Good, cheap mic preamp?

[jefh]

Is there such a thing? Since my cyber twin is (unfortunately) being sold I'll only have one amp to record with. My recent attempts have sounded pretty bad, since I need to crank the input on my soundcard (Audigy Platinum) to get the levels up high enough. Any recommendations?

[fezz parka]

Get a used Mackie 1202 off of Ebay. The pre's in the Mackie sound better than any of the cheap "so called tube" pre's out there.

What mics are you using?

[jefh]

Thanks fezz. I'm using a SM57 for close micing. I have my wifes old SM58 as well, which I'll put across the room from the amp. I'm quite clueless on the setup, but once I've got the gear I'm sure it'll make sense.

[fezz parka]

That's the regular old 1202, not the vlz...I'd pick up a cheaper large diaphragm condenser for the room mic instead of the 58. I really like the MCA SP1 and they're around $50...

[jefh]

Many thanks Fezz.

[Bongolation]

That's the regular old 1202, not the vlz... .

According to Scott Dorsey, who recommends the Mackey's preamp, the VLZ's circuit is substantially improved over the original. He explained in detail why, but I can't find the e-mail he sent me about it, so you'll just have to take my word for it.:rofl

Also, in the free-standing preamp department, don't forget the M-Audio DMP-3.

Oops! I finally found it:

"[The VLZ-Pro preamp is improved] In terms of both sound and S/N. The VLZ-Pro preamps also have more gain if you need it. They went from a single high-gain transistor on each leg of the input to a cascaded pair."

[fezz parka]

I paid $80 bucks for my 1202(used of course). Great improvement over the MX602 I was using in my home setup.If the VLZ's sound better than this, I might as well pick one of those up.:yay