Trying my hand at using a tube mic pre

[colejustesen]

I have wanted to get a tube mic preamp for a while now, but was turned off by the $$$$ they cost. I know that this is pretty much the norm in the world of recording, but I was looking for a cheaper alternative. I ordered a second hand ART Pro MPA II preamp. I have read tons of great reviews on it, especially after you swap out the preamp tubes.

I am pretty excited, as this can work as a couple different things for me. I can use it to run my mics into (obviously) as well as run my bass guitar straight in using its hi Z input. I watched a video where the guy talked about increasing the input gain and keeping the output gain low, thus adding some grit to the bass sound. I am excited to try it out for that reason, but honestly I am mostly excited for the adjustable impedance for the mics! I have heard that once you get the optimal impedance for your mics, recording tones become a lot more incredible.

Here's to trying out new gear!

Cole

[_ej_]

I really want to try that thing. Let me know how you like it!

[colejustesen]

If I remember right, someone on here has bought one of these recently... I thought I remember them talking about Loop recommending that unit to them. I could be wrong, but I will definitely give my impressions and of course do some recordings with it!

Cole

[nightflameauto]

I got the singe channel ART that's got the built in compressor and EQ. So, essentially, if I skip over the second and third stage, I have one of what your preamp will have two of.

Having done that a few times just to see if it changes the overall output, I'd say you're gonna love it with the right tubes in it. I've stuck with JJ ECC83s as that tended to be the number one recommendation, and in all honesty they're such a massive improvement over the stuck tubes that I had no desire to try others.

Enjoy, man. The ability to control mic impedance really helps smooth out the harshness some mics suffer from.

[colejustesen]

I got the singe channel ART that's got the built in compressor and EQ. So, essentially, if I skip over the second and third stage, I have one of what your preamp will have two of.

Having done that a few times just to see if it changes the overall output, I'd say you're gonna love it with the right tubes in it. I've stuck with JJ ECC83s as that tended to be the number one recommendation, and in all honesty they're such a massive improvement over the stuck tubes that I had no desire to try others.

Enjoy, man. The ability to control mic impedance really helps smooth out the harshness some mics suffer from.

Thanks for the clarification! I knew someone got an ART product here recently! Is yours the VoiceChannel? I was kind of going back and forth on the Digital MPA II so that I could hook it up using the ADAT function, but I figured that I would leave that option open for getting something like Focusrite's OctoPre MkII (or the Dynamic version of that) to get some extra inputs later on down the road.

The seller is including a Tung-Sol 12AX7 extra, but I have no idea if the tubes that are in the unit have been changed or not. I also read that the Electro-Harmonix 12AX7 sound good too. It really makes me wonder how the Sovtek 12AX7LPS would be... A lot of people like them in the PI of guitar amps because of their linear response, so I am inclined to think that these would work well in the Pro MPA II. Fortunately, I have some spare 12AX7s to try out already (but no JJ tubes). I might have to buy a couple...

Have you read anything on the ECC803 tubes with the longer plate? I will get a couple of the ECC83S tubes for sure though! Thanks again on the information, and building up my hope

Cole

[nightflameauto]

Mine's the Pro Channel II.

I haven't heard anybody trying the ECC803 on the ART units, but it might be worth a shot. I usually dig those Sovtek tubes in preamps, so I'd imagine they might be pretty interesting in the ARTs.

[colejustesen]

The seller sent the preamp out yesterday, so it should be here next Wednesday! I will give the Sovtek 12AX7LPS tubes a try first... I will see how they respond, and then order some JJ ECC83S if I don't like the outcome. I am also interested in the Tung-Sol ECC803S; as the Tube Depot says that they like them for mic preamps:

The Tung-Sol ECC803s is a low noise version of the standard Tung-Sol 12AX7. Warm in character with lots detail, this tube is perfect for any hi-fi or musical instrument amp out there. We really like it for microphone preamp / effects applications.

I might have to snag some of these while I am at it...

Cole