http://www.artproaudio.com/products.asp ... t=9&id=167

Specifically for adding two more channels to my interface.

I would go with the big 2ch rack unit (or the old one with the gold faceplate):



Yes, it will cost you more. But I suspect that's essentially a Tube MP with a USB jack. The big 2u pre (and the Pro Channel, a one-channel 2ru device) are different animals entirely. I just saw a Digital MPA for $250 on CL around here, and I suspect that would be give-or-take the going rate.

The ART Tube MP just... well, isn't that good. IMO, it's not as good as what you already have; the Focusrite pres are quite decent.

The big rackthing, that's on the list of best cheap preamps. (The Pro VLA tube compressor is nice too.) I have one (the older gold faceplate version); I have NOS Mullard 12AT7s in mine, it sends 300v to the tubes, has variable impedance, high pass filter, insert points (I use a FMR RNLA for this on vox and bass), Burr-Brown opamps, SPIDF out and decent converters too... It sounds good. Like, good good. It's a killer DI for synths and bass, and you can overdrive it nicely too. Yes, I'm talking you into swinging more for something significantly better.

At the end of the day though, I suppose it depends on what you need. Those are two preamps for cheap. I wouldn't expect much given their apparent origin. If you want to add a channel or two, there are options.

That being said, as both of us like to indulge in the lo-fi, cheap-and-nasty is a viable option. (And depending on how it's rigged up, you could potentially just get "clean" out of it.

So yeah, my instinct is to spring for something nicer, but depending on your application it may not matter.

Ive heard good things about Snaxies recommendation. I added 2 more channels with M-Audio DMP-3 which is not a tube pre, but got rave reviews on gearslutz and is very much on teh cheepz. I like it very much, I believe I got mine for about $100, looking quick on ebay, that's the going rate.

Does the DMP-3 have SPIDF out? Those are clean and cheap and sound good in the ubercheapz category. Geoff has the big Focusrite rack deal like newholland and I have, so any additional channels would be on the digital in, or have an inyourface of their own and you set up the 'puter to see both.

Indeed, this is the intended method.

I've poasted good things with my recommendation. (The old one with the gold faceplate; I forget what the changes are save for the low cut filter going down out of the audible range and some metering stuff, but I doubt it's anything of sonic consequence.) Many of them. Like my guitar sounds? All that save for room mics when I use them. (Unless I used the Pod, and even then sometimes I'd track through that and crank the input level for some filth.)

Now, if the DMP-3 had a digital out, that would be slick. Those sound pretty alright.

This is as far as I can tell the cheapest option for something with a SPDIF out. I looked it up. I have the feeling- and I could be wrong- the plain old DMP-3 would sound better. Just straight-up clean. But it has no digital out. The Tube MPs, from personal experience, just plain don't sound that good. Now, the big ART rack stuff does in fact sound quite good. You will pay more though. Really depends on how you want to roll with this.

And that sorta leads to a conundrum- when you move up in price to the range of anything with digital outs, a number of options start appearing, either colored-sounding channels (The Focusrites do have a sound to them, IMO- everything does, really- that's not entirely neutral, but it's a good sound. Forward, assertive, with a big open top and deep lows. They are not "warm" and on the aggressive side of clean in their sound. This is not a bad thing. They are a fine neutral, polished-ish sounding pre. They sound "metallic" to my ears compared to the ART DMPA.) or other interfaces. Like, chain shit together for a lot more channels. At the price of something like the DMPA, you could possibly pick up another Focusrite and you already know the sound and what it'll do. (It's Maplifiers-approved!)

One thing I haven't checked into is digital outs on very small-format mixers.

Really depends on your budget and needs, I guess. Worst-case is if you order the thing or buy from a legit shop you sent or take it back if you think "this sounds like butt". If you have a tracking session coming up or know you're gonna be working on one of your own projects, that's a good time to buy so you can put gear through its paces.

Yes at the price range of that ART I might as well just get a second one of my interface and chain them together.

Well we'll see. Hell, we'll see if I even need any of this.