Capital University Studio E Shootout
Today, I’m going to see which of the four pre-amps in Studio E my favorite is to use with an acoustic guitar. There’s a pretty good collection of pre-amps to choose from, including Focusrite ISA 428 MkII, Daking Mic-Pre IV, Portico series 5015, and Chandler Limited TG2. I have a feeling I’m going to like the Chandler the best because it’s supposed to emulate the EMI, and I really like how acoustic guitars sound on the EMI.
My friend Courtney Pittman is going to play guitar for me today! Let’s get right on to it.
Now, according to Audient.com, a good way to record acoustic guitar is using 2 condenser microphones in a spaced pair miking technique. I decided to go with miking it this way because I’ve seen other professionals use this technique on an acoustic guitar and I wanted to try it out for myself. I made sure of phase and comb-filtering because during my research on how to record an acoustic guitar, Sound on Sound reminded me to be aware of this with stereo techniques. Sound on Sound also reminded to make sure to NOT mic it parallel to which Miss Pittman was playing.
I will use the Beyerdynamic M160 Double Ribbon Mic (pictured right) for my choice of microphone because as Neal Schmitt once said, ribbon mics sound GREAT on an acoustic guitar.
Here are the infamous preamps we are testing today: Focusrite ISA 428 MkII, Daking Mic-Pre IV, Portico series 5015, and Chandler Limited TG2. The Focusrite ISA 428 is a pre-amp designed by Rupert Neve in the early 80s, and it’s best at capturing a broad variety of instruments with clarity and depth. It also includes an eight-channel A/D converter which expands its capabilities and track functions. The Daking Mic-Pre IV is a pre-amp designed by Dave Daking, and it has a warm sound and works smoothly because of its solid-state construction. The Portico series 5015 is a pre-amp/compressor also designed by Rupert Neve and has a toroidal Common Mode Rejection Low Pass Filter that excludes frequencies above 150 kHz. The Chandler Limited TG2 is a pre-amp designed by Wade Goeke and is an emulation of the EMI TG12428 famously used in Abbey Road Studios in the late 60s. It has a vintage, analog-type sound that really brings the sound to life! Now, let’s get to the actual testing. *Note that in this experiment, I am only changing the pre-amp. Mic positions, guitar, and player are the same throughout; and this is MY personal opinion!
In 4th (and also last) place, the Focusrite ISA428 MkII! While this pre-amp is pretty versatile in the sense that it can be made to sound good on any instrument, between the options given, it didn’t sound the best to me! It just seemed like there was a lot of low end compared to other pre-amps. I did try to utilize the “filter” option to cut out some of that unnecessary low end, but I know that cutting around 50 Hz isn’t an issue when it comes to acoustic guitar, so I don’t believe there was a better option other than a whole other pre-amp. Note to self: “warm” sounding pre-amps don’t always round out the whole picture. I was expecting something completely different from this pre-amp, so I am glad I’m doing this experiment to know more for future recordings. I think that this preamp would work in a pinch (as most versatile pre-amps do), but if I had the choice of a Focusrite ISA428 MkII and something better, I’m going to choose the something better.
In 3rd place, I have the Portico 5015 Series! I really like the many options on this pre-amp to choose how you want your sound. On this pre-amp, I also included a high pass filter cut at around 75 Hz and pressed the “silk” button. I was expecting these options to make it sound more analog and well rounded, but I think it just took the typical guitar sound of the low end. Obviously, this is exaggerated, but when you hear the example, you will know exactly what I mean. On this pre-amp, I did have to have the gain cranked in comparison to the Focusrite. I just wasn’t getting the right levels, and I even asked Miss Pittman to play a little louder. If I had to choose out of the four pre-amps, I maybe would choose it again once I dive deeper on the “silk” button and what all this puppy can do.
In a VERY close 2nd place, I chose the Chandler Limited TG2! The Chandler is warm, but not the type of warm I described for the Focusrite. This pre-amp gave me a very clear sounding guitar in most aspects, I feel like I was just missing that mid-range richness that gives acoustic guitar its power. I got everything I wanted out of the high and low end out of this pre-amp, but if I were to use this in a project in the future, I would add an EQ to boost the mid-range a little more.
And in 1st place, the Daking Mic-Pre IV! I was pleasantly surprised about this pre-amp on an acoustic guitar! I have usually heard that it sounds great on bass guitars, but I haven’t heard as much about it with acoustic instruments. They say it’s versatile, but you never really know in what way it makes it versatile. This pre-amp on top of the M160s was a phenomenal decision if you ask me. It sounds so silky smooth, and it really highlights all the great parts of the acoustic guitar that you would want in a studio recording.
There you have it, my supremely subjective standpoint on the pre-amps in THE Studio E at THE Capital University in Columbus, OH. Don’t forget to listen to the examples of each pre-amp that I have hyperlinked throughout the blog. I hope you have enjoyed and continue to follow along on my journey to graduation! :)
Here’s a candid picture of THE Courtney Pittman in the iso booth.
Madelyn Jarrell