• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Presonus Studio Studio Channel Preamp

#121
Supertanker said:
Punch can be dial in with eq (125hz ~250hz) and compression.
And I LIKE PUNCH!!!

Depth can be handled with a tube roll.

Clarity - generally with eq
Click to expand...

i'm glad that its working for you, but i have never been able to acheive punch in any preamp with EQ or compression, as those two things don't have much to do with transient response.

i have ALOT of NOS tubes, and they generally don't make alot of difference in a single tube preamp, especially when running at lower voltages.

and yes, you can brighten the signal with EQ, but it doesn't yield clarity, a bigger 3D soundstage or depth.

but to each his own........
 
#122
I'm not knocking your opinion, just trying to "clarify" hehe.

Clarity and Transparency are generally attributes of "flat response" amps, meaning they don't "color the sound themselves" as you said yourself. Like a studio monitor is considered optimum if you want clarity, because it doesn't have a sound of its own, it just supposedly makes the input louder (as closely as possible).

I also agree with supertanker, if the amp is flat, you can use EQ to emphasis certain frequency spectrums that are attributed to "punch" or whatever else.

I don't really know anything about transient response or "depth" or whatever, I won't touch that one with a 40 foot pole.
 
#123
amps or preamps with very good specs and sonic quality usually have a frequency response of + or - 0.5db from 20Hz-20Khz. my old Neves are flat from 10Hz-200Khz. (yes 200Khz is not a typo!)

really good preamps do not introduce any phase shift into their frequency response either, and this is where the high end ones are transparent, have a huge sound stage and the most clarity. most, if not all of the less expensive ones tend to 'smear' the midrange and highs, and lose definition in the the low end.

i might add that its not necessary to have the perfect preamp, just one that sounds the way that you like your bass to sound, and is within your budget.
 
#124
thudfromafar said:
Clarity and Transparency are generally attributes of "flat response" amps, meaning they don't "color the sound themselves" as you said yourself. Like a studio monitor is considered optimum if you want clarity, because it doesn't have a sound of its own, it just supposedly makes the input louder (as closely as possible).
Click to expand...

believe me, you have to start spending real money to acquire gear that doesn't introduce at least some sound, or color of its own. i've always said, you always pay more for something you can't hear than for something you can. and this is especially true for microphones, mixing boards and channel strips.
 
#125
johnk_10 said:
i'm glad that its working for you, but i have never been able to acheive punch in any preamp with EQ or compression, as those two things don't have much to do with transient response.

i have ALOT of NOS tubes, and they generally don't make alot of difference in a single tube preamp, especially when running at lower voltages.

and yes, you can brighten the signal with EQ, but it doesn't yield clarity, a bigger 3D soundstage or depth.

but to each his own........
Click to expand...

My experience leads me to disagree with everything you've said above.

Pages and pages have been written about punch and compression and punch and EQ. Not to mention the compressor website that Bongo maintains where he has a section on punch. There are even compressor with punch in the name "Aphex Punch Factory Optical Compressor". I have no problem getting ridiculous amounts of punch from most compressors with basic controls.

I've also spent over 20 years working in recording studios and live sound, where again I have achieved punch with both EQ and compression.

Preamps respond differently to tube changes, some it makes little difference, some make a huge difference. The tube in Presonus unit is very inexpensive. I've contended that the $15.00 Tungsol is a vast improvement over the tube that's in there (I know because I tried it). It has nothing to do with NOS tubes. In this case every tube roll I tried made a night and day difference.

I achieved the sound stage and depth with the tube change not eq...
 
#126
Supertanker said:
My experience leads me to disagree with everything you've said above.
Click to expand...

right back at ya'
you are certainly entitled to your own opinion, but IME that's NOT the way the pros see it at all. EQ does NOT equal punch, nor does compression. the aphex 'punch factory' is JUST a name. i still have one and it doesn't add ANY punch at all. i've owned a 24 track analog studio (Amek M3000, three 3M M79's) for the last 25 years and will always stand by my words and opinions.
 
#127
johnk_10 said:
right back at ya'
you are certainly entitled to your own opinion, but IME that's NOT the way the pros see it at all. EQ does NOT equal punch, nor does compression. the aphex 'punch factory' is JUST a name. i still have one and it doesn't add ANY punch at all. i've owned a 24 track analog studio (Amek M300, three 3M M79's) for the last 25 years and will always stand by my words and opinions.
Click to expand...

I did not say EQ equals punch, nor did I say compression equals punch.
 
#130
Studio guys tend to have 34583457875 opinions about the way they do things and bang heads constantly. Calm down guys, it's a $300 channel strip. Some guys like it, some don't. It'll happen with ANY piece of gear/technique.

Thus why there are thousands of studios around the world, and hundreds of companies making pres, EQ's, mics, etc etc etc who all claim to be the "best" at something.
 
#131
you're exactly right Josh.

i've played thru the Presonus for a few hours, and i think its a good preamp for the money, but personally i just didn't like it as much as my other 12 bass preamps- (well, i liked it a little more than my Sansamp RPM but that's about it). i definitely wouldn't trade my Yamaha PB1 for one.
................but to each his own.
 
#132
Back when there were 100's of real world class studios that used actual outboard gear, one could easily see that all of the big boys maintained a stable of the same types and brands of gear as that is what top producers and engineers requested; just because a manufacturer claims it to be the best does not make it so

John, it's just an internet board; quality always stands up no matter what dreamers think; ever see anything Presonus in a big mix room; neither have I
This little channel strip is a nice little tool; a pro quality EQ it is not (IME/IMO)
of course you knew that!
Spend 10+ years with Pultec, United Auido, Neve, and SSL gear with a variety of inputs from violins to Marshalls and quality becomes clear
 
#134
Jim C said:
Back when there were 100's of real world class studios that used actual outboard gear, one could easily see that all of the big boys maintained a stable of the same types and brands of gear as that is what top producers and engineers requested; just because a manufacturer claims it to be the best does not make it so

John, it's just an internet board; quality always stands up no matter what dreamers think; ever see anything Presonus in a big mix room; neither have I
This little channel strip is a nice little tool; a pro quality EQ it is not (IME/IMO)
of course you knew that!
Spend 10+ years with Pultec, United Auido, Neve, and SSL gear with a variety of inputs from violins to Marshalls and quality becomes clear
Click to expand...

Exactly!

And you will never get that kind of quality for $299.00 nor is that what most bass players are after...
 
#135
Supertanker said:
And you will never get that kind of quality for $299.00...
Click to expand...

unless you want to spend even a little less and buy a used Yamaha PB-1, Ashly BP41, Focusrite Tone Factory, or a even a new Art Pro Channel. (all of which, IMO, are a better choice, and don't use a wall-wart for a power supply.
 
#136
here's the way i feel about it...

there is a lot of wonderful sounding expensive gear. people don't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars outfitting studios with gear for no good reason.

but...

you can get awfully good recordings with cheap gear as well. you have to make concessions to its cheapness and work around its weaknesses, but it can be done. what really counts is a good performance, and you do the best you can with what you have, and a good performance will overcome a lot of deficiencies in your gear. i've heard demos of popular songs that weren't as well-recorded but actually are more enjoyable than the more expensive stuff just because they were able to take their time and get exactly what they wanted.

but...

don't mistake it for something from the a room at the record plant.
 
#137
I keep meaning to try some of these out but never have the time.


100_0051.gif




For Bass that is.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back