dbx 166XL compressor.

i run the output of the compressor into Pro Tools.

i prefer this method, because it provides a clean signal, and the compressor prevents the signal from clipping.