Home Built Preamp?

  • Thread starter Thread starter imacgreg
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imacgreg

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Hey,
I've seen the schematics to some mic preamps, tube and solidstate, and they don't look that complicated. Has anyone home built a preamp or even designed one of their own?

Ian
 
imacgreg,

There was a long discussion in this forum about this several months back with many pro's, cons and resources.

I would recomend doing a search in this forum and read the previous discussion. You will probably get more info that way than starting the subject over again.

I would be into it except I have absolutely no $$ to persue doing it now. I followed the discussion to find out the results for future reference but to my knowledge no one followed through with it.

Good luck!
 
i built one, haven't tested it yet, but at least i can say i built one...it looks impressive (solid state) but i still haven't hooked up the power supply...its pretty simple to do, dunno if it works, components only cost $40aus and it kept me entertained for a couple of hours, so i don't see any reason you shouldn't go for it!
 
Scooter B said:
There was a long discussion in this forum about this several months back with many pro's, cons and resources.
Click to expand...
Yeah, Roel mentions in that thread https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=29855&highlight=build+AND+preamp that it's actually more expensive to build electronics yourself. This is very true.

The only reasons you might want to build something like this yourself are because:

1. You're crazy, and you enjoy torturing yourself with nerdy hobbies.

2. You're crazy, and you think you have a better way of doing it than anyone one else.

Personally I fall mostly into the second category. I recently finished my design and construction procedures for a new kind of DJ mixer, and now I've started to build. It's a big project with a $1000 budget. Between work and family I figure it will take me about 6 months.

barefoot
 
Go for it barefoot!!!!!

Just be safe, especially if you use tubes... if I had the money I would be doing my own too.

I did build a fretless bass of my own design with a Carvin neck and I designed, cut, sanded finished, wired, tweaked and loved every minute of it.

I am still tweaking the electronics but I would not trade the experience for anything and am happy with the results. The process was just as important as the results. Maybe we are crazy but I love discovery...........We are the inventors.

It does not make sense to do it just to try to save money but the experience and learning process are priceless. This does take time away from making and recording music if your intrests lie strictly with that realm but I have always been a tinkerer at heart and that is what they said about Leo Fender. I say we are in good company and even though we may never achieve what Leo did we can still have a lot of fun.;)
 
Scooter B said:
I did build a fretless bass of my own design with a Carvin neck and I designed, cut, sanded finished, wired, tweaked and loved every minute of it.

I am still tweaking the electronics but I would not trade the experience for anything and am happy with the results. The process was just as important as the results. Maybe we are crazy but I love discovery...........We are the inventors.
Click to expand...
Cool! Yeah, guitars are definitely labors of love.

I taught myself how to build guitars in high school. I had no shop of my own, but my woodshop teacher was very cool, allowed me to take extra no-credit classes each year, and even let me come in during the summers while he taught adult classes. After high school I opened a guitar and amp repair and modification shop out of my basement. It helped me survive through college.

Eventually I attempted to start a business on the side with one of my bosses while doing materials research for Alcoa. He had dreams of becoming an "old country craftsman" after he retired. I wanted to really make a go of it, and create a thriving business. But I quickly realized that turning guitar building into anything more than a ma-and-pa operation is a one in a million shot. They're just too labor intensive. So, I started building speakers instead (not that they're much easier :)).

Had quite a bustling little business going there for a few years. Kept it going even when I went back to graduate school. Now I'm working in the computer chip industry but trying to get myself back into audio. Unfortunately audio jobs are always scarce and the pay is never great. It's even harder to take that step now that I have a wife and baby.

I'm hoping I can sort of "transition" my way into good job by developing some innovative designs an making a bit of a name for myself in influential pro circles. Wish me luck.

Keep it up Scooter! It's nice to see a fellow tweaker on this board. Maybe we can share some project ideas.

barefoot
 
Barefoot,

It sound like we are of kindred spirit. I also have the wife and two kids and have had some financial setbacks that will pretty much keep me skimming paycheck to paycheck for at leadt three years and in reality with kids probably the next 18 years.

So I read, research and dream and hope I will be able to do some more building but for me it is a personal hobby and if I am fortunate enough to invent or discover something I can patent or make money at great, but it is not my goal.
 
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