Members T. Alan Smith Posted February 28, 2008 Members Share Posted February 28, 2008 Earthworks LAB102. Why? No other choice outside of Mackie-type pres available. It IS the BEST investment I've made into recording gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Earthworks LAB102 Nice - but a bit over the stated $400 / channel price point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MrJoshua Posted February 29, 2008 Members Share Posted February 29, 2008 You know, if you're looking at $400/channel (I thought you were looking at $400 total) you might also consider the Focusrite ISA-428. It's a four-channel unit for around $1600, so it's at least in the ballpark of $400/channel. I'm very happy with mine. It gives me a nice, complementary option to the FMR units - it's more colored than the RNP, with a bit smoother of a top end, but it isn't as colored as the Brick. The thing I like the most, though, is that it has an optional 8-channel AD converter card (for around $600, maybe $650, it's been a while since I got mine so I'm not 100% sure) that gives you eight channels of ADAT Lightpipe-connected converters that will work with most standard interfaces. I use mine to expand the inputs on my Digi002 Rack, and they're quality converters. Definitely very usable for a home studio, and for WAY less than an Apogee or similar unit. If you ever need to track a lot of channels at once (say, if you want to record a band live with full drum mics and such) then it can be very handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted February 29, 2008 Members Share Posted February 29, 2008 How good are the latest Mackie mic preamps? I know this is going in a different direction here, but their original VLZ mic preamps, although not terribly exciting, didn't suck. They were actually good for their budget price. Anyway, just curious. At any rate, I doubt anyone would be disappointed with the FMR RNPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikeSF Posted March 2, 2008 Members Share Posted March 2, 2008 not much recording experience yet, but I did buy a Brick awhile back to use for some warm up coloration and clean boost in front of my guitar amp for clean sounds. I cannot say I ever found the result I wanted, BUT since then I have used it as a mic pre and the tracking I did with it sounded amazing, even with some not so high end condensers. I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members H-BOMB!!! Posted March 3, 2008 Members Share Posted March 3, 2008 I had actually already done this a few times before. My friend was under the impression that the FirePods pres were just 'taking over' the signal and therefore negating the preamp.Can inputs 1 and 2 do the same thing even though the double as instrument inputs? I have never tried those. There are line inputs in the back of the unit (for channels 1-2). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Warhead Posted March 4, 2008 Members Share Posted March 4, 2008 How good are the latest Mackie mic preamps? The Onyx preamps are really good, I still use an Onyx 1640 (modified so I can track with EQ and inserts if needed) to track drums and live gigs, whole bands etc. War Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Majoria Posted March 5, 2008 Members Share Posted March 5, 2008 Does anyone have any samples of the same recording with the same mic but different preamps so we can really hear the difference? Some say there is a quality difference between the pres on my 003R and my Mackie 1402 but can't hear a bit of difference. I can't justify an RNP if the difference is something that the average consumer can't tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members T. Alan Smith Posted March 5, 2008 Members Share Posted March 5, 2008 Does anyone have any samples of the same recording with the same mic but different preamps so we can really hear the difference? Some say there is a quality difference between the pres on my 003R and my Mackie 1402 but can't hear a bit of difference. I can't justify an RNP if the difference is something that the average consumer can't tell. Working with a "big time" level pre is more than the issue of the average consumer knowing a difference. For example, working with my LAB makes my tracking MUCH more efficient. Then, when I go to mix, my mixing has become much more efficient as well. With as many professionals getting paid by the clock, I can clearly see the need for such tools on efficiency alone...not even taking sound quality into account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MrJoshua Posted March 5, 2008 Members Share Posted March 5, 2008 I have a 002 Rack, I've used a 003 before, and I own two RNPs, and there is a difference between them. But, it isn't something that just jumps right out at you, especially if you're using the converters on the 003 with the RNPs. The "average consumer" probably couldn't tell much difference between a guitar part recorded with the 003 stock pres and the RNP.But then, that depends on how you define the "average consumer," eh?Plus, as T. Alan points out, many of the advantages of a better preamp don't really start to show up until you get lots of tracks stacked up and start trying to mix them. Using different preamps can help avoid getting one colored sound built up on all the tracks, which is often (although not always) a good thing.In the end, though, I find that having an assortment of different preamps I can pick and choose from helps make my time in the studio a lot more enjoyable. And since that's what I'm after, I consider it money well spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted March 5, 2008 Members Share Posted March 5, 2008 Does anyone have any samples of the same recording with the same mic but different preamps so we can really hear the difference? Some say there is a quality difference between the pres on my 003R and my Mackie 1402 but can't hear a bit of difference. I can't justify an RNP if the difference is something that the average consumer can't tell. I can definitely say that there's a huge difference between Mackie VLZ mic preamps and RNP mic preamps, especially when you stack 'em (use them on a bunch of tracks for a song). The RNPs sound much more open and full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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