R
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
Yo TW 1! A mixer contains a preamp (actually, several of them), generally cheap ones. OK, preamps are like mics, although a little less personal. Go figger-
a $60 Behringer mixer contains 8 preamps. My Avalon AD2022 costs about $2500 for 2 channels. Gee, which one do you think sounds better? A mixer is basically a bunch (2-128, or possibly even more in a huge studio console) of preamps, with faders (the volume knobs that slide up and down), and a bunch of different ways to combine, separate, and route signals to different points. They will have an input for headphones, and give you a lot of versatility in how signals are grouped into sub-groups. When they get huge enough that people look at the array of knobs and go-"Holy shit!", they are now called a mixing console.
A preamp has one or more channels (usually 1, 2, 4, or 8) that just raise the mic signal (wicked weak) into a line level signal, which is strong enough to sent to a tape machine, a digital recorder, a computer sound card, or whatever to record. Some preamps also provide EQ and a compressor. They are called channel strips. Higher end preamps may have additional features, such as digital output, and the ability to switch back and forth between consumer line level (-10dBV - what a CD player puts out) and the stronger pro line level (+4 dBu - what most professional recording rigs are looking for.)
Preamps (and most mixers) also generally provide phantom power, which is needed to power most condenser mics. They usually have pads, which decrease the input, sometimes needed for recording wicked loud stuff, and bass cut, also known as a high pass filter, to decrease the input of stuff you don't want to pick up, like low frequency rumble.
So do you start with a preamp, a mixer, or a channel strip? That depends mostly on how many channels you need to record at once. If you are just recording one or two signals at a time, you can get somewhat better sound quality by going with a preamp. If you need a bunch of channels, you probably need a mixer. This is especially true if you are recording drums, which suck up beaucoup channels.
For most folks, I would recommend that they start with a good cheap mixer, and add 2-4 channels of dedicated preamp channels later, when money permits. Note that like mics, there are ones that just make stuff louder, generally called clean or transparent, and there are ones that change the signal more, generally called colored. This can be good or bad, like what a tube mic does. Some preamps have tubes in them. Real tube preamps have
big tubes in the power section, and don't come cheap. Cheap "tube" amps almost always have a little tube in the front end of the amp to add selective distortion, so the manufacturer can lie to you, and tell you it's a tube amp.
For cheap mixers, I like the Yamahas a lot. Mackie and Allen and Heath are OK. Sorry, I know it looks like a great deal, but don't buy a Behringer mixer, in my opinion, just because it's cheap. Buy a smaller Yamaha.
For cheap preamps, I like M-Audio DMP-3 and Joemeek threeQ, which is a cheap channel strip. Those are just my favorites, but I prefer them both to competitive cheap pres by Presonus, DBX, Rane, Behringer, and others.
I know it all seems confusing now, but for real quality recording, this is what you need- a great performer, with a great instrument, playing a great song, in a great sounding room. Then you need the right mic in the right place plugged into the best preamp you can afford with good cables. If you have all of that, you can plug it into any recording device that has ever been made, including a wire recorder, and you will get a great recording. Best of luck.-Richie
a $60 Behringer mixer contains 8 preamps. My Avalon AD2022 costs about $2500 for 2 channels. Gee, which one do you think sounds better? A mixer is basically a bunch (2-128, or possibly even more in a huge studio console) of preamps, with faders (the volume knobs that slide up and down), and a bunch of different ways to combine, separate, and route signals to different points. They will have an input for headphones, and give you a lot of versatility in how signals are grouped into sub-groups. When they get huge enough that people look at the array of knobs and go-"Holy shit!", they are now called a mixing console.
A preamp has one or more channels (usually 1, 2, 4, or 8) that just raise the mic signal (wicked weak) into a line level signal, which is strong enough to sent to a tape machine, a digital recorder, a computer sound card, or whatever to record. Some preamps also provide EQ and a compressor. They are called channel strips. Higher end preamps may have additional features, such as digital output, and the ability to switch back and forth between consumer line level (-10dBV - what a CD player puts out) and the stronger pro line level (+4 dBu - what most professional recording rigs are looking for.)
Preamps (and most mixers) also generally provide phantom power, which is needed to power most condenser mics. They usually have pads, which decrease the input, sometimes needed for recording wicked loud stuff, and bass cut, also known as a high pass filter, to decrease the input of stuff you don't want to pick up, like low frequency rumble.
So do you start with a preamp, a mixer, or a channel strip? That depends mostly on how many channels you need to record at once. If you are just recording one or two signals at a time, you can get somewhat better sound quality by going with a preamp. If you need a bunch of channels, you probably need a mixer. This is especially true if you are recording drums, which suck up beaucoup channels.
For most folks, I would recommend that they start with a good cheap mixer, and add 2-4 channels of dedicated preamp channels later, when money permits. Note that like mics, there are ones that just make stuff louder, generally called clean or transparent, and there are ones that change the signal more, generally called colored. This can be good or bad, like what a tube mic does. Some preamps have tubes in them. Real tube preamps have
big tubes in the power section, and don't come cheap. Cheap "tube" amps almost always have a little tube in the front end of the amp to add selective distortion, so the manufacturer can lie to you, and tell you it's a tube amp.
For cheap mixers, I like the Yamahas a lot. Mackie and Allen and Heath are OK. Sorry, I know it looks like a great deal, but don't buy a Behringer mixer, in my opinion, just because it's cheap. Buy a smaller Yamaha.
For cheap preamps, I like M-Audio DMP-3 and Joemeek threeQ, which is a cheap channel strip. Those are just my favorites, but I prefer them both to competitive cheap pres by Presonus, DBX, Rane, Behringer, and others.
I know it all seems confusing now, but for real quality recording, this is what you need- a great performer, with a great instrument, playing a great song, in a great sounding room. Then you need the right mic in the right place plugged into the best preamp you can afford with good cables. If you have all of that, you can plug it into any recording device that has ever been made, including a wire recorder, and you will get a great recording. Best of luck.-Richie