Mic pre, or post-processing?

[a_street]

Got a question for those of you who work in the digital domain:

Do you find you get a better sound going direct into a soundcard with a mic pre, or by just taking the raw sound and adjusting the volume in software? I'm working with a Shure Beta Green and an SBLive Platinum (please...no snickering!), and it doesn't seem like I usually need much of a boost when recording vocals through the LiveDrive inputs (especially with the "mic boost" effect turned on).

I guess I'm just wondering if a mic pre would give vocal recordings a clearer, slightly more "pro" sound (and yes, I know it won't truly be "pro" as long as I'm using Creative gear...).

 

[Vurt]

Any snob caught snickering isn't worth your time anyway, so fuck 'em...

If you use a GOOD pre, it'll probably enhance the overall dynamics of your signal rather than just boosting it. I don't track into a soundcard but do some editing/effects on pc, and from my experience transferring tracks, I personally would lean toward using a good pre to get a rich signal. For me, the less I have to screw with a song once it's been tracked, the better.

 

[Gidge]

If you are going into the mic input of the card instead of the line in, you are essentially using a preamp...its not a very good quality one....a GOOD mic pre will do wonders for you music....a good mic pre with a decent mic into the line input can get good results.....