Great River ME-1NV Reviews

from Savannah, GA
February 23, 2013Music Background:
Studio Owner

Phenomenal

This preamp has absolutely exceeded my expectations.

Sandeep
from United States
August 31, 2012Music Background:
hobbyist moving to end production

Great PreAmp

I am usually recording at my small home studio , struggling to find a clean sound recently upgraded from centrence micport pro/ mxl 4000 to gr me - 1 nv /akg c 414 xl 2/roland quad capture , and have great clean results , just remember i am not a professional singer , but i can still see great and clean result in my home studio .... hoping everthing goes great in the end ... :) over all great product , u get for what u pay .... did a lot a research before i purchased ....... so 100/100 on this .... Thanks sweetwater ...

Noah
from United States
March 6, 2012Music Background:
Recording Engineer Student, Musician

Love it!

Amazing dynamic range! The analog feel/tone is all there. Obvious difference in quality compared to others. LOVES bass! high gain setting does not = noise

Darrell St.Blaine
from San Francisco, CA
July 6, 2009Music Background:
Singer, guitarist, recording engineer

A very nice preamp for a variety of mics

I use this pre with an AKG SolidTube (that has a custom Telefunken tube), a Rode NT1A an Audio Technica AT4033 and a Shure SM57. With each mic it adds something unique and wonderful. The input gain can really change the characteristic of the sound. The AT4033 is normally bright to the point of being somewhat thin but when I crank up the input gain on the Great River it really fills out. The simple tone of the SM57 becomes more "bling" by keeping the input somewhat low and cranking up the output level.

Being able to use a single TRS cable to insert my RNC compressor is a great convenience and keeps my signal chain simple and clean.

The only reason I will ever sell this baby is to get the two channel version. ;)

Steve Schriemer
from Ann Arbor, MI USA
June 13, 2009Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Producer, Musician.

Versatile & Pristine

I bought this pre about 3 weeks ago after months of research and input from friends, mentors, and my sales rep. Alan. Here's the results of my "field test."

DI for Bass:
This is THE BEST DI I've used for bass. I've seen several high end DIs in action, but the great river's my favorite. When tracking bass, I adjusted the tone knobs on the bass to get the tone I wanted... I didn't even EQ or compress yet and the track already sounded smooth, even, and fat. It was wonderful. It has really made tracking bass quicker and more enjoyable.

On Vocals and Acoustic instruments:
I got great clarity and presence, without getting unwanted digital brightness(using an AKG 414 XL-II and a KSM44). There's lots of tonal options with the gain staging, and there's plenty of head room. A low cut is almost always needed because the low end response on this pre is BIG, but I don't mind doing a lowcut, cause I enjoy the low end on other sources.

Overall:
Perhaps the biggest difference I noticed, was that my mixes sounded bigger on songs tracked with the ME-1NV. Mixing has been easier with this pre. Things feel a little more "roomy" and nothing in the mix feels squished. The panning field sounds bigger on all the tracks I've recorded with the great river, which is a HUGE plus in post production. I'd recommend this pre to anyone. It's versatile and pristine. 5 STARS.

Dex Beats
from San Francisco, CA
September 14, 2008Music Background:
Producer

Hip Hop Vocals

I have been using this mic pre for almost 3 years now, and I have never been more satisfied with the sound clarity and warmth. This mic pre is great for both condenser and dynamic mics.

A dynamic mic such as the Shure SM58 or the SM7b sound very warm. The gain on the pre is enough to power these mics up. Unlike mic'ing these Shures or any dynamic to a mediocre amp or mixer, the ME-1NV can provide enough gain without hiss or humms.

With a condenser this pre can create wonders. Provided with the 2 gain knobs you can go real warm or crystal clear by simply adjusting these to your liking.

I am a hip hop record producer and if your looking for something that will help make hit records and record great vocals for the long run, I would definitely suggest you pick a quality pre like the ME-1NV. This will solve all your Rap vocal problems. AND should be the first on your list before thinking about recording any vocal.

Big Daddy
from
December 6, 2007Music Background:
Old music pro, new to recording.

The best

New to recording but have been making music for many years. I also have done live sound reinforcement so I have some knowledge and I build my own guitars and amplifiers. With that, I think I am at least minimally qualified to make a review of a piece of analog gear. I have a few different preamps and the Great River by far has more of that 70's sound. It's full bodied yet does not distort easily unless you want it to. It's hard to believe this is not a tube preamp because of it's warmth and three dimensional sound, it has tone that rivals tube amplification yet has that solid state clean. I bought it because I heard a few preamp shootouts on the internet and I thought the Great River sounded best, it does, I thought it sounded better than ones costing more. As soon as I heard it I knew I recognized that sound, I found out what that sound was, a Neve. This is NOT a purely clean, crystal clear preamp, it does add color, but the color is pure and beautiful.

Derrick Martin
from San Francisco
November 25, 2007Music Background:
recording engineer 5 years, musician and singer for 15 years

Simply Fantastic

This is my first peice of Class A equipment and there is such a huge difference in sonic quality. The fact that I am able to choose between transformers in the HI Z and XLR input. Then switching between 600 ohms for a very colored sound or balancing it out with the 300 ohm switch for a more even sound is amazing. I ALWAYS get tonal exellence out of this peice and it has also inspired me to start building my own Class A equipment which I am doing (1176 LN).I also have a friend that favors the sound of my GR me-1nv to his vintech x73-I. That sais alot. Vital peice of gear in my studio. if you have 1100 bucks and are contemplating what pre to get stop wondering because you are in for a treat of sonic cream pie. :)

Derrick @ room3studios.com

Twisty
from Long Island, NY
August 19, 2007Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Musician.

what a difference

I had only used the pre's in my Mackie 32/8 board and thought they sounded fine untill I bought this GR unit. and after working with this for a few months I will never go back to using crappy pre's again. The vocs are full and in your face, it makes everything now clear and stand out so much more in the finial mix. Its such a noticeable difference.

greg f.
from northwest indiana
July 12, 2006Music Background:
home recording hobbyist, songwriter, former radio pd

the finest mic pre in this price, period

It doesn't matter what mic you plug into this unit, it will sound much better. The ME-1NV has been an absolute pleasure to own, and frankly, worth every penny. Vocals seat much better, and my home studio projects capture magic that was missing before I owned a Great River. If I were an engineer, I'm sure I could quote all the technical reasons why this sounds so great. However, as a mere home recording enthusiast, I'll simply tell you that I never believed a mic pre could make such a positive difference until I started using my Great River.

soniks
from Long Island city, NY, USA
April 6, 2007Music Background:
Engineering student, musician

A great product

This was my first quality preamp for my home studio, even though I've used other great pres in another studio. The difference in my recordings is very apparent. Very simple to use, tons and tons of tonal options from clean to color. If you want flexibility out of your preamp to handle multiple studio tasks, this is a great choice. You can't go wrong with it.

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