15 Affordable Mic Preamps: Desktop, 500 Series, & Rackmount | Reverb

Musicians, engineers, and producers looking for a mic preamp that won't break the bank? Engineer Rachel Leonard is back in the studio to call out some of the best deals on new, and especially, used mic preamps on Reverb. Did we miss one? Share your favorites in the comments.
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[@B-Nice]

Dang, prices were actually really affordable when this video was made

[@SquadwiOnYt]

The isa one is $700 now 😂😂

[@TrevBarnes]

Awesome vid! You guys should do another for compressors/limiters

[@vaughnquinlan6722]

And outboard EQs.

[@TrevBarnes]

Vaughn Quinlan Agreed!

[@abyssal_mouth]

Thanks for the advices, Rachel ! Good video.

[@deanroddey2881]

Neve style pre-amps, though solid state, have a nice sound when you push the input slightly into distortion, particularly for transient material like drums. One thing that I've had good luck with is the Heritage Audio HA81. It's a nice Neve style EQ and pre-amp for a reasonable price (and not just a simple high/low shelf and mid-band as is often the case on these style boxes.) It has two mid bands and high/low pass filters, which make a huge amount of difference.

[@SquareWaveSymphonies]

I really dig this series. Made me consider investing in a home recording rack.

[@MaPa60]

Nice to the point video. Fredenstein preamps is another budget friendly option not mentioned. They have a sweet, smooth transformer based tone, and you can get a 1176 style comp to match.

[@coyotecirclestudio9611]

Word to the wise: Presonus Bluetube type preamps are not “real” tube preamps. Although they do contain a tube in the box, those tubes are essentially meaningless to the gain circuit, they just add dirt. In preamps/pedals like that they are run in starved plate mode, meaning they use a tiny fraction of the normal operating voltage at the tube’s plate. In an amp (or a true tube preamp) the plate would see anywhere from 150-300 volts. In a Presonus type unit, they see about a tenth of that. So no headroom, no dynamic range, no added harmonic warmth, nothing that a real tube preamp brings to the table. Anything that doesn’t have a decently beefy power transformer is a pointless waste of a tube and doesn’t really use it to any significant effect other than dirtying up the signal.

[@pipelineaudio]

I did a response video to this video and I suspected this would be a starved plate design, thanks for the confirmation!

[@PeterJaquesMusic]

yep i got a presonus bluetube 15 years ago, and sold it within a month. the tube had none of the "magic", just decreased clarity and presence.

[@Schooliday]

Thanl you for the info, what do you think would be a great option for a real tube preamp?

[@coyotecirclestudio9611]

@@Schooliday Well, "great" is a bit too vague. But to get into a preamp that actually uses the tube as a proper gain stage at the proper high voltages, you are going to need a proper power supply, usually provided by a rather large power transformer. That stuff isn't cheap, so you usually get up near a thousand dollars before you see "real" tube gear. If it has a wall wart for power, it is definitely starved. I won't get into brands, but a quick search of some online gear sites and the cheapest offering I could find for a true high voltage tube preamp was almost $800. Below that threshold, it's pretty slim pickins. So, "real" tube, and "affordable" might not really work in this context. (My understanding is that some of the ART offerings run the plate at a slightly higher voltage than most starved plate. So, they are a little better but not by a ton, and still not hitting what I would consider a true tube gain stage.) If you want to get a tube experience without a chunk of change for a standalone preamp, I might suggest examining tube mics. They can also be prohibitively expensive quite easily, but there are a few reputable offerings for maybe $300-500 that will get you the true authentic tube sound, but admittedly only for one mic. If you want a preamp to give you tube flavor for other mics, and direct inputs like guitars and bass and keys, save your money unless you are willing to invest in something really good. Otherwise just get the most pristine, crystal clear preamp you can afford, and apply tube flavoring in the box. It will better approximate the real deal without mucking up your signal like the cheaper tube preamps will. There are a lot of nice affordable clean preamps that you can add color to later. Cheap tube preamps just aren't worth it. Trust me, I have owned them, and sold them and given them all away. I still have tons of tube gear, but none of the starved plate preamp designs any more, they just don't cut it.

[@Schooliday]

@@coyotecirclestudio9611 Hello again, sorry for the late reply. But thank you a bunch for the foresight and information shared. Since you talked about higher voltages, I wanted to ask you about SPL Goldmike 9844. They seem to be working with high voltages, but I still wanted to see your take on it since they are cheap to the level that I'm skeptical. Thanks again and cheers.

[@JJAAHH]

Great work Rachel and Reverb. The Capi stuff is amazing. I use it all the time as recommended to me by another producer who has two entire 12 space 500 series racks with Capi VP26s. If you have the ability its very much worth building them yourself to save some $$$£££

[@TERUMI7]

Thank you for explaining!! I choose ISA one for vocal recording

[@michaeltablet8577]

Great video. You saved me a lot of time! Thank you so much.

[@tedleroy2778]

Thanks for the video. Well done. The Grace Design M101 seems like it would be inline with the others you presented.

[@batphink2655]

That explained this area of recording for me rather nicely Thanks Reverb!

[@jettsom]

If you have to buy one I recommend greatly the RND Portico 5017. Small, portable, packed with great features with superb neve preamp (DI, compressor, high pass filter, silk, blend between inst-mic input, vari-phase, polarity switch).

[@AngloSaxon1]

Also the Warm Audio WA12 MKI and the warm audio MKII are great as well.

[@user-hs1zz9sx2e]

Very useful information ! Thank you so much !

[@shayneoneill1506]

I've had my Golden Age Pre for a good decade and a half, and its never let me down (especially coupled with the RNC compressor for really detailed transparent gain control [I dont need color in my compressor, the 73 has that in spades). its got just the right amount of that neve color but its just great at bringing out the detail in a good condensor or ribbon mic. The transformer isnt that spectacular, but I'm told better ones can be modded in.

[@joeysgear1419]

Daking Mic pre One all the way. If not the daking then definitely the Warm Audio pre.

[@MindOverManaX]

This was incredibly helpful!

[@jorgefrias7889]

I use a Daking Mic Pre one with my Apollo line in with my Apollo unison mic pres and I’ve never looked back.

[@quanhundon5399]

🔥🔥🔥 I’m going to be doing something similar thanks for the confirmation my guy 💯💯

[@h1de]

I got a thing from Sweetwater today and she was on it. Glad she made the switch hehe.

[@Snipersounds]

I thought that was Haley from Paramore for a split second! Great vid! Thanks for sharing!

[@hoboroadie]

It's not quite as affordable as all that, but a dual duty option is using a Universal Audio Solo 610 as a guitar pedal, so to speak. I was using mine to break down the guitar signal into an active crossover and happened to try re-amping straight back into the pedal train. Kind of spendy at a thousand bucks but totally worth it until I find a pedal to take its place. Does for guitar just what you want it on microphones for, that sweet, sweet tone.

[@benasaro1043]

Not necessarily in the 'affordable' camp, but I love my SSL Alpha Channels!

[@En3Official]

That was helpful. Appreciate it.

[@zenwarfare70]

Great video. Very instructive

[@denzelperry7024]

I use the GAP Pre73 on everything, amazing and affordable 👌

[@klinstarzy9215]

I bought gap before my studio burnt down I ended up parking it and continuing using my scarlet preamp it's way more better imo

[@cynthiaklenk6313]

Great video! My "go to" pre(s) is/are the Universal Audio 4-710D - As Rachel says, it lets you blend tube - solid state or anywhere in between. It is 4 each 710D's in one 2U chassis, and phantom. It also has a built in 1176 compressor (but it is not as versatile as a full 1176. But its awesome none the less). The 4-710D gives me everything I need.

[@hoboroadie]

That's a heck of a deal. For my purposes I wish that there was a 710 desktop model liveried up like my Solo 610. 🤘

[@johnvcougar]

@@hoboroadie There is a single channel 710d available.

[@markchristopher2signal2]

thank you Reverb.. thank you for the value

[@rocoafricamg1094]

Bought a Isa One with ADC card and I love it

[@jtavegia5845]

My experience with the Presonus Bluetube was that the more you over drove the tube there was a huge suck out at 12 khz. For the money ii is a good place to start. the new model allows you to take the tube totally out of the circuit.

[@lucaskamal8094]

You guys should make a video for people who are just looking to start using outboard gear. Like explain how to connect everything to the audio interface

[@TrevBarnes]

Hassan Kamal i think they did a “Using Pedals as Outboard Gear” that explained how to use I/O

[@Reverb]

@@TrevBarnes Good memory! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqKpnINrq65gipo

[@cynthiaklenk6313]

Best bet is a patch bay.

[@DarrylBarnesDance]

If you don’t know how to connect things you probably don’t need to buy gear quite yet.

[@RotterStudios]

@@DarrylBarnesDance lame answer

[@SanjoyDasGuitar]

Really a great presentation to make next decision tp buy a preamp.

[@asterhogan1]

So helpful, have to do my midterm on a 5 grand made up budget for a starter studio

[@ChristopherHero]

Thank you so much for publishing great content! * * * One side note: please consider lowering the music bed, as it is hard to focus on what is being said.

[@suuuuuuu19]

great video, but what about RDL STM-2 Stick-On Professional Low-Noise Microphone Preamp? Is it good?

[@pbee73]

I have been using the DBX 376 Tube Pre for many years now. I love its flexibility and sound especially with my Rode NT1 mic.

[@CiteopMusic-ib4mf]

Will My audio technica at2020 sound good on that

[@Darksagan]

Excellent Video Thanks.

[@neerajanera706]

My audio interface is focusrite 18i20 Buying any of these help me getting better sound

[@zifuzmalikoshaylou1052]

THANKS FOR THE VIDEO... WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MINDPRINT UNITS...?

[@velipyr]

Shes great at this. Very helpful video.

[@2gunzfilms425]

Also the Avalon M5 & V5 are great for hip hop and r&b guys. They’re a little expensive compared to some of the other stuff here on the used market by can be had for around $600-750 depending on the day and the seller

[@hoboroadie]

That UA Solo 610 that Rachel posed next to got no mention, I figured that was because it's similarly priced. Seems like those Avalons are pretty well regarded.

[@joebobhenrybob2000]

WE LOVE THE ACCENT and those are excellent choices. Not too long ago my short list was the Golden Age 73, Dakine, Warm Audio (tone beast), and Focusrite ISA and I went with the focusritel

[@pmAdministrator]

"We"? You and your balls?

[@nafeesnamedit]

@@pmAdministrator LOL

[@trapnest_music]

what are your thoughts on the ISA after a year?

[@email3575]

no accent...lack of accent if anything, just clear pronunciation you may not be used to

[@alejandrocolon7642]

GREAT VIDEO! THANKS

[@sdushdiu]

Which feature the best transfer function modifying the input signal the LEAST?

[@andrewwhitehouse1878]

You rock Rachel!

[@RS-pp7ng]

solid state can be overdriven pleasantly - like the 1073s :)

[@liljons6753]

What's a good compressor to add...with these?

[@sixfoursoul2538]

all of these will break my bank

[@_Trakman]

Scarcity mindset 😜🤕

[@-solidsnake-]

some of them are only 200 bucks... and on top of that, there are ton of retailers who offer interest free payment plans with no credit.

[@quanhundon5399]

@@_Trakman indeed

[@julietunleashed]

Hi. I am using a Focusrite 2i2 3rd gen and my understanding is that it already comes with preamps. I still would like to know if there is anything that is compatible to use with it to allow me more options for sound when recording vocals. I am new at this

[@g.wavvymusic]

thanks very informative.

[@kykypenn]

I don’t know which one to get I have a forcusite solo audio interface and a akg c214 microphone. I wanna get that professional studio sound but I want something that’s easy To use, because I just do my vocals and stuff and send it to someone to mix and master

[@RunningRebels]

GREAT VIDEO LOVE YALL

[@whatyoumakeofit6635]

You guys should do more of these video. Like an earlier suggestion of doing a vid on compressors/ limiters . And you absolutely must use that gorgeous doll to host the videos. We need to see more of her. She did a fantastic job narrating this video and she is so damn cute.

[@ewillo723]

What do you guys think about warm audio tb12 or the wa12 mk2?

[@dankert955]

Aphex USA 107 and 207 tube preamps are awesome! and you shouldn't forget those legendary JoeMeeks!!

[@asimkumarchakrabarti8271]

Nice presentation.

[@asidtone6465]

I had to run the video back bc I was jamming to the background music so hard!

[@TeionZ]

Pro MPA-II OR Warm Audio // TB12 Tone Beast for Vocals? Interface: Audient id14 Mic: SE Gemini II Which AMP would be better for this setup Vocals only? Thank you!

[@fenixlolnope361]

We need more videos with Rachel. She's knowledgeable, well spoken, and pretty. Definitely heeding her advice because I want a preamp.

[@Reverb]

Don't you worry. She'll be back. :)

[@Studio31Zero]

I want them all

[@preciseaudioblog]

All solid state preamps I know have a transformer... any example of a solid state pre without transformer?

[@davidmarley8387]

Apollo twin interface with Luna daw spirit mic laptop is perfect the rest is just extra toys

[@gustavoruvertoni3575]

me pareció muy bueno!!!!!!

[@Billdukes]

I can't make a choice between the Art Pro MPA II or the SPL Gold Mike 9844... If someone can help...

[@KeithRobTV]

The WA73!

[@christinekolyan5821]

SPL track one :) is also a good one

[@vykac]

I know SPL Goldmike. And it is good.

[@zanaudio]

What about Behringer Mic2200.. is it reliable?

[@skyace888]

Thanks for the video. I have a Sound Devices MixPre II series mixer/recorder/interface and it has pretty clean preamps already. Curious how a separate, standalone preamp might help me further as you seemed to describe. I mainly do spoken word applications.

[@Phillies335289]

What about an AML EZ-1073?

[@pedroso658]

What about the studio channel pre amp? Presonus

[@32herz]

damn I still regret elling my Sytek :/ it was my first "proper" preamp I didn't really understand it(mic selection and in general what I was doing :D ) at the time I had it

[@ashenone3427]

Best desktop preamp for U87? I wonder if any professional record has been recorded with a ISA One pre.

[@ZanTaylor]

John neff, a retired engineer, he used that, and made many pro stuff

[@ashenone3427]

@@ZanTaylor i have a avalon ad 2022 now lol

[@jamesstowe366]

good video

[@christoph8509]

what’s a good preamp for the shure sm7b that’s budget friendly?

[@1nVICTUM]

Im using a dbx286s and would recommend it

[@antropomorfizacja]

are they better than apogee?

[@MiguelBatalha]

Golden Age Project is good and super affordable.

[@JessieOng029]

How bout samsaronic smart rig?

[@greatestsawes9712]

dbx 286s 👌

[@FrequencRegler]

She has a real nice voice ! I like it very much could listen all day ! ( :

[@vhollund]

Hahaha you guys got me with the mosquito Aprils fool i guess

[@georgezorbas6422]

Any suggestions..I want 4 channel mic additional to audient id44, so to have 8 channels for drums recording! Something under 500

[@3star2nr]

You aren't going to find any good 4 channel pres for under 500. 800 is minimum for RME quad Mic But realistically a good budget for a 4 channel is around 2000.00

[@georgezorbas6422]

@@3star2nr what about antelope orion rev 2017?or any suggestions?

[@3star2nr]

@@georgezorbas6422 antelope makes great interfaces for sure I like the onboard dsp and emulation. I've never tried one out but i like the concept. If you can get one I'd try it. I mean if u don't like it you can always just sell it. Imho though no plugin will be as good as an actual preamp. You dont need EVERY channel to be high end. There are ways to get great sound on the cheap. You can invest in a high quality stereo pre like a daking mic pre 2 and use it on your snare. Or over heads. Then plug the other mics straight to your interface. There's also tricks you can do like record a clean drum take straight to the interface, mix it down to stereo then send it out via line out to a really nice stereo DI that accepts line level. And re record. If you have a really good interface this trick can unlock a ton of creative options. You could even send tracks through guitar pedals and get some crazy sounds back in. Drums are always going to suck but if you're smart and creative you can get good sound cheap. The snare and cymbals are the most important items sonically with a drum kit. So the only part of the kit that needs great sounding or colorful pres.

[@markygoldstein724]

Good preamps and amps in general don't come cheap

[@Watikenzo]

Do the dbx 286 is a good preamp?

[@1nVICTUM]

Im using it for my sm7b and it works great

[@purpleheart69420]

a just want a good affordable preamp to power up the SM7B without a cloud lifter...

[@SunnyBeeRandomTuber]

I don't know why they didn't mention the DBX286s as it's probably the most economical among all the mentioned in the video

[@cjgoeson]

Cheap audio interfaces in 2020 DO have very high sound quality (aka low distortion), extremely low noise, and sufficient gain for even low level mics like Shure SM7/b. So unless you’re going for a specific color, external pres are entirely unnecessary. Sorry, but people should know not to waste their time and money,

[@MoreMeRecording]

I have great pres but often use the stock IC pres (Ti PGA2500, considered to be the best and used by Prism as well) in my old RME FF400 all the time with an SM7b and still have gobs of headroom left. Why on earth everybody cries about their 7bs needing a cloudlifter etc is beyond me. What are they trying to do, record at -0dBFS? As to character, we're in an age where there are so many saturation/ color plugins available that it's ezpz to add w/e you want.

[@AAaa-ql9xk]

Lisciel Franco build The best homemade tube preamp in Brazil.

[@fenixlolnope361]

Tubes are better than solid state though. Vocals especially.

[@matrixate]

Prices have gone up since. TBH, just get a in-line activate if your need gain.

[@juliusebola9389]

You end up spending more money when you try to buy lower end alternatives because in the end you'll always want to upgrade anyway. Good preamps start at roughly 1000 dollars a channel, unfortunately, unless you're talking about the excellent API 3124. There are probably some lunchbox options for under 1k, but they require investing in the power supply beforehand. Just save the cash and buy the real thing. I really wish somebody had just told me this from the outset instead of trying to make it seem like you could get a toehold in the high end for cheap.

[@rainakingjimg8183]

U rock

[@hawg427]

Rachel from Reverb. :-) It's got a nice ring to it :-)

[@yaadiiboy9429]

anyone got a used fredenstein bento 2 or any lunchbox selling or want to trade?

[@MoreMeRecording]

Hardy mic-amps have transformers and are considered to be very clean. Jus' sayin ;) IMHO, the Daking Mic pre ONE is it for single channel amps. That and the Great River 1NV. Avoid cheap, "starved plate" made in China preamps if you're looking for "tube" pres. They're nothing remotely close to a real, high voltage tube amp.

[@bodhishotta]

Focusrite red 7

[@ShredShed]

Dahhhh king ; )

[@dwayneelizondomountaindewh1465]

If you want a vintage sound then you need analog stuff apparently.

[@kappyLV]

Nice overview. One correction: Daking is pronounced like “baking”.

[@davidsolus9410]

Don't ever watch Nick Batt's videos on Sonicstate, his pronunciation of "Moog" will drive you nuts, lol.

[@kappyLV]

David Solus , I know Geoff and she works for an audio sales company. She needs to know the correct pronunciation. As for Nick, he’s a brilliant synth guy and the Moog mispronunciation is a British thing. He brings it up every now and then. While it makes me squirm a bit, his demos are some of the best, so he’s forgiven!

[@MegaMixking]

cool

[@marktlog]

Tubes: Thick Bass, airy highs, warm midrange, "vintage" and "colourful" sounding Natural Compression, driving gain increases harmonic distortion. All the reasons why tubes are better than solid state