colorsound
New member
Hi, I have an 8-track cassette based recorder I like a lot (the Tascam 688) and I am looking to improve my sound as I am turning my basement into a home studio. I am planning to mostly use SM-57's and other dynamic mics placed around the room and record bands live. However, I know that I probably won't get a very good sound out of this setup using the preamps built onto the 688. Anyways, I've noticed there's two routes to go here, get a mixer vs. get a pre amp. What's the difference between an 8-channel mixer and an 8-channel preamp? I've noticed there aren't many 8-channel preamps online and the ones that are are rare and expensive. So what's a better buy, a nice mixer or a nice preamp? What is the most common route here? Thanks, and any help is greatly appreciated