ART Tube MP Studio...yes this again! ; )

another starved plate special?

love me some tube MP's. I have the rack mount dual version. Mine is slightly modified. I track just about everything through it.

Nothing against the ART really... (I own one, seldom use it) For $79 you can get a Studio Projects VTB that's just AWESOME for the price. Yeah - $50 more than the ART but it really is a good piece. Jedi

It did the job for me too and I was happy with it, but for no more than 7 months until it started crackling randomly.

I love mine. I've gotten more than the $30 value out of it just by using as DI for my bass while practicing. I don't have to get out my pedal board and all that, just plug straight in and go. Also used it on vocals to get that slightly overdriven sound.

I don't know about the "newer version" part (looks & specs like my 3 year old one) but I have been happy with it with the stock tube, no problems. I have to say tho that the Behringer MIC200 is quieter, with a lot more flexibility & warmth....and now that I had to give it back I can see that the MIC200 will be heading my way this weekend hopefully....

What I don't understand is why you would buy something like this when the preamps in your interface are probably higher quality and lower-noise. You can tweak your track upstream in the process with VSTs. I've never understood this. :confused:

I bought this because I needed a DI box for my guitar and because I could also use it for a mic preamp if needed. It certainly makes for an affordable DI that works fine. I read a thread on Gear Sluts a year or so ago where someone posted comparison audio clips using this and a $2-3,000 preamp. The clips were mp3 so, take the results with a grain of salt I suppose. While the test was in it's blind phase 75% of people preferred the Art Tube. Many were not able to say which was which. Once it was reveled which preamp was which and people were no longer judging by sound alone suddenly the results changed to favor the expensive preamp. I think the truth of the matter is that most people simply can't hear these things, and unless you are stacking a large number of recorded tracks, in which case small problems with the sound will start to stack, the high end gear is questionable value.

I use an ART Tube MP Project with a couple of different ribbon mics. I really like the ART & ribbons for vocals and acoustic guitars. Duff

I've got the PRO MPA II Reference Edition which is not a starved plate design and it is excellent. Lots of gain and very clean. The Standard Pro MPA II is great too, lots of character but a bit hissy. Great preamps for the money with a ton of options: stereo link, M/S decoding, normal or high voltage modes, variable impedance and variable low cut.