[alohachris]

Aloha Martin,

The mic preamps on Apogee interfaces ARE absolutely stellar sounding - & affordable too. I use my Apogee Ensemble & Duet 1 most of the time on my home recordings & love their contribution to my signal chain & recordings when combined w/ excellent mic's.

The only reason that I suggested that Trevor look at The Pendulum tube preamp is that it sounded as if the level of his recording signal chain was moving upward. Since the best results I've found in recording so far are achieved when using signal chains where all the parts are of the same quality, I thought I'd make that particular suggestion.

One thing I do know is that it is more difficult to achieve consistent results if some parts of your signal chain are entry or mid level (like monitors), while others (like mic's) are of higher quality. The differences among preamps alone to be sure are subtle.

Although I do not have any recordings to share here to demonstrate it (online recordings rarely demonstrate ANY clearly audible differences among gear), I've found that you can more easily experience the sonic color variations & those subtle differences as you move up the trough in terms of mic/preamp combo's. This is more obvious on vocals than on acoustic guitar pieces, & I sing. Adding in knowledge about mic placement, lotsa experimentation, & of course, recording in a perfectly treated space that allows for such experimentation & acoustic recording helps our recording processes take on fuller, more rewarding dimensions, IME anyway.

You don't hear that much difference at all from changes in mic preamp choice aione. But you sure can hear those differences in textures, smoothness & color when you play well, on the right instrument, on the right voice & combine better mic's with better mic preamps such as the A designs MP-2A that Trevor is investigating & the Pendulum MDP-1 I recommended. At least, that's been my experience. It's the reason why pro studio's invest in mic lockers & banks of different mic preamps - more complete color pallet. But it's ultimately about the quality of the whole signal chain & our performances while tracking.

My response was to Trevor's interest in high-quality tube mic preamps. I didn't think he'd get many responses here on this old thread so I mentioned the Pendulum MDP-1a - which I love.

In terms of value, each of us must determine for ourselves whether the cost of gear upgrades leads to better recording results. I've been experimenting with & auditioning gear for many decades, but only with top level gear for the last 12 years. As I moved up the gear trough, I began to enjoy recording much more. At least I'm not blaming the gear anymore when my takes are not very good - Ha! That's all's I know.

Again, mic preamp differences are very subtle, until you combine them with some great mic's. The only way to know the difference is to audition gear for yourself, before you buy.

alohachris