studio preamp

[mikegee]

do i need a studio preamp? i mean, is it absolutely neccesary? i have preamps in my yamaha mixer, and also in my tascam audio interface, and the recordings sound clean and strong. so, do i still need a preamp in my studio? why?

[Whoopysnorp]

To get a noticeable improvement on the preamps in the hardware you have now, you'd probably have to spend about $500 on one, but all mic preamps are definitely not created equal. Investing in one or two different high-end mic preamps is something that basically any person who is serious about recording does--it's giving yourself an extra tool to work with. Different preamps can bring out aspects of microphones that you'd never guess existed--I hear that plugging an ordinary SM57 into a thousand dollar preamp can make it sound like a totally different mic.

[Nubus]

You can also expand your system using outboard preamps, even if they are inexpensive. If say your Yamaha board only has 8 mic pres and 4 line inputs, you can get four more mic pres to total out at 12 mirophones. Or, if your audio interface has S/PDIF or ADAT inputs you can grab some mic pre/analog to digital converters to allow more ins and outs.

[smopo24]

Originally Posted by Whoopysnorp

To get a noticeable improvement on the preamps in the hardware you have now, you'd probably have to spend about $500 on one, but all mic preamps are definitely not created equal. Investing in one or two different high-end mic preamps is something that basically any person who is serious about recording does--it's giving yourself an extra tool to work with. Different preamps can bring out aspects of microphones that you'd never guess existed--I hear that plugging an ordinary SM57 into a thousand dollar preamp can make it sound like a totally different mic.

it's the same thing with mics, it brings different colors and textures to the recording you have. it will cost a bit more, but you won't have to work as hard either to get a great sound!

[dagosto]

It makes a big difference, especially when recording percussive or high output sources. The preamps on your yamaha probably don't have much more than 18 dB of headroom if they have that. High output mics can sound harsh when there is not enough headroom because you will be distorting the input stage. Lower output mics will not allow you a good signal to noise ratio. I would save you money and get a moderately priced preamp (focusrite, presonus comde to mind) that you can depend on, or shell out the cash for a nicer one if you like.

[Nubus]

Yeah, if you get a ribbon mic you will probably need a different pre.