It won’t make your mix sound better for 99.9% of people listening it. But if it make you happy to have a mic tube preamp (and a DI box to convert line level to mic level) then yeah it can’t be wrong.
1 Like
Do you mean there’s not enough gain to make the tubes show their teeth? Or is there plenty to make up for the difference in line-level/modular-level and you’re not really finding a sweet spot?
I recently got some Bubblesound 2hp Booster modules and they’re doing great work to lift my Digitakt up to sit in a loud enough range for the modular.
1 Like
This, mostly. And just not managing to get anything sounding particularly good yet. Will probably have to invest in some sort of booster module.
1 Like
Wow I bet you could get some nice BoC style effects out of that. Tape and tube 
The term is “starved plate”…lots of good google learning to be had…
There were some 90s / early 2000s gear releases that added starved plate valves to circuits to “market” gear…some good, some bad…some even had valves just for show, they glowed pretty but didn’t do a thing to the signal…
1 Like
Not really. The tape side of the machine needs a lot of work which is why I ended up with it in the first place. After going through it I decided it’s not worth the time and money it would take to get it running. Even if I fixed it up it’s still just a mid level 1/4” home rtr deck and would need a lot of modding to make it cool. Too many other projects need my attention more immediately. Maybe if I get a bunch of free time someday.
1 Like
So your EH pedal must be starved plate then, if it’s a pedal right? Does the tube just add some warm to the distortion?
I m using the EHX LPB2ube on my MD. Not subtly but to add a lot of dirt. Really helps pumping analog life in that digital coldness. See also thread here:
1 Like
The Presonus Bluetube is half-rack and can be found for <$50. iirc, it’s dual-mono and sounds decent. It’s a starved-plate design.
ART made several that ran at high-voltage. And for light-saturation on Hi-Z sources, the Tube Works Blue Tube sounded great.
(12AX7/ECC83 tubes/valves are ‘twin-triode’ tubes, meaning 1 12AX7 can process 2 channels.)
1 Like
Ehx site used to say it was full plate but the transformer is only 18v so i don’t know? And actually don’t care, i like what it does…It can just be a pre that ads a small amount of character, or a ball tearing, thick distortion, especially if the inputs are ganged…(feed left channel into right channel for a double dose)…
I would grab another if i could find one…
1 Like
I like running my MS through some Radial JDI’s into some preamps to add transformer harmonics.
A good tube preamp won’t necessarily add warmth or distortion contrary to its reputation, the benefit of tubes transistors vs solid state is wider dynamic range and more pleasant sounding clipping (if/when clipping occurs).
Experimenting with guitar pedals can lead to something unique without spending a lot of money.
3 Likes
I remember reading that this pedal ran the tubes at 300 volts (which is about as high as you ever run 12ax7 types). There’s probably just another transformer inside the pedal that steps the 18v up to 300v. Easy enough to do.
I’d love to try one out but they’re hard to come by.
1 Like
I wish I’d bid a bit harder on that one I missed a month ago. Was boxed with manual too!
1 Like
I know that feeling.
1 Like
Hindsight is a stunner eh! Added to Reverb & Ebay saved searches.
That said, if I were after subtle ‘warmth’ or coloring I’d use my AH. Better sounding and way more flexible. The LPB2ube has a crunch/sizzle to it that I don’t associate with ‘warmth’. Standard tubes in it.
1 Like
Quite impressed running a Machinedrum through a pair of the Klark Teknik Pultec inspired racks. Was considering swapping out the Bugera tubes but they do sound good as is. Nice deep and top end enhancement with a bit of warmth even in bypass.
I prefer the sound to an RNC, Analog Heat, Niio track thickener, Overstayer VCA and Overstayer FET, which have all been in that position previously.
5 Likes
Never was a fan of massive gain, so I usually swapped 12AX7s with 12AU7s as they have ~1/3 the gain, with more range, depending on the circuit.
Sometimes you’ll get lucky and find a set that isn’t too brittle in the highs, doesn’t kill the bass, with nice and thick mild saturation in the mids.
2 Likes
Me too. We may be dueling in the future. Haha.
1 Like
Ha - whoever wins has to let the other use one of the channels 
2 Likes