STOCK vs TUBE Preamps

Which sounds better? Stock preamps or tube preamps?

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[_P_M_]

The thing newbies have to remember is that this is the age of the DAW. Everything sounds great. The differences are subtle. Recording to ADAT in the 90's or 8/16 track tape during the 80's through the equipment back then cost a fortune and didn't yield the results you can get on stock equipment today. Yet, many good recordings were made. Newbies tend to get hung up on equipment adequacy concerns. Don't worry about it. What you have is amazing. Work with it. As time goes on and your sound develops, you will figure out the small subtle things you need to give you the coloration you want.

[learnerforever]

MASSIVE THANKS JOE !! OMG I can’t believe you did it 😁 highly appreciated 🙏🏼 This is really helpful. The tube sounds better, but the stock ones are also great and I agree they can do the job perfectly. Thanks again my friend.

[djentlover]

For me the tube preamps always sound already compressed. The low end is steady and the high end raspiness of the voice is constant. That may be why tube signal is easier to mix.

[jonathanbyrdmusic]

That was a great thought that you shared about how an amp makes you play differently, or a preamp makes you sing differently. I’ve experienced that, and it does make a difference.

[EmanuelFrias]

After downloading the audio files I placed them in parallel and inverted one of the track's phase and got an interesting result. Most of the difference in the high end, as mentioned in the video. After hearing the "difference" I was able to distinguish that subtle detail in the individual recordings. Great stuff!

[theoliviaarchives]

Quality gear is also motivation for many people.

[kaisersoze]

You're absolutely right tube preamps are the best when mixing at compression you'll get a nice sibling on those vocals and warmer low end

[outrageousthoughts]

Thanks! I think you're totally right when monitoring yourself singing through a tube preamp -- there's a certain roundness and warmth that helps project "feeling", which in turn helps getting a better performance. This is so important. Can't wait to download the tracks above!

[oysteinsoreide]

You should maybe do this as a blind test, just denoting them preamp A and B, then later in the video you could reveal what is what. Our brains change how things sound based on our expectations too. Our ears are terrible measuring instruments.

[closerthanabrother]

Nice job on the video Joe! The only thing is, a couple things: 1. The differences become much more drastic cumulatively, for instance how multiple tracks interact once recorded and stacked, and number 2, the more ridiculous the tube preamp, the larger and slower the transients become which leads to longer and taller sounding recordings because of the even order harmonic distortion, or what is perceived to be glow.

[AL.N-music]

I used to get that question as well about warmth and what not. My response is simple, "it's in the performance". Back in the day, you have to play it through perfectly, or at the best way possible with the least iteration as can be. Come the peak of digital recording and everyone just got clinical about it. Punching in here and there and everywhere. At some point, the performance was put to the side. The early 2000s recordings were very prevalent of this phenomenon. Same with the overuse of autotune. It was like "fixing everything in post". I think it's now has tapered down back to performance, at least for live instrument recording. And performance and warmth is slowly coming back. Admittedly, I myself got carried away by the technology for a while. I've actually gotten rid with a lot of plugins and now record in a "tape" fashion, getting it in right the first time and limiting edits only when necessary. And that includes having the right gear and coloration with the signal going in. At the end of the day, it's about solving problems, and if you start off from the right foot, it'll be a breeze later on.

[kinkfloydd]

I like that you give your opinion, other reviewers will ask me to determine what is better where the majority of us will listen on less than ideal conditions, so I appreciate your opinion and that you go into detail about the differernces you hear.

[HEATHfromOZ]

Great test! To my ears, the tube pre was brighter & more raspy in a good way, but both sounded excellent. The stock pre's really surprised me. Thanks heaps, Joe!

[KristianWontroba]

Cool thing about tube pre's is that if you push 'em with a hotter signal, they typically saturate in a pleasing way. Those lovely harmonics! That's when you really hear a bigger difference.

[ParadNorthProd]

Downloaded both. Invert the phase of one. Then adjust the volume of one of the tracks until the volume is the lowest. (Stock preamp needs to be lowered 2.0db.) What's left is just the differences between the two. Generally, bunch of high end (8k-12k), and some stuff around 150-250hz. But subtle differences in all frequencies.

[dinoschachten]

Thanks for the very honest, balanced and style of reviewing! Also love your emphasis on incremental changes! In short: Your style of discussing is so pleasant, it sounds like a tube preamp :P

Fun side note regarding "how it makes you play in response": My dad used to say an amp has to be played loud in real-time in the same room because of the resonance happening *between* amp and guitar. I guess it depends on the style of music, but I feel like there's a lot of truth to that over the clinical approach of sending a dead clean signal into a great amp. After all there's that thing we literally call "feedback". Before you get to that full-blown whistling and howling though, there's a point where it adds sustain and resonance similar to the way parts of acoustic instruments resonate (and differently so in different registers and different keys).

[CagedMan]

Had a bk Butler tube driver preamp rack into a 77 Roland jazz chorus amp..and lemme tell you, it made other musicians take immediate notice!

[davidmarais]

First, you have a stunning voice.

Second, these are lovely productions - thank you.

I always found that tube preamps sound "rounder" /"cozier". But they're both excellent deliveries, (I love BOTH my tube preamps and my solid state transformer preamps) - just a matter of which tone suits the material in play.

[komabaloo]

Thanks Joe! Yeah, I CAN hear a difference. Like you said, subtle, but it's definitely different. I have 5 different preamps (1 tube and 4 solid state) in my rack along with the stock preamps from my interface (plus a Behringer "Vintager" 2 channel tube pre that's in another rig) and they all add a different flavour depending on the source and the project. I do have one pre specifically for bass guitar (SansAmp RBI) and it get me a real good starting point. The others all have varied mojo and flavours. Pretty familiar with them all now so I usually know before each session what will be used for what... Thanks for what you do brother!!

[ZammyJ]

He hit every spot 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 this video explains everything perfect tube amp totally worth it makes your songs 5 times better