ART Tube MP Studio V3 Microphone Preamplifier
Record any source through this versatile tube preamp! The super-compact ART Tube MP Studio V3 gives you a huge variety of voicings, output limiting and more.
Overall User Ratings (based on 54 ratings)
Submitted October 26, 2011 by a customer from sbcglobal.net
"If your just looking for a little more gain then this is perfect for you."
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
For what I am doing I expect to use this for several more years.
Sound
Has some very good sound. I am using it on drums
and on vocals. I hope to use it soon on a mic
acoustic guitar.
I like the adjuster selector. There is some hiss
when you push the gain button but that is to be expected
on a low budget pre-amp.
Features
I like the option of the selector button.
Ease of Use
Very easy to use.
Quality
Good strong case and looks like it will last.
Value
Very good starter pre-amp. Very well
built.
Manufacturer Support
No problems with the amp.
I di peg the needle and I thought I busted it. The
needle returned to normal. I had the mic recording with a amp
producing the output. This created a loop that made
the pre-amp pegging the needle.
The Wow Factor
Just a good starter pre-amp.
Musical Background:
Hobby
Musical Style:
Rock and Alternative
16 of 16 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
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Submitted December 14, 2008 by a customer from aol.com
"Makes my solid-state amp sound like a tube amp!"
THE V3 is very versitile. It's a mic preamp, DI box, it definitely
does what I got it for, to enrich the sound of my Strat thru my amp!
I also have a GnX4 workstation I plan on running W/theV3 & expect the same results.
Sound
i just got it & it sounds great. i run my AM/DLX Strat thru it into my G/DEC 30. What a differance! It adds more dimention to the sound spectrum.
Features
The voice knob is pretty cool. All the controls are easy to understand & operate.
Ease of Use
I found it easy to figure out & adjust to tweek the sound I want.
Quality
The V3 seems well made & pleasant to look at.
Value
I could not find another product like this for this price.Great value!
Manufacturer Support
N/A
The Wow Factor
I like the color & the design of the unit.I added larger rubber feet so it would set ontop of my G/DEC securely.
Musical Background:
Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Blues,rock,country,gospel
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Submitted December 7, 2004 by a customer from yahoo.com
"It would be perfect and compelete if only it had a earth lift function!"
I only miss the earth lift, otherwise it is a cool complementary di/pre-amp to have. It is cool for phantompower, DI, eq settings, pad. I use it for a lot of different instruments and voices.
Sound
Very full tube sound!
Features
I only miss the earth lift.
Quality
The knobs are long and therefore handy but also a threat to damage in my pre-amp flightcase.
Value
Good price for a good sound!
Manufacturer Support
I never needed any contact with the company.
The Wow Factor
It looks cool with the VU-meter!
Musical Background:
recording engineer, active musician, live sound engineer
Musical Style:
any
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Submitted March 28, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"You do get something here for the money, but it's not magic"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I am glad I bought it, just to see what you get for the money, and I will use it (with a different tube --Sovtek), but not as much as some other preamps.
Sound
Over the past year, I have bought pretty much one of every make of cheap tube preamp out there, including this one. How does it rate? Not bad, and improves somewhat if you change the tube. Still, for this price I think I would prefer the other Art unit, the mic preamp. But this unit does let you play with all those different settings which can keep you occupied, and off the streets.
Features
Would be nice to have a ground lift and a high pass (low cut) filter. The cheaper Behringer copy of this unit has a low filter, which is nice. (Though its sound is not as good.) The similarly priced Art mic preamp has a filter too.
Ease of Use
Easy, though all those instrument options are ultimately a bit of a waste of time, I'd say.
Quality
Hey, it is a cheap unit. It should not be considered road worthy or anything like that.
Value
Good value, but basic circuitry. Don't expect miracles. Sounds somewhat better if you swap out the tube. I put in a Sovtek (taken out of my Studio Projects preamp) and that worked well.
Manufacturer Support
no experience
The Wow Factor
ok.
Musical Background:
lifelong amateur musician
Musical Style:
jazz
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by a customer from yahoo.com
"The best fix for your sound in this price range."
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Sound
You can get great sound from this preamp. It's all in how you set it up.. Use a quality mic.. I use the Sure beta 87.. Use quality cords.. I use "monster cable" mic cables.. Then finaly plug it in with a 1/4" plug. Don't run the mic cord out into the mic input on your board.. Thats why some people complain about noise.. It's running through two mic preamps.. I get great sound and the noise is so low that I can't hear it even through headphones hooked to the board.. You can't go wrong with this preamp..
Features
The variable valve voicing works very well, just dial in the sound your looking for.. The only thing I can think of that might be usefull would be a low cut switch, but it does work very well without it..
Quality
It is constructed of steel and look like it will hold up for quite some time.
Value
Great deal for $120.
Musical Style:
Rock, Alternative
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Submitted November 7, 2018 by Jay H in Dover, DE
"Very basic but it works"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
The Art Tube MP series has been around for quite some time and as a budget tube entry under $100 bucks I'm not sure if it has ever been dethroned. I purchased this to match up with my Rode NTK microphone. I didn't want to spend a bunch on my budget setup so this being a budget tube Amp was a brainless decision to make. The good bad and ugly about the AMP is that in truth it doesn't utilize the tube as a true tube amp would but it gives a decent tube effect of warmth. What it is good for is being a budget preamp with slew of settings that are in fact all different sounding depending on what option you select.I feel like that is the true strength of this little box as most preamps in the price range are just that only "pre-amps" with no options. The MP studio V3 gives you lots of those.Sound wise you get a decent selection and decent output of your sounds. I did not notice any undesired noise coming from it. My let down of the unit however came from the VU meter dying on the second day I owned it so build quality I do have to question.If you want a tube-ish sounding pre-amp with lots of alternating output selections than this is an ideal choice. If you have more than $100 to spend I'd say to look at something better.
Musical Background:
Music Maker
Musical Style:
All styles
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Submitted January 28, 2007 by a customer from verizon.net
"Nice, warm easy little lo fi pre."
If it holds up I'll just keep it, not upgrade. I checked other reviews and compared especially to a Behringer I decided to go with the ART and I'm happy. I like the compactness, the ease of use, the solid metal body, ooh.
Sound
Just played it for over three hours with no problems - just the smell of a nice hot tube and a warm sound.
Features
Lots of presets to choose from depending on the feel you want. It's pretty good for how low price it is.
Ease of Use
Just plug and tweak and play.
Quality
Just got it so it's hard to tell, but the box arrived from Fed Ex pretty thrashed- but the tube and casing are in great shape.
Value
Seems to be nice and solid for the price.
Manufacturer Support
No experience.
The Wow Factor
It;s only a one tube pre, but for my little lo fi studio and D.I.Y.sound it's perfect.
Musical Background:
hobbyist lo fi electronic music afficianato.
Musical Style:
alternative- electro -noise- dance
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Submitted March 21, 2007 by a customer from msn.com
"Zzounds does it again!!!"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
This is a KEEPER!!! I may buy another one from Zzounds....
Sound
I just plugged this unit into my Mackie Onyx Satellite FireWire Audio Interface (Line in) and WOW... Mackie has some great internal pre-amps... however this ART Tube MP Studio V3 really makes it all shine. I was blown away by the warmth of this unit on vocals where I believe it really shines. Exactly what I wanted... and more...
Features
I love the presets that this unit comes with... Just plugged in my acoustic and my electric and turn the dial... anyone can get great tones out of this unit. Love it!!!
Ease of Use
Just so simple... even a kid could use it.
Quality
Full metal jacket... strong and looks durable!!!
Value
Zzounds... You did it again... I paid $69.00 for this unit and I believe it was worth far more... Like $300.00!!! This unit made my mics sing!!!
P.S. I wish you (Zzsounds)would carry the (Tung Sol 12AX7) pre amp tubes... I would love to buy them from you!!! I should not have to order them from Canada...
Manufacturer Support
Have not had to call anyone... I did see some chatter while I was doing my research about the "tube" inside... being noisy...cheap. So, because I like a nice blues "warmth" tone... I took this unit fresh out of the box and replaced the Chinese tube with one from Russia... Viola... Just AWESOME! Just what I wanted!!! I only regret not having gotten this unit years ago... P.S. If ART would have just put in a decent tube (Tung Sol 12AX7), they would have made far more money on these units. Their loss, our gain! :-)
The Wow Factor
Really nice on my desktop... Love the VU meter and the lights... good and solid... all the way!!! A MUST HAVE!!!
Musical Background:
Active Musician/Recording Engineer
Musical Style:
Rock, Jazz, Acoustic, Worship
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Submitted November 19, 2007 by a customer from yahoo.com
ART Tube MP Studio V3 Customer Review
I use the product to for my mics... works great
Sound
The Sound is very clean depending on the mic or input device, you may have to ground lift the the device to get rid of the noise. If your input and output are set wrong the device will tend sqaush your signal giving a distorted sound. I would reccomend turning your input to three 3/4 ~25db, and then slow increase the output.
Ease of Use
The setting are kinda of wrong different voicings work better on different instruments
Quality
durable
Value
I think the price is a little high for what it does
Musical Background:
Engineer, Tech Director, Musician
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by a customer from yahoo.com
"Great for acoustic guitar"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I like this unit a lot. I tried several other pres (SansAmp Acoustic DI, PreSonus Blue Tube, & others) and I thought the V3 had the most pleasant and musical sound for my application. I'd definitely replace mine if it were lost or stolen.
Sound
Great for its price range and portability. I use it to take the edge off the piezo pickup in my acoustic, and to fatten up my electric. Guitar signal comes into the V3 then into a Boss GT-3 using 1/4" patch cords. I've never tried the V3 with a mic.
Features
It has plenty of features; too many. The variable voicing isn't as useful as I thought it would be -- most of the "voice" settings aren't useful IMHO because they're overdone. For example, the acoustic guitar setting boosts the highs too much, making it sound harsh and brittle. I just use the limiter setting.
Quality
Seems solid enough. Nice all-metal chassis. I like ART's chassis design *much* better than some of the competing products, which have the tube sticking up through the top of the pre-amp (!). One time the meter light started to flicker, but it didn't affect the sound; eventually the problem went away on its own.
Value
I wouldn't pay extra for the variable voicing feature, but I do think the V3 sounds better than its Tube MP siblings. Maybe this is a newer design, or maybe it's just my imagination, but I liked the V3 better.
Manufacturer Support
I e-mailed ART about the meter light thing, and got a polite and helpful response -- four days later.
The Wow Factor
Sex appeal? Um, no. In fact, I'd be deeply concerned about anyone who gets that sort of stimulation from changing their gain structure...
Musical Style:
Acoustic fingerstyle, praise & worship
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Submitted February 11, 2006 by a customer from ripnet.com
"BUY THIS YOU WILL BE SURPRISE ... ESPECIALLY IF MAMA DON'T ALOUD NO PLAYER IN HER HOUSE"
YESSS IT WORTH IT
Sound
IT IS VERY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD FOR THE BUCK BABY DON'T BE TO FUSSY .. WORK ALONG WITH IT ...... AND YOU WILL GET GOOD RESULT FOOL AROUND A LITTLE TRY TRY TRY ... I KEEP ...ANYWAY
Features
YES AGAIN EASY EASY AS 1-2-3
Quality
VERY STURDY
Value
VERY ...... BUY KID ROCK
Manufacturer Support
DON'T KNOW HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH IT
The Wow Factor
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Musical Background:
30 years of .......
Musical Style:
all type love music I live for it
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Submitted May 4, 2006 by a customer from hotmail.com
ART Tube MP Studio V3 Customer Review
I give this a 9 because its probably one of the best budget preamps, works as a DI box, has a compressor and the V3 voicings make mixing a hell lot easier. If your making your first recording preamp/DI purchase for your home studio, i strongly recommend this one over the other Tube MP models.
Sound
The sound quality has been perfect for my needs. I record track at a time into a soundcard, mixerless, so this preamp/DI box does it all for me. The people who said the V3 voicings sound too exaggerated or harsh, well that may be true on its own but record the tracks and put them into the mix, and youll find youll barely have to reach for EQ to let the track sit in the mix. Since getting this unit Ive never had to really EQ guitar tracks, vocal tracks (using the Studio Projects C1), and bass tracks. And thats why the sound gets a 10. I havent had any hiss problems at all, but Im guessing the hiss comes from people using it in conjuction with a mixer, which is a double amplification of the signal. The tube is a part of the signal chain because it wont produce output with the tube removed, Groove Tubes 12AX7 produce a better tone, so consider replacing the stock tube. DOesnt give any tube overdrive, just subtle warmth and at full input some bluesy type overdrive. So just make sure you have its output going to the recorder and not a mixer, and use the V3 voicings, theyre there to make your recordings sit in the mix easier. For 100 bucks this sounds great.
Features
For a compact budget preamp, it has the V3 settings which save so much time when it comes to mixing the recorded tracks. It has a built in compressor/limiter based on what settings you use. It has Phase reverse, phantom power, +20dB pad, VU Meter, 1/4" and XLR inputs/outputs, comes with wallwart ac adapter.
Ease of Use
Because of its basic control knobs (input/tube, output/master) and auto-set limiter, its simple to use. Good thing since beginners are probably the target market for this preamp. Not to say that as a bad thing as its a great value.
Quality
Made in China. but real sturdy, the knobs dont feel cheap, the paint/decals are sharp and crisp, the LEDs and VU meter work well and are easy to see/read.
Value
For the ease of use, good sound, and features of this little box, its definitely a little more than what youd exepect to get for 100 bucks.
Manufacturer Support
EMailed the company asking about changing the tube and they got back to me within a day.
The Wow Factor
purple and black color scheme....works in a funky way i guess....still a nice thing to look at on your desktop.
Musical Background:
Hobbyist, Musician, Home Studio
Musical Style:
Rock, Jazz,
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Submitted January 25, 2006
"Good call"
Have used it a bunch of times. Have experienced clean fat sound, and have experienced hiss... but the clean sound outweighs the hiss. Price is great too.
Sound
Fattens things up for the most part, but can get hissy sometimes. Not sure why.
Features
What else could you want? VU Meter, Phantom Power, voicing, etc... anything else you need for this price?
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Submitted July 15, 2004
ART Tube MP Studio V3 Customer Review
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
I give it an 8 overall because I know there are better preamps but this is definitely the best box to get on a budget. The quality is excellent. Go buy it.
Sound
I Love how this little box sounds. If you have a small diaphram condenser, good amp and good effects this little box accurately gives you the sound of everything you use. Lower the output compression and you can get rid of hiss from your amp to get the sound nice and clean. XLR's and/or silent knights will also give you excellent signal clarity and reduce buzzing. I have also used it direct with my Zoom 707 II and it makes the clean effects sounds great but the box will get hot direct so I recommend going amped. I gave it an 8 because I assume that Focusrite would be the best quality but ART is an excellent box to start with for a home studio.I don't recommend using a mixer with it because it sounds excellent by itself on guitar and I have also used it on my drum machine through a PA and they sound like real drums.
Features
There are not too many features but the best one is phantom power and the instrument presets. Wish it had a 3 band equalizer though.
Quality
Nothing wrong with the quality.The box has solid construction with metal. The Tube would be the most sensitive part of it though. It may break if dropped.
Value
I believe it was priced right. Most preamps go for 4 times this box.Excellent way to start getting creative.
Manufacturer Support
Never had to contact the company. The box has been working great so far.
The Wow Factor
If you have a home studio you definitely want it.
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