Originally posted by Richard Monroe
Once you get past the performance and the engineering (70%), you're talking about the gear (30%). The most important thing is whatever is the weakest link in the signal chain. You get a better pre, you may need a better mic. But as has been pointed out, a good pre can make a cheap dynamic mic sound very good. I'd rather record cheap mics through good pres than good mics through cheap pres, but it depends on the price point. Under $500, the mic will give you more bang for buck. Good pres start at $500-700 and go up (a lot) from there. I have found that good pres make recording easier. They help a lot on the engineering side. Mics, on the other hand, are either the right mic in the right place, or they're not.-Richie