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| | Description | | |
| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 8.6 inches | | Product Width: | 2.7 inches | | Product Height: | 10.5 inches | | Product Weight: | 2.2 pounds | | Package Length: | 10.5 inches | | Package Width: | 8.7 inches | | Package Height: | 2.6 inches | | Package Weight: | 2.15 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 10 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 10 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 found the following review helpful:
 Uncolored sound with very little noise. Sep 19, 2005
By T. Cox
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 you'll 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. That's why I'm giving it four stars instead of five. I haven't 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" powerbook's 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 haven't 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.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Inexpensive No Frills Preamp Jul 17, 2006
By Mitchell Small
I realized I needed to boost the input from the microphones I was using if I was going to get a better quality recording. Since this is a home studio setup, price was a major consideration. The M-Audio Audio Buddy met my most immediate needs and provided some bonuses as well. Only after I became a little more educated did I experience any dissatisfaction with this piece of equipment.
The Audio Buddy has a lot going for it. It provides two input and output channels, something I was hard pressed to find in other microphone preamps in this price range. For input, you have a choice of either XLR or the common ¼ inch plug for either channel. For any given channel, you can use either, but not both at the same time. This is standard, so this is not a gripe with the unit. Output is ¼ inch plug only. In retrospect, it would be nicer to have XLR output option as well.
The sound from the unit is clean. There is very little coloring added to any input. There is plenty of gain to be had from this little box and the sound stays clean, even when the signal is really boosted. This is also a no frills device as there are no built-in effects. Then again, this is a low price preamp, so you get what you pay for.
One immediate dissatisfaction was the knobs controlling the gain. They are not as smooth as I'd like and setting the desired degree of boost is a little tricky. Once set, however, the unit holds firm. I would have like bigger control knobs.
Once I started reading, I was disappointed that I have to be tethered to a transformer. I am using this box in conjunction with recording to a PC. Now I've discovered there are units that draw their power from the USB port on the PC. Since I may go mobile and record with a laptop, this reliance on A/C power could be a real bother for me.
All in all, I am satisfied with the Audio Buddy. It meets the goal of providing a clean preamp signal at a low cost. If you remember this is a no frills unit, it is very good. If you want more features, and are willing to pay for them, you may want to look elsewhere. As it is, I'd rate it as a solid four star choice.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Perfect performance for a great price Dec 27, 2009
By Stephen Siler
"silers"
Absolutely what I expected after reading the reviews. No frills, but great low-noise pre-amp for home recording. Using this to home record with a Shure 57 mic with absolutely no problems. I agree w/ the previous reviewer that the knobs aren't quite as discrete as you'd hope for, but for the price this pre really performs. I really appreciated the previous reviews as they pushed me over the edge on this particular unit.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Smooth as an egg Aug 13, 2008
By N. Hamilton
"Dada to the stars"
I have done simple home recording for both singing and guitar. Over the years I have struggled to get recordings that weren't full of static in the background. After I bought this sweet little device I haven't had a problem with static. It's great for the artist on a budget. For what it is, the M-Audio Audio Buddy was worth every penny. Some may be turned off by the lack of USB connections, but for those of us who have limited usb connection on our computers and only really need one mic input, it's perfect. I however never paid more than 50 dollars for mine over a year ago. I would suggest buying yours locally, I did.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Superb- and a bargain at the price Jan 02, 2012
By Michael J Edelman
The Audio Buddy dates back over a decade, and my unit is from around then. I've used it as a microphone and a guitar preamp with several computers, via an Edirol UA-1X USB interface. I've also used it in live music settings to mic double bass and feed the output to a bass guitar amp. It's worked very well all those years and never given me any trouble at all.
It is a surprisingly good preamp for the money. Noise level is very low, and sound quality is excellent. Some reviewers have noted that the phantom power is only 41V, rather than the spec industry 48V, but I haven't noticed any problems is using the Audio Buddy with my Samson CO2 microphones. You might see a loss of headroom with high-end mics in critical recordings, but for really critical work you're not going to use an inexpensive preamps like this. There shouldn't be any problem in using it with electret condenser microphones, which can run on phantom power as lot as 12V.
All in all, an excellent value for a budget-minded home studio, and for live music applications as well.
See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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