ART Tube MP Studio Mic Preamp Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)+ REVIEW +
This is really an excellent little preamp for the money. It's quiet as a mouse, built like a sherman tank, and has some nice little features like an output limiter, phase reverse, a -20db pad, and of course, 48V phantom power for your condenser mic. Great for boosting a quiet source like an electric guitar or a condenser mic, but don't expect it to give you crazy tube warmth like you'd find on higher end units. It's more like a DI box with just the slightest bit of tube character. I've used this thing for vocals and guitar mostly, and in both cases it provides super silent amplification of my signal. My only complaint is that it doesn't push the signal quite as hard as I'd like to get a good level going into my DAW (Garageband or Logic 8).
+ COMPARE TO: Presonus TubePre +
PreSonus Tubepre Single-Channel Vacuum Tube Mic Pre
The only thing keeping me from recommending it over something like the PreSonus TubePre (despite the fact that I gave the TubePre 3 stars instead of the 4 I've given to the ART) is that it's hard to get a high enough level out of the ART -- I've maxed out the volume controls for both input and output with my AT4040 ($300) mic. In contrast, the Presonus TubePre provides a little more gain and allows you to control the amount of signal being sent to the tube via a separate "drive" knob. This is nice because you can boost the signal using the solid state portion, and then add the tube in as desired to color the sound a bit.
+ HOW TO: Replace the tube +
This can be a bit intimidating to some people but it's super easy and you'd have to be pretty clumsy to do any damage. Tubes are meant to be swapped -- they're engineered in such a way that they're very easy to replace. If you don't like the way the MP sounds out of the box, replace the cheap piece of junk tube it comes with. Try a Sovtek 12ax7 or any of the JJ tubes, either of which will cost about $12 at your local music store or Guitar Center. To install it, just remove all of the screws and unscrew the hex nuts around the line level input jacks. Gently rock the top part of the unit it opens like a book. Be careful because there is some wiring near the "spine" of the "book" and you don't want to rip it apart. Rock the tube back and forth until it comes out. Don't be afraid to apply counter pressure and tug on the tube fairly hard to get it moving -- you won't hurt it. Pop the new tube in, put the screws back in, and you're ready to rock. If you're freaked out by the process, as someone at a local guitar shop to give you a hand but don't let them charge you more than $5 because replacing a tube is really not a difficult task.

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The original Tube MP made pro-caliber tube preamping available to ordinary musicians and home studios. The MP Studio goes a step further by adding a VU meter for better level control and ART's OPL (Output Protection Limiter), which controls and maintains the output peak signal to protect hard-disk recording systems and soundcards. The VU meter reflects the impact of the OPL circuitry when it is activated, which allows more effective fine tuning of the audio signal. It is a valuable tool for recording in project and home studios and can also function as a DI box with impedance matching and preamplification for line-level sources. Includes a 3-year warranty.

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