Pre Amps

[Martin Naef]

Hi Paul

punkdISCO wrote:
> 1)	very easy to use
> 2)	A flattering sound could be nice, rather than something very neutral
> 3)	I "think" I only need one channel but Im worried that I might regret
> this (although can imagine why or how)

One more question: Do you also need it to include the DA stage, or do 
you just want a pre-amp? Given that you get decent AD/DA converters on 
the MOTU, you can probably do without.

> SPL Channel One - they are about £800 new so should be about 500 used.
> http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov00/articles/spl.htm

This one is a pretty old design by now, but it seems to be tried and 
quite trusted. SPL generally gets good reviews.

> TC Electronic Gold Channel - Ive seen these used for just over 500. Im sure
> they would give bucket loads of character but the digital menu interface
> turns me off.

TC? Character? Erm... I have a Gold Channel and like it a lot for the 
classical work I do. I'd say it's a very clean channel strip. I've also 
used it to post-process funk vocals with very good success - this is 
where the digital interface came in very handy.

If you buy the Goldchannel, you buy it for its function as a digital 
channel strip with the proven TC quality and full recall (this is why 
they like it in radio studio - quick recall for the different speakers). 
But if you're just looking for a pre-amp and don't really need the 
digital connectivity and processing, I'd guess you can get more 
performance for the same money elsewhere.

Martin