Questions & Answers

What is the best lowest noise floor 2 channel PreSonus BlueTube preamp?

+1 vote
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asked Apr 18, 2021 in PreAmps, Signal Processors and Monitoring Hardware by nealcaraballo (130 points)
I will be using it on rock music, to record primarily vocals, electric distorted guitar, and acoustic guitar, but also bass, piano, and synths. I think I'll use it to warm up and saturate vocals and electric distorted guitar more than anything.

I don't want any noise floor hum or hiss when I crank the tube drive up to 100, but I think that's wishful thinking? I just want to push the tube drive up a ton and not get hum or hiss. If I have to deal with it when I crank the tube drive past 80, that's understandable, but it would be nice if I can find one that can get to 100 with no noise floor sounding hum or hiss.

Second question is, what are the best preamp tubes to get that will give me the best warmth/saturated sound with the absolute lowest noise floor out of every PreSonus BlueTube? Feel free to recommend me other brands too, but I really like PreSonus. In the end, it's about the sound, not the brand.

For example, I love the vocals from the song in this video, but I would love to make it sound even better if possible. I want to get very clean warm/saturated vocals like she has, but sometimes, I want to crank it and get it distorted like in modern rock music, but without a hiss/hum under it. I get if I crank it to 10 there might be some.. and that's understandable, though, if I can get it without none, that's perfect and what I'm really looking for. I primarily want to be able to get extremely clean, very warm, and saturated vocals without hum or hiss. That's my main goal. Distorting vocals like on modern rock music or is a rare occasion. Mainly I want clean, crisp, clear vocals though, like in this video. The songs starts decently early in the video once he talks for a moment. It starts about 30 seconds in. He also shows the tube pre amp in the middle of the video, but he never says the brand. It looks huge, so I'm sure it's expensive, so it doesn't matter. lol:

and I love that late 70's guitar tone sound in the end of this video, (I love warm 70's rock tones in general) it's the perfect guitar warmth and saturation to my tastes. He said he used mullard tubes.  I read that the 12at7 is better than the 12ax7 when it comes to the Pre Sonus Bluetube. Is that correct? The only problem is that the Presonus Tube Pre v2, still has a hum under his guitar, I don't want that. It also sounds like he's using a noise gates. Yea a noise gate is a slight fix, but the hum will be present while playing, I don't really want that at all.

Also, I heard the original first ever Presonis bluetube was actually great, is that true? I can only imagine it has a crappy noise floor though.. right? Or am I wrong?

As in the title, which is the best Presonus Bluetube that will fit my needs perfectly? and which tube will be best for me? That's where I'm stuck at now. The first Bluetube as SO LITTLE info on it online, that I've been researching it for days, with little to no luck.

Also, if you tell me a noise floor number for these Bluetube Preamps. How do I read them? Like is 100 good? 120 better? Like that? I'm new to tube preamps, but I do know what I'm looking for.

Could I bypass that hum in this video by getting a certain tube, or is it, which is what I'm guessing, a combination of the tube I buy, and the other half would be which Tube Preamp I buy, correct?

Skip to 6:30 in this video for an A/B between preamp off then on:

Lastly, I know this is all a "to each their own, it depends the type of project your working on, and your personal tastes" kinda thing, and that's very true, but to you, personally, what do *you* think is the best tub mic preamp/tube for rock music? and which tube preamp/tube do you think would be best for me?

My audio interface will be the Audient ID44, and it will be connected to Logic Pro, the tube preamp will go into the effect return of the Audient ID44, or can I connect it into the channel 1 of the Audient 44? Which will then allow it to go thru the Audients internal pre amp.

*Please don't recommend that I use a plugin. I have my heart set on this already, and recommending plugins might derail the comment threads focus to plugins instead of analog. I will already be using a Burnley 73 plugin to emulate a Neve 1073 EQ, and I will also be using a bunch of other plugins as well. I just love the feels and tone that a real tube preamp gives the input sound leagues more than a digital tube emulation plugin gives it. I have very sensitive hears and can easily hear and feel the difference. So I want every input source that's recorded to go into my song to pass through a real analog tube pre amp to give it that warmth, saturation, tone, and life. Thanks everyone! :)*

Please leave the exact names/models, or link me to the ones that you're referring me to so I'm sure to find the right ones.

It needs to be below $300.

Thanks in advance everyone! This is also mh first post here, so I hope everyone can help clear this all up for me. :)
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