All user reviews of 4/5 for the Art Tube MP Studio

Excellent DI / Mic pre, with dial in valve warmth/saturation. Great for Re-amping techniques and Di signal from Bass / guitar, or providing phantom power. Ground lift, 20db pad, phase reverse switches. jack i/o, xlr i/o, simultainiously. 12AX7 tube [which can be seen through the vent slots, glowing orange] dialed in via a pot. Good gain structure with extra 20db present if needed. However supplying the phantom power from a desk is a more stable alternative to battery power. The powersupply wallwart handles phantom requirements adequately if no mixer connected.
Low self-noise and a set-and-forget item. excellent.
Often use as Bass Di for added harmonics, boosting hi-mid presence whilst allowing all the bass through.
Incredible for it's price, about 45€.
Recommended as a cheap capable mic pre [with optional color added to taste].

at this price it is hard to find more settings, input gain, output gain, a phantom power supply, a selector 20 dB, a phase switch (very handy) and a limiter. side connection was both input and output is either the XLR jack .... A lamp to heat the whole ...

UTILIZATION

Use side I tried to play on the input gain and output to see if this had an influence on the sound but in wine (I may be deaf). Once activated the limiter goes completely unnoticed, a good point. Second a good point for the meter which is quite rare to find a camera of this price.
Nothing complicated, I would even say a 5 year old to use it.

SOUND QUALITY

I falait a cheap preamp waiting to invest in a top of the game and the Avalon Focusrite style. So I opted for the ART tube mp studio that was one of the most cost ...
before purchasing this product all my recording were amplified by the preamp in my mixer (Yamaha MG12 / 4) and despite the use of XLR cable and an Audio Technica condenser microphone there was a breath lege since I use the little preamble of ART in a single unwanted noise from disturbing my record. The sound is warmer, less metallic, more natural and very clean. I also tested with an electric guitar as well as bass and the sound is much better than directly through the preamps in the mixer ... For the price (100euros), no complaints.

OVERALL OPINION

As you can see, at this price is expected for the moon. ART wanted a simple and unadorned, the housing and strong and very well done compared to the models of project and home studio for less.
with this preamp you will have no unpleasant surprises, a very good value for money.
Perfect until they can afford a preamp 1000euros.

This is a tube microphone preamp. It comes with a 12ax7 tube. Because it has tube technology, I bought this to add some warmth to my live rig. It has 1/4 inch inputs and output as well as a balanced XLR input and output. This means you pretty much have a stereo input and output capability with this unit. You can also go direct with an XLR input into a mixing board with this unit. I would call it rackable, as it is definitely not a floor unit. It is very small, so it can go on top of your rack, but also on top of your amp,preamp, power amp, or speakers.

UTILIZATION

The configuration is fairly simple. There is an input and output knob. There are also buttons for gain, p.power, phase reverse and OPL. Basically, you turn the input knob to adjust the volume of your input, and turn the input knob to adjust your output volume. The effect of both can be heard through your speakers. The manual is clear and sufficient. There is really nothing much to this unit to understand.

SOUND QUALITY

I bought this preamplifier to add more warmth to my rig, as my Fender Stage 185 tends to have a harsh treble. So I really did buy this unit to "color" my signal in that respect. Unfortunately, I have to realize that this is a microphone preamp, so running my guitar through my pedals, then through this unit before going to the board will not make my "house" tone sound good. As a matter of fact, it sounded very weak. So I broke down the next week and mic'd my amp then sent that signal through this unit, then to the mixing board, and I sounded much better through the house speakers. Don't know for sure if I sounded warmer than through my amp, but at least the sound through the house was decent. I think this unit will also make miking my acoustic guitar sound great.

OVERALL OPINION

I have had this unit for about 2 months. I like the fact that you can go direct to the house. Unfortunately, you have to go direct with a microphone, so technically, you're not going direct anyway. I do like having an xlr and 1/4 output, so I really have a stereo capability there, so I can add yet another amp to my rig. (Forget bi-amping or even tri-amping, I want to quad-amp!) Also having "stereo" inputs allows me to put my electric through the 1/4 inch input, and a microphone for my acoustic guitar through the xlr input, without having to switch around instruments, inputs, cables, etc. It's great for microphones, but this is NOT a guitar preamp. (Obviously!) This is the only model I tried because it was the specific model I needed for my needs. For $39, I don't regret my choice at all, because it has its uses