auteur vs RNP vs ?

[dimperdoo]

Does anyone have any experience w/ either the black lion auteur or the fmr rnp?

auteur:
http://www.blacklionaudio.com/auteur.html
fmr rnp
http://www.fmraudio.com/RNP8380.htm

FTM, I know that this is dedicated to high end stuff - but, is there anything in the sweet spot between price and performance?

Are preamps at this level better than electro harmonix 12ay7 tube pre?

And, what do you give up between rnp/auteur and say for instance the germanium for instance?

I'm curious about:
mackie onyx 400f
focusrite voicemaster
sm pro pr4

Just really welcome any input on bang for the buck mic pres - better than the existing pres on my mbox pro

[meterman]

Yeah I've got both :) Both are good values IMHO. The Auteur may sound a bit better but they are pretty close, and the RNP has some very useful features that the Auteur does not like DI inputs, level/clip lights, and channel inserts for a compressor etc. I don't think you can go wrong with either one for the price.

I haven't compared to a Germ but I did compare to my Great River, the Great River sounds the best to me but again they are all pretty good to my relatively inexperienced ear and the differences are subtle, though they may add up after stacking multiple tracks. The Great River, and likely any other top-shelf pre will have build quality and/or features that the RNP and Auteur do not, and will sound somewhat better - whether it's worth the price difference depends on your budget and application. For home/project studio recordings I think either the RNP or Auteur would be fine....

I've actually got some A/B clips of the three on clean electric guitar into an e906 mic, if you're interested I can email them to you as I don't have a place to host them at the moment...

[kludge]

I think the RNP is one of the best investments I've ever made in my home recording quality. It was an upgrade from a M-Audio DMP3 (itself very good for the money), and it improved EVERYTHING. I think the RNP marks the bottom end of the top end... you can spend more on marginal improvements and different flavors, but the difference between a $100 pre and the $500 RNP is WAY larger than the difference between the RNP and a $2500 pre.

[dimperdoo]

Yeah I've got both :) Both are good values IMHO. The Auteur may sound a bit better but they are pretty close, and the RNP has some very useful features that the Auteur does not like DI inputs, level/clip lights, and channel inserts for a compressor etc. I don't think you can go wrong with either one for the price.

I haven't compared to a Germ but I did compare to my Great River, the Great River sounds the best to me but again they are all pretty good to my relatively inexperienced ear and the differences are subtle, though they may add up after stacking multiple tracks. The Great River, and likely any other top-shelf pre will have build quality and/or features that the RNP and Auteur do not, and will sound somewhat better - whether it's worth the price difference depends on your budget and application. For home/project studio recordings I think either the RNP or Auteur would be fine....

I've actually got some A/B clips of the three on clean electric guitar into an e906 mic, if you're interested I can email them to you as I don't have a place to host them at the moment...

Thnaks, I would certainly be interested ... dimperdoo at yahoo dot com

The "multiple tracks" thing is, I believe, the grit of the matter.

I think the RNP is one of the best investments I've ever made in my home recording quality. It was an upgrade from a M-Audio DMP3 (itself very good for the money), and it improved EVERYTHING. I think the RNP marks the bottom end of the top end... you can spend more on marginal improvements and different flavors, but the difference between a $100 pre and the $500 RNP is WAY larger than the difference between the RNP and a $2500 pre.

Their copy and adverts give that impression - exactly why I wondered whether any TGPers would be forthcoming w/ their own experiences.

[kludge]

Yeah, I only have two channels of RNP at home, so any more channels and I'm using M-Audio pres (basically DMP2, the predecessor to DMP3). The difference is readily apparent, and becomes more so as the track is mixed. I also like the RNP interface a lot, especially the coarse 6db gain steps. Some people complain about it, but I like that it makes it easy to duplicate settings for later punches.

I also take my tracks over to a friend's studio sometimes. He has some very nice pres... Sytek (another great budget system), a VERY expensive Cranesong, and some old Yamaha Neve clone channels. The RNP tracks hang with any of them, sounding very similar to the Sytek (and with better interface and more flexibility imho). The Cranesong is great for coloration, but doesn't sound noticably more detailed. The Yamaha channel strips actually lose some detail in their coloration, although they sound great so we use 'em anyway.

[mds]

Be sure to check out the DAV Broadhurst Gardens. Fantastic preamps, classic heritage, and very reasonable prices. These hold their own against much higher priced preamps. Tone is warm, smooth, and clear. I personally think they are vastly superior to the FMR, Focusrite, Presonus, and other low end offerings. Also think they're superior to the Sytek, but that is another one to check out on the lower end of preamps.

Mike

[meterman]

I'll send the clips this afternoon, try and listen on your DAW monitors as the differences are pretty subtle on just the single track...

I've heard good things about the Sytek and it's 4 channels for around $800 I think....and yes the DAV BG-1 gets great reviews as well, particularly from classical guys, apparently it sounds great on acoustic instruments but it does cost $200 more new than the RNP....anyway there are definitely a few real good options out there in the $500-1000 range...

Kludge I agree that the RNP feature set, in combination with the sound quality and price point, is impressive!! Worth having as a utility pre even if you have other/better ones around, I run my keyboard into the DIs on mine....

[Rusty G.]

I think the RNP is one of the best investments I've ever made in my home recording quality. It was an upgrade from a M-Audio DMP3 (itself very good for the money), and it improved EVERYTHING. I think the RNP marks the bottom end of the top end... you can spend more on marginal improvements and different flavors, but the difference between a $100 pre and the $500 RNP is WAY larger than the difference between the RNP and a $2500 pre.

I've got a RNP, and it's a fine mic-pre. However, I would beg to differ about the difference between the RNP and a high end mic-pre. For instance, I've said it here before, I used to spend hours moving a mic around the cone, angling the pitch of the mic trying to get the sound I was getting in the room. . .and that with my RNP. I would sometimes just quit in disgust. I purchased a Great River mic pre, and now, it's pretty much point and play. Very easy to get the sound in the room through the Great River. I don't know why. . .and it's not because I've gotten better. I really believe that sometimes, you actually get what you pay for.


Not to say that you can't get great tracks with a RNP, because you can. Sometimes, what I was wanting to hear wasn't what I got, but ended up fitting the mix better than what I wanted. And, the RNP will make you work a little harder to get it right.