What is more important the mic or the pre?

[Prizmaxic]

In your opinion which has more to do with the overall quality?

 

[zer0sig]

i don't think it's really possible to give a good answer that isn't "both."

slack on either, and anyone with good ears will know you're halfassing it.

that said, my mics are better than my pres for the time being. not that my recordings sound spectacular. i haven't even posted in the clinic because i think i need better recordings before feeling that any feedback would be useful.

 

[jslator]

In your opinion which has more to do with the overall quality?

As a very general rule, a better mic will usually make a bigger sonic difference, but that depends laregely on what you are "upgrading" from. The nice thing about getting a good pre, though, is that it's kind of like upgrading all of your mic's at once.

 

[SS454]

Niether. It's a question of finding the right mic for what ever it is your recording, and using it in combination with a good preamp.

 

[chessparov]

If it's a condenser microphone, the choice of which one makes more of a difference than the mic pre or mixer that provides the phantom power and gain.
If it's a dynamic microphone (includes ribbons BTW), however, the choice of mic pre or mixer becomes much more critical.

For example, running a Shure SM57 through a Neve or API pre will be a totally different beast than putting it through a Mackie or Behringer mixer. Whereas you won't hear as much of a drastic difference with a decent (or better) condenser microphone going
into a budget mixer or pre.

Chris

 

[chessparov]

Should have added...
The quality of your room's "sound" (or lack thereof) is a big factor,
particularly with condenser mikes that hear so much more of it.
This can be easily be more important than choice of mic pre,
and even the microphone.

Chris

 

[kid klash]

Great post, chessparov - you said it all.

- Kid

 

[morindae]

Chessparov, let me ask you a question please....
I have an v67G and a audio technica ATM63. If I upgrade my Audio Buddy to a preamp like the SP VTB1, are you saying that it probably wont make much difference to my v67, but a very big difference to the ATM63?

 

[jslator]

...If I upgrade my Audio Buddy to a preamp like the SP VTB1...

Some would question whether that's an upgrade.

 

[chessparov]

Very noticable on the V67, and very very noticable on the AT!

Seriously, again you should hear a tangible improvement on both,
especially on your dynamic microphone.
The VTB-1 is quiet at full gain, the Audio Buddy is not (some hiss).
The VTB-1 will also provide proper 48V phantom power and the Audio
Buddy IIRC tops out around 38 or 40 volts.
The V67 won't be quite able to meet its full spec's as a result.

Chris

P.S. Thanks "kid" for the kind words.

 

[morindae]

Thanks for the information Chris.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

In your opinion which has more to do with the overall quality?

Neither - it's whats IN FRONT of the mic/pre that's MOST important.....

Then, as someone pointed out, it's a question of finding the most appropriate mic/pre to capture it.......!

 

[chessparov]

And sometimes the most important part of the chain (nowadays) is the...
AUTOTUNE!

Chris

 

[chessrock]

If it's a condenser microphone, the choice of which one makes more of a difference than the mic pre or mixer that provides the phantom power and gain. If it's a dynamic microphone (includes ribbons BTW), however, the choice of mic pre or mixer becomes much more critical.

Chess pretty much nailed it on the head there.

I might also add that provided it's a transformerless condenser microphone, your mic pre selection won't be as "make-or-break." Most modern inexpensive condensers are transformerless, by the way.

However, the mxl v67 which you mentioned does have tranformer, the quality of which I would suppose is debatable. So in answer to your question, both of the mics you mention will likely be quite picky about what kind of mic pre you're plugging them in to. This partially explains why you hear such mixed opinions about the v67 (transformer) . . . while opinion on something like the SP C1 (transformerless) seems to be pretty universal.

If you're looking for a more obvious improvement by the way, you might want to sidestep the whole audio buddy / VTB-1 nonsense and look instead to the Grace Design 101 as a starting point. Or you could just ebay both of your mics in favor of something else. Just my not-so-humble open onion.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Once you get past the performance and the engineering (70%), you're talking about the gear (30%). The most important thing is whatever is the weakest link in the signal chain. You get a better pre, you may need a better mic. But as has been pointed out, a good pre can make a cheap dynamic mic sound very good. I'd rather record cheap mics through good pres than good mics through cheap pres, but it depends on the price point. Under $500, the mic will give you more bang for buck. Good pres start at $500-700 and go up (a lot) from there. I have found that good pres make recording easier. They help a lot on the engineering side. Mics, on the other hand, are either the right mic in the right place, or they're not.-Richie

 

[morindae]

Originally posted by Richard Monroe

Once you get past the performance and the engineering (70%), you're talking about the gear (30%). The most important thing is whatever is the weakest link in the signal chain. You get a better pre, you may need a better mic. But as has been pointed out, a good pre can make a cheap dynamic mic sound very good. I'd rather record cheap mics through good pres than good mics through cheap pres, but it depends on the price point. Under $500, the mic will give you more bang for buck. Good pres start at $500-700 and go up (a lot) from there. I have found that good pres make recording easier. They help a lot on the engineering side. Mics, on the other hand, are either the right mic in the right place, or they're not.-Richie

You guys are doing a good job of convincing me to save some money and buy a preamp at the level of the Grace or the RNP. Some of these posts are really informative. Thanks