Using Fancy Pre's with Line level stuff.

[Futureman]

Hey all.

I'm slowly getting into this world of esoteric audio gear to compliment my pile of old FX, old synths, old drum machines & old samplers.

Would there be any advantage to using a sweet mic pre with gear like this?

I understand that the synth would be running through the transformers / valves / transistors etc, but as there would not be much gain needed, would I get much 'vibe' this way? (is 'Vibe' proportional to gain?)

All you guru's with your vintage consoles & lunchboxes full of lovely pre's.. what happens when some geeza records at your studio with their Arp Odyssey or LinnDrum?
(Personally, I feel that things like this, like guitars & Mics have their special 'magic' about their tone)

Do you dig out your fancy gear or just run the synth/machine straight to the 'puter?

Regards
Mike

[Chris H]

I agree totally that the tone of the instrument is the greatest advantage.
The advantage in using my old gear is what else it brings to the table. Going line level into the my older Optro preamps i can use the passive eq to ad bottom end to die for to a keyboard pad or pull extra tones out of the LinnDrum sounds. There is nothing else like well designed passive eq. Also sending the instrument through some of the old gear's output transformers is another area where the old gear has something to offer even though it's a bit more in the esoteric area. Also options like adding gain on the way in to get the opto comps fattening up the sound a bit on the edge of distortion as they distort in a smooth fashion.
It doesn't have to be prized vintage gear as when i record through my Trident VFM , being the "cheap Trident gear it has a punch and sound with it's broad band eq that a lot of "cleaner" other gear doesnt have, but i would never try to distort the VFM as it goes ugly and just crackles. It was just a matter of finding how various bits of gear in the collection sound.

[heathen]

I'll usually add some analog eq's and maybe compression on the way in, if you got it use it I say.

[NYMo]

Hi there,

I usually run my synths into either an old Drawmer 1962 Tube pre or Focusrite ISA 428 or Chandler LTD 1 and then thru a Manley Tube Vari-mu...makes everything sound ^thick^ (if you like that sound on pads ;)

Cheers
N
Y
M
O