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Mike Pope Design MPP-1 Review

#101
Lets say that I wanted to boost the low mid range at around 180hz, it it possible to get that low mid punch sound without boosting a pile of low end, thus creating rumble? I love that 180hz range on my ashdown and other amps, that is go to punch frequency for me. I really like shelving for the highs by the way. I'll probably have my MPP-1 next week.
 
#102
I'm not sure, but I would guess that you'll find 180hz in the thick bass section and the round mids section. Try boosting one and cutting the other, particularly boosting the thick bass and cutting the round mids. Mike actually recommended this exact thing, and, while I didn't settle on this tone, it helped me understand how the preamp works. Personally, I like upper mid information but with balanced low mids and deep bass. I'm guessing that upper mid frequency is between 680 and 800hz. I isolate that perfectly with the MPP-1 by boosting the punch mid section and cutting the edge. It seems counter-intuitive, but what I think you're really doing is notching where the peak frequency is like a semi-parametric eq. I don't know if Mike designed it with that in mind, but it works. Hope this helps.
 
#103
Hey Pete, thanks for the update. It almost sounds like you're digging the preamp's overall character but are fighting the eq alittle? Anyway, it looks like several people are buying these pre's and mine should be sent out next week. Way to to Mike!
 
#105
kringle77 said:
Hey Pete, thanks for the update. It almost sounds like you're digging the preamp's overall character but are fighting the eq alittle? Anyway, it looks like several people are buying these pre's and mine should be sent out next week. Way to to Mike!
Click to expand...

What makes you say that? I'm not fighting the eq. The preamp takes some time to get to know, that's all. It is very interactive, almost like an F1-X where there is a lot of subtle tones to be had as well as some magic tricks toward finding your favorite tones.
 
#106
Ahh, I see. Cool. I just got back from a really good gig. I actually got a great sound going to the board only. Get this, I was using an old peavey bassist preamp! I set the eq flat, pushed in the "punch" button, turned up the high shelving control to 3 o'clock and was done. Instant tone. Sometimes we lose track of what we can do with the simplest of gear. It's probably worth $100 on ebay.
 
#108
Just wanted to let you know I've recently sent 4 units out. Three mpp-1's and an mpp-2. Hopefully some comments will be posted soon. I'm working on having a little video demo put together for the site. Hopefully I can make it happen soon.
 
#109
thepontif said:
Hopefully some comments will be posted soon.
Click to expand...

Hey Mike. I'm not one to jump the gun on the reviews, but thought I would offer my initial impressions. I received my MPP1 a few days ago and have spent a few hours with it. I haven't had it on the bandstand, nor even at a rehearsal. However, I will say that I am very impressed with the preamp. I think Peter Champagne covered alot of ground, and I agree with alot of what he said. I particularly dig his description of 'extending the frequencies' as opposed to boosting them. I see exactly what he means.

The eq section is interesting because you can use it as simply or as complexly as you want. It is very very easy to get a good sound, so if you're a plug and play kind of guy, you can set it and forget it. There are alot of usable tones in this thing, so once you plug in, with it set flat, that should bring a smile to your face.

If, however, you want to really dig into the tonal sculpting, the is no shortage of options available, and the eq is very interactive and intuitive.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I like to fine tune my tone to the room, but sometimes there isn't a whole lot of time to tweak. When that luxury isn't available, it's nice to know that the pre will deliver a good sound.

The next step for me is A/Bing it against my older Walter Woods. I've been meaning to do that, but I just haven't found the time.

I have it going into a Stewart World 1.2 running bridged mono into an Epifani UL310. This is giving me a bit shy of 1000 watts since the UL310 is 5.3 (?) ohms.

I have alot to explore on this preamp, but for those who are on the fence, the preamp gets high marks from this user. I think once more people get their hands on it, and spread the word, Mike is going to be very busy.

So, Mike, anything else in the works?
 
#111
Andrew Jones said:
Funny I was considering gassing over this exact setup lately. Do you play any upright bass? electric upright/babybass?

Did you get the 2 channel or one?


Aj
Click to expand...

I do double, but I usually go with my Acoustic Image combo for upright. I just make one trip from my car to the club. When I lived in the city, I could walk to gigs. It was great. I can't really give up this setup - plus a 1000 watt 3x10 rig might be a bit much for the upright gigs that I do.

I haven't plugged my upright into this rig. I bet the Pope into the Berg IP112 would KILL on upright gigs. I'm sure Mike designed the pre to work for doublers though.

For electric, this could be THE rig for me. Time will tell, but I have high hopes. I try not to speak to soon about these things, but, I'm really digging the pre.

I have the one channel version.
 
#113
I don't have pics of it yet but I have parts. I have one in my rack that I use. I'll shoot a couple "raw" shots so you can get an idea. The finish and everything is the same as the mpp-1. The specs are essentially the same too. The two channels are identical to the 1 channel in the mpp-1. There is one master volume and master mute switch. There are two DI's, one for each channel, but there is also a link switch that sends both channels to both DI outputs. You still have individual control over the DI levels but they get mixed. This is for when you're using two basses on stage into one line to the house. You can give each bass it's own level to the DI without affecting stage volume, but both go to one channel of the house console. There is still one master output with both channels mixed. The master mute mutes both channels on stage but not at the DI's or the headphone output. Everything else is the same as the mpp-1. It's a little heavier because of the larger power transformer...not more than a pound. Still one rack space, still the exact same dimensions.

On Kringle77's preamp I added a pre/post switch for the DI at his request. That's an option. It's a pretty easy modification and could be done for both channels.
 
#114
NickyBass said:
I do double, but I usually go with my Acoustic Image combo for upright. I just make one trip from my car to the club. When I lived in the city, I could walk to gigs. It was great. I can't really give up this setup - plus a 1000 watt 3x10 rig might be a bit much for the upright gigs that I do.

I haven't plugged my upright into this rig. I bet the Pope into the Berg IP112 would KILL on upright gigs. I'm sure Mike designed the pre to work for doublers though.

For electric, this could be THE rig for me. Time will tell, but I have high hopes. I try not to speak to soon about these things, but, I'm really digging the pre.

I have the one channel version.
Click to expand...

FYI, I spent some time with the Berg IP's recently because people had been suggesting them as a good mate for this preamp. That little 112 is killer. I actually liked the 212 better than all of them, but he has apparently discontinued them. It's a shame because that's one bad a$$ cabinet. Anyway, the 112 is great, BUT I really hated the DSP in it. Jim tunes the cabinet to "flat" with the DSP front-end which seems like a good idea. But in practice it sounds FAR better just running with the DSP off...or "amplifier flat" and not trying to compensate for the natural sound of the speaker. It's a great sounding and musical cabinet...it doesn't need the help.
 
#116
I just received my new MPP-1 too. I hope to have enough time this weekend to give it a thorough review, but my initial impression is that it's a fabulous preamp! I particularly love the tonal flexibility of the EQ section. Extreme adjustments are both predictable and very musical.

I'll post more this weekend!

- Greg


NickyBass said:
Hey Mike. I'm not one to jump the gun on the reviews, but thought I would offer my initial impressions. I received my MPP1 a few days ago and have spent a few hours with it. I haven't had it on the bandstand, nor even at a rehearsal. However, I will say that I am very impressed with the preamp. I think Peter Champagne covered alot of ground, and I agree with alot of what he said. I particularly dig his description of 'extending the frequencies' as opposed to boosting them. I see exactly what he means.

The eq section is interesting because you can use it as simply or as complexly as you want. It is very very easy to get a good sound, so if you're a plug and play kind of guy, you can set it and forget it. There are alot of usable tones in this thing, so once you plug in, with it set flat, that should bring a smile to your face.

If, however, you want to really dig into the tonal sculpting, the is no shortage of options available, and the eq is very interactive and intuitive.

I'm somewhere in the middle. I like to fine tune my tone to the room, but sometimes there isn't a whole lot of time to tweak. When that luxury isn't available, it's nice to know that the pre will deliver a good sound.

The next step for me is A/Bing it against my older Walter Woods. I've been meaning to do that, but I just haven't found the time.

I have it going into a Stewart World 1.2 running bridged mono into an Epifani UL310. This is giving me a bit shy of 1000 watts since the UL310 is 5.3 (?) ohms.

I have alot to explore on this preamp, but for those who are on the fence, the preamp gets high marks from this user. I think once more people get their hands on it, and spread the word, Mike is going to be very busy.

So, Mike, anything else in the works?
Click to expand...
 
#117
I got my MPP-1 last night. It hasn't been gigged yet obviously. I'm pleased but have alot of things to say about the preamp. I'll try to keep it simple. It was plugged into a crown xti2000 amp, EA NL-210 cab and the bass was a Yamaha billy sheehan limited attitude.

Physical - I was expecting it to be alittle heavier than it is. It weighs less than even a sansamp RBI. But, light is a good thing when you have a full rack. I did open it up to check everything out and must say, thats the second big surprise. There is almost nothing inside! Everything is micro, pretty much like the printed circuit boards on the Markbass amps or aguilar AG500. Mike must have good eyes and a bench magnifying glass to build these. The blue light on the front will blind you, but I like that. It's like having a little pyrotechnics in your rack. The knobs feel smooth, switches are solid and tiny. It's all small and light but quality. It's hard to believe that I payed so much for so little hardware but then again, I paid alot less for a pile of hardware that didn't sound as good. Nothing exotic, just solid.

Sound - Pete did a really good job at describing how this pre sounds. When I plugged in the first thing that I noticed was how the strings felt under my fingers. It felt natural, not like the strings are sticking to your fingers. It just feels like you're playing you bass unplugged. Responsive with nothing weighing you down. That was a major concern for me and the preamp passed the test.
Don't expect to be wowed when you first plug in. The sound is not hyped in anyway. The first time I plugged into an avalon 737 I was very impressed but at a gig, it just didn't work for me. The MPP-1 set flat did just what it was supposed to do. It sounded like my bass but louder. I like the sound of my bass so again, thats good!

EQ - (treble) This is the best treble control I have ever used. It's shelving (which I prefer for treble) and can be used to liven up dead strings or slightly roll of alittle top to emulate a cab without a tweeter. I liked the air and crunch positions for different things but really, I don't have to use it as it sound perfect set flat.No complaints.
(Edge) A good upper mid control with a medium/narrow Q. It definitely could help you stand out more in a mix or pull back a barky bass thats not playing well with the other instruments. At a live gig I have a feeling that this control will be handy.
(Mid) I have mixed feelings about the mid control. It sounds good in both positions but, doesn't exactly boost what I want. I am getting close by manipulating it with the bass control but, not exactly. Punch sounds like it's a medium bell curve at around 800 hz and gives your sound alittle more rock character and thickens the A & D strings. Round sounds like it's a bit wider at around 250. Thickens your over all sound and adds some punch. For me, I would rather have it down closer to 180 hz but, Mike will do that for a fee. Maybe I'll look into that after a few gigs but, I really don't want to let this preamp go now.
(Bass) Another shelving control. Deep is probably around 80hz and thick near 200-250hz. Im not a fan of low shelving even though it does sound more musical than other bass controls. I think that deep is better for me. I'd rather see a band pass at around 80 or so. Not to say that it doesn't sound good. This is just nit picking and preference.
(headphones) Havn't tried it yet.

Overall - Mike did a great job. This has a very natural, honest sound. Like pete said, this is not a plug and play preamp so to speak. It sounds good from the get go but to really see what it can do and understand the eq, you will have to play with it. I really think that this a piece of GIG gear and no so much a GC toy. Please don't get upset with me but, Im sure that a large company could put this preamp out for a third of the price. But, Mike builds these one at a time by hand and probably doesn't get the parts cost that someone like eden would. Also, he knows the product inside out, will repair it and will even mod the thing for you if need be. This is worth some extra dough. Also, you can be sure that FLAT means FLAT. How many pre's have we tried that were supposed to do the same thing? How many times have you wondered "is this really how my bass sounds?"

Conclusion - This is a serious bassists preamp. A kid using a pick on a cheap ibanez into the new amp of the week at GC probably wouldn't appreciate the MPP-1. A guy who gigs all the time under less than perfect conditions will. Now Mike, if you could get the price down to $600, I'd take two more! ;)
 
#119
One more thing that is very important. When adjusting the eq, it almost sounds/feels like your emphasizing or attenuating part of the neck rather than changing the whole basses character. When boosting the mid set to punch, it seems like your bringing up the notes on the A and D strings up to about the 12th fret but then it cuts off. When cutting back the edge control, you're taming down some of the higher notes but not dulling definition of lower and highest tones. Thats actually very handy.
 
#120
I'm glad your first impressions are what they are. That's a good sign! I think this thing is really clean without being sterile.

One thing regarding your comment about paying so much for so little equipment (after your peek inside). I want to point out that making something that's complicated work well isn't nearly as hard as making something very, very simple work well. I've spent a lot of time trimming fat out of this design. The tiny circuit board is a huge part of why it sounds as good as it does. The traces are really short for the most part...and relatively wide. So inductance and capacitance don't build up where they don't belong. You want to try to keep the linear parts of the circuit linear, so the non-linear parts can do what they're meant to do. That's a major reason why the EQ is so powerful without necessarily needing extreme adjustment.

Keep me posted on the tuning of the EQ, too. I'd much rather work a little more to get you just what you want than to just dismiss it as "it is what it is". Have fun!
 

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