Home > Studio Recording DIY Projects> Sony MXP-3000 Mic Preamp

From this...

To this.... the finished project!

How does it sound?
Sound being subjective... here's my take on it.

It's pretty quiet. The input and output trafo does a great job of eliminating noise, hum, etc from the signal. Because it uses IC opamps, it doesn't rank up there with my Neves, but it is certainly above my Mackie, Behringer and ART preamp.... because of the input and output trafo and I think just better quality and design. For the cost factor and features, this channel strip got good bang for the buck.

You can purchase used MXP-3036 console mixer nowadays for $15,000+. Well, I don't need 36 channels, so this channel strip allows me to have the sound of the 3036 without buying the whole console. I still have 3 other preamps in my lab, so I can have up to (4) channels.

According to my research, the knobs and switches are real gold-plated.... and I'm not surprised, because even after all this time, the knobs and switches still work and still quiet. It doesn't sound like an old scratchy pot.

It can amplify real tiny signals up to 65dB of gain, and still remain pretty quiet. The EQs are great too... you can really shape the sound with the 4 frequency selector knobs, and 4 gain knobs, plus 2 peak buttons for MID2 and LOW frequencies.

I hope you're inspired to do a similar project. You can have the DNA of great sounding and expensive boards by just doing some research, buying some used preamp and EQ modules, and racking them up the way I did.

Now.... on to the next project!