Great River MP-500NV Reviews

Brian
from Philadelphia Pa
June 13, 2012Music Background:
Producer, Mixing, Engineer

Bought one then bought another one

These pre's are awesome for the money! I've never been happier and love them on over heads and kick drum! Actually I love them on almost anything I've used them on so far. I bought a second one almost immediately!

Creston Baker
from Gettysburg, PA
April 5, 2012Music Background:
Pro Musician

The Great, Great River MP-500NV

I am at awe with this preamp. Very musical, with a tad of old school mixed with modern analog circuitry. I really like this with a Empirical Labs Distressor. They compliment each other. I may buy another one down the road.

enzee
from Cleveland, Ohio
July 20, 2011Music Background:
Performer, Producer

Amazing preamp!

I have had and have used all the big 500 series preamps that are available (API 512C, Avedis MA5s, P-1...). Without a doubt the Great River MP-500NV is my go to preamp. It is first call for me on most all things. On vocals it sounds amazing and on distorted electric guitars it screams. The impedance and loading buttons really give some total character. Tons of headroom (as compared to the 512C). I also swear by any preamp that has an output knob versus a pad switch. There is no tone loss using an output knob versus a pad and you can get all sort of tonal characteristics out of the preamp by driving or backing off on the gain. I can't recommend this preamp enough.

HH
from Nashville, TN
November 6, 2010Music Background:
Artist, Writer, Producer

FANTASTIC!

Suggested once again by Luke H. such a great preamp! I'm a huge fan. Pure, good sound! Thanks again sweetwater!

Gary Gidak
from Phoenix, AZ
June 18, 2010Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Studio Owner, Musician

Excellent Preamp

I just bought two of these and put them to the test the other night. I was totally amazed at the difference a really nice preamp can make. For the past few years I was using Focusrite Platinum Series, and the on-board pre's on my Control 24 mixing desk. The Great River leaves them both in the dust!

I don't have any super-high-dollar microphones, but the addition of these preamps has really improved the sound of every mic in my locker. The Shure KSM32, Blue Baby Bottle, Rode NT2A, AKG C1000s, Shure SM57, Beta 87a, Beta 52, Audix f-15, and Audix f-12, were all noticeably enhanced by these Great River Preamps.

Take it from me, if you have some decent microphones, and are thinking of buying more expensive mics to improve your sound, spend about half as much as you were planning, and get two of these guys. You'll be really surprised how great those "decent" mics can actually sound.

Joey
from Chicago Il
August 13, 2009Music Background:
Recording Engineer, musician

Simply the Best

if your looking for the pre that does it all then this is it! vocals are amazing! i use the GR with a Mojave MA-200. This thing is a work horse, i cant wait to get another one in the lunchbox! sounds good everything you throw at it!

mick
from Nj
May 22, 2009Music Background:
R. eng.

Great River MP500NV

Solid construction and components. The 1st thing I did was run some Pink noise through unit and was amazed at how even it tracked a 20 to 20K frequency sweep. Not easy to do.
On Bass, Vocals, Guitars, and OH drum mic it is more than getting the job done. I need a stereo pair and quick.

Daddy Kev
from Los Angeles, CA USA
February 22, 2008Music Background:
Recording Engineer and Producer

Absolutely glorious... I love this PRE!!!

I bought my first MP-500NV a few months back, and recently purchased a second one to run stereo material through. The sound of this pre is absolutely amazing on everything I throw at it. Do your message board research and you'll see that this is the one mic pre that just about everyone can agree on. Last weekend my friend and I did a shoot-out with the Great River vs. Neve 1073 on stereo mixes. It was no contest -- the GR by a landslide.

Jon Hobbs
from Shawnee, KS
July 26, 2011Music Background:
Hobbyist musician; Hobbyist Recroding/Mixing Engineer

Great Addition to a Lunchbox

Awesome pre. Clear and punchy. Dial in as much, or as little, color as you like. Bass through the DI is very tasty. My FMR RNP has been gathering dust since this gem arrived. Highly recommended!

chris
from san fran, ca
July 18, 2011Music Background:
self-recording musician

Neve-ish sound with Flexibility

For those of us who love lunchboxes for the different "flavor" options, this is a great preamp to start with. I don't have a lot of experience with many other 500 modules yet, but this one nails the Neve sound - broad, thick low-mids that sound nice and sticky, with a reduced high end that makes everything smooth and punchy.

The best thing about this preamp is that it is very versatile, but always stays within the aforementioned "Neve" sound. The DI is all you'll ever need for bass/guitars, and when using dynamic/ribbon mics (such as an sm7b or sm57) you can adjust the impedance to change the behavior of these mics in some very interesting ways. The loading button actually just cuts some of the "air" high-end (which works well for kick and bass) out of the frequency.

The most useful feature on this preamp is that the each setting on the gain knob has a markedly different sound (as you push the gain it starts to densify the mids and take more top end off), and the output control let's you maximize volume even the lower settings. When used in conjunction with the perfect input metering you can really optimize your signal before A/D conversion quickly and accurately. This helps to take a lot of the guesswork out of setting your preamp.

Overall, I love this preamp for it's Neve sound. It's not a desert-island pre for me, but when combined with another style (I've got an A Designs P-1 that's the "Quad Eight Sound"), it pretty much covers a lot of ground and makes up for the fact that it's going to eat 2 spots in your lunchbox instead of just 1.

Ernest Buckley
from Brooklyn, NY
March 25, 2011Music Background:
Professional Musician

Really Good Pre but Not For Everything

Don`t get me wrong, the GR is a really nice pre but I had to give it 3.5 stars because its not for everything.

I`ve owned the GR now for about 15 months, using it primarily on vocals and mic`ing guitar amps. On vocals, the GR adds a smooth, focused mid range. For acoustic guitars, its too bright, too forward. Mic`ing an amp also works well.

If you`re looking for a good all around mic pre, I would suggest the 500 series Grace 501 or the A-Designs P1. The GR has its place but its not for everything. As with all gear, you should give it a try but also test it with the pres mentioned above.

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