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Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? #803901 03/14/24 01:15 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom Paul Haynes OP Journeyman
OP Paul Haynes Journeyman Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom	Hi All, 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? Art MPA II Attached Files (Click to download or enlarge) (Only available when you are logged in) Art MPA II.jpg (172 KB, 145 downloads) Last edited by Paul Haynes; 03/14/24 01:20 PM.

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? Paul Haynes #803903 03/14/24 01:53 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 27,037 Hudson Valley & Lake George NY Matt Finley Veteran
Matt Finley Veteran Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 27,037 Hudson Valley & Lake George NY	I used to use the first model. It did give a warmer tone to the sound, owing to a vacuum tube. I believe it was a compressor as well. BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? Matt Finley #803907 03/14/24 02:40 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom Paul Haynes OP Journeyman
OP Paul Haynes Journeyman Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom	Originally Posted by Matt Finley I used to use the first model. It did give a warmer tone to the sound, owing to a vacuum tube. I believe it was a compressor as well. Hi, what did you use it on? Vocals or instrument?

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? Paul Haynes #803908 03/14/24 02:58 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 27,037 Hudson Valley & Lake George NY Matt Finley Veteran
Matt Finley Veteran Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 27,037 Hudson Valley & Lake George NY	Both, at different times. BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? Matt Finley #803941 03/15/24 04:23 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 3,465 J justanoldmuso Veteran
justanoldmuso Veteran J Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 3,465	PH. 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; 03/15/24 05:15 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.)

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? Paul Haynes #803999 03/15/24 04:02 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: May 2000 Posts: 22,167 Mi., USA rharv Veteran
rharv Veteran Joined: May 2000 Posts: 22,167 Mi., USA	Originally Posted by Paul Haynes Hi All, 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!

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? rharv #804003 03/15/24 05:34 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Aug 2014 Posts: 8,335 North Carolina David Snyder Veteran
David Snyder Veteran Joined: Aug 2014 Posts: 8,335 North Carolina	I agree with Harv. The best thing to spend your money on is a great mic, and of course you need a good interface. Almost every other treatment these days can be done with software in post prod. But that is just me. Everyone has their own "sound" they are going for. You may need an old 1950s ribbon mic if you can find one for 10,000. David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers https://davidsnydersongs.com/ https://spoti.fi/359Gigs www.davidsnydermusic.com/ www.reverbnation.com/davidpsnyder www.soundcloud.com/davidsnyderchannel https://www.songtradr.com/user/profile/david.snyder

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? justanoldmuso #804090 03/16/24 03:25 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 2,110 Essex England Bob Calver Veteran
Bob Calver Veteran Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 2,110 Essex England	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.

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? Paul Haynes #804164 03/17/24 07:12 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Aug 2014 Posts: 8,335 North Carolina David Snyder Veteran
David Snyder Veteran Joined: Aug 2014 Posts: 8,335 North Carolina	This little thing is free. Gets great reviews and for a reason. Niiiiiiccee. https://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/2022/04/04/booteq-mkiii-released/ Attached Files (Click to download or enlarge) (Only available when you are logged in) Boot EQ.jpg (235.01 KB, 70 downloads) Last edited by David Snyder; 03/17/24 07:15 AM. David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers https://davidsnydersongs.com/ https://spoti.fi/359Gigs www.davidsnydermusic.com/ www.reverbnation.com/davidpsnyder www.soundcloud.com/davidsnyderchannel https://www.songtradr.com/user/profile/david.snyder

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? David Snyder #804174 03/17/24 07:43 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 3,465 J justanoldmuso Veteran
justanoldmuso Veteran J Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 3,465	David. 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.)

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? justanoldmuso #804184 03/17/24 09:38 AM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Aug 2014 Posts: 8,335 North Carolina David Snyder Veteran
David Snyder Veteran Joined: Aug 2014 Posts: 8,335 North Carolina	The same website has a lot of free plugins by this guy, Variety of Sound. They are all awesome. David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers https://davidsnydersongs.com/ https://spoti.fi/359Gigs www.davidsnydermusic.com/ www.reverbnation.com/davidpsnyder www.soundcloud.com/davidsnyderchannel https://www.songtradr.com/user/profile/david.snyder

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? justanoldmuso #804269 03/18/24 01:33 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom Paul Haynes OP Journeyman
OP Paul Haynes Journeyman Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom	Originally Posted by justanoldmuso PH. 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.

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? rharv #804270 03/18/24 01:35 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom Paul Haynes OP Journeyman
OP Paul Haynes Journeyman Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom	Originally Posted by rharv Originally Posted by Paul Haynes Hi All, 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

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? David Snyder #804272 03/18/24 01:37 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom Paul Haynes OP Journeyman
OP Paul Haynes Journeyman Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom	Originally Posted by David Snyder I agree with Harv. The best thing to spend your money on is a great mic, and of course you need a good interface. Almost every other treatment these days can be done with software in post prod. But that is just me. Everyone has their own "sound" they are going for. You may need an old 1950s ribbon mic if you can find one for 10,000. I use a Beyerdynamic M88TG + Rode K2 going into a Presonus Audiobox 22VSL with XMAX Class A preamps.

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? David Snyder #804273 03/18/24 01:39 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom Paul Haynes OP Journeyman
OP Paul Haynes Journeyman Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom	Originally Posted by David Snyder This little thing is free. Gets great reviews and for a reason. Niiiiiiccee. https://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/2022/04/04/booteq-mkiii-released/ 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.

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? Paul Haynes #804279 03/18/24 02:32 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom Paul Haynes OP Journeyman
OP Paul Haynes Journeyman Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom	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! Attached Files (Click to download or enlarge) (Only available when you are logged in) IMG_1261.jpg (330.82 KB, 54 downloads) Last edited by Paul Haynes; 03/18/24 02:36 PM.

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? Paul Haynes #804289 03/18/24 03:31 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: May 2000 Posts: 22,167 Mi., USA rharv Veteran
rharv Veteran Joined: May 2000 Posts: 22,167 Mi., USA	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; 03/18/24 03:36 PM. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? rharv #804304 03/18/24 04:41 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 3,465 J justanoldmuso Veteran
justanoldmuso Veteran J Joined: Jan 2020 Posts: 3,465	var impedence. 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.)

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? rharv #805203 03/25/24 03:19 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom Paul Haynes OP Journeyman
OP Paul Haynes Journeyman Joined: Dec 2012 Posts: 420 United Kingdom	Originally Posted by rharv 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?

Re: Art MPA II Tube Pre Amp - Anyone Used For Vocals? Paul Haynes #805216 03/25/24 03:51 PM Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
Joined: May 2000 Posts: 22,167 Mi., USA rharv Veteran
rharv Veteran Joined: May 2000 Posts: 22,167 Mi., USA	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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