MP-2, A Tapers Best Kept Secret

The MP-2 was a variation of the original MixPre. We started to get word from the field that ‘tapers’ were using the MixPre for their mobile taping rigs at music concerts, and that it was missing a couple of features. As we’ve done many times since, we branched out a bit product-wise and market-wise to see what would happen – threw clay against the wall, so to speak, to see if it would stick. I put an M-S matrix into the MixPre circuitry and changed the gain pots for more precise matching. To differentiate from the similar-looking MixPre, Libby Koomar had the front panel anodized in a nice gold color, and the MP-2 was born. We picked up a couple of dealers who catered specifically to the tapers, and the MP-2 became fairly popular as a front-end to the DAT/MiniDisc/etc. recorders used at the time. Eventually, we learned more and developed our own recorders with nice inbuilt mic preamps.