What does a mic preamp actually do?

M

Mizchif

New member
I feel really (REALLY) stupid for asking this but I'mnot exactly sure what a mic pre actually does

I've been working in the music field for along time
but not the recording side of it
and I've never really had to worry about vocals until now

and apparently there seems to be a huge emphasis on a good pre amp

so can someone please explain to me what they do and how would i incorporate one into my setup
 
The primary reason to get a pre-amp is to give yourself an adequate recording signal/level. If you're recording on a PC and have only a basic soundcard with a "line level" input you are going to need a preamp....


Some other folks like certain pre-amps because they "color" the sound. I know that may sound vague but you'd hear what it is I'm talking about.......A pre-amp can also "warm" a sound up.....A pre-amp that is "transparent" gives you the adequate signal but without coloring the sound.


That's the basic jist of it.......
 
Oh and no need to feel stupid.....that's what this forum is for....stupid people :D..........



(just kidding)



:D
 
They do nothing whatsoever.
They sit in your rack and look really cool.
Some have very pretty lights on the front panel.

:confused:

It's a way to match signals of various strengths to a standard input level known as "line level".

Microphones put out a signal that in general is too weak to use directly, so it is amplified by the preamp and fed to the next stage.
Even some "line level" outputs will benefit from the additional gain available from a preamp or might be enhanced by the "coloration" that a particular preamp imparts to the signal.
Vocals are only the most obvious reason to be walking down this path because of the mic output level mentioned above.

When you actually plug a mic in to various preamps and then listen to what the output signal sounds like, in A/B fashion or some reasonable facsimile some pres will add a lot of noise while the circuit is just idling, others will not. The quieter ones generally cost more. You get gain without the awful noise.
 
There you go....listen to the doc.....he explained it better than I did.......he's da man!!!

:D
 
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