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No cost limit for a studio pre-amp - solid-state or tube, doesn't matter which.
Which one would you buy for:
Vocals - (Katy Perry, etc. - contemporary pop)
Drums (any type of drum)
Voice Over (if you like a different one from vocal pre. This would be for bass voices for long-term narration)
Thanks!
It really depends on what mic are you using it with and the sound of the instrument. It is the whole signal chain that works together, not just the preamp.
Especially with vocals, you'll actually want a variety of mics and preamps since every voice is so different. Unless you are just recording one particular vocalist then try out mics and preamps for his/her voice to find a suitable combination.
You can take a look and listen to some signals chains that people have put up over at Signal Chains
There's no real way to answer that question accurately.
I have my favorite preamps for different things, but it really comes down to a per-case choice. I love a Neve 1073 on vocals, but every voice is different. Even two people who have similar voices singing / speaking the same style may react differently with the same pre. Also depends very much on the mic, and you can't really pick a mic until you listen to a few different ones on the talent.
Always good to have a variety of preamps and mics available. Once you have your talent there, audition a few different mics and pres until you find which one you like best, then stick with that one. If you don't, you'll likely have less-than-stellar results.
So yeah, it's really an unanswerable question. You'll do yourself a disservice by trying to nail down "the best preamp" for whatever situation.
In general, I tend to find myself settling on API or SSL for drums, Neve or Chandler for Vocals, and Avalon, Focusrite or Nagra for VO, but I also work with the same talent / artists frequently, and I tend to be a creature of habit once I've found something I like. So when I work with someone new, I have to go through the whole discovery process again.
