Behringer MIC100 as an "amp" SIM

[rayc]

Hello Folks,

b mic100.jpg

I continue my lofi, low rent & low cost equipment review.
I bought a Behringer MIC100 preamp several years ago when I was still working with a Santa Cruz sound card and Cakewalk Pro Audio 9.3.
I needed some thing to boost the dynamic mic signal I was using to record vocals.
It wasn't great but nor was it awful.
It is, if you don't already know, a starved plate tube device. It doesn't draw the power or generate the heat associated with a valve running a proper specs. In essence it adds a little "dirt" to a solid state circuit.
When I was able I upped my gear list to a Presonus Blue Tube only to find that it was more of the same.
About two years ago a guitarist mentioned to me that the Mic100 could add a little grit to a guitar signal and sound fine.
I accepted and filed that advice until I had a chance to "see for myself".
Today I tried out the idea.
I'm using a Fender Squire Mustang Bullet HH, bridge pickup, with volume and top end tone cranked into the MIC100 - output set as low as necessary to not kill my Focusrite, (which is set to, essentially, 0) and with a graduated input gain as I go through a simple three note line and then a 2 two note power chord riff. I didn't adjust volume of the results - it starts out quiet & gets louder as you'd expect.
In both test I have the input gain of the MIC100 at 0 then 9 o'clock, followed by noon, followed by 3o'clock & finishing with fully cranked.
The results? You decide.

Behri MIC100 as gtr premp.mp3

As requested by James...
Mashall Superbass II(modded) MV at 2 Bass at 5 Mid at 5 Treble at 5 and channel volume at 4
FIRST run through is guitar straight into the amp.
Input set a 0 the 9o'clock then noon then 3o'clock then max
MIC100 has output set at 9o'clock (any higher and the MIC100 began to splutter)
Two mics - a 609 & a 57 equal levels.
It sounds a little dark on the simple two note power chords - but my gear always does.

Mic100 into Marshall.mp3

[CeeBee]

I use the MIC200 as a bookend after I never found out exactly what it was supposed to do. My frankencaster sounds the same to me whether I plug it directly into my focusrite or go through the MIC200. OK I can make things louder, but then I have to reduce the input to the sound card so it kinda defeats the object. My guitar sounds scratchy with or without the thing. Still it makes a nice bookend, along with thw Ultra-G I bought to go with it.

[Greg_L]

Sounds a little harsh to me. Too direct.

[JD01]

What does it sound like into the front of a tube amp?

[rayc]

[mention]Greg_L[/mention], [mention]CeeBee[/mention] and [mention]JD01[/mention]
The OP has a sample of the MIC100 running into my Marshall - clean and quiet .
CeeBee, I have a Behri DI box but a cheaper one than the chunky one you bought. It works really well despite it's price...

ultra DI.jpg

- it doesn't have a speaker sim output which, I think, is why it proves more useful.

[CeeBee]

I can hear the advantage when it is in front of an amp, but as I have never used a real amplifier, only going direct into a pc, the difference is lost on me. With Ampltube I'm looking for a slightly dirty but cream smooth tone, if you know what I mean. I never seem to catch it just right though. Maybe I'll experiment a bit and see what I can come up with.

[Greg_L]

Ray I don't think that thing is doing you any favors being used in that way. It seems to be pushing the signal, but IMO it's not adding anything good.

[WhiskeyJack]

[mention]rayc[/mention]

just for fun maybe try and make it a bit less hard with a cab IR on it. Rumor has it a couple of members have a library of their own cabs. I think thats your missing magical ingredient.

[rayc]

Ray I don't think that thing is doing you any favors being used in that way. It seems to be pushing the signal, but IMO it's not adding anything good.

Greg,
I agree.
I'm just experimenting in terms of a suggestion made a while back to do a review of sorts.
I don't hear anything I'd use - my Boss Overdrive as clean boost is all I need.
I think I'd get the same result with any solid state preamp cracked into my Marshall.

[rayc]

@rayc

just for fun maybe try and make it a bit less hard with a cab IR on it. Rumor has it a couple of members have a library of their own cabs. I think thats your missing magical ingredient.

I'll do that with the audio set later in the week. then I'll be done.

[rayc]

[mention]WhiskeyJack[/mention] ,
I tried the original set with a couple of Greg's IRs and they were improved quite a bit BUT not something I'd use.

[WhiskeyJack]

@WhiskeyJack ,
I tried the original set with a couple of Greg's IRs and they were improved quite a bit BUT not something I'd use.

Fair enough man. You tried it. and kudos to you for trying ray.

Complete newbie confession. When i first started home recording i only had an maudio something or other and i used to di my guitar into with a danelectro distortion pedal in front of the interface. Ask me how good that sounded.

[Greg_L]

Fair enough man. You tried it. and kudos to you for trying ray.

Complete newbie confession. When i first started home recording i only had an maudio something or other and i used to di my guitar into with a danelectro distortion pedal in front of the interface. Ask me how good that sounded.

I did the same thing....but with a Rat.

[WhiskeyJack]

Fair enough man. You tried it. and kudos to you for trying ray.

Complete newbie confession. When i first started home recording i only had an maudio something or other and i used to di my guitar into with a danelectro distortion pedal in front of the interface. Ask me how good that sounded.

I did the same thing....but with a Rat.

Awesome. this is almost thread worthy. We should have a thread of newbie confessions. I am sure they would be awesome.

[JD01]

I did the same thing....but with a Rat.

Awesome. this is almost thread worthy. We should have a thread of newbie confessions. I am sure they would be awesome.

For one of my first recordings I did with a mate at uni we didn't have a mic... so we improvised.

We dangled a pair of old ear-buds in front of the amp and plugged them into the soundcard. I didn't have an interface.

[Bill L]

Awesome. this is almost thread worthy. We should have a thread of newbie confessions. I am sure they would be awesome.

For one of my first recordings I did with a mate at uni we didn't have a mic... so we improvised.

We dangled a pair of old ear-buds in front of the amp and plugged them into the soundcard. I didn't have an interface.

I actually "bootleged" a show once using ear buds as mics into a DAT. I had read something about Steely Dan using a small car speaker, in the the 70's, as a kick drum mic in an effort to get a kick drum to sound right on old car radio systems. It worked for me but it didn't really sound all that great. I'm not sure if Steely Dan went with their recording using the speaker but it did kind of make sense to me that it could work.

[Armistice]

I think you need to go back to your guitarist pal and give him a slap. Fizzy and harsh for mine, ray at the higher settings. And what it does at lower you'd get better from driving the amp a bit.

But as you say, you know this and you're just experimenting - fair enough.

[Greg_L]

I actually "bootleged" a show once using ear buds as mics into a DAT. I had read something about Steely Dan using a small car speaker, in the the 70's, as a kick drum mic in an effort to get a kick drum to sound right on old car radio systems. It worked for me but it didn't really sound all that great. I'm not sure if Steely Dan went with their recording using the speaker but it did kind of make sense to me that it could work.

The speaker mic on a kick drum is still a thing. People do it all the time. It's usually a small guitar speaker, like an 8", but I suppose any small-ish speaker could work. The speaker-as-mic isn't really recording a sound though. It's more like a pulse.