Topic: Newbie questions: JB3, SP At853's, AD-20...

[Zaphod]

An AD20 will provide 17dB of minimum gain as well as the analog to digital conversion. Pre-amps in general are used for gain, bringing a mic-level signal to line level, as well as phantom power.

I suggest to just keep it simple, get a pre-amp that provides phantom power, less boxes, and less hassle. The MP-2 mentioned above would be a sufficient deal, however they sell for around $400 when they show up in the Yard Sale here, and they are gone real quick!

Seriosly, I wish I'd know about this site before I bought all my gear, I would have done things a lot differently. It took me forever to figure this all out on my own, so a +T for finding it.

[violaplayr]

Zaphod-
Thanks a lot.  Yep, just found this site about 5 days ago and have learned a wealth of information since.  The "Newbie Central" thread put together by Brian Skalinder taught me a lot, info about Mics, Preamps, Gain, & A/D. 

http://www.taperssection.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=4237.0

Speaking of that thread, there is a list of devices that provide phantom power, gain & ADC.  He lists the AT CP8201 as providing gain.  These seem pretty cheap for sale on the web and I wondered if this would work in the lineage I had before?

AT853>PS2>AT CP8201>JB3?  Or maybe another device that provides gain, like the Hosa MIT-176?

Thanks for everyone's help!  I'm learning more with each post.

[leegeddy]

how about at853>edirol ua5>jb3(digital in)? i'd assume that it would sound much better than a ps2>transformer>jb3(analog in)

[violaplayr]

Yeah, I'm starting to consider the Edirol Ua-5, just not that great for stealthing.  I guess I could just stick with a Batt Box>JB3 for the few stealth situations I'm in.  IF I bought a new UA-5 would it work right out of the box with this setup?  I noticed some people have mods done for the UA-5.  I've specifically seen the "warm mod" version. 

[Unitmonster]

FWIW, I use the unmodded AT853rx>PS-2>AD-20>JB3 setup and find that it works well. The only gripe I have is that for a "portable" setup, it makes for a lot of components.  If you're not thinking of using it for stealth that's pretty much a non-issue I guess.