Art MPA Gold good mic pre

[charliethunder]

hi guys,
am thinking about buying an Art MPA Gold mic pre.

i read your articles on mic pre's Brandon. and i wondered if you thought this one was was a good pick (notwithstanding all the intelligent stuff you share with all of us in your articles).

i've got a yamaha aw1600 which the onboard mic pre's aint supposed to be the greatest; a $200 sterling audio condenser mic, a sennheiser e835 mic and a yorkville 250 watt mp6 powered mixer. also an assortment of guitars and pianos. but thinking of getting the mic pre primarily to have more fun with vocals.

super appreciate any thoughts you have.

[brandondrury]

i read your articles on mic pre's Brandon. and i wondered if you thought this one was was a good pick

I've never used the Art MPA Gold. With that said. I have a few thoughts on the subject.

This forum is 2 years old sometime this month. I've probably done a thousand reviews of mixes. Only one time have I ever suggested that someone upgrade their mic preamps.

Depending on your goals, there are some extremely important pieces of gear that are required to meet that goal. (an accurate monitoring system) I think that mic preamps are the most over rated piece of gear in the studio. PERIOD.

i've got a yamaha aw1600 which the onboard mic pre's aint supposed to be the greatest;

I was told something similar back in the day about my Mackie board. You would not believe how close a Vintech 1272 (about $1700 new) sounds to a Mackie. In other words, preamps are subtle creatures. Check out my preamp shootout.

but thinking of getting the mic pre primarily to have more fun with vocals.

Mic pres really aren't that fun. A go cart or fighter jet would be a fun. A mic pre only has one knob and a few buttons. In other words, no singer I've ever recorded has ever noticed when I've switched preamps...ever. I've never noticed a singer having more fun with one pre or another. So, take that as you will.

I think preamps have their place, for sure. However, I think a preamp upgrade should occur about when a person is recording with a Mercedes. If your recording rig is more like a Ford Taurus, you won't see much or any benefit that isn't concocted in your own mind. (Perception is reality, however).

Brandon