Recording - February 2011 - 35
It has a transformer presence and sound that takes it out of the ultra-clean MillenniaGrace-Hardy camp, however it is nowhere near the vibey Neve sound either. To my ears the Bella falls into the third category of classic console preamps, but with its own signature. Before we became obsessed with words like “vibe” and “colored” and “vintage”, we had standard high-quality consoles with a solid sound; they did their job and then got out of the way. The Bella definitely lives somewhere in this category. Sonically, if you drew a line and put a Daking Mic Pre One or a Focusrite ISA One on one end and an API or Chandler TG-2 on the other side, I think the Bella would fall comfortably in between, while gently tilting toward the API/Chandler side for punch. So the answer is: no, the Bella does not sound exactly like anything from the past, but it does share useful similarities. In use I used the test unit for about eight months (thanks, Chae!) and whether on snare, kick, percussion, acoustic guitar, or guitar amp, this thing sounded fantastic. It captures anything you throw at it with just a hint of pleasant attitude. It plays nice with mics of all makes and models, and has plenty of gain in all circumstances. I used it with the new Royer R-101 ribbon mic (reviewed January 2011) for a vocal take and the signal was strong and clean and still had a hint of headroom. The experience was the same when it was used for a spoken-word session with a Shure SM7, another lower-output mic. Speaking of vocals, that is where it found the most use, on sessions I was tracking for a Chicago-based indie band, as well as in conjunction with (or in lieu of) my Chandler TG-2 on guitar amps. In many ways the Bella reminds me slightly of a less aggressive TG-2. The punch and presence are there, but just toned down, ever so nicely. Additionally tickling the red on the Bella’s input added some slight lovely harmonics as well. Conclusions While it is easy to be skeptical and dismiss a new preamp by a largely unknown company, especially one that eschews the pedigrees and designs of the past, in the case of Prodigy Engineering’s Bella you would be depriving yourself of hearing a brilliant-sounding pre. I will admit I am very much a fan of microphone preamps like the Bella, which are not too vibey, yet not too sterile either. I cannot recommend this preamp enough, it just sounds that good! While I am already set with 16 mic pres of my own, the Bella gives me strong pause to rethink my own rig... Price: $975 More from: Prodigy Engineering, www.prodigy-eng.com.
RECORDING FEBRUARY 2011
35
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Recording - February 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - February 2011
Recording - February 2011
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
2010 AES Convention Report
Brian Tarquin: Ins And Outs Of A Guitar Recording
Bock Audio 195 Microphone
Terry Wollman On Miking Acoustic Guitars
Al Schmitt On Miking, Mixing And More
Prodigy Engineering Bella
Commit, Execute, Deliver
Strings: The Real Thing
Coles Electroacoustics 4050 Stereo Ribbon Microphone
Plug-In Outlet
KRK Systems KNS Series Headphones
Recording Drums In The Studio
Miking The Really Big Gig
MXL Revelation Microphone
It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 11: Managers—Part 2
Readers’ Tapes
Bartlett Microphones Spark Mini
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - February 2011 - Recording - February 2011
Recording - February 2011 - Cover2
Recording - February 2011 - 1
Recording - February 2011 - Fade In
Recording - February 2011 - 3
Recording - February 2011 - Contents
Recording - February 2011 - 5
Recording - February 2011 - Talkback
Recording - February 2011 - 7
Recording - February 2011 - 2010 AES Convention Report
Recording - February 2011 - 9
Recording - February 2011 - 10
Recording - February 2011 - 11
Recording - February 2011 - 12
Recording - February 2011 - 13
Recording - February 2011 - 14
Recording - February 2011 - 15
Recording - February 2011 - 16
Recording - February 2011 - 17
Recording - February 2011 - Brian Tarquin: Ins And Outs Of A Guitar Recording
Recording - February 2011 - 19
Recording - February 2011 - 20
Recording - February 2011 - 21
Recording - February 2011 - Bock Audio 195 Microphone
Recording - February 2011 - 23
Recording - February 2011 - Terry Wollman On Miking Acoustic Guitars
Recording - February 2011 - 25
Recording - February 2011 - 26
Recording - February 2011 - 27
Recording - February 2011 - Al Schmitt On Miking, Mixing And More
Recording - February 2011 - 29
Recording - February 2011 - 30
Recording - February 2011 - 31
Recording - February 2011 - 32
Recording - February 2011 - 33
Recording - February 2011 - Prodigy Engineering Bella
Recording - February 2011 - 35
Recording - February 2011 - Commit, Execute, Deliver
Recording - February 2011 - 37
Recording - February 2011 - 38
Recording - February 2011 - 39
Recording - February 2011 - 40
Recording - February 2011 - 41
Recording - February 2011 - Strings: The Real Thing
Recording - February 2011 - 43
Recording - February 2011 - 44
Recording - February 2011 - 45
Recording - February 2011 - Coles Electroacoustics 4050 Stereo Ribbon Microphone
Recording - February 2011 - 47
Recording - February 2011 - 48
Recording - February 2011 - 49
Recording - February 2011 - Plug-In Outlet
Recording - February 2011 - 51
Recording - February 2011 - 52
Recording - February 2011 - 53
Recording - February 2011 - KRK Systems KNS Series Headphones
Recording - February 2011 - 55
Recording - February 2011 - Recording Drums In The Studio
Recording - February 2011 - 57
Recording - February 2011 - Miking The Really Big Gig
Recording - February 2011 - 59
Recording - February 2011 - MXL Revelation Microphone
Recording - February 2011 - 61
Recording - February 2011 - It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 11: Managers—Part 2
Recording - February 2011 - 63
Recording - February 2011 - 64
Recording - February 2011 - 65
Recording - February 2011 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - February 2011 - 67
Recording - February 2011 - 68
Recording - February 2011 - 69
Recording - February 2011 - 70
Recording - February 2011 - 71
Recording - February 2011 - Bartlett Microphones Spark Mini
Recording - February 2011 - Advertiser Index
Recording - February 2011 - 74
Recording - February 2011 - 75
Recording - February 2011 - 76
Recording - February 2011 - 77
Recording - February 2011 - 78
Recording - February 2011 - 79
Recording - February 2011 - Fade Out
Recording - February 2011 - Cover3
Recording - February 2011 - Cover4
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