Black Lion Audio Auteur MKII Twin-Channel Microphone Preamplifier
Don't compromise clarity or warmth -- you can have both! BLA's Auteur mkII preamp improves on the original's responsive sound with more gain and lower noise.
Overall User Ratings (based on 1 ratings)
Submitted October 4, 2016 by Jason S in chicago, IL
"Auteur MKII vs scarlett 6i6"
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I tested out this new pre-amp by comparing it with my current setup. I have been using the internal pre's on the Scarlett 6i6 for about 3 years for miking guitar amps with a SM57, e609 or Octavia MK-319 and been very pleased. Recently I found myself needing to record from 4 microphones at the same time. Adding the Auteur MKII to my setup was suggested as a way i could accomplish this task. The MKII was quick to setup, one external AC adapter and 2 1/4" TRS cables to plug it into my 6i6 and I was ready to go. I tested it head-to-head with the internal pre's on the 6i6 using 2 octavia MK-319's, one plugged into the 6i6 and one into the MKII. The source material was an acoustic Yamaha baby grand piano. Both microphones were placed next to each other. Comparing the recording from the MKII to the 6i6 is pretty eye opening. While the pre's on the 6i6 are very quiet the MKII is a lot quieter, and this quietness seems to translate to more detail. I play piano with the sustain pedal down constantly and the MKII resolved all the resonant frequencies wonderfully. It also brought immense clarity to the decay of each note. I've been so happy with the 6i6 that I went into this comparison thinking I would have to listen very closely to hear a difference between these two pre-amps. The extra detail and space that the Auteur MKII brings to recording is going to make it my default pre-amp going forward.
Sound
Very transparent sound. Rich detail and low noise.
Features
standard pre-amp features: phantom power/padding/phase on/off for each channel and 2x 1/4 TRS output
Ease of Use
Minutes to power up and get recording. very simple and straight forward
Quality
solid metal case and dials/switches also seem very sturdy.
Value
The level of detail this brings out in recordings is very much worth every penny spent on this device.
Manufacturer Support
N/A
The Wow Factor
I wasn't aware how much nicer recordings could sound with such a simple upgrade as a mic pre-amp.
Musical Background:
playing music for 22yrs, mostly guitar with some piano/violin/keyboard. I play out as a solo artist or as part of a band.
Musical Style:
ambient. improvisational. drone.
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