Tube Preamplifier
bleez
Sep 25 2015, 05:30 PM
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*warning - noob questions ahead

what is the purpose of a Tube Preamplifier?
I noticed the PreSonus TubePre V2 listed in the gear used on Jacob Light's new lesson. Just wondering what it would be used for, is it just a DI box or are they used for tone or something?

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fzalfa
Sep 25 2015, 05:42 PM
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hi Bleez

i use a tube pre-amp, and it give a warm sound with some crunch if i push it, it's usefull with modelised effects as GR5 or my boss GT100.

Laurent

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Todd Simpson
Sep 25 2015, 06:44 PM
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As Laurent mentioned a Tube Preamp is often used to "warm up" the tone. Tubes have a warm quality that digital stuff can sometimes lack. It would make the sound a bit more "round" and "brown" if that helps smile.gif Most modern processors do their best to emulate tube bits in the signal chain. E.G. my 11 rack has emulations of several tube based amp heads which have tube based preamp sections.

Some folks will get a seprate tube preamp and run it before their audio interface just to make the sound going in more round/warm etc.

QUOTE (bleez @ Sep 25 2015, 12:30 PM) *
*warning - noob questions ahead

what is the purpose of a Tube Preamplifier?
I noticed the PreSonus TubePre V2 listed in the gear used on Jacob Light's new lesson. Just wondering what it would be used for, is it just a DI box or are they used for tone or something?

You are at GuitarMasterClass.net


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fzalfa
Sep 25 2015, 06:52 PM
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QUOTE
Some folks will get a seprate tube preamp and run it before their audio interface just to make the sound going in more round/warm etc.


i do...

with a ART tube pac (preamp + compressor)

Laurent

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bleez
Sep 25 2015, 07:11 PM
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I see smile.gif so you wouldn't be using this infront of a tube amp. Its more for using with a digital processor or maybe a solid state / transistor type amp. very interesting. thanks smile.gif
that's really cool actually. I cant believe Ive just discovered this!

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This post has been edited by bleez: Sep 25 2015, 07:15 PM


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fzalfa
Sep 25 2015, 07:32 PM
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Bleez , if you want an idea, i can do a take with the tubepac , a neutral tune and i add gain time to time.

interested ?

Laurent

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Mertay
Sep 25 2015, 07:32 PM
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QUOTE (bleez @ Sep 25 2015, 06:11 PM) *
I see smile.gif so you wouldn't be using this infront of a tube amp. Its more for using with a digital processor or maybe a solid state / transistor type amp. very interesting. thanks smile.gif
that's really cool actually. I cant believe Ive just discovered this!


It does the same job the preamps on the soundcards do, it only has sonic benefits for creamier tone but don't imagine anything like guitar amp distortion-overdrive (though the affordable ones can be pushed a bit).

Preamps must be transparent to some degree cause imagine recording a huge project, you'd want everything to be clear if too dirty then the mix will be muddy. For a recording engineer choosing preamps is probably the most critical choice as unlike a compressor or even eq its allover the mix as its used as a neccesity.

On huge studio's one engineer might have a few preamps (aside the preamps of the console), but for home use if you're not happy with the soundcards preamps then the mentioned affordable preamps (art, presonus) are an option.

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Todd Simpson
Sep 25 2015, 08:15 PM
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Typically yeah smile.gif If you have a tube amp./head it's probably got it's own tube preamp section and tube power section (e.g. Mesa Mark X) so it's good for warming things up before they hit the digital world. Also, it's a great way to add extra punch when using something like POD FARM or what not. Most of those amps benefit from being hit harder rather than softer.

However, you can do something similar with a "clean boost" or even semi clean boost. E.G. put your tube screamer with gain on zero and level on 6+ before your audio interface. It will help push drive on your amp sims and beef things up quite a bit.

Todd


QUOTE (bleez @ Sep 25 2015, 02:11 PM) *
I see smile.gif so you wouldn't be using this infront of a tube amp. Its more for using with a digital processor or maybe a solid state / transistor type amp. very interesting. thanks smile.gif
that's really cool actually. I cant believe Ive just discovered this!

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This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Sep 25 2015, 08:16 PM
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Mertay
Sep 25 2015, 09:19 PM
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QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Sep 25 2015, 07:15 PM) *
However, you can do something similar with a "clean boost" or even semi clean boost. E.G. put your tube screamer with gain on zero and level on 6+ before your audio interface. It will help push drive on your amp sims and beef things up quite a bit.

Todd



Klon might be as famous (specially for blues guys) as a tubescreamer for this smile.gif if anyone hasn't heard of that pedal google and check out the price for the original one biggrin.gif

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bleez
Sep 25 2015, 09:55 PM
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QUOTE (fzalfa @ Sep 25 2015, 07:32 PM) *
Bleez , if you want an idea, i can do a take with the tubepac , a neutral tune and i add gain time to time.

interested ?

Laurent

Yes! That would be great, Laurent. Thanks dude smile.gif

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Sep 25 2015, 08:15 PM) *
However, you can do something similar with a "clean boost" or even semi clean boost. E.G. put your tube screamer with gain on zero and level on 6+ before your audio interface. It will help push drive on your amp sims and beef things up quite a bit.
Todd

Ah yes, Ive been trying that recently with a couple of tone city pedals. I really like them in before the pod hd. It makes a huge difference.

QUOTE (Mertay @ Sep 25 2015, 09:19 PM) *
Klon might be as famous (specially for blues guys) as a tubescreamer for this smile.gif if anyone hasn't heard of that pedal google and check out the price for the original one biggrin.gif

Mertay, have you or your mates had any experience with the J Rockett Archer? Its on my 'list' of potential future purchases! Its supposed to be one of the better klon types.
It sounds great on demo vids...... but then again most things do smile.gif

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Mertay
Sep 25 2015, 10:24 PM
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QUOTE (bleez @ Sep 25 2015, 08:55 PM) *
Mertay, have you or your mates had any experience with the J Rockett Archer? Its on my 'list' of potential future purchases! Its supposed to be one of the better klon types.
It sounds great on demo vids...... but then again most things do smile.gif


I have a bunch of web-buddies from a blues forum, almost all of them started with the soulfood then all of them sold it biggrin.gif

Later on they found a guy who cloned the klon, they all ordered one and are pretty happy with it. One of them owns a real klon who also ordered and liked it. But this happened in Turkey and the archer wasn't around those days, so I'd say its best for you to go with a brand than custom order.

I also checked some videos and that archer seems really good, but you might also notice its at its best when really subtle drived. Any extra gain then (to me) it doesn't sound much better than any other mid-priced overdrive, all the blues guys I know uses it that way (low-gain) in a pretty much always on fashion.

So since you're in the amp market I'll motivate you by saying unlike distortion type stuff it only sounds as good as the amp biggrin.gif

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Kristofer Dahl
Sep 25 2015, 10:31 PM
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I use this one and it's a cheap and flexible unit:
http://www.thomann.de/se/behringer_mic200_...gain_preamp.htm

even cheaper version:
http://www.thomann.de/se/behringer_mic100_...n_micpreamp.htm

I don't use it for my audio productions, but I use it all the time for video chats and when recording spoken stuff for video material.

I haven't compared it with other pre amps, but from when I have read people think it is a competitive unit. (well at least that was the case ~10 years ago when I bought it)

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Todd Simpson
Sep 25 2015, 11:10 PM
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Good call! smile.gif Here is a cheapy unit from ART. Under $50

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/a...dio-mic-preampv

of course, they have a nice rack unit as well for a bit more cash, about $300 US

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/a...c-preamp?pfm=sp






QUOTE (Kristofer Dahl @ Sep 25 2015, 05:31 PM) *
I use this one and it's a cheap and flexible unit:
http://www.thomann.de/se/behringer_mic200_...gain_preamp.htm

even cheaper version:
http://www.thomann.de/se/behringer_mic100_...n_micpreamp.htm

I don't use it for my audio productions, but I use it all the time for video chats and when recording spoken stuff for video material.

I haven't compared it with other pre amps, but from when I have read people think it is a competitive unit. (well at least that was the case ~10 years ago when I bought it)

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Mudbone
Sep 26 2015, 05:10 PM
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I was also curious about those tube preamps when I seen it in that lesson laugh.gif I may be mistaken, but it seems like his Tweed deluxe is mic'ed up with two different microphones going into two of those tube preamps.

So what are the preamps plugged into?

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fzalfa
Sep 29 2015, 12:06 PM
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this ia take with progressive vuse of the tube amp

several step, with the two pickup.

https://soundcloud.com/laurent-dizy/test-art-1

Laurent

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bleez
Sep 29 2015, 07:11 PM
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QUOTE (fzalfa @ Sep 29 2015, 12:06 PM) *
this ia take with progressive vuse of the tube amp

several step, with the two pickup.

https://soundcloud.com/laurent-dizy/test-art-1

Laurent

nice demo. Thanks mate. That was really interesting to listen to. Your preamp sounds excellent.

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fzalfa
Sep 29 2015, 07:48 PM
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QUOTE (bleez @ Sep 29 2015, 08:11 PM) *
nice demo. Thanks mate. That was really interesting to listen to. Your preamp sounds excellent.


you'r welcome !

i have done this one some times ago, it was played onto a Greg Bennett Royal RL 5, archtop guitar with seymour duncan pickups.

Laurent

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Darius Wave
Sep 30 2015, 05:49 PM
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As has been mantioned - tube mic preamps add a little warmth but be aware - sometimes difference between sound of recorded source thorugh the tube preamp is hard to capture the difference comparing to interface built-in preamp. IT does something good but it's not crutial to overall tone shape.

Now something completely different is a guitar tube preamp where whole distortion is fully based on tubes. It will have definitely more compression and warmth + dynamics range get ultra wide (if the preamp is high quality of course). There are a lot of profits while using guitar tube preamp in your gear set if we compare it to stomp-box distortions.

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bleez
Oct 2 2015, 05:12 PM
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QUOTE (Darius Wave @ Sep 30 2015, 05:49 PM) *
As has been mantioned - tube mic preamps add a little warmth but be aware - sometimes difference between sound of recorded source thorugh the tube preamp is hard to capture the difference comparing to interface built-in preamp. IT does something good but it's not crutial to overall tone shape.

Now something completely different is a guitar tube preamp where whole distortion is fully based on tubes. It will have definitely more compression and warmth + dynamics range get ultra wide (if the preamp is high quality of course). There are a lot of profits while using guitar tube preamp in your gear set if we compare it to stomp-box distortions.

interesting. I didnt actually realise you got those! I watched some demos of them. Some of them sound excellent smile.gif

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