My friend has both. I like the Warm Audio because I like a cleaner vocal sound. He likes a dirtier sound so he like the Pre 73. So it’s just preference but they both will get the job done
Exactly! Between the 2 you can cover a lot of ground, and that is why the original API/neve combo is so popular in studios. Thankfully, we can get those sounds on the front end for way way less, especially if you buy them used. Thanks again for stopping by, stay safe and healthy!
I bought the Pre 73 to pair with my Sure M7b. A match made in heaven, at least to my ears and certainly compared to what I was using. I didn't want anything too warm as the M7 is a very full and natural sounding mic and did not need much warming up. Now I have so much more gain from this low output mic and such clarity. I can drive the pre-amp to a useful and musical level. I am very happy.
Awesome! Yeah the SM7b and GAP pre73 is a killer combo- pre 73 has extra gain to boost the dynamic mic's capabilities. Glad you are enjoying a killer sound setup for not too much money! Thanks so much for watching and commenting, stay safe and healthy!
Great comparison - really shows off a big difference, despite the clipping on the sung vocal. And yay for handy time stamps: too few people make those. :)
@@thepalalias sorry your comment got lost, just saw it now! But thanks for your kind words and taking the time to watch and comment, glad it was helpful!
Sorry on the belated response but just wanted to say thank you so very much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment. Hope it was informative for you, both are fantastic units and slightly different tones depending on the sound you're going for. Hope you are safe and healthy and having a great new year so far!
Cheers for this. I know it’s old now. Good comparison, proving to my ears that they are both excellent in their own right and for different things and flavours. This video made my decision to get both units. I like what they both do, for different reasons. For me, Warm is fantastic of vocals, piano and acoustics, but I prefer the GAP on electric guitars and bass. It’s all subjective and down to taste. And it changes depending on the song. Thanks.
Great, video and hard choice. I wouldn't say either it better or worse, but more suited for difference interments and voice timbers. I kind of like them both. That why it's hard to have just one preamp.
Hello friend, thanks for watching and the comment! Agreed! These two flavors cover a lot of genres with the mid forward API style and the big bottom of the neve style. Hope this video was helpful and you have a fantastic day. Stay safe and healthy!
The Warm Audio 12 sounds more well rounded and less harsh than the Pre73. For male vocals it may need a little bit of LF boost on the EQ and would be quite good I think. Seriously, how good are these type of preamps say compared to a Mackie ONYX preamp on one of their mixers? Is it worlds apart?
Thanks so much my friend for taking the time to watch and comment. Both of these preamps are great starting price points for the API end Neve sound. The warm is a bit more clear and well-defined and present in the mid-range. Although I have not heard Mackie Onyx preamps, I have a cheap Behringer mixer and the difference is not subtle. More harshness, grain, and a thin sound on the Behringer versus preamps like these. In the depths of my hard drive I actually did a microphone preamp shootout that had everything from a Behringer preamp to mid-range ones like these to a Neve Portico. The differences are there and pretty drastic between cheap mixer preamps and high-end preamps. Hopefully this information helps, stay safe and healthy!
@@tomszymusic Thanks mate that does help a lot. I think the Mackie Onyx is better than the Behringer ones if I am not mistaken but I see what you are saying. I have plonked for the Warm Audio WA-12 and TB-12 pres and WA-76 compressor. I think the TB has capability with some more options. Probably will need one more comp but not sure if I should get another WA-76 or something else in the same price bracket? Any thoughts? Cheers and you stay safe too .. things are sliding a bit!
I have both of these. And I use the WA12 API-style pre for electric guitar, percussion, and sometimes toms. And I use the GAP Neve-style pre for most other things (vocals, bass, kick, snare). Including using it as a DI for bass. Apart from acoustic string instruments (nylon & steel guitar, strings, piano), where I prefer my cleanest/quietest/flattest pre, the Cranbourne Camden EC1. I sometimes use the Camden EC1 for vocals too, especially if using an SM7b or a Ribbon mic rather than a U67 or 414 style LDC mic. My audio interfaces pres (MOTU ultralite mk.V) get used for overheads or room mics (ribbons).
Hi, did you use the settings shown on the faces of the units? Just wondering how much you were driving the GAP input gain for color. Also, does the Warm Audio use a stepped input gain control? Cheers
Hello and thanks so much for watching and taking the time to watch and comment. I tried to keep the gain knob approximately halfway on each, so it wasn't completely saturated or completely pristine. I use the trim knob on the golden age to try and match the level of what the warm was recording at. Hopefully that's helpful and make sense, thanks again for watching! Hope all is well in life and music
Thank you so much, I really learned a lot about these two pieces of gear and regardless how close they sound to the originals, they have their own thing going on with the wa12 more mid forward and the Gap more low-end focused. Anyhow, thanks again for watching and the comment, much appreciated!
Hi Jim! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to watch and leave a comment. It's crazy what you can get for relatively little cash compared to the originals. Take care and stay safe!
bro...I owned a pre-73 MKiii plus which is around this WA12...these two preamps are in another ballpark. way easier to put into the mix. More 3D, Sound feels more in your face, all while the high end isn't as shrill.
Hi Dark, I own a pre-73jr and I have had a DBX-286s. I also made a comparison with my Allen and Heat mixer preamps and the Focusrite 6i6 internal mic preamps. From best to worst: 1. GAP pre 73jr 2. Allen & Heat mixer mic pre 3. DBX 286s 4. Focusrite 6i6 mic preamp Notes - for the first 3 preamps the Focusrite 6i6 is used at its line inputs. - DBX 286s has way more functions then preamp gain only, I just used the gain stage Think the WA12 is even more fine then the pre-73JR as the JR is the entry level of GAP. But for the price it's a great one!
Hey Sanley- Thanks for watching. It's hard for me to say because I've never heard the crimson, and it depends what sort of aesthetic you're looking for. The crimson will probably have a cleaner and leaner sound, and the 2 units in this video will give you different amounts of flavor, more mid range with the WA12 and more Low end punch with the gap. Preamp differences aren't night and day the way microphone differences are, but sometimes they can be just what the doctor ordered as well.
Hello friend and thank you for taking the time to watch and leave a comment. Glad you like the WA12! It has that nice mid forward sound without having to shell out the money for an API! Hope you are safe and healthy wherever you are in the world at this time.
Hey friend, sorry on the belated response, I would say it depends on what sound you are trying to achieve. Do you want to enhance the bass and low end in frequencies and make it sound bigger and Larger than Life? Then go for the golden age. Do you want to balance out the low frequencies and put more presence in the upper mid range? Then go for the warm audio wa12. Hope that helps!
im getting the Warm Audio WA12 MKII Mic Preamp w/DI / i also have the neumann tlm 102 / scarlett solo! how do you think itll sound? i should be getting it this week! but im super excited to use this pre amp! any input?
I think you have a fantastic combination of microphone and preamp there! Have you had a chance to try it out yet? I know this may sound cliche, but just experiment and play around with knobs and buttons and positions and gain structures and see what you like. The warm audio is quite clean with good transient response throughout most of the gain range, but experiment with the tone button and also the output trim which I think is on the Mark II model. Record youself speaking the same thing or playing the same thing and twisting the knobs and listen to the differences between them and see what you think. Just remember to level match in your DAW. Hopefully that is helpful, let me know your thoughts on this combo!
If you turn off the Vintage Pre amp button, you'll see the real difference. I have both and the Gap 73 sounds better for spoken word and voice over. Just turn off the vintage button.
Hey friend, thanks for watching in the comment. I upgraded to the Clarett 4 pre USB, but that's very similar to the 18i8 Scarlet. For this video I used the line inputs on the back, so it's a fixed gain structure line input that bypasses the microphone preamps of the audio interface. So I just went straight from the line out of the warm audio or Golden Age into the line inputs on the back of the Scarlett. Hopefully that helps. Stay safe and healthy in this crazy world
Hey friend, thanks for watching and the question. I would recommend keeping your interface, it's solid. What sort of microphone are you using? Unless it's a decent microphone I would upgrade there first before getting a preamp. Noticeable Improvement is always more drastic with microphone upgrades than preamp upgrades.
@@tomszymusic I have to disagree but respect ✊🏿. He should upgrade both if not all 3 . Interface: With good A/D D/A converters Preamp: Hella ones to choose from but I’d suggest something with nice low end in it (Bae 1073 or Tone Beast 12 which is cheaper but still hood imo). The preamps in interfaces tend to be on thin sounding side and leave alotta uneducated producers stumped when comes to mixing. Took me years to realize a good external preamp will give that vocal or whatever else that ‘Analog Weight’ it needs! The preamps in an interface won’t get you there 9 times out of 10 and plugins won’t either (trust me 🤷🏿♂️)... Plugins work best with external gear is used first for tracking, this will cut your workflow in half by a significant amount if you know what your doing of course... Lastly the Mic: Do yourself a favor and don’t cut corners with this one, mics have different frequency ranges and the cheaper ones ($200 and down) are a mixing headache waiting to happen. If you can afford one grab a wa-87 R2 from warm audio. It’s ONE of the closest clones of the U87 out there, great for rap and other genres as well. Now...if your interested, I know a guy who makes U87 clones and let me tell you, they sound damn good 🙏🏾...got mines for $350 and it’s by far the best mic I’ve ever owned hands down 💪🏿. Lmk if want the link to his IG page and I’ll link it on here. Last but not least tho 😬... By all means, get 👏🏾 an 👏🏾external👏🏾 compressor 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾!!! Warm audio has the best bang for your buck clones of UA hardware on the market (except for the wa73...I think the BAE shines in that area of Neve clones 🤷🏿♂️...) If your serious about your music, then this is the route to go my man 🙏🏾🙏🏾. Check out the Wa76 and the Wa2a. One would do in your signal chain after the preamp but if u have the bread..get them both! The wa76 and Wa2a together is str8 magic! God bless and hope this helps bro 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
@@stanleyassor3172 Buy the United Technologies UT87. That's the newest 87 clone, and by far the best one out there right now. And you actually can switch between two different 87 style mics with that one mic. It just came out, and I predict that it's going to be the best selling mic for the next five years. I'd bet my life on it. I'm definitely going to grab one. Price is 700 bucks.
Very good video, but for me those are too similar. If we can playing with different mics and settings maybe we can find bigger different and better result.......maybe :-)
That's about as good of a test you're going to get hearing the difference between the two preamps. Even the difference between a Neve and an API isn't enormous. Nothing like the difference between two different microphones. I can still pretty clearly hear that the warm audio has a bit more in the upper mid-range and the golden age has a bit more in the lower mid and bottom end. In all mic preamp shootouts I've listened to I've heard differences in subtle details. Nothing that's night and day.
the nasals frequencies at vocals get so pronounced on the WARM audio that I barely believe this recording can be any useful...generaly after seeing it on few shootouts,it's just bad
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My friend has both. I like the Warm Audio because I like a cleaner vocal sound. He likes a dirtier sound so he like the Pre 73. So it’s just preference but they both will get the job done
Exactly! Between the 2 you can cover a lot of ground, and that is why the original API/neve combo is so popular in studios. Thankfully, we can get those sounds on the front end for way way less, especially if you buy them used. Thanks again for stopping by, stay safe and healthy!
There's a spacial quality to the GA that sounds sooo good to me, easy choice for me.
I bought the Pre 73 to pair with my Sure M7b. A match made in heaven, at least to my ears and certainly compared to what I was using. I didn't want anything too warm as the M7 is a very full and natural sounding mic and did not need much warming up. Now I have so much more gain from this low output mic and such clarity. I can drive the pre-amp to a useful and musical level. I am very happy.
Awesome! Yeah the SM7b and GAP pre73 is a killer combo- pre 73 has extra gain to boost the dynamic mic's capabilities. Glad you are enjoying a killer sound setup for not too much money! Thanks so much for watching and commenting, stay safe and healthy!
Time stamps: 🙂
0:23 spoken voice
0:58 softer singing
1:31 louder singing w/ preamp distortion
2:08 snare
2:38 kick
2:54 drum kit OH
3:21 rhythm piano
3:56 fingerstyle piano
Great comparison - really shows off a big difference, despite the clipping on the sung vocal. And yay for handy time stamps: too few people make those. :)
@@thepalalias sorry your comment got lost, just saw it now! But thanks for your kind words and taking the time to watch and comment, glad it was helpful!
@@tomszymusic No worries - thanks for responding. :)
Excellent shootout! To my ear the WA12 sounded smoother.
Sorry on the belated response but just wanted to say thank you so very much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment. Hope it was informative for you, both are fantastic units and slightly different tones depending on the sound you're going for. Hope you are safe and healthy and having a great new year so far!
Cheers for this. I know it’s old now. Good comparison, proving to my ears that they are both excellent in their own right and for different things and flavours. This video made my decision to get both units. I like what they both do, for different reasons. For me, Warm is fantastic of vocals, piano and acoustics, but I prefer the GAP on electric guitars and bass. It’s all subjective and down to taste. And it changes depending on the song. Thanks.
Great, video and hard choice. I wouldn't say either it better or worse, but more suited for difference interments and voice timbers. I kind of like them both. That why it's hard to have just one preamp.
Hello friend, thanks for watching and the comment! Agreed! These two flavors cover a lot of genres with the mid forward API style and the big bottom of the neve style.
Hope this video was helpful and you have a fantastic day. Stay safe and healthy!
The Warm Audio 12 sounds more well rounded and less harsh than the Pre73. For male vocals it may need a little bit of LF boost on the EQ and would be quite good I think. Seriously, how good are these type of preamps say compared to a Mackie ONYX preamp on one of their mixers? Is it worlds apart?
Thanks so much my friend for taking the time to watch and comment. Both of these preamps are great starting price points for the API end Neve sound. The warm is a bit more clear and well-defined and present in the mid-range. Although I have not heard Mackie Onyx preamps, I have a cheap Behringer mixer and the difference is not subtle. More harshness, grain, and a thin sound on the Behringer versus preamps like these. In the depths of my hard drive I actually did a microphone preamp shootout that had everything from a Behringer preamp to mid-range ones like these to a Neve Portico. The differences are there and pretty drastic between cheap mixer preamps and high-end preamps. Hopefully this information helps, stay safe and healthy!
@@tomszymusic Thanks mate that does help a lot. I think the Mackie Onyx is better than the Behringer ones if I am not mistaken but I see what you are saying. I have plonked for the Warm Audio WA-12 and TB-12 pres and WA-76 compressor. I think the TB has capability with some more options. Probably will need one more comp but not sure if I should get another WA-76 or something else in the same price bracket? Any thoughts? Cheers and you stay safe too .. things are sliding a bit!
I have both of these. And I use the WA12 API-style pre for electric guitar, percussion, and sometimes toms. And I use the GAP Neve-style pre for most other things (vocals, bass, kick, snare). Including using it as a DI for bass. Apart from acoustic string instruments (nylon & steel guitar, strings, piano), where I prefer my cleanest/quietest/flattest pre, the Cranbourne Camden EC1. I sometimes use the Camden EC1 for vocals too, especially if using an SM7b or a Ribbon mic rather than a U67 or 414 style LDC mic. My audio interfaces pres (MOTU ultralite mk.V) get used for overheads or room mics (ribbons).
Im going to buy one just for vocals only, think the warm audio might be better for vocals. Although i will be doing metal vocals so not sure
I can hear the clearest difference on the piano
Hi, did you use the settings shown on the faces of the units? Just wondering how much you were driving the GAP input gain for color. Also, does the Warm Audio use a stepped input gain control? Cheers
Hello and thanks so much for watching and taking the time to watch and comment. I tried to keep the gain knob approximately halfway on each, so it wasn't completely saturated or completely pristine. I use the trim knob on the golden age to try and match the level of what the warm was recording at. Hopefully that's helpful and make sense, thanks again for watching! Hope all is well in life and music
Great test thanks.I like the warm audio. It is cleaner.
good video!
Thank you so much, I really learned a lot about these two pieces of gear and regardless how close they sound to the originals, they have their own thing going on with the wa12 more mid forward and the Gap more low-end focused. Anyhow, thanks again for watching and the comment, much appreciated!
Warm Audio sounds better to me
The warm sounds better on drums and the gap better on vocals... no surprise there considering they are clones of API and Neve
Hi Jim! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to watch and leave a comment. It's crazy what you can get for relatively little cash compared to the originals. Take care and stay safe!
Is warm Audio WA12-mk2 preamp better then DBX 286s ..????
GREAT VDO BTW...
bro...I owned a pre-73 MKiii plus which is around this WA12...these two preamps are in another ballpark. way easier to put into the mix. More 3D, Sound feels more in your face, all while the high end isn't as shrill.
Hi Dark, I own a pre-73jr and I have had a DBX-286s. I also made a comparison with my Allen and Heat mixer preamps and the Focusrite 6i6 internal mic preamps. From best to worst:
1. GAP pre 73jr
2. Allen & Heat mixer mic pre
3. DBX 286s
4. Focusrite 6i6 mic preamp
Notes
- for the first 3 preamps the Focusrite 6i6 is used at its line inputs.
- DBX 286s has way more functions then preamp gain only, I just used the gain stage
Think the WA12 is even more fine then the pre-73JR as the JR is the entry level of GAP. But for the price it's a great one!
Great :)
Hello friend and thank you for watching, thank you for the kind words! Hope to see you in other videos!
I have an spl crimson 3...will any of these be an upgrade on its pres?
Hey Sanley- Thanks for watching. It's hard for me to say because I've never heard the crimson, and it depends what sort of aesthetic you're looking for. The crimson will probably have a cleaner and leaner sound, and the 2 units in this video will give you different amounts of flavor, more mid range with the WA12 and more Low end punch with the gap. Preamp differences aren't night and day the way microphone differences are, but sometimes they can be just what the doctor ordered as well.
Wa 12 ✌✌
Hello friend and thank you for taking the time to watch and leave a comment. Glad you like the WA12! It has that nice mid forward sound without having to shell out the money for an API! Hope you are safe and healthy wherever you are in the world at this time.
Hello, thank you. I also wish you good health
Which one would you decide for me because I have a deep voice.
Hey friend, sorry on the belated response, I would say it depends on what sound you are trying to achieve. Do you want to enhance the bass and low end in frequencies and make it sound bigger and Larger than Life? Then go for the golden age. Do you want to balance out the low frequencies and put more presence in the upper mid range? Then go for the warm audio wa12. Hope that helps!
@@tomszymusic Warm Audio WA12 is what I need then I appreciate the advice.
@@tomszymusic And any suggestions on microphones?
@@iEngineerAudio what's your budget? are you open to buying things used on reverb/ebay or new only?
@@tomszymusic $500 and below and I'm also new to using this DAW Pro Tools First and need tutoring.
im getting the Warm Audio WA12 MKII Mic Preamp w/DI / i also have the neumann tlm 102 / scarlett solo! how do you think itll sound? i should be getting it this week! but im super excited to use this pre amp! any input?
I think you have a fantastic combination of microphone and preamp there! Have you had a chance to try it out yet? I know this may sound cliche, but just experiment and play around with knobs and buttons and positions and gain structures and see what you like. The warm audio is quite clean with good transient response throughout most of the gain range, but experiment with the tone button and also the output trim which I think is on the Mark II model. Record youself speaking the same thing or playing the same thing and twisting the knobs and listen to the differences between them and see what you think. Just remember to level match in your DAW. Hopefully that is helpful, let me know your thoughts on this combo!
No comparison...the Warm Wa12...for all applications cleaner, more musical. If you want to hide something, get the GAP...no offense.
If you turn off the Vintage Pre amp button, you'll see the real difference. I have both and the Gap 73 sounds better for spoken word and voice over. Just turn off the vintage button.
For me Warm is softer and fatter! ))
Thank you for your thoughts and stopping by! Much appreciated , and stay safe!
Before the blue pill kicks in...
@@minusx31 what? Is that a matrix joke or actually contextual here?
@@oompapompaa6543 that was a viagra joke…
@@minusx31 oh... And the GAP being the viagra or...?
Are you still using the focusrite scralett? If so, what do you set the gain to on the interface?
Hey friend, thanks for watching in the comment. I upgraded to the Clarett 4 pre USB, but that's very similar to the 18i8 Scarlet. For this video I used the line inputs on the back, so it's a fixed gain structure line input that bypasses the microphone preamps of the audio interface. So I just went straight from the line out of the warm audio or Golden Age into the line inputs on the back of the Scarlett. Hopefully that helps. Stay safe and healthy in this crazy world
and maybe turn your gain down so you're not clipping?
Hey man I’m just tryin to do rap vocals what would u recommend for me plus I have the 2i4 Scarlett would I have to upgrade my interface as well?
Hey friend, thanks for watching and the question. I would recommend keeping your interface, it's solid. What sort of microphone are you using? Unless it's a decent microphone I would upgrade there first before getting a preamp. Noticeable Improvement is always more drastic with microphone upgrades than preamp upgrades.
@@tomszymusic I have to disagree but respect ✊🏿. He should upgrade both if not all 3 .
Interface: With good A/D D/A converters
Preamp: Hella ones to choose from but I’d suggest something with nice low end in it (Bae 1073 or Tone Beast 12 which is cheaper but still hood imo). The preamps in interfaces tend to be on thin sounding side and leave alotta uneducated producers stumped when comes to mixing. Took me years to realize a good external preamp will give that vocal or whatever else that ‘Analog Weight’ it needs! The preamps in an interface won’t get you there 9 times out of 10 and plugins won’t either (trust me 🤷🏿♂️)...
Plugins work best with external gear is used first for tracking, this will cut your workflow in half by a significant amount if you know what your doing of course...
Lastly the Mic: Do yourself a favor and don’t cut corners with this one, mics have different frequency ranges and the cheaper ones ($200 and down) are a mixing headache waiting to happen. If you can afford one grab a wa-87 R2 from warm audio. It’s ONE of the closest clones of the U87 out there, great for rap and other genres as well. Now...if your interested, I know a guy who makes U87 clones and let me tell you, they sound damn good 🙏🏾...got mines for $350 and it’s by far the best mic I’ve ever owned hands down 💪🏿. Lmk if want the link to his IG page and I’ll link it on here.
Last but not least tho 😬...
By all means, get 👏🏾 an 👏🏾external👏🏾 compressor 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾!!!
Warm audio has the best bang for your buck clones of UA hardware on the market (except for the wa73...I think the BAE shines in that area of Neve clones 🤷🏿♂️...)
If your serious about your music, then this is the route to go my man 🙏🏾🙏🏾.
Check out the Wa76 and the Wa2a.
One would do in your signal chain after the preamp but if u have the bread..get them both!
The wa76 and Wa2a together is str8 magic!
God bless and hope this helps bro 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
@@Prodby_duke seriously, U87 clone for $300? where please? and is it better than the wa87 r2?
@@stanleyassor3172 Buy the United Technologies UT87. That's the newest 87 clone, and by far the best one out there right now. And you actually can switch between two different 87 style mics with that one mic. It just came out, and I predict that it's going to be the best selling mic for the next five years. I'd bet my life on it. I'm definitely going to grab one. Price is 700 bucks.
Very good video, but for me those are too similar. If we can playing with different mics and settings maybe we can find bigger different and better result.......maybe :-)
That's about as good of a test you're going to get hearing the difference between the two preamps. Even the difference between a Neve and an API isn't enormous. Nothing like the difference between two different microphones. I can still pretty clearly hear that the warm audio has a bit more in the upper mid-range and the golden age has a bit more in the lower mid and bottom end.
In all mic preamp shootouts I've listened to I've heard differences in subtle details. Nothing that's night and day.
@@tomszymusic to listen there is much different, from the internet.....not same :-)
This is not a fair comparison. You should have compared the WA12 MKii Vs GAP PRE73 MKii.
they sound exactly the same
They don’t to a trained ear.
that´s the point
jesus get a pop filter
pfff pop pfff
the nasals frequencies at vocals get so pronounced on the WARM audio that I barely believe this recording can be any useful...generaly after seeing it on few shootouts,it's just bad