M-Audio Audio Buddy Dual Microphone Preamp for Musicians
By: M-Audio Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 2
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 On: 2007-09-23
I bought my Audio Buddy as a companion to my Korg M-1 1 bit recorder and Behringer C2 matched pair microphones. I wanted a complete field recording outfir that would fit in an attache case including the recorder, preamp, mics and cables and the Audio Buddyd dmall size seems to be a perfect fit. Having balanced in and out jacks, makes it a perfect match for the Korg M-1.
 On: 2005-09-20
This is a great preamp for the price. Small, rugged, looks good too. It comes with two channels, each one taking either XLR or 1/4" instrument inputs. The XLR is low impedance, the 1/4" is high impedance. Sound output is uncolored and quiet. Signal is strong and clear.
If you have a microphone with a 1/4" plug, switch to an XLR cord instead -- the low impedance on the XLR input means youll get a much stronger and clearer signal. Plugging in a guitar works well except for noise from the cord and guitar itself which only shows up when using distortion effects via computer software. You can use a noise gate or notch filter between your guitar and the preamp if necessary, then follow up with a software noise gate to remove hiss. This is not necessary for just chorus, flanger, or reverb software effects...then the AudioBuddy is perfect. If you want distortion, just mic your guitar amp...place your mic three or four inches away and set the preamp gain.
Unfortunately, the supplied phantom power is only 41V instead of 48V so it might not work with some condenser microphones. Thats why Im giving it four stars instead of five. I havent tried any condensers yet to know which ones work with the AudioBuddy and which do not. If you already have an external phantom power supply, then no need to worry.
My setup is a dynamic mic into preamp into 12" powerbooks line-in jack. You can do stereo recording this way with the proper cord, just a 3.5mm stero male to two 1/4" mono male. Recommended microphone would be anything between $60 and $100 such as the Shure SM57/SM58 or the cheaper condensers like Behringer B1 or MXL990 (although I have heard people using these condensers with the Audio Buddy, I havent tried them yet myself...but will soon).
Overall I am happy with this preamp. It is more reliable than a tube preamp and has less noise as well.
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