"Fletch" wrote in message
oups.com...
Suggestions for either/both of these are requested. Something simple,
something cheap, that will give 55% of the benefit of a $10K tube preamp
that can't be all that accurate.

You don't ask for much, do you?

I think your "sense" about tube gear is misplaced. You keep coming back
to tubes, as though this one factor is going to make everything better.
But I'll wager you couldn't tell the difference when put to the test.

You're probably right. I'm just using it as a label. Unfortunately,
respondents seem to want to educate me on this point: "Learn it! Learn it
good! Listen to what I'm telling you son, their ain't no air in toobes."

I

My suggestion, since you continue to think people are not addressing
your original question, though we are -- just not in the way you like
or want -- is to test gear. You don't like that, I understand. But in
order to find whatever esoteric sound you're looking for can only be
accomplished by actually going to your pro audio gear place of choice
and test driving different components, both microphones and pre amps,
until you arrive at the combination that does what you want.

That is very viable for the working pro. Let me tell you where I'm at: I
have a Tascam FW-1082 firewire desk that gives me ten channels in. I have
two Midiman preamps, their better model. The newest mike I have is an AT
MB4K which is a handheld vocal back-electret cardioid. I have a pair of
AT33R, cardioids and an RE27ND. With the exception of the last, I suspect
you'll feel they're all junk, and I won't be insulted. OTOH, if you see any
virtue in an MB4K, lemme know. I have eight MXL mikes coming, six are 603s,
two are 2003. General reports suggest that the MXL mikes I've chosen are
reasonably mainstream middle-of-the road for what they a six small
diaphram wide cardioids, and two large diaphram cardioids.

Now as it happens, I'm both a hifi nut, and someone who looks for ways to
network with the film and TV production community. Sometimes it's actually
cheaper to provide a service than to pay the going rate for services and
talent. These are the two reasons I do this. It opens door. It makes
friends. But I'm not a working pro, and as such, I don't have a singer handy
to drag down to the mic shop, and it actually might be counterproductive. I
certainly don't want someone to know I'm buying a mic so I can record their
voice, but sometimes, I might do that, because the person might be available
to me on a friendly basis as talent.

That said, any suggestions are appreciated. For my purpose, I am restricted
to the lower tier of equipment. But as much as people have invested in very
expensive stuff, there are some remarkable things that have developed in the
lower tier, such as Octavas, followed by MXL's.




I could recommend TAB/Funkenverks V-78 update, an all tube pre that
runs about a grand; I could recommend a Lawson or Korby or Peluso tube
mic, which will run anywhere from 1200 up to 8000 clams. But none of
this may be what you're looking for.

You want cheap, your words not ours, but you want it to accomplish 55%
of the benefit of a high end tube pre? That's not going to happen,
ever.

So stop going on in this thread about how unsupportive and
uncooperative we are. We've been more than patient with your questions,
answered them in the professional manner we occupy, the way we should
-- without being overly rude -- and made our recommendations.

What more can we do, except offer to bring our gear into your situation
and then do all the work for you? Never gonna happen, by the way.

--Fletch