N(p)AD: Art Pro MPA

[_ej_]

I picked up an older Pro MPA. Having played with it a bit I already wish I had held out for an MPA II The tubes have been swapped for some Groove Tubes. I'll be trying out a few different ones in the near future.



Anyways, I wanted to see what difference the preamp actually makes, so I threw my matched pair of Rode NT-5s down next to each other a hit record. One was plugged into the ART and one directly into the focusrite. I had the levels approximately matched. I did three tests, acoustic strummed, acoustic picked, and vocals. For each the Focusrite is first followed the Art.

https://soundcloud.com/ejendres/preamp-test

To my ears the Art adds a touch of clarity and some warmth. Honestly its more subtle than I wanted, but its still a nice addition. I'll get a better impression of it as I use it more. I feel like the additional features in the MPA II are definitely worth it.

One cool thing is if you ramp up the input gain you start getting the tube to distort. It adds a lot of warmth and a little compression. I didn't think it sounded good for voice or acoustic, but I can see it being useful with a snare drum or when micing an amp.

I am super impressed by these Rodes. They sound fantastic.

[colejustesen]

They sound awfully similar, a bit smoother with ART preamp. I could really hear the difference on the vocal track, which I preferred the ART preamp. That being said, the Focusrite is no slouch. It looks like the ART Pro MPA doesn't have the high plate voltage option on the front like the Pro MPA II... do you know if it is a starved plate design or if it runs at higher plate voltages? I have read that the Pro MPA II sounds its best on the high plate voltage setting.

I really like the recordings that you got; they are very clear!

Cole

[_ej_]

Yeah, you really start to hear a difference once you crank the input and get the tube compressing.

This is actually my first time using the Rodes. They're NT5. I'm gonna be using them for overheads. Excited to see how it goes.

[Markdude]

The differences between most preamps are fairly subtle when just listening to single tracks, but once you have a mix stacked up with a lot of tracks, the differences become a lot more apparent.

[Sizzler]

Dude you are going to dig the NT5s big time.

[_ej_]

Dude you are going to dig the NT5s big time.

Yeah dude I think I will. They sound really really great. Very clear.

[EndTime]

The differences between most preamps are fairly subtle when just listening to single tracks, but once you have a mix stacked up with a lot of tracks, the differences become a lot more apparent.

Definitely true..

As much as the Art tube stuff is a nice bargain and they get solid reviews, i really don't think they live up to anything special. Not trying to diss your new gear, its just my opinion. I bought one of these years ago too. Got rid of it shortly after.. it felt like a Behringer tube ultra gain to me. Which i initially upgraded from. I then got a Presonus Eureka with the converter card installed. I felt that was a step up. The a few years later i got a Universal Audio tube pre and that was Another step up. Havent felt the need to upgrade for just about 7 years now.

So, despite the Art being a solid piece of gear and you can definitely get some use and results out of it, if you intend to be recording your stuff like many of us do and want that certain level of quality, i would just save up and get a higher end pre from the get go.. it won't be a ton more money to get a legit step up in quality. Another $500 or so from the Art's pricepoint..

My 2, unsolicited, cents..

[_ej_]

Yeah, overall I am unimpressed. Especially compared to the Focusrite pres. Maybe the MPA II wouldn't be any better Did you have this version or the newer version?

I wasn't expecting it to blow the focusrite out of the water, I was epecting more coloration though. I tried it on bass last night and I was really umimpressed with it for that. I'll be trying it on drums, but I don't see it making a world of difference. For $150 I'm sure I can find some use for it though.

[colejustesen]

I sure hope my Pro MPA II yields better results than what you are seeing _ej_.....

Cole

[Ostinato Rubato]

Yup. Not much difference. Slightly better with the new pre though. I can hear a difference.

[nightflameauto]

Just a tiny bit of clarity with the MPA that isn't there through the Focusrite. It doesn't seem to make as big a difference as my Pro Channel does, but when I made my initial comparisons, the wrong tubes seemed to make hardly any difference at all, while the right tubes really changed the character quite a bit. Not sure if it'll be the same with the MPA.

[_ej_]

Yeah, there's a little extra clarity. And added warmth, like I said in the OP. I bought some old US made tubes I'm gonna try in there, see if it makes a difference. I have heard these things are really sensitive to tube choice.

Cole, don't be discouraged. Its a cool piece of gear and doesn't sound bad by any means. I'm curious to hear your results with the MPAII. Still thinking it might be worth the upgrade.

[EndTime]

Yeah, overall I am unimpressed. Especially compared to the Focusrite pres. Maybe the MPA II wouldn't be any better Did you have this version or the newer version?

I wasn't expecting it to blow the focusrite out of the water, I was epecting more coloration though. I tried it on bass last night and I was really umimpressed with it for that. I'll be trying it on drums, but I don't see it making a world of difference. For $150 I'm sure I can find some use for it though.

For character and decent price point, look to the JoeMeek tube pres. You can find them in the 3-500 dollar range. Pretty nice quality, but they really have their own thing going on. Great for bass too. I can't remember the model i used. MC sumthin. Could be way off as its been years, but it made an impression for sure.

Edit, just looked it up. It was the Joe Meek vc2 and its not near as cheap as i thought.. lol. But still, I'd venture to guess for coloration even the cheaper Meek stuff will get you there. Since that's kinda their product angle. Different sounding stuff.

[Ostinato Rubato]

I'm trying really hard to not recommend some digital plugins to you E.

[_ej_]

I'm trying really hard to not recommend some digital plugins to you E.

Got plenty of plugins Mike, I'm all about that source signal tho

[colejustesen]

Yeah, there's a little extra clarity. And added warmth, like I said in the OP. I bought some old US made tubes I'm gonna try in there, see if it makes a difference. I have heard these things are really sensitive to tube choice.

Cole, don't be discouraged. Its a cool piece of gear and doesn't sound bad by any means. I'm curious to hear your results with the MPAII. Still thinking it might be worth the upgrade.

I will keep you updated, as soon as that fucker shows up! It has been 11 days in the same location in Memphis

Cole