Low Noise, Low Cost Preamp

[Steve]

Is there such a thing as a quiet preamp *under* $200 that will record a
dynamic mic? All I want is to get a signal into my PC with an acceptably low
level of noise after it's at a normalized level.

All my attempts have failed so far. I've been through two preamps (Presonus
BlueTube & M-Audio MobilePre USB) so far and I'm getting very distraught.
What good is a preamp if it puts noise on your signal? I will worship anyone
who can help me with this problem. Thanks.

Steve

[EggHd]

<< What good is a preamp if it puts noise on your signal? >>

what kind of noise are you getting?



---------------------------------------
"I know enough to know I don't know enough"

[Kurt Albershardt]

Steve wrote:

> Is there such a thing as a quiet preamp *under* $200 that will record a
> dynamic mic? All I want is to get a signal into my PC with an acceptably low
> level of noise after it's at a normalized level.

Several people have commented favorably on the M-Audio DMP-3 (which most
places seem to sell for $199.)

[Scott Dorsey]

Steve > wrote:
>Is there such a thing as a quiet preamp *under* $200 that will record a
>dynamic mic? All I want is to get a signal into my PC with an acceptably low
>level of noise after it's at a normalized level.
>
>All my attempts have failed so far. I've been through two preamps (Presonus
>BlueTube & M-Audio MobilePre USB) so far and I'm getting very distraught.
>What good is a preamp if it puts noise on your signal? I will worship anyone
>who can help me with this problem. Thanks.

Try the Opamp Labs gadget for $140. It's not neutral at all, but it has
a transformer front end and a reasonable amount of gain.

But some of your noise might be due to the room and some might be due to
the microphone too.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Rob Adelman]

Steve wrote:
> Is there such a thing as a quiet preamp *under* $200 that will record a
> dynamic mic? All I want is to get a signal into my PC with an acceptably low
> level of noise after it's at a normalized level.
>
> All my attempts have failed so far. I've been through two preamps (Presonus
> BlueTube & M-Audio MobilePre USB) so far and I'm getting very distraught.
> What good is a preamp if it puts noise on your signal? I will worship anyone
> who can help me with this problem. Thanks.

I had one of these and they are pretty good for the money. List price is
$399.00, but they can be found for about $225.00

<http://www.atiguys.com/m100ulti.html>

[Steve]

"EggHd" > wrote in message
...
> << What good is a preamp if it puts noise on your signal? >>
>
> what kind of noise are you getting?

Hiss. As far as I can tell, it has to be coming from the preamps. I've did
several tests to eleminate the sound card, the cables, and the mics. The
M-Audio MobilePre USB of course has a USB interface, which eliminates the
sound card. I will play with the gain on the preamp and the record levels
until I get the lowest hiss. Then I'll unplug the mic and do another
recording. The hiss stays exactly the same. It's a regular high hiss sound.
Here's some recordings from the BlueTube

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=O3VCb.3479%
24Pg1.25%40newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net

OR

http://tinyurl.com/2a2d5

Thanks.

Steve

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> Is there such a thing as a quiet preamp *under* $200 that will record a
> dynamic mic? All I want is to get a signal into my PC with an acceptably low
> level of noise after it's at a normalized level.

It all depends on how much gain you need, and that pretty much depends
on how loud the sound is at the microphone. If you're trying to record
birds at 100 years and normalize the level after you've recorded it,
that just isn't going to work. If you're trying to record an electric
guitar with the mic placed a few inches from the speaker, you'll have
no problem.

> What good is a preamp if it puts noise on your signal? I will worship anyone
> who can help me with this problem. Thanks.

Every preamp will add a little noise. What good is a microphone if
it's not close enough to the sound source to produce sufficient output
for the preamp to work with? What are you trying to record, what mic
are you using, and how are you using it? The preamps you've tried
aren't stellar, but lots of people are getting good mileage out of
them when they're properly applied.





--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Chris Del Faro]

Check out the Studio Projects VTB-1.

Harvey Gerst wrote a positive review that you can read on their website,
www.studioprojectsusa.com

I also own/use one. It's very quiet like Harvey said, even at full gain.
It does have some (pleasant) coloration when run in solid state mode.

There is a "tube blend" dial on the VTB-1 which is optional, however,
it is best IMO to leave it OFF during tracking.

It's built pretty tough BTW, so it can be used for live gigs too.

Chris

[Steve]

"Kurt Albershardt" > wrote in message
...
> Steve wrote:
>
> > Is there such a thing as a quiet preamp *under* $200 that will record a
> > dynamic mic? All I want is to get a signal into my PC with an acceptably
low
> > level of noise after it's at a normalized level.
>
> Several people have commented favorably on the M-Audio DMP-3 (which most
> places seem to sell for $199.)

I tried this today. It kicks ass. I don't have much to compare it too except
for a couple noisy preamps, but I still can't believe how quiet it is. It
doesn't even compare to anything I've tried before. Finally, a preamp that
does what it's supposed to. When I was at the store, I didn't make the
connection that it was one that was recommended here. But thanks for the
good recommendation. You can add me to the list of favorable commentators.

Steve

[N2N Productions]

Best, least expensive mic/instrument preamp is Studio Projects VTB-1 at $105
including ground shipping in the continental US. Member price at
www.N2NProductions.com. To become a member simply create an account.

Regards,

Sam Langley
N2N Productions
www.N2NProductions.com

"Chris Del Faro" > wrote in message
m...
> Check out the Studio Projects VTB-1.
>
> Harvey Gerst wrote a positive review that you can read on their website,
> www.studioprojectsusa.com
>
> I also own/use one. It's very quiet like Harvey said, even at full gain.
> It does have some (pleasant) coloration when run in solid state mode.
>
> There is a "tube blend" dial on the VTB-1 which is optional, however,
> it is best IMO to leave it OFF during tracking.
>
> It's built pretty tough BTW, so it can be used for live gigs too.
>
> Chris