Recording my bass, Valve pre-amps ?

[Sir Signal Path]

Hello, I’m recording my Warwick into a dark glass micro tubes 500 into my UA Apollo, I’m thinking of adding an actual valve tube pre amp to run into before recording, I guess in the hope of adding some valve warmth. I’m looking at a few options, just wondered if this is a thing, if it’s worthwhile, has noticeable benefits and any suggested valve pre-amps out there that are recommended? Any advice very welcome

 

[seamonkey]

It's not worthwhile. There are hundreds of plugins that do all the known pre-amps on earth. And they all have free trials. If you find a software plugin that is close to what you like, then you can go look for a hardware version of it afterwards.

 

[Mushroo]

Recording bass with a valve preamp/DI is definitely a "thing," and there is a ton of information in this mega-thread:

Tube Preamp/DI Sound Samples — Noble, Oracle, P-15, Super Stack, REDDI, Tonecraft, Jule...

I think you will discover, valve devices (like the REDDI for example) are well regarded in the studio.

That said, I do kind of agree with @seamonkey: doesn't your UA Apollo come with a set of plugins that includes things like the UA 610 valve preamp?

 

[silky smoove]

Budget?

 

[equill]

Consider other sources of warmth as well, like transformers.

Thanks to Basstheworld.com's Youtube clip from a couple of years back, I was put onto the idea of using mic preamps and overdriving those a little. Variations on the Neve 1073 design are popular, if expensive due to the design. I wound up going the API-flavoured route, and now I'm thinking about getting a second Warm Audio TB12. They do a slightly smaller and cheaper model in the WA-12 as well, but I like having the extra tweakability.

 

[fokof]

You have access to a ton of different UA plugins with your Apollo.
Unison Inputs works really well.

+ the Ampeg emulation are the best on the market

 

[DirkP]

I have unsatisfying experiences with budget and cheap tube-preamps. I very much prefer a transformer in a preamp or compressor against cheap tube gear.
IMO it is just marketing garbage. The first tube preamp I really like, esp. for bass is the UA-610, I own the LA-610 MKII. But it is expensive.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

You can always add a little drive later, but you can’t take it off.

Depending on how upfront the bass track is, it might not be worth it. In fact, I would suggest skipping the pre on the amp all together.

 

[silky smoove]

You can always add a little drive later, but you can’t take it off.

A tube preamp doesn’t necessarily equate to drive or as most would think of it “audible distortion.” Most tube preamps can be run clean or with a little harmonic excitation that is technically distortion but doesn’t present in the same way.

 

[silky smoove]

Don’t sweat tubes or lack of tubes. A preamp either sounds good or it doesn’t. I love a UA Solo 610 (tube) but found the ART Tube MP offerings to sound horrible. Conversely I absolutely love ART’s TransX (solid state) and very much disliked the solid state side of UA’s Twinfinity preamps. Brand and topology have nothing to do with it. Awesome sound coming out of the speakers after capture is all that matters.

 

[Scotty4string]

I would say tube preamps can definitely make your sound better. I recently bought a Khan VTDI for recording and live use. Although not a preamp, as a tube di it adds a nice clean tube warmth to anything I run through it.

 

[Bob_Ross]

in the hope of adding some valve warmth. I’m looking at a few options, just wondered if this is a thing

Oh, it's definitely "a thing"
...whether it's a real thing is a separate question.