mic pre: Beringher mix board vs. Forcusite ToneFactory

[SD] · #1 09-11-2005, 12:23 PM

Ok, i've been recording with a beringher mixer(and a M-audio 1010 rack unit) and well the results are not bad(not good either). I just found a used tonefactory on sale and i was thinking how big the difference in sound quality would be between these two mic pre's.

I'm recording vocals know and the beringher mic preamp from the mixer is missing all the highs of the vocals and all it's fullness.

So, can anyone tell me if the forcusite would be worse to buy it. ANd if i will get a really big improve in sound quality?

thanks

el_Kabong · #2 09-12-2005, 09:19 PM

That's a hard question to answer without direct experience of both devices and without knowing what you perceive as a big improvement. What sort of mic are you using? If the recording is missing ''all the highs" and 'fullness' I don't think the behringer pre is the main issue and a preamp upgrade is probably not going to fix it.

[SD] · #3 09-13-2005, 06:34 AM

i'm using a AKG c3000 for the vocals. Well, we tried a compresor(EHX black finger) while tracking the volcals the other day and even though it's noisy...after mixing you cannot hear any noise and it sounds a lot fuller, a lot more natural, i guess i was needing also a good compresor. Even though i still don't hear all the high frequencies the singer is singing, i mean the really high timbre it's missing.
I was thinking forcusite would be a better pre than any beringher stuff and because of the fact it has also a compressor it would be really good for vocals. I'm just not sure if i would see a really good improvement in sound so it would be worth to buy it.

el_Kabong · #4 09-13-2005, 08:11 PM

I haven't used a C3000 or the black finger so I'm not familiar with them. I understand that the c3000 has a decent top end though not 'missing all the highs'. A few thoughts, first a dull top end can be a typical result of a hard working compressor. Is the top end ok if you record without the black finger? If so try raising the threshold, lowering the ratio, lengthening the attack, soft knee.... see if the highs return.

I guess another possibility is the mic could be damaged/faulty, has it been dropped? You could take it into a store and compare with another one. Good time to give one of the tonefactories a spin while you're there! A faulty desk channel is another long shot (just try another channel). Does the mixer have direct outs, have you given them a go?

Are you using one of those dual layer pop filters when you record? They knock off quite a bit of top end to my ear. If so try recording without it. Place the mic a little below the vocalist's mouth (out of the wind blast) and angle it up at the mouth. This is a good position for highs as well, as the highs tend to bounce off the roof of the singer's mouth and are reflected downwards, into the mic.

Lastly you could record with a little high end eq from the desk to get the sound you're after. It's not a sin to track with eq! Hope something here is useful.

[SD] · #5 09-14-2005, 05:13 AM

GREAT TIPS!! i'll try them all!.

WalterBush · #6 09-21-2005, 12:12 AM

Ordinarily, I'd say the Focusrite, hands down, every time, would make an immediate and obvious difference, even if you were listening on an airplane, with laptop speakers, while the pilot was talking over the PA. Behringer products sound thin and cheap, because, guess what, they are cheap!!

However, in this case, the ToneFactory was meant an instrument recording device. I don't remember what it's rear panel looks like, but as I recall it didn't have mic-level ins, or phantom power, and any adaptor you used would just rob sound elsewhere.

el kabong had some good suggestions, but I'd recommend looking into spending $99 or so on a dedicated vocal pre if you're concerned about it. ART makes a decent one, and Presonus has a couple of options for the budget-concious, both of which will give you better quality over a Behringer mixer's built-in preamp. To be honest, the only preamps I've heard that sound thinner than Behringer's mixer pre's are built in to karaoke machines or stuffed into boxes with "Nady" stamped on the front. I'd strongly recommend trying out a couple of less-expensive mic preamps at your local music store, and look into bypassing the Behringer for studio use altogether. Since I heard the difference in a recording that good, or even decent, mic pre's make, I've relegated my Behringer 4-channel board to usage as my drummer's personal monitor mixer, where it serves admirably.