Grace Design 101

It can't be easier....no surgical eq needed.
I was simply blown away by this unit. I married it with my R84 ribbon from AEA. (it's the high gain ribbon version to 70db of gain) I would say I heard that mic for the first time today.
No eq and no compression going to track, and it sat beautifully in the mix. Ear candy. I have many pre's to compare with and it shines over all.

absolutely beautiful I have heard people say that this unit is very clear, and have also hear people say that it is too bright. I think you have to put a good mic through it to be honest. I know the K2 and the R84 definitely are great mics, now that I have a pre that hears them. Every little nuance is tracked to the pc. sooo special.

Built like a tank. I have full rack units that don't weigh as much. Oh and pretty too.

The only experience I had was to compliment them, which they replied that I had made their day, and appreciated my comments.

I play mostly acoustic music, and vocals, and have some cool tube stuff for electric guitar etc. I have been recording for about 20 years now, and went from all tape formats to stand alone and PC recording. My Larivee cried for this mic pre, I just didn't know it until I tried it. It's like the room comes through the pre. So real. You have to try it. Really! I would replace it in a heart beat if I lost it. The only thing I wish it had was a partner to do stereo recordings with my NT5 Rode set up. I know there is a 201 in a higher price range, but it would be nice to see a 2101 .....hint hint.

Although I have been recording at my studio for fifteen years now, I never considered myself to be an audiophile-type guy, and assumed that a good mic preamp was probably good enough.

But I bought the Grace because I wanted to see if/how it might improve the richness/clarity of vocals (mainly male baritone vocals for stnadards/classic country) especially using my trusty AT-4033, which I've been using ever since they came out about a decade ago. Before owning the Grace, the only preamps I ever used were the ones built into my Mackie 24*8 mixer.

As it turns out, there is a noticeable difference that the skeptical side of me couldn't igore. I noticed that sibilants--which always used to require de-essing--are now natural and actually pleasing to the ear. As a result, vocal plate reverbs will get a more open, spacious "shimmer" resulting from those sibilants. For this fact alone, I wouldn't trade my Grace for anything else.

This is not a tone box. It's not a grit generator. It's a beautiful, clean, preamp that can give recordings more intimacy. If you record ballads, jazz combos, piano concertos, sound effects, classical guitar, etc., I'd imagine this preamp would capture the essence of your sound source with pristine results.

The first reviewer said it works great on bass. I can only imagine how great it would be for recording a standup acoustic bass. I plan on getting a lot of use out of my Grace over the years.

If you do a lot of recording, it's worth the money to buy one. But if you don't record much, or record just for fun, it's up to you whether or not you want to spend over $400 just for one used mic pre. The average radio listener wouldn't know if the vocalist they're listening to was recorded through a $2,000 preamp or one ripped out of a Fostex 4-track cassette recorder. But, people do know the difference between high quality and low quality production. I view the Grace as just one step toward higher quality production.

a monkey could figure it out.

tone/sound quality is a very subjective thing. before buying the grace, i was using the built in focusrite pre's on my pro tools digi 001, a joemeek british channel, and an aphex 107. compared to these, the grace kicks MAJOR ass. what it does for bass guitar is worth the price of admission alone! i'm gonna buy another so that i can do stereo sources like my guitar synth and stereo acoustic miking as well. simply put, it makes anything you put into it sound way, way better. really.

i live in new england and we experienced a very cold DRY winter in '03/'04 and with that came major static electricity. on several occasions i zapped the unit with my finger and eventually it malfunctioned as a direct result of this. i believe the damage was only to the hi-z input if i remember correctly. the xlr still worked fine. see below.

emailed jamie at grace. got a very fast response. they fixed it for free and put in a protection circuit that would protect the unit from this ever happening again. i have the utmost confidence that it won't after some email correspondence with them. not including shipping time, they had the unit for 3 days. can't complain.

this is untouchable in this price range and it has embarassed some of my friends' more costly preamps in certain applications. like i said, i'm buying another so....

This unit is extremely easy to use. There are not many controls. I don't like the stepped gain control that much and would prefer a linear one instead. But Grace apparently has its reasons for this type of setup.

The sound quality for vocals is stellar! It's so good, I bought two of them. Actually, there's not much competition in a good, portable mic preamp of this caliber. I operate a mobile recording system, and I can't haul an Avalon around. I have tried numerous portable mic pres for vocals, and none come close to the 101. This is studio quality in a small package.

It is built like a tank. It's a bit heavy for its size, but that's probably to protect its delicate circuits. This unit is very reliable.

I inquired about their transferable five-year warranty and they were quick to respond. It's a small company, so personal service is not a problem.

The music I record is vocal oriented, often without much instrumental accompaniment. I need a mic preamp that is specific (but not exclusive) to vocals, and the 101 fits the bill. Most mic preamps in this price range lack depth, add color, and are not of commercial caliber, catering instead to project studios. I have dbx and Presonus tube mic preamps, as well as preamps in Tascam and Digidesign audio interfaces, and my critical comparisons show the Grace is in a completely different class.

Grace is a high-end name with a portable, affordable unit that sounds extremely pro with my expensive mics and RNC (compressors). Even without much competition in this category, Grace produced a top-notch product to cater to us few who need truly pro gear out in the field. That doesn't mean, however, that Grace can't be outdone. As portable recording becomes more popular, perhaps Avalon, Neve, and the rest, can make a small mic preamp with super sonics and a few more features, maybe with a built-in compressor. Probably won't happen soon, though.

This unit is very easy to use. More lights are always better !

The sound quality seems to be very good, although all I have to compare it to is my gain pots. ( my first pre-amp ).
With that said, the 101 is a huge improvement in respect to the versatlility I now have. The -10db switch on my condenser mike now has meaning. And I notice far greater headroom on vocals and guitars.

No problems here.

Have not had to use them as of yet.

I like the unit, though I would also like to try a wide variety of other units as well.

this model is so simple to use there's really no need for the manual.

I've tried almost every mic preamp out there.If you want a amazing unit check this one out.It's so warm and natual sounding,great for vocals.

It's built like a tank,could use a better a/c cord.

N/A

This the best $600 I've ever spent on audio gear.