I also want to get some of them, i think you get what you pay for, its in the range of about R500 - R600.
I want to get the micpreamp800.

most of them are R499 and some R559 , just wondering if they are complete rubbish , or would do the job in a small home studio . some how don't think my wife would let me get away with proper studio racks

Here is a review i found on the mic pre amp:

MIC800
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/Behringer/MIC800+Mic+Preamp/10/1

wife would let me get away with proper studio racks

I think they are over priced........ for home studio use i think it would be perfect, where one should use your ear to adjust the mix.

Always remember the limitations are within the user, not the equipment!!!

I started out with the Boss equivalents of these things years ago. They are a good way to do things on a budget, but are a pain in other ways, so you're eventually going to want to upgrade.

The big things with them are:

• You also need to purchase rack trays or adaptors to rackmount them.
• They each use a separate wall-wart power supply and while this keeps the cost down, it makes a rats nest of wires, adaptors and also wall warts can throw off a lot of interference, which you don't get with a properly shielded internal power supply.
• They are budget items, so the quality of the circuitry and sound quality is lower.

I think if you need to get everything together quickly and within a small budget, or if you are always on a really tight budget, they make sense. However, if you can it's far better to build up a studio over time, buying the things you need as you reach the point where you need them. This means you get things one at a time, and can usually afford to get something better - takes a little longer, but you end up with a better studio.

If you look at the prices of these things and compare them to the better products in the Behringer range, the price difference is not all that radical. The Minimic is R729 while you can pick up a two channel valve Mic2200 for under R1200. Actually the mic preamps in your Yamaha mixer aren't that bad, and should serve you for some time.

Alan, i see you are using the behringer valve pre amp, are they any good?

I look at the Alesis 3630 compressor the other day,it retails for about R1300, i know it nothing compared to a DBX, but is it worth it?

The T1953? No, not really. I was looking for a different flavour to the pres in my Alesis Studio 12R mixer (which are actually very good clean pres, BTW), so wanted to go for a valve unit. It was all Bothner's had and was cheap so I took the chance.

Overall it's allright, better than nothing. The red glow from the tubes actually comes from light bulbs behind them (tacky), so I'm guessing it's a "starved plate" design. But my Alesis has better clean tones, and driven the Behri is pretty harsh. I've tried a few different 12AX7s in there, but they make little difference. I've used it more to DI my bass on occasion than for mics.

Almost forgot: The 3630 is a decent compressor - much better than you would expect from the price.

thanks.

another qeustion:

How do you do your bass tracks? with the preamp and DI?
Would a bass multi effects pedal be a great choice for recording bass, or just the DI signal?Useally i just compress the bass and EQ a bit.

oh yeah,i am running that trough my Maudio fast track pro, which has a OK preamp in it.

Manfred Klose wrote: How do you do your bass tracks? with the preamp and DI?

These days, just Guitar Rig. I do things quite differently from most (although it's just my extension of the common bass recording "mult" trick) - My front and rear pickups each have a separate output and I DI both and record them on separate tracks so I can blend to taste during mixdown. I usually keep the neck pickup fairly clean, but fairly heavily compressed to compensate for my uneven technique, and the bridge pickup will have a fairly crunchy but dynamic amp tone. Play softer and the fat neck tone comes through, but the more you lean in, the more the bridge pickup starts adding edge and crunch.

Would a bass multi effects pedal be a great choice for recording bass, or just the DI signal?Useally i just compress the bass and EQ a bit.

Bass is nice in that most DI methods work really well. I don't like recording with any FX other than amp sims, as the "pure" sound generally works best and if you decide you need FX, it can be added at any stage of the recording process short of mastering.

guy is selling one of these behringer products here

http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/9344556/Behringer_Ultradyne_Pro_DSP9024_Mastering_Processor_NO_RESERVE.html

for R1000 (market price is R2700)