should i use the same nice mic pre for everything?

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perforateme

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if i were to buy a nice 1,000 dollar single input mic pre...one would think it would enhance the overall quality of my recordings because i'm recording mostly everything seperate, guitars, bass, vox, etc. right?

so would i want to use the same mic pre for mostly all of my tracks? or would it be better to go with different mic pres every few tracks?


thanks
justin
 
I would say you could for vox and guitar, but bass should probably be done through a good DI box. Drums are a different beast all together, if you get a good 2 channel preamp, you can run the overheads through it and it should sound good, given you have good mics to match.
 
Sure you can use the same pre, Justin. It just depends on the kind of music you're doing and the kind of sound you want that will determine what the right kind of pre would be. What kind of stuff are you doing?
 
clearly a $1000 dollar pre is going to greatly improve the sound - but just wondering if you had a pre that was slightly coloured might it just make all your tracks sound very similar?? maybe a stupid question, but just wondering.Thanks.
 
perforateme said:
if i were to buy a nice 1,000 dollar single input mic pre...one would think it would enhance the overall quality of my recordings because i'm recording mostly everything seperate, guitars, bass, vox, etc. right?

so would i want to use the same mic pre for mostly all of my tracks? or would it be better to go with different mic pres every few tracks?


thanks
justin
Click to expand...

You can use the same pre-amp for everything provided the pre-amp you get does not add too much of its own sound. Cheap pre-amps tend to add some distortion that goes unoticed on single tracks or a few tracks. Each track recorded will build up the unoticed distortion/EQbumps to a level that will annoy you and not allow a decent mix. The interesting thing about this is that all of us like certain recordings from bands like The Beatles etc. The very reason we like these recordings is *because* of the pre-amp/mic color buildup. The pre-amps/mics these bands used had their own sound. It just turned out that the sound they produced was pleasant to the ears. With cheap pre-amps/mics it usually is the opposite. The problem of color buildup was not too bad as there were a very finite amount of tracks possible back then. With today's recordings hitting up to 48 tracks (and beyond), the new philosophy is to use *different* pre-amp/mic combinations to distribute the coloration over a wider frequency range. This allows one to mix a song and have it come out decent with a minimum of EQ being applied to the final recording. If you buy a pre-amp it is advisable to find one that is not very colored if it is your only one. The best pre-amp I have for this is the Avalon M5 as it is very clean and detailed and can be stacked over 24 tracks with no real sonic finger print. There are others also.

Good Luck in your search.
 
Different pres add different colors. I'd get 2 entirelky different ones, like one Hardy and one Tube.
 
thanks for the info acorec - whilst different pre's may be a good thing - would stereo drum overheads usually be tracked with two of the same pre's?keep a balance etc etc...
 
tracking keyboards with mic pre?

This is a very good thread. I asked a very similar question on a previous thread a few days ago.

Is it advisable to use a good mic pre with with tracking keyboards ( ie Korg Triton )?

Derek
 
well i help run a studio so the music should range but it usually doesnt. usually just the same old punk rock bands.
 
bh4554 said:
thanks for the info acorec - whilst different pre's may be a good thing - would stereo drum overheads usually be tracked with two of the same pre's?keep a balance etc etc...
Click to expand...

I always use two channel pres for drum overheads. The same pres are better for balance and stereo imaging.
 
im currently using the using the 002, a Focusrite Platinum Voicemaster Channel Strip with Preamp, Behringer Eurorack UB 2222 Pro(garbage)

i noticed you guys were talking about having too much of a distinct color in the recording? if i were to get a real nice pre, i would probably use it for kick, bass, guitar, and vox.. would this be too much going through the pre for one recording? i dont think everything would sound the 'same' or have a distinct sound to it? not sure
 
perforateme said:
if i were to get a real nice pre, i would probably use it for kick, bass, guitar, and vox.. would this be too much going through the pre for one recording?
Click to expand...

If you mean simultaneously, then I would have to say YES! :D
 
Many Many Many wonderfully recorded records were made with the preamps on the board that was available in the studio they were made in....API's,Neve,Trident,MCI,Sony,just to name a few....Most of these pres are now available in single and two channel units.What a quality pre is going to do is unveil all the deficiencys in your room and your signal chain.If you have a great room, and you are a quality engineer that knows mic placement then a single channel of the ilk you describe will be all you should ever need....provided you are recording one instrument at a time.
 
yeah i will be doing drums, then bass/guitars then vox all seperately, not at the same time. all through a single input pre. i guess it depends which one i get that is going to add the color?
 
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