Hello, everyone I have always got great information from reading posts from this site and now I am a member and this is my first post.. I have a Great River ME-1NV preamp that I have wired to the patch bay on my console. I just patch whatever mic I want into it and go. My question is this is it correct to do it that way or is it better to just run a long mic cable from my vocal booth to the preamps mic input and use it that way. as it is right now like I said I just use the send of the channel to the input of the preamp on the patchbay then the out on the patchbay to the return of the channel. Thanks !!!
Help- Mic Preamp Techniques
- Thread starter jleal
- Start date
Unless I miusunderstand your post, you are using the preamp on your console to amplify the mic signal to line level, then looping the signal through the Great River.
By doing this, you are not actually using the preamp as a preamp, but as a processor. While that is not unheard of, it is an idiosyncratic way to use a fairly expensive investment.
The usual idea of buying a high quality outboard preamp like the Great River is because you think it will do a "better" job (or at least give an alternative result) amplifying the mic-level signal than the preamps that are on your console. So, if you want to use the box as envisioned (and as most people do) you would plug the mic cable into the mic level input on the back of the GR. Then you have the option of going directly to Tape or DAW from the preamp.
For monitoring you could send the signal from Tape or DAW back to your console (line input), or you could go from the Great River to the line input of your console first, and from there to your recording device.
By doing this, you are not actually using the preamp as a preamp, but as a processor. While that is not unheard of, it is an idiosyncratic way to use a fairly expensive investment.
The usual idea of buying a high quality outboard preamp like the Great River is because you think it will do a "better" job (or at least give an alternative result) amplifying the mic-level signal than the preamps that are on your console. So, if you want to use the box as envisioned (and as most people do) you would plug the mic cable into the mic level input on the back of the GR. Then you have the option of going directly to Tape or DAW from the preamp.
For monitoring you could send the signal from Tape or DAW back to your console (line input), or you could go from the Great River to the line input of your console first, and from there to your recording device.
phaqu
gone and forgotten
I would keep the console out of the recording chain all together. You dont need another step in a Great River chain. Just go straight to tape, or converters to disk.....however you record and use the tape returns on your board for monitoring.
I use my patch bay after the pres. I have dedicated mic cables with numbers on them ran to all my pres. Then I ran the outputs of my pres to my patch bay, numbered also, so cable 1 is going to pre 1 thats going to patch point 1 and so on. The bottom of the patch bay is wired to my machine, also accordingly....number 1 is going to track 1 blah blah blah.. If i want to put mic pre 1 on track 16, all I do is patch it from point 1 in the top to patch point 16, on the bottom.
Now a balanced signal is a balanced signal, wheather its TRS or XLR, its just that an XLR connection is more solidly........... connected. (assuming you have a balanced TRS patch bay?)
Anyway, Graet River doesnt need anything clouding up its signal, Go straight in with a hot signal. The only thing I might put behind it is an equally rightous ( Neve, Alan Smart, Pendulum, Chandler....on and on....) compressor to keep it from peaking.
I use my patch bay after the pres. I have dedicated mic cables with numbers on them ran to all my pres. Then I ran the outputs of my pres to my patch bay, numbered also, so cable 1 is going to pre 1 thats going to patch point 1 and so on. The bottom of the patch bay is wired to my machine, also accordingly....number 1 is going to track 1 blah blah blah.. If i want to put mic pre 1 on track 16, all I do is patch it from point 1 in the top to patch point 16, on the bottom.
Now a balanced signal is a balanced signal, wheather its TRS or XLR, its just that an XLR connection is more solidly........... connected. (assuming you have a balanced TRS patch bay?)
Anyway, Graet River doesnt need anything clouding up its signal, Go straight in with a hot signal. The only thing I might put behind it is an equally rightous ( Neve, Alan Smart, Pendulum, Chandler....on and on....) compressor to keep it from peaking.
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Thanks phaqu and littledog. Thats some good information. I am going to wire it up how both of you describe today. I have some vocals to record this afternoon so I am glad to use it the right way now. Just to let you know phaqu I have a DDA console and the patchbay is all EDAC. I was thinking the same thing just returning the singnal to a patchpoint and stright to the recorder from there bypassing the the channel strips.
Thanks !
Thanks !
These guys are telling it to you all wrong.
First, what you want to do is run your mic cable in to your console's mic input. Then you want to take the effect "send" out to a DI box. Then you want to go out of the DI box in to the Great River, and then out of your great river in to the "line in" on your computer's built-in sound card.
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First, what you want to do is run your mic cable in to your console's mic input. Then you want to take the effect "send" out to a DI box. Then you want to go out of the DI box in to the Great River, and then out of your great river in to the "line in" on your computer's built-in sound card.
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BRIEFCASEMANX
Winner chicken dinner!
chessrock said:
Do you have paypal? I would like to send you some of my money.
