SM Pro Audio PR8 8-Channel Microphone Preamp
Phantom power. Balanced inputs.
Overall User Ratings (based on 33 ratings)
Submitted December 6, 2007 by a customer from myfinalbreath.com
"Gets the job done."
Overall it's a great unit, especially for those looks to add a more mics to their digi interfaces such as the digi001, etc. Which only supply a limited amount of actual mic inputs.
Sound
I own the older model, the one where the outputs are consumer based -10dB, although the one listed on this site is now a more professional
+4dB on the output. Anyways, the sound is great and extremely clear without needing to hardly push the preamp at all. No noise floor is audible.
Features
Gets the basics done, plug a mic in, turn up the gain, switch on phantom power if need be... then plug it into your interface. Having a mic/line combined input and a pad switch would've been nice. Yet the price would've been much higher.
Ease of Use
Extremely easy to use, as long as you understand the xlr's are inputs and the 1/4" on the back are the outputs... then you're good to go.
Quality
Seems to be made extremely well, and me being the third owner of this unit, that can tell you how durable it can be.
Value
A great value for the item at new cost.
Manufacturer Support
Never needed support, if it breaks, honestly it's so cost effective I'll use purchase another one. And maybe get around to fixing the first... if the ever be the case.
The Wow Factor
Shouldn't matter about it's "sex appeal" it just sitting in a rack with cables connected to it.
Musical Background:
Active Musician, and Recording Engineer
Musical Style:
All
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Submitted November 28, 2005 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Awesome product for the money"
I plan on keeping this unit 'til it blows up. And I'd definately buy another one. I've made many successful recordings using this preamp with my TASCAM 238 8-track recorder, digital DAW, Alesis effects & compressor, and BiAmp mixing console.
There are a lot of preconceived notions about how good or bad a product will perform based on the brand name slapped on it. I've used my share of Soundcraft, Mackie, Klark-Teknik, dbx, and other high-end brands of mixers, processors, and the like over the years. Much of the gear produced today by companies like Behringer and SMPro perform much like the big boys (& sometimes even better) but don't cost the big bucks.
Good equipment is important to a good recording. Ability and skill are even more important.
Sound
It sounds neutral, and it's very quiet. I suspect others who have issues with noise are using poorly shielded or defective cables or mics. With my setup, it's very quiet. If you're looking for a mic preamp to give you that vintage tube sound, this ain't it. This unit does one thing only: It amplifies the original mic signal and sends it to the recorder. And it does it very well. If you want a vintage mic or tube emulation, you'll need a processor.
Features
It's got what it needs. Each channel has an XLR jack, a gain knob, and a phantom power switch. It would be nice to have a 1/4" line input & pad switch on each channel, but then again it wouldn't be only 99 bucks with the added features.
Quality
Made very well with good quality parts. It's amazing what you can get for a hundred bucks these days.
Value
Absolutely the best value in an 8-channel mic preamp.
Manufacturer Support
I'm rating this in the middle of the scale since I have never had to deal with the company. It's a reliable unit and I've never needed support.
The Wow Factor
Is sex appeal important in a mic preamp? If color is a big deal for you in a piece of studio gear, then your priorites are screwed up. I buy gear that's built well and does the job. And this one fits the bill perfectly.
Musical Background:
Active musician
Musical Style:
Rock, blues, & jazz
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Submitted June 11, 2004 by a customer from cowboy.net
"Go get one! You need it!"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This thing suits my purposes very well. For the price, you cannot beat it! To see some mods go to www.groupdiy.com and do a search!
Sound
The sound is decent overall, very quiet. I bought two of these when the price dropped to $99. I have had them now for 6+ months. I found the top end to be rolled off a bit, but its still very usable. I have made some simple mods to one unit (only removing components) and it increased the bandwidth considerably. Changed opamps in the other unit and it sounds great!! Maybe its not a TRUE, but its $99!!
Features
It has gain and phantom PER channel. This is a nice feature rather than having global phantom. Otherwise, what do you need?
Quality
Okay, the externals are very clean and nice. The internals aren't so pretty, but its EIGHT mic pres for $99! I modified one of mine and did some soldering and desoldering on the circuit board. Its a single sided PCB, but I didn't lift any traces with the iron, so that's a sign that they used decent circuit board material. The opamps are not 4580, as stated in the manual, they are 4558. They can easily be modified to get wider bandwidth if you gotta have it.
Value
It doesn't get much better than this...8 pres for $99. They are pretty quiet and work great in my home studio.
Manufacturer Support
I sent the company an email regarding the discrepancy about the opamps. They sent a reply pretty quickly and said they'd change the manual. I have had some other conversations with them about other products and they have been very helpful with info.
The Wow Factor
This is a practical addition to my setup. I have a MOTU 1224 with 8 ins and I needed some mic pres. This would also be a great addition to a Digi 01 or 02 etc. to give some more mic inputs on the other channels.
Musical Style:
My Client;'s style is my style!
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Submitted December 6, 2003 by a customer from yahoo.com
"This this is as sexy as a friggin fly!"
I will probably use this until I get my DDX3216 in 2004. Then I guess I will have to sell it for much less than what I paid for it. Thanks SMPRO for screwwing us guys that paid your first retail price of $199.
Sound
It sounds ok. Not to clean, though. I have only used it in a live recording environment. It is good enough for demos, or ghost tracks if you are totally broke.
Features
It has a gain and a phantom switch on each channel. Pretty simple.
Quality
It is as cheap as they come. I have had the best results on non condensor or mics that do not require phantom power.
Value
I paid $199 9 months ago when the msrp was $299. It totally blows for me that they have such a price drop. I never had liked NADY products, this looks identical to the NADY, so it is pretty bottom of the line.
Manufacturer Support
The first one I had did not work properly on channel #3. I returned it to the retailer and got a new one about 4 months ago and so far so good.
The Wow Factor
This thing has the sex appeal of a friggin fly.
Musical Style:
Crap and Roll
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Submitted February 12, 2005 by a customer from yahoo.com
"More Hiss Than A Pit Of Vipers"
The only person I would reccomend this product to would be someone who loves to solder wants a cheap piece of gear to experiment with.
Sound
This is the biggest piece of crap I have ever owned!!!! There is more hiss than a pit of vipers. Try arming 8 tracks in a ProTools session routed from a PR8. You will think you have a short somewhere. Mute out all 8 channels one at a time and you'll eventually reach complete silence.
Features
8 mic pres & independent 48v on each channel. Balanced ins and outs(suposedly)
Quality
Very loud cicuitry.
Value
This product is not worth anywhere close to retail.
Manufacturer Support
No support available by phone
The Wow Factor
It's like a puke blue/green color. Black or red would be better.
Musical Background:
Recording Engineer
Musical Style:
All types
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