Valve Analog Preamp, tla audio only decent option on budget? Options

[pixelboy]

Hi there
I´m creating dance music basically on my PB G4 with Logic 7, Live and Soft synths.
I´m locking for a decent valve front end that allows me to do preety much the works, guitar, mic, warming up signal to connect to my emi since I feel as tha need for some unstable analog harmonics to be added to my signal.

The thing is that I cant find a decently priced valve preamp, I am thinking of TLA as friends tell me its good, the thing is that most of them have also compresser and eq, and probably I wont be using it (I preffer plug-ins).
So basically I want a good sinal warmer (pardon for the english) that allows me to add that extra something valve thing until overdrive

Any good sugestions?
Thanks
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[flemming]

The Ivories from TL Audio are actually quite good. I know several pro studios who use them for vocals and the like. Don't go for Behringers, it's bad karma and you WILL go to studio hell when you die! :-)

Seriously, though: The notion that you'll get warmth from using tube based gear is a lie. Don't believe the hype. There's no technical reason that a tube in the signal line makes your audio sound any warmer or fatter or bigger or sunnier or whatever. In fact, often tube gear have a tendency to sound a bit more nasal than solid state based gear. EQ A neumann U47 mic: It's NOT the most transparent and warm and lovely mic you'll ever come across. In fact it's quite hard sounding, compared to something like a U47FET. Same goes for mic pre's. When people talk about a warm analog sound, mostly they actually mean the sound of Neve preamps. And those are solid state., not tube. Myself, I've got a nice selection of tube and solid state gear here (tla desks and pres, fairchild and altec on the tube side, ssl, neve, focusrite isa, neumann, telefunken, siemens on the solid state side), and I by FAR prefer the sound of solid state, exactly because good quality non tube gear has a tendency to sound fatter and warmer than similar qualite tube gear.

Also, consider that making tube gear is more expensive than making non tube gear. So for your 500 quid of preamp, you prolly get more for your money if you go for non tube. But again, the TLA ivory series are kinda nice. Much more interesting than something like the rather poor sounding focusrite platinum series.

If in any way possible, try one out in your own studio. That's where it really matters. What sort of mics are you gonna be using?