stereo reciever as mic/guitar preamp????

  • Thread starter Thread starter den
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den

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howdy. im just looking to get started. primarily to start figuring out cakewalk. it seems there are a million posts on this similar topic of just trying to get a decent signal into your soundcard on the cheap.
ive been told that after running through all the necessary adaptors to get either your xlr or 1/4" into the obligatory 1/8" jack of the soundcard, the signal would be too weak. (or also that it just starts out to weak). the answer is a pre amp for just under $100.
what about using your home stereo amplifier as a preamp? take the mic or guitar 1/4" transform down to 1/8" - maybe split it with a "Y" adaptor - and lead it into one of the input jacks of the amplifier. then take it out of the "tape output" jack, use a "y" adaptor to bring the two channels together and then stick it into your line-in of the soundcard. ????
 
NOOOO!

Just to make it more on the surface, I'll tell you what you'll learn in that other thread camn pointed to -- don't do it! Think about it -- those little line level signals go into amplifiers so they can be made "strong" enough to drive speakers at high volumes. And where does that powerful amplified signal that's going to be pushing air, possibly hard enough to masssage your kidneys from 100 yards away, come out? The speaker lines, of course.
 
These input jacks on your stereo's preamp...think about them for a moment. Are they designed to accept extremely low voltage signals such as those generated by your guitar or microphone?

Nope, they're designed to take signals that are ALREADY at or near line level and boost them for the power amp. The two amps are designed to work together.

Basically, yes, it might work but:

1) Watch your levels very very closely.
2) It will sound like shit.

Spend the 100 bucks on an ART Tube preamp.

Slackmaster 2000
 
audio heretic

alright some action! thanks for the reply folks!

first, though, to AlChuck - the man with two first names - your warnings are well taken HOWEVER i was planning on running the output through the Tape Out, not the speaker jacks. So the signal wouldnt be jacked to move those speakers but at something like line level for the tape deck.
and second, regarding Slackmaster2K, what about the Phono input? that signal gets a boost doesnt it? differentiating it from the Tape, Tuner, Aux inputs.
thanks and interesting as always.
 
The main difference with the phono inputs relative to the tape/aux/CD inputs are: 1)the signal expected at the phono jack is weaker than line level (I think it is anyway) which is good for the mickey mouse idea you're suggesting. But the phono signal, once it gets past the phono jacks is subjected to a very severe EQ to match the standard RIAA equalization which makes up for the weird EQ that naturally accompanies phono output. Bad for your idea....
Now if you were to use a cheapo tape deck as your pre- plug a guitar or mic into that input and send the line out monitor to that stereo receiver.
Still sounds like shit but it works.
 
youall are a bunch of shit talkers who have never tried this anyway.

But Slack said one right thing... it will sound like shit.

why dont you try it and get back to us?

xoxo
 
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