Whats the difference?

[mtown408]

is there a difference between a preamp and the preamp inside a interface?

do you think the preamp inside the firebox is better then the vtb1?

[Tifstorey]

Think about it...

Each pre amp is different, no matter if it's internal, external, or whatever. I have the firebox and i think the pre's are brilliant. They have up to +12dB and give a really nice clear sound.

Totally depends on what your wanting to record at the end of the day.

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Originally Posted by Tifstorey

They have up to +12dB and give a really nice clear sound.

I suspect it's more than that, even relatively weedy preamps in cheap mixers will give you 40-50db.

A preamp is a preamp of course, any mic preamp will amplify a mic signal to a useable level. The amount of gain and of course sound quality varies a lot but the differences between the preamps in a bog standard interface and bog standard standalone mic pres aren't usually going to be significant enough to worry about.

In other words, if you want a worthwhile upgrade from firebox pres then be prepared to put your hand in your pocket.

[Tifstorey]

Originally Posted by Kevin DeSchwazi

I suspect it's more than that, even relatively weedy preamps in cheap mixers will give you 40-50db.

My mistake, it's 45dB - with a +12dB booster (inc).

Very nice anyway.

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Originally Posted by Tifstorey

My mistake, it's 45dB - with a +12dB booster (inc).

Very nice anyway.

Ah yeah, that makes more sense.

That's a funny way of doing it though, I bet it's a 57db preamp with a -12db pad. So when you 'boost' you are in fact just removing the pad rather than actually amplifying the signal further.