What's more important...mic or preamp?

What's more important...mic or preamp?

  • The microphone

    Votes: 99 51.6%

  • The preamp

    Votes: 24 12.5%

  • Both are equally important to the signal chain

    Votes: 69 35.9%
  • Total voters
    192
dgatwood said:
The microphone. No doubt about it. While you could argue that a crappy pre can ruin a wonderful mic's sound, the fact that decent pres are as cheap as they are makes that point moot. The same cannot be said about microphones. You can get some very good pres at $25 a channel. You can't get nice microphones at $25 a channel (except for SDCs). You certainly won't be able to find mics that match most sources at that price.

It's all about diminishing returns. As you spend more money on any given component, you get less and less improvement in quality. The difference between preamps and microphones is the rate of the curve. The difference between a cheap pre and a $2000 pre is certainly there, but it isn't even in the same ballpark as the difference between a cheap mic and a $2000 mic.

With mics, you don't even need to jump to $2000 to see the difference. The difference between a $20 mic and a $200 mic is huge. The difference between a $20/channel pre and a $200 pre is usually negligible, and in many cases, the cheaper ones sound better, depending on the manufacturers in question.

Thus, if you're going to spend money, get a decent pre once, then spend further money on your mic locker. After you get something with reasonably high gain and low noise, throwing more money at the pre is likely to give you far less bang for the buck than getting another mic that is significantly different than the ones you already have.
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+1 And eloquent besides.

The difference in sound between different mics is typically much more substantial than between different preamps.
 
None of my mics are spectacluar.... my best mic being a Rode NT2.

All of my preamps we're less than $400. Everytime I would buy and bring home a preamp that cost $90, or $300, or $400 - I would hear no difference, and they usualy had all kinds of stupid quirky bells and whistles on them that are counter productive. (Variable valve voicing, variable impedance - blarg! STUPID features.....)

I didn't even begin getting any results that we're acceptable until I bought a Universal Audio LA-610. The day I got that home, was the day I really starting getting some where. Even my novice ears could hear a big big difference in the quality.

And of course, if you have a great preamp on your vocals, and the the bass, then the guitars, then the drums, etc..... all those tracks blend together better.

If you've got low quality pre's on 16 different tracks, that too will be cumulative.

A great pre-amp makes a hugh difference, and I believe, is even more important than the mic. (Providing your mic is not some plastic radio shack thing with the cable permanetly attached.)

Right now... I am purchasing the Daking Mic Pre IV. It's $2000. I am putting that ahead of going after nicer mics, because I think it is that important.

Let's face it.... BOTH are important..... you ultimately have to have BOTH great mics and a great preamp, but to prioritize, I'll take the great PRE, first, and the mics second.
 
Its always going to be the source first, performance second and mic third. After that, its a matter of engineering skills that make the performance of the quality source jump off da tape. Any mic has a 'quality' to its sound. Its not always a 'good' quality but it may be just the thing for the recording of a particular sound. So choice is always a good thing. The more the merrier. Preamps also have particular sonic signatures from model to model, and though this will have an effect on any recording, the impact of this isnt as complete as the sonic signature of a mic. As well as the placement factors of any mic in question. A simple rotation of a few degrees on a mic placement can mean the world to a source being recorded.

As with anything, the set of tools you use can make the job easier or more difficult. Driving the PikesPeak Hillclimb race in a Sprinter truck isnt going to be an easy task by any means. It goes without saying that the better the gear, as far as the quality of the sound being produced (not necessarily the price), the easier it is to achieve a cohesive, well separated mix of that all important performance of that quality source.
 
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In my (limited) experience an alright mic like an SM58 with a good preamp sounds better than a good mic with a bad preamp.
 
I am re-reading "Behind the Glass" for the second time.

(Excellent book - it's interviews with the likes of Brian Wilson, George Martin, Eddie Kramer, Andy johns, etc.)


When asked a similar quesion, most of the pro's lean toward the preamp, and then of course all say something like "but a good mic is very important too".

Some of them flat out say.... buy great pre's first. Some of them mention the importance of having a great console, which of course, is saying the same thing, as that is where' the pre's are.
 
recordinghacks said:
Like what?
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I've been pretty happy with the Peavey PV series of mixers. They're extremely clean and sound noticeably better than either the M-Audio or Presonus pres I've used (accurate high frequencies, rather than a spitty sound like the M-Audio, slightly extended/less rolled-off HF compared with the Presonus). Haven't A/B'ed them against my MOTU pres yet. You can also build a TI/Burr-Brown-based preamp for that pretty easily, IIRC.
 
I voted for the mic. These days it's hard to buy anything with a really bad preamp. Most gear has preamps that are at least okay and although they won't enhance the signal they won't kill it either. So, if I only had enough money for a better mic OR a better preamp, it would have to be the mic.

On an increasing scale of budget, I'd spend as follows...
A better mic,
A better preamp,
More better mics,
A top-end mic,
A neutral sounding top-end preamp,
More top-end mics,
More top-end preamps.
 
It's the Mic.

I have stuck a blue bluebird through a art mp pre and it sounded useable!
I also stuck a radioshack mic through a grace deaign pre and it sounded like crap.

There..what more do you need.
 
To me, you get a bigger difference in terms of bang for the buck on the mic. Although you never get the sound you desire without a decent preamp. Converters are important too, especially if you're going for those minute details. My CDs sound soo different when played from a Korg MR-1000 than they do played from my laptop, or even by an M-Audio Mobile Pre or Delta 44.
 
I am forced to chime in here because I have gone through all schools of thought on this, and now that I own both great preamps and great mics I will say this.

PREAMPS!

I have API, Neve, John Hardy, and Milennia preamps among RME, Behringer, Mackie Onyx, and Presonus MP20 preamps.

I have many mics, both cheap and expensive. I regularly reach for mics of all stature, yet I don't go near my cheap pres ever.

Yes, it's a combo between the two, but given a budget I'd always give 70% toward the pres, and the remaining 30% toward the mics. Plus, for the cost of a U87 there is a whole mic locker of inexpensive mics that are far more valuable in multi purpose recording.

And above all, knowing what you'll get from a given mic running through a given preamp is worth more than both.

As I said, your cheap mics will likely get used well into your future. Your cheap preamps will become electronics projects, your kid brothers 1st gear, or worse, landfill.
 
The difference between a budget mic and a high quality mic is fairly apparent.

The difference between a budget pre and a high quality pre is farily subtle.

Not unimportant, just gentle and subtle -like many great things about music.

When you start stacking the tracks up the differences become a little bit more apparent.
 
Supercreep said:
The difference between a budget mic and a high quality mic is fairly apparent.

The difference between a budget pre and a high quality pre is farily subtle.

Not unimportant, just gentle and subtle -like many great things about music.

When you start stacking the tracks up the differences become a little bit more apparent.
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The difference between a budget pre and a high quality pre is VERY noticeable. But you are right that the differences are more apparent once you start stacking the tracks.
 
WhiteStrat said:
So first, give me a good mic, then next I'll buy a good pre for it. A little later, I'll buy a great mic, then a great pre to go with it. Then another mic, then another pre...

(Think about it this way: what upgrades were more instantly noticeable in your gear? For me it's mics over pres. With the better mics, I want better pres to get the most out of the mic, but it's the mic upgrades that take my sound up a bigger step.)
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We respectfully agree with this, and respectfully add that we are learning every day. We are constantly trying to learn more to upgrade the modest home studio we have.

Started out with a stupid ART MP pre, and then "moved forward" after reading and learning more. Obtained an ART MPA Gold, and did the research needed to change out the tubes. Didn't spend too much, putting in NOS Mullard AT7's. Then added a DMP-3.

Then we discovered room treatment, purchased 3 books and read them. Followed that with some 2x2s, glue, nails, 703 glass, staples and nice colored burlap. Made 2"x2'x4' absorbers, 4"x2'x4' bass traps, even put absorbers on our room ceiling.

Set the monitors at the proper locations.

The most significant improvement after all of this came when we bought an AKG C214 for the vocals to replace the ST55 we were using. The ST55 was moved to the acoustic guitar. And WOW what a difference the AKG mic made.

Now, we are looking at a Grace m101 for our voice pre, and are interested in compression too, but are afraid to ask...

We never post here except to learn, and wish to be accepted by the forum members, as we are constantly trying to improve our recordings.

The forum is a great learning tool, but the title is "Home Recording", not "Advanced Studio Recording", and we will never poke fun at anyone on here or not respond because "I know more than him or her".

Thanks,

T
 
WhiteStrat said:
I don't think a $2000 pre can save a $7.00 Nady SP-5 on vocals, whereas a U87 through my $200 pre will still sound pretty special.
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With that $7 mic logic, it would only be fair to use a few diodes, a cap and IC as a fair fight mic pre, wouldn't it?
 
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