Outboard Gear Help

[Jimmy James]

Howdy, I am hoping some of you guys could give me your input on some gear. I am a old skool guy. I like old skool gear and sounds.
I have a Focusrite 18i20 and a pretty smoking custom pc. I have a pretty nice mic locker as well. Neumann, Blue,Cascade, Shure, etc.
I am wanting to add the budget Pultec clone EQ to my set up. I also want to add a preamp as well.
I currently use my Ribbon mics more than anything else. I use a Marti Audio line boosters on all my ribbons.

I want to try using the Pultec clone and a Preamp without the Line Booster.

Should I get the ART mic preamp or the DBX preamp? The ART has Impedance matching for my Ribbons mics.
The DBX has Compression and Noise gate (I pick up some fan noise and such, small amounts though).

What would be best best combo? ART/Pultec or DBX/Pultec?

dmx 286s:https://dbxpro.com/en/products/286s

ART:https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ProMPA2

Pultec: http://www.musictri.be/Categories/Kl...EQP-KT/p/P0BR4

[pipelineaudio]

Pretty much the last thing I'd ever commit to a recording would be a hardware noise gate.

[karbomusic]

If it were me I'd probably go for the Pultec EQ and then something like a Warm Audio WA-12 or similar. Then again, if I had to choose EQ on the way in vs Compression I'd probably give compression the edge but it has to be one that does a great job IMHO. Conclusion, better if you had all three but if adding a few at a time your gonna have to just pick.

I don't currently have any external EQs but I wish I did, I might get a couple 500 series EQs at some point. The main reason is that to me, external EQs are like the HPF feature on a mic but not limited to only low frequencies - if there are frequencies I know I don't want, based on the thing I'm recording - I don't want to know they ever existed post record.

[Jimmy James]

Originally Posted by pipelineaudio

Pretty much the last thing I'd ever commit to a recording would be a hardware noise gate.

I got the idea because I tried a cheap vst using it on vocals and it worked better than using it on the back end, by a lot. So I figured a hardware version would be better because it would be more stable. I was just guessing that.

The reviews I listened to made it sound very subtle and smooth. Why would you not want to use HARDWARE? I have never tried it, so I don't know.

[Jimmy James]

Originally Posted by karbomusic

If it were me I'd probably go for the Pultec EQ and then something like a Warm Audio WA-12 or similar. Then again, if I had to choose EQ on the way in vs Compression I'd probably give compression the edge but it has to be one that does a great job IMHO. Conclusion, better if you had all three but if adding a few at a time your gonna have to just pick.

I don't currently have any external EQs but I wish I did, I might get a couple 500 series EQs at some point. The main reason is that to me, external EQs are like the HPF feature on a mic but not limited to only low frequencies - if there are frequencies I know I don't want, based on the thing I'm recording - I don't want to know they ever existed post record.

I am kinda thinking the same as you. I basically know what sound I want to get. I am a firm believer in getting the best sound at the source. So I figure a Pultec will sound sweet tweaking some mics.

The and just seems like a home run with the 286s? Can it really be that good?

[Jeffsounds]

Originally Posted by karbomusic

If it were me I'd probably go for the Pultec EQ and then something like a Warm Audio WA-12 or similar.

Seems like I heard that one of the Warm Audio mic's was VERY comparable to the U87. Any experience/knowledge about that?

Originally Posted by karbomusic

I don't currently have any external EQs but I wish I did, I might get a couple 500 series EQs at some point. The main reason is that to me, external EQs are like the HPF feature on a mic but not limited to only low frequencies - if there are frequencies I know I don't want, based on the thing I'm recording - I don't want to know they ever existed post record.

Couldn't you do the same thing with an EQ vst on Input FX?

[karbomusic]

Originally Posted by Jeffsounds

Seems like I heard that one of the Warm Audio mic's was VERY comparable to the U87. Any experience/knowledge about that?

I have a couple W87s - I got them because they were fairly flat aka not as much of that highend peak most LDCs have. I used them as OHs on the current project.

Couldn't you do the same thing with an EQ vst on Input FX?

I would think so.