This article is going to focus on the best microphone preamps between 300 and 500.Some mic preamps are renowned for their flattery of the recorded signal, but this new high-spec single-channel unit proudly aspires to cleanliness and neutrality, translating the character of your performances and microphones with the utmost fidelity.12 in x 14 out Thunderbolt audio I/O box, so that you can plug in as many instruments as you want. Please check it out if you’re looking for monitors in that price range. In a previous article, I focused on the best mic preamps under 300. This article on the best microphone preamps under 500 is the second in a series on the best mic preamps available today.Zero feedback-style 58 dB tube mic. Best of Avalons designs: high headroom tube mic preamp, optical compressor, and discrete four-band EQ. Made famous as the ultimate R&B and Hip-Hop performance and production tool specializing in tight, focused vocals and bass guitar. It also has 4 analog inputs and the best mic preamps.VT-737sp exclusively licensed by Avalon Design, modeled by Universal Audio.Below, you’ll find a compilation of the best preamps for Sm7b that not only fit your budget but suit your recording style as well. The unit is beautifully styled, and this already goes a long way to making it look worth its substantial price tag, even before you've heard what it can do!Plug your microphones and electric instruments into a preamplifier for a magnetic, and energizing wave of musical vibrations. These have rubber 'O'-rings set into them, making them easy to operate without slipping. Packaged in a half-width 1U metal case, the Model 101 is distinguished by its curved, mirror-finish chromed front panel with matching chromed knobs. Two Unison mic preamps, and a suite of onboard UAD plug-ins for.US company Grace Design, based in Boulder City Colorado, are probably better known in professional circles for their Model 801 eight-channel and 201 two-channel microphone preamps, but in order to appeal to the more budget-conscious project-studio owner who tends to track things one part at a time, they've now launched a single-channel version.When using the output unbalanced, the cold pin should be left floating rather than being grounded.The design features exceptionally clean phantom powering (but with no status LED) switchable from the front panel, while the gain is switchable in 11 discrete 5dB steps from 10dB to 60dB. Both XLRs feature gold pins to eliminate tarnishing, and both outputs can be used at the same time, which may be useful when hooking up a zero-latency source-monitoring path. As you'd expect, there's a balanced mic input on an XLR (on the rear panel) plus balanced XLR and balanced jack outputs. On the plus side, getting the power transformer out of the rack box makes it easier for the designers to minimise hum pollution. 4 Unison-enabled mic preamps for recording through exacting preamp.Power comes from an external 6V adaptor, which is the only 'less than professional' aspect of this piece of hardware — the PSU isn't even labelled as belonging to the Model 101, so it is likely to get mixed up with the other 20 or 30 wall-warts found in a typical studio.
Best Mic Preamp Plugin Series On TheAs most users will hook the Model 101 into a DAW system of some kind, the accurate metering can be done there to ensure that optimum level is being fed into the converters. For the best signal-to-noise ratio, this should be used at or near to its maximum setting where possible.In addition to the phantom-power button, there's a switch for a 75Hz 12dB/octave high-pass filter, as well as a simple level meter based around a multi-colour LED in the centre of the front panel. The gain switch uses silver contacts for reliable, low-distortion operation, and a continuously variable conductive-plastic Trim control allows the output to be attenuated by up to 10dB. A special high-gain version of the Model 101 with 10dB more gain is available for those using ribbon microphones. ![]() Alternatively, there's also the SPL Gold Mike (reviewed SOS June 1999) which, despite its hybrid tube circuitry, has a subjectively clean and classy sound.For something more traditional, try the SPL Gain Station (reviewed SOS April 2004) or the tube-based Brick from Groove Tubes. The nearest we've tried is probably the DAV Electronics BG1 single-channel solid-state preamp (reviewed SOS December 2003). However, few offer such a transparent, uncoloured sound. A maximum output level of +25dBu is available before clipping, so there's plenty of level to drive even the most insensitive converters.Photo: Mike Cameron Photo: Mike Cameron If you're considering the Grace Design preamps, there are a few other units you might want to look at within a similar price range. The distortion figures are also exceptionally good with the 'distortion plus noise' figure coming out at better than 0.001 percent for 20dB of gain and better than 0.005 percent for 60dB of gain, measured with a +20dBu output. ![]() To get the best out of a preamp like this one, you need to choose mics with low self-noise, and you also need to pay attention to your recording environment to ensure that it is free from significant room coloration and extraneous noise. Admittedly, what you do get is very basic by way of facilities, especially in the metering department, but there's nothing to complain about in the signal-path department, and the available headroom should be enough to keep even the most casual user out of trouble. Worth The Money?If you yearn for a preamp that will flatter your sound or add some kind of magical character, this unit probably isn't for you, but if you want your mics to deliver their true sound in a clean, quiet electrical environment, then the Grace Design Model 101 delivers true high-end performance at a mid-market UK price. On its own, the DI'd result isn't particularly exciting, but it gives a clean, responsive sound that makes an ideal feed for software modelling amplifiers or for sending guitar/bass signals over long distances to an amplifier in a remote live room when you're playing in the control room. This tonal honesty may not always be what you want, but when comparing against lesser preamps, listening through the Model 101 is somewhat like putting on reading glasses — everything becomes much more detailed and 'right' sounding.As an instrument DI, the Model 101 also performs very well, and here the generous headroom really helps, as guitar pickups can output very high initial transients. Because of this, you'll probably be able to hear more differences between the mics in your collection than with a less transparent mic preamp.
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