Yo Normalization 55:
I am not quite sure of your gear; however, a mic pre can only do you good. If you are not getting a good vocal cut when you record there are many reasons.
Input/output/volume/reverb/EQ are a few of the potential problems.
If you are recording a vocal with music live, then you have a bigger control problem with the sounds. So, you might want to do all the music first, then dub in the vocal. That's what I do all of the time; then, I can adjust volume and reverb of the music so it doesn't overwhelm the voice.
I recently heard a nice CD from a friend and I liked the music and vocals; but I wrote him back and said that the vocals were weak, hard to understand the words, and he wrote me back saying that he had some trouble with the vocal tracks.
So, if you're just beginning, keep on going; if you are going, keep on learning; if you are willing to learn, stay on this site.
Green Hornet
