When do I need a mic pre-amp?

porphyrous said:
What would be the circumstances when I would need to use a mic pre-amp?
Click to expand...
There are two situations that call for a mic preamp:

1. Anytime the mic output is too low to feed the next unit in the chain.

2. Anytime you might want to use a specific preamp for the unique coloration it provides.
 
The fact that you've made an album without learning the answer to that question suggests that you may never need a mic pre-amp
-kent
 
Re: Re: When do I need a mic pre-amp?

Harvey Gerst said:
There are two situations that call for a mic preamp:

1. Anytime the mic output is too low to feed the next unit in the chain.

2. Anytime you might want to use a specific preamp for the unique coloration it provides.
Click to expand...

Narrating books/stories -

(I've decided after reading a mountain of info on microphones that because my room is small I should use a dynamic mic to cut down on background noise such as the computer hum - will I need a preamp here? I'm thinking of a shure sm58 Vocal mic. Anyone have experience with this mic. Other suggestions? Thanks. Joan
 
Re: Re: Re: When do I need a mic pre-amp?

Joan said:


I'm thinking of a shure sm58 Vocal mic. Anyone have experience with this mic. Other suggestions? Thanks. Joan
Click to expand...

You will need a mic pre although it's possible you already have one built in to whatever you have the mic plugged into. My personal preference for recording a reading would be to deal with the computer hum (isolate it) and use a condensor mic with a little compression but there is nothing wrong with using the 58.
 
Preamp

Hi, and thanks for your quick reply. Being ultra low-tech, I'm trying to keep things as simple for myself as possible. The preamp suggested is A-Audio DMP3 mic preamp. I'm not sure that that is dual or single. (Does anyone know if they have a deesser? (Canadian $299.00)

My new computer is a Windows xp home. (the sticker says 'Celeron.' I'm buying a platinum audigy sound card. I thought I might as well get a good one because TexRoadkill told me to and he's very smart about these things.

Looking forward to more great input. Boy I'm really picking up this stuff. :-)
thanks.
Joan
 
you have to have somekind of pre to handle a mic signal...i think that maybe your talking about an outboard mic pre.

i thought the mic pres in my korg d-1600 should suffice for anything i wanted to record....and if it didn't sound like i wanted it to that i was doing something wrong when tracking. alot of my recordings had too much edge (harsh, brittle sound). I decided to try a joe meek vc6q channel strip (not a real high end mic pre by the way) and i saw a remarkable improvement in the sound. I realized then that the pre makes alot of difference....a fact i hadn't given much thought to before. like harvey said, different mic pres will give you different "flavors" of sound.....a joe meek might work very well for one thing but not be so good on something else....vice versa for another pre.

oh, also i will say that i was having to crank the trim over 3/4's of the way to get a decent signal with the korg onboard pres...with the joe meek pre i have all kinds of headroom. having this extra gain seemed to help with noise (self noise of the recorder)
 
isolating a compute hum

Hi NY Morningstar:
How do you 'isolate' a computer hum? Also, do I need a single or duel preamp? Thanks. Joan
 
Greek to me

Hey Jimistone:
You are clearly far more technologically saavy than I. I have no idea what most of what you said means. But I appreciate your response anyway. I'll keep reading and maybe something will click. Joan
 
Joan, you probably should have started your own new thread here. We're answering 2 questions here. 1. When do you need a preamp? and 2. What do *you* need to record spoken words?

1. You need a mic preamp anytime you use a microphone. Harvey, of course, boiled it down to the bare essentials. In the real world, the signal of a mic is never strong enough to be recorded without its gain being increased. There is a third case where a preamp should be added- when the next part of the signal chain that would raise the gain (usually the built-in preamp
in your soundcard or Digital Audio Workstation) introduces undesireable sounds (noise, distortion etc.) or eliminates or modifies good sounds, rendering an incomplete or inaccurate result, and needs to be bypassed. The tough part here is that what is desireable or undesireable is a matter of opinion. Some kinds of distortion may be good, and deleting some sounds might make Pee Wee Herman sound like James Earl Jones. If your mic is recording something, you already have a preamp, the only question is, is it doing what you want it to?

2. Joan, I'd say your mission is essentially simple, and many big time music recording people here really can't help but think in terms of their often more complex needs. I would say, get a good soundcard, as Tex suggested, get the best 20 foot mic cable you can find (Mogami, Monster, or B.L.U.E., among others), and that SM58. Isolation means put that microphone where the computer isn't, such as on the other side of a door, and point it away from the computer, or put something big, thick, fluffy and heavy between the computer and the mic, even a pile of laundry will help. That good soundcard will contain a preamp, which may or not be adequate for your needs. Plug that Shure right into the sound card, and see if you like the results. If not, consider an outboard preamp, but for your purposes, a good soundcard will probably be all you need. If you really need a de-esser, it is available as a software plugin, if the sound card doesn't provide it. You will also need a pop filter, a nylon screen between you and the mic, to decrease unwanted sounds from your breath with consonants like P and B. Just put your hand in front of your mouth and say any word with a P in it, and the reasons will become clear. Yes, this is technobabble, but it will get easier. Just don't read any of the threads on MS micing unless you've got your Tylenol handy. Hope this helps.-Richie
 
You are so right, Richie. I'm off to get the Tylenol as soon as I print this out. One more thing: Oh, dear - should I opt for a condensor mike or a dynamic mike considering I'm in a very small space here. I'll have to put a big board or something between my Mike and the computer. Oh, and should that be a single or dual preamp. I'll be ordering these items on Tuesday. Then I'm committed to it. Thanks a million. Joan
 
Just noticed you said Shure sm58 was okay ....

Just noticed, Richie, that you thought that choice was okay. Good then. I'll go with it. Unless you think something else would be better. Cheers! Joan
 
For your purposes, I would opt for the KISS system (keep it simple, stupid). The SM58 sould do a fine job with no need for phantom power, a condenser, or a mixer. What's to mix? You have one signal. You can use the computer to copy the one track onto a second track. The result is 2 channel mono instead of stereo, but as I said, you have 1 signal. What would stereo separation accomplish? Same deal with the preamp. One channel is fine, as long as you're recording a single voice. Even if you do want another signal, background music, etc. you can run that into the soundcard in stereo, and then reduce the sum to 2 total tracks for stereo. This is called "bouncing" the tracks. A good soundcard will accomplish all of that and much more. The only reason for an additional preamp or mixer is if you have multiple signals that exceed the number of inputs on the soundcard, you need phantom power to feed a condenser mic, or you just don't like the preamps in the soundcard. I'm betting Tex gave you good advice on the soundcard, and it will probably do everything you need with 1 good dynamic mic. Best of luck.
 
Joan - you should be fine with a DMP3 and a 58. I would guess that it's near impossible to get quiet spoken word recordings with a condensor mic in the same room as the computer.
 
Richard Monroe said:
What's to mix? You have one signal. You can use the computer to copy the one track onto a second track. The result is 2 channel mono instead of stereo, but as I said, you have 1 signal.
Click to expand...

I've never seen software where it was necessary to do that. Of course, there is plenty of software I've never seen! ;)
 
Joan said:
Oh, dear - should I opt for a condensor mike or a dynamic mike considering I'm in a very small space here. I'll have to put a big board or something between my Mike and the computer. Oh, and should that be a single or dual preamp. I'll be ordering these items on Tuesday. Then I'm committed to it. Thanks a million. Joan
Click to expand...

Hey Joan,

Just a few late comments here.

You said you are getting an Audigy soundcard because Tex told you to get a good one. I don't know for sure but I doubt Tex would recommend that as a good one. If you are planning on expanding your recording interests in the future you may want to look for a soundcard that will record in 24bit. The audigy is ok for games but it leaves some to be desired for recording.

The 58 is a dynamic mic and will sound great for recording your readings however, if you want a more professional, full up close in your face sound then the condensor mics are the way to go. One difference being with the condensor mics you will need phantom power which comes with the A-Audio DMP3 mic preamp(it's a two channel pre). Another difference with the condensor mic is it will pick up alot of external noise, like the dog down the street, maybe the air conditioner, the refridgerator and such, so you need to have a quiet room isolated from noises. A good idea is to make an isolation booth just to record in.

To isolate the computer hum, you can put the computer in another room or build a cabinet around it being careful not to impede the air flow.

All these new ideas in this thread is probably a bit overwhelming so take your time and proceed one step at a time. If you make a move that doesn't make your recordings sound better, return what you purchased and ask more questions. That's how most of us here have learned. Good luck.
 
Where does the pre amp cable go?

Hi guys:
Well, I've got the new Shure 58sm mic and an audio buddy pre amp and not sure if I'm supposed to plug the pre amp into the mic at the back of the computer (pink) or the blue one. Boy, this is fun. And it came without cable. I assume I just go to Radio Shack and ask for a mic pre amp cable? Joan
 
Hi Joan. The others gave honest answers to your question, but I had to add one answer:

Anytime you're using a Behringer mixer!:D :D :D :D :D :D

Sorry, I just had to get that one in.
 
congrats on the audiobuddy.

an excellent purchase.

you want the "line in" jack on the soundcard. not the one you plug the mic into.


radio shack will fix you up with a cable. you need a 1/8" to 1/4" cable. the line in is stereo but a mono cable will work.

complex isnt it?

if i was you i would look at radio shack to see if they have the audio technica condenser that i know theyve had. it will give a different sound that you can try and decide which you like best.

condensers will give a clearer sound.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top