mic pre / compressors

[whitespike]

I just have the Pro Tools rack system with no extras. I am guessing that a good mic pre is the next purchase that makes sense. Or a good compressor. Or a combo?

I have $300 to spend on the used market. Is that enough for something good?

My group = if the Kinks used a Groovebox.

[bongomania]

I'm guessing you already have an A/D converter (sound card) with mic/line inputs? If not, that's your first stop. Second stop is deciding whether you're going to be doing your tracking one track at a time, or a few people playing/recording at once. If it's a few people at once, you'll need a hardware mixer with a digital output. If you've got that covered too, then...

An external mic pre is great if you are into fidelity- if your Groovebox-Kinks aesthetic includes grungy digitalness, then who cares if the vocals or other live recorded tones sound smooth or 'natural'- the pre built into the soundcard or mixer should be OK enough. But if you like better sound quality, then yeah go mic pre.

A compressor is a very useful tool- but you have to know what you're using it for in order to get any usefulness out of it, and also to know which one(s) will work for your purposes. E.g. if you are mostly concerned about peak limiting to avoid clipping the digi recorder, then you would look into a unit that is known to be an effective limiter, OR get a plugin limiter for the Protools. Or if you are mostly concerned about final mixdown compression, you'd look for a unit better suited to that. If you are thinking about tracking with a compressor, be aware that it's a bad idea until you become very "pro" in your compression expertise because compression can always be added after the track has been recorded, but it can't be removed if you tracked with the compressor on.

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[Greyvagabond]

By the rack system, I think you mean the 003 A/D converter, right? That's a pretty hi-fi converter, so, yes, a quality mic compressor/pre will get the best out of it. Avalon stuff is amazing, but probably more than $300 I'd check out some of the presonus tube mic pres and tube compressors; they should be around that price.

[Charling]

as mentioned before, if you are planing to record more than one thing at a time then a mixer would probably be the best bet. Something like a mackie 1402 should be just within your budget second hand and it has 6 pretty ok mic pres with insert points on all of them so you can go directly out of the desk into the box.

If it is the digi 003 rack you are using then you already have 4 nice mic pre's so i'd just use them. If you go through a mixer first be careful not to go into the mixers mic pre then out of the desk and into the soundcards mic pre, 2 pre's is not a good idea! If you want a single nice pre for doing your main tracking then with the gear you have I wouldn't bother compromising on quality here. It wouldn't do your pro tools box justice and would degrade the sound if anything. just wait until you can afford something that will add another layer to your sound.

you could get something like one of the focusrite green preamp/eq's for a little more than your budget but its without a compressor and I would guess there pretty much in the same kind of area as the built in pre's on the pro tools box. Maybe save up for a focusrite liquid channel, there really great for a lot of different choices of compressors and pre amps in one box, they sound really good too.

basically, youve made a good choice on the card so dont worry about a pre untill you can get something that improves on what you have already.

as for a compressor, heed the words above, only get a hardware compressor if you know what it is you need it for. basically once you get tired of using software ones then start thinking of expanding, and thats about the time you could buy a nice mic pre as well so yeah perhaps get a combo!

[fretlessrock]

Take a look at the Presonus Eureka for a good pre/comp in the $300 range. I really liked the one I had and it was useful for a variety of sources. There is a digital output option, and many of the newer ones came with the option as a free upgrade, so look for that.

Both hardware and software compression have their uses, but only hardware compression can help with loud/spiky sources that have the potential to overload your a/d. Your other option (no compressor before the a/d) is to record at a lower level, preventing "overs", and then deal with makeup gain and compression after tracking. This works but it also has the potential to introduce a lot of noise. In fact it will definitely raise your noise floor, it is just a matter of how much you care.

[bluestarbass]

IMO you would be wasting money getting a sub 300 mic pre when what you have will kill it. The pres on the 002/003 racks are better than people give them credit for, and are definately alot better than the sub $300 or even $500. You don't really get into the tasty stuff until over a grand, or a bit cheaper in lunchbox/500 series format.

[msquared]

If you already have four pic pres built in, don't bother with more unless you need more simultaneous inputs. Anything that is going to noticeably sound better than the stuff you've already got is going to cost a lot more than $300.

Outboard compression is really nice, but learn how to use the software plugins available for compression before you spend money on a piece of hardware. That experience will guide you more specifically toward the gear you genuinely need so that you don't find yourself getting burned by asking a bunch of people on a web board what the best compressor for $300 is and ultimately picking one which doesn't suit you.

If you don't already have some fairly decent mics, spend the entire $300 on mics. If you already are satisfied with your mic setup, spend the money entirely on some fairly decent (audio) monitors. If you already have that, either save your money or start reading up on room treatment and spend the money on that.