This was a vocal preamp shootout I discovered online that I found very interesting. It pits extreme low end vs. extreme high end. The mic used in each recording was a Manley Reference Gold. Preamps range from the ridiculously cheap mackie vlz to the ultra high end Fearn ($3800 street) Signal chain Manley Ref>preamp>Apogee psx 100
Even though it sounds obvious to say, the sound really does get better up the chain. The Mackie VLZ is the worst to me by far, followed by the MP 20. They have a coating of low mid garbage that reminds me why I invest in nice preamps. Next I would say the GML...it just isnt clear or forward enough. Then the Neve, which sounds good, but with this voice it's alittle bit flat sounding to me. And then, my winner, the DW Fearn. Smooth and rich, it defintely captures the vocal the best. On a side-note, what I really hear on ALL of these clips is the older Apogee converters...I owned an orginal AD16 (not the x series) years ago and they are a HUGE bummer.
the mackie is by far the worst for this application, but im gonna have to say i would defintely have used the mp 20 over the gml 4 sure. my first choice would be the neve. of course people haveto hear things in their room in their space to make a proper judgement.
In my studio, and even on my laptop speakers I hear a huge difference. I like the DW Fearn the best on her voice. The Neve would be my second choice which sounds great too. The Mackie just sounds cold and harsh on her voice. Shelterr chose the exact order that I did.
