View other reviews for this product:
mooseherman « Four Mic Pre's in one Rackspace! »
Published on 06/24/10 at 13:19These are some of my favorite mic pres that I have used at the new studio that I work at. I really like the fact that they are such a useful mic pre and don't color the sound. These are analog mic pre's. They are incredibly easy to use and have a handful of useful features. The unit has four XLR inputs in the rear, as well as unbalanced 1/4" inputs in front. This makes it easy to patch into a patch bay, but also easy to just plug directly into using a DI or other options.
UTILIZATION
This pre-amp is very easy to use, it's pretty basic overall. There is simply a knob for input gain, as well as four buttons; one pad which is 20 db reduction, one for phantom power, one for a polarity switch (phasing), and one to switch in order to optimize between a mic input and a line input.
SOUND QUALITY
API is known for making great sounding gear, and their pre-amps are especially highly regarded as some of the industry leaders. This pre-amp has a crystal clear sound, one that is remarkably transparent. This has pro's and cons, but more often than not it gives you the same sound that you put into it, which is a solid quality to find in a pre-amp. They certainly won't always be ideal for what you are trying to do, and sometimes you may want to color the signal a little bit more than what these amps will do. But overall they are very useful and reliable.
OVERALL OPINION
I like the clarity and transparency of this mic pre the best. For the price of this pre-amp, which has four pre's included in it, it's pretty remarkable that it's so cheap. This probably explains why many, many studios that I have been to in the recent years have these pre's. I've used many mic pre's, and I'd certainly have to say that these are far from the best I've heard. However, they are certainly reliable, and capable of giving good recordings.
UTILIZATION
This pre-amp is very easy to use, it's pretty basic overall. There is simply a knob for input gain, as well as four buttons; one pad which is 20 db reduction, one for phantom power, one for a polarity switch (phasing), and one to switch in order to optimize between a mic input and a line input.
SOUND QUALITY
API is known for making great sounding gear, and their pre-amps are especially highly regarded as some of the industry leaders. This pre-amp has a crystal clear sound, one that is remarkably transparent. This has pro's and cons, but more often than not it gives you the same sound that you put into it, which is a solid quality to find in a pre-amp. They certainly won't always be ideal for what you are trying to do, and sometimes you may want to color the signal a little bit more than what these amps will do. But overall they are very useful and reliable.
OVERALL OPINION
I like the clarity and transparency of this mic pre the best. For the price of this pre-amp, which has four pre's included in it, it's pretty remarkable that it's so cheap. This probably explains why many, many studios that I have been to in the recent years have these pre's. I've used many mic pre's, and I'd certainly have to say that these are far from the best I've heard. However, they are certainly reliable, and capable of giving good recordings.