software

I'm looking into buying a mic preamp for recording guitar and vocals onto my PC. I've been using my cheapo 4-track as a preamp to boost the signal to line level into my Audigy 2 ZS soundcard, but the quality is obviously not that great.

The Art Tube MP series looks pretty good, especially for under $100. I've also seen some more expensive units that have a USB or Firewire output that completely bypass the soundcard altogether. How does the sound quality of these compare to the cheaper units? Are they worth the extra money?

Dude you really need to look into the studio projects VTB-1. Its around $100 and totally kills the art tube mp or presonus tube pre.

I agree with vinterland on this one. The ART style tube pres have their uses but anyone serious about the having top notch quality would do better to opt for something else. The studio-projects pre is more expensive but is a waaay better value. Just about anything from studio-projects is a ridiculously good value really. If you're looking to drop more, look into m-audio stuff.

USB or firewire is going to sound far better than soundcard recording.

I have a $3000 Avalon in addition to some other money pres. But I got to tell ya, sometimes when I want that certain sound, that little $99 Presonus TubePre is cool as hell if used right.


Originally Posted by Robert S.USB or firewire is going to sound far better than soundcard recording.

1
37 (ms) if you include latency.

Yeah, usb will sound better in most cases unless you have a good recording soundcard. Its all about the A/D conversion. They are definately better than a stock sound card on a dell or something. But, cheap usb interfaces won't hold a candle to a good recording soundcard with a good clock.