Mic Preamps?

[Masters Of War]

Ok I just bought a Tascam 488 (not the MKII) does it come with a built in mic preamp or guitar preamp, and what the heck are preamps, do I NEED one, what do they do? Any help would be awesome, thanks.

 

[Mark H.]

There's more information about the Tascam 488 at:

http://www.homerecording.com/tas488.html

Best wishes,

Mark H.

 

[cominginsecond]

Mic Preamps are any mic input. If the 488 has a mic input, it has a mic pre in it.

Outboard preamps are usually higher quality (in that they make your tracks sound better) than the pres in a mixer or 4-track. Plus they supply phantom power (needed for condenser mics), which many 4-tracks and mixers do not.

 

[Lance135]

A preamp brings the level of signal from a microphone to line level so that your machine can record it. It looks like your Tascam unit has built in preamps (those three pronged jacks where you plug your microphones in called, XLR inputs), so you won't need to buy a preamp to start recording. All you need is a microphone and cable. Have fun.