I've been doing some research into the Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp and wondering if anyone has one or used one and are they any good for improving vocal quality?
fyi ive done thousand of vocal tracks over the years useing everything from a 50 buck art to very high end commercial studio consoles and outboard pre's. maybe others will disagree but comparing the final mixes i would say the consumer buying your song from my tests anyway is more interested if the song floats their boat. in conclusion imho assuming the pre is working correctly i would say the trick is how the vocals are treated post recording.
if you doubt me there is a highly entertaining lengthy thread on gearspace.com where audio examples are posted re 50 buck art versus higher cost fare to see if people could tell the diff without knowing which was which. the reveal was a hoot. just search gearspace for it.
if you are concerned just rent a bunch of pre's for a week from a gear store and record vocs with each to compare.this should assuage your concerns. do your own tests.
in summary i believe there are other things to worry about other than the pre. for more info you tube has lots of comparisons. now i'm gonna go do some vocs on an old germanium transistor pre..lol. ps also on gearspace is a hilarious thread comparing the legendary diy 5 dollar pre versus high end stuff.
happiness.
om 🇨🇦 🇬🇧
Last edited by justanoldmuso; 03/15/2405:15 AM.
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
I've been doing some research into the Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp and wondering if anyone has one or used one and are they any good for improving vocal quality?
I guess I'd first have to ask, what kind of Mic are you using?
That could make a lot of difference in any answers I could offer, and I would hope it would affect others input as well. Also, what did you have previously to compare it to? Since you asked if it might 'improve' the vocals, that is a comparison that would need the starting point. A vs B ..
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
I boughnt one of these quite a while ago https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/behringer-mic100 it gets good writeups and is amazingly cheap but frankly i stoppped using it as the recorded tracks were not significantly enhanced and I get good results using eq and other fx quite sparingly on a signal from a condenser mic straightr into the behringer UMC204HD which i presmu has much the same preamps but without the tube.
very nice. kudos for finding that. i'm gonna try to find time to test it. there are many free channel strips on the net if one googles 'channel strip vst plugin.'
happiness
om
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
fyi ive done thousand of vocal tracks over the years useing everything from a 50 buck art to very high end commercial studio consoles and outboard pre's. maybe others will disagree but comparing the final mixes i would say the consumer buying your song from my tests anyway is more interested if the song floats their boat. in conclusion imho assuming the pre is working correctly i would say the trick is how the vocals are treated post recording.
if you doubt me there is a highly entertaining lengthy thread on gearspace.com where audio examples are posted re 50 buck art versus higher cost fare to see if people could tell the diff without knowing which was which. the reveal was a hoot. just search gearspace for it.
if you are concerned just rent a bunch of pre's for a week from a gear store and record vocs with each to compare.this should assuage your concerns. do your own tests.
in summary i believe there are other things to worry about other than the pre. for more info you tube has lots of comparisons. now i'm gonna go do some vocs on an old germanium transistor pre..lol. ps also on gearspace is a hilarious thread comparing the legendary diy 5 dollar pre versus high end stuff.
happiness.
om 🇨🇦 🇬🇧
Thanks for your reply. I'm always keen to consider anything that improves my vocals. I lack confidence and am a perfectionist. I hear my vocal flaws and do my best to iron them out.
I've been doing some research into the Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp and wondering if anyone has one or used one and are they any good for improving vocal quality?
I guess I'd first have to ask, what kind of Mic are you using?
That could make a lot of difference in any answers I could offer, and I would hope it would affect others input as well. Also, what did you have previously to compare it to? Since you asked if it might 'improve' the vocals, that is a comparison that would need the starting point. A vs B ..
I have 2x mics I use for recording my vocals. Beyerdynamic M88TG + Rode K2
Thanks for that. I have LOADS of plug ins. Spent a few hundred ££ on WAVES plus a lovely Lexicon Reverb set of plugins and others including those from StudioOne.
So I bought one to try out of curiosity. I've used it on my Takamine & M88TG and on both multiple test recordings both sounded better in that recordings were fuller & warmer I would say. Presonus although clean sounding, sounds thinner by comparison. It's a keeper. Looks cool on my desk also!
Thanks for the update on your experience with it. Yes it does look cool. I'd be interested to know how the variable Impedance works in real life. Can it handle both a LCD and something like an SM-57 or SM-58 OK? An SM mic (or similar) would benefit from much different settings. It looks like each channel can have it's own impedance, so that would be nice.
Last edited by rharv; 03/18/2403:36 PM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
For those happy with current pre but no var imp feature...never used but art have a new product called rp1. it has a variable imp input. for ribbon and dynamic mics. so one can go i guess as follows mic to rp1 to next device in chain. it also is a signal booster. for more info see arts web site.
for other similar var imp gear and boosters. just google. eg i just came across alctron ?
hth.
om
my songs....mixed for good earbuds...(fyi..my vocs on all songs..) https://soundcloud.com/alfsongs (90 songs created useing bb/rb) (lots of tips of mine in pg tips forum.)
Thanks for the update on your experience with it. Yes it does look cool. I'd be interested to know how the variable Impedance works in real life. Can it handle both a LCD and something like an SM-57 or SM-58 OK? An SM mic (or similar) would benefit from much different settings. It looks like each channel can have it's own impedance, so that would be nice.
I've only played with it a little so far but have tried two mics - Beyerdynamic M88TG and Rode K2. Both have a 200 impedance. I've cranked it up higher on both and lowered down to 100. I'm not sure how I would explain the difference? Its subtle. To me my mics sound warmer around 100. Pushing it higher (600+) and there seems to be more detail and the volume seems to increase slightly. I think I prefer the warmer effect if that's what you call it?
I used those mics as a reference because their reported impedance is lower than a lot of them.
"Rated impedance is 150Ω (310Ω actual) for connection to microphone inputs rated low impedance"
The others probably appear louder and clearer when higher because that is the impedance they expect. Starving a mic is different than giving it too much, so the two mics you used and the two mics I mentioned would likely show different results to the ear.
So many SM-57 and 58's out there still in use, but many interfaces do not have a way to adjust for them. I have a separate preamp that works just fine, and if I insert it before the interface it's fine. But having an interface that did it in the first place is a nice feature. That said, my Preamp also offers the additive tube feature .. so works a treat on other stuff as well.
If that ART has an 'instrument' in switch, may be fun to se what your guitar or bass sounds like through it.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
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No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
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