When I first met the PreSonus MP20, I marvelled at its rock solid construction. Front panel is a breeze to understand. Every little detail has been made user-friendly. Hopefully this is a good indicator of what I would soon be hearing.
The MP20 features 2 channels in, with discrete Class A signal path and twin servo gain stages. What this means is simple: low noise, high headroom. Pan on each channel allowed placement in the stereo field, and the unit could double as a mixer in a pinch with the stereo output mix bus.
I used the MP20 with three mics, the Shure KSM27, Rode NT-1, and a Neumann TLM 127, as well as a direct acoustic guitar. It shined! It lifted my vocals. It made my Martin sound BIG. This was before I found the IDSS control. This control emphasizes even order harmonics, and gives a saturated tape sound. And guess what… IT WORKS! I cranked it up and re-recorded the same passages, then a/b’d the results. Wow. This gave each mic a whole new character, and let me re-live the great crunched tape sounds of my distant past. This is a big sound.
To say that I am blown away is an understatement. If you think you want a Mic Pre, then why not jump straight to the World Class sound and features of the MP20. You’ll be glad you did.
