Mic pre amps

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:29 am

I thought that Bobs question required a new thread dedicated to mic pre amps.

A mic pre amp is simply an interface between the microphone & the recording tape, or hard disc. At it's simplest, it can be just a mic input, a level control & an output. Nearly all mixing consoles have mic pre amps in one or more channels. You can also get pre amps combined with extra facilities that include filters, EQ, phase reverse, phantom power & even more with compressors, de essors, gates etc. These are incredibly useful pieces of gear & I use these 'channel strip' type units every day. They combine good quality pre amps with useful processing that allows you to treat nearly any sound. They nearly always have line inputs as well, allowing them to be used not only for line level instruments (keyboards etc), but also allows them to be used on your inserts for post recording processing.

Does the quality of pre amp make a difference?...you bet it does. Your top quality pre amp can be a VERY expensive item & unless you are dealing with expensive mixing consoles, you would almost certainly be better off with a good mic pre amp. I am lucky enough to own a Trident MTA, with unbelievable mic pre's & even my clients noticed the difference when I started using it (not being rude to my clients...but a pre amp?)

However, most of the mic pres that I use are made by TFpro. I didn't want to get involved with individual manufactureres on 'Rampant Recording Techniques', but it is impossible to ignore them on occasions. Their web site http://www.tfpro.com/home/index.php is well worth a read for general information. Similar products are manufactured by many other manufacturers, but Ted Fletcher has a top notch, esoteric product range that appeals to me in both sound quality & ease of use.

One of these channel strips would be invaluable to a small (or large) recording set up (I suppose I have about a dozen of these) & would be well worth learning more about.

shinynewtoy · Post by **shinynewtoy** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:03 pm

Thank you Tony... put that high on the gear list...

Definitely behind the Mac and ProTools rig, but high nonetheless!

Just to expand on the topic... what's your take on tube vs. solid-state in terms of preamps? I'm guessing there are benefits to both.

trancedental · Post by **trancedental** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 2:11 pm

A lot of people are taking channel strips out of old but very top quality/expensive(at the time!)recording consoles & amd making recording mic pre/EQ units out of them.

I got a pair of these, Soundracs Mic Pre/EQs for only 250 pounds, better than a Focusrite ISA220 which I sold! They came from a 30,000 pound desk!

These are much better than anything in this price range!

http://www.studiosys.demon.co.uk/forsale_cpeqbox.htm

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:46 pm

That is essentially what the Trident MTA is John, only 10 times your price, as it was a new version of two channel strips...it is awsome!

Valve preamps IMO can be a bit of a sales gimmick. To make a fully valve pre amp would be enormously expensive & the ones that I have seen just seem to stick a valve in there somewhere, amongst a load of solid state & call it a valve preamp. Some even display the valves....a little too 'cabaret' if you ask me...designer gear! I have used a top notch valve preamp & its non valve equivelant & the non valve was the winner, they are all I use now. They do not make things warmer, as we are led to believe, but can add a little more definition to the sound & in my experience they also 'colour' the sound. I am not a fan & it is interesting that to some extent, this fad seems to have settled down, with manufacturers returning to quality led inovations, not fad led.

I am a fan of valve mic's though. I have two large diaphragm valve mic's & these through a quality preamp, like the Trident or TFpro P2 & it is a difficult sound to beat.

Talking of valves & warmth, one of the warmest mic's I have ever heard is the Audio Technica 4033 & not a valve in sight. This is quite a cheap mic now, but a terrific quality. I don't have one anymore, but I listen back to some of my old recordings with it & the vocal quality is superb....one to watch out for.

soundmasterg · Post by **soundmasterg** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:08 am

Speaking of valve/tube mics....

I wanted to get one a couple years ago and I couldn't afford a really good one....but I saw that GC was selling these nice looking Oktava MKL 2500's for around $300, so I bit on one. Now a couple years later, it comes out that Oktava's western distributer in the UK contracted to have copies made in china and sold in place of the real Oktava's, and most of these were sold at GC. So the one I got is a fake made in china. The mic sounds good, and there is a website that compared the sound of the chinese fake and the russian original, with the chinese mic apparently coming out to sound as good as the other, but the power supply supplied with the chinese one was noisier, and the chinese one also didn't come with the shock mount.

So I'm even more suspicious of GC than I was before, and I do use my tube mic, but am on the lookout for a better one that doesn't have so much sleight of hand attached to it. I am also considering sticking GC with a lawsuit, but thats another subject entirely.

Moral of story....do lots of research before purchasing, and cheaper doesn't always mean a good deal.

trancedental · Post by **trancedental** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 6:38 am

Anthony, sounds like the Trident is a great mic/pre, I've only got a home studio so it's a bit pricey for me LOL!

Noticed you mentioned the Audio Technica AT3033, I have the AT4047, this is a warm slightly dark sounding mic modeled after classic early FET/solid state mics (Neumann U47 types). Much better than a lot of the fizzy mics out there nowadays and still made in Japan.

I'm also looking to buy a good valve mic any ideas?

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 11:46 am

There are quite a lot of valve mic's out there to choose from John. Rode make a couple & I know that Sawmills (Oasis, Muse & others) use one of the Rode valve mic's routinely. I believe they produce a very reasonably priced valve model & although I have never tried it, it has to be worth checking out. I would also check out the Audio Technica valve mic's, as I must admit to being a bit of a fan of the AT mic's....very good quality & value for money. If money is no object, then obviously the Neumann range has to be a no 1. As you know, some valve mic's are mega money, but some of the more budget friendly mic's can be pretty healthy too.

BTW, some large diaphragm mic's (including valve) come with multi pattern choice & some with only a couple, or none at all. If you don't need a choice of polar patterns, then this can save a great deal of money. 90-99% of avarage studio work is quite OK with a cardioid pattern, so missing the rest will really not be that big a deal.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 8:39 pm

Tony, what's your take on the ProSonus VocalMaster Pro? I used that when doing some voice-overs and it was a nice little piece of gear...

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 11:34 pm

Steve, I am not familiar with that piece of equipment, so can't offer an opinion. I tried a search on the net & visited their web site, so that at least I could have commented on the features, but could find no reference to it at all. Does it have another name?

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 7:35 am

Sorry, Tony, I gave you the wrong company....it's this one...Focusrite.
http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--FOCMH440

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Tue Dec 20, 2005 7:46 am

Steve....sorry I havn't answered! I'll get back later.....

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 12:53 pm

There's a lot to be said for component preamps but for the money you simply can't beat the XDR pre's in many Mackie mixer products. They sound simply spectacular and the fact that they come along with a pretty useful mixer (even if only for monitor purposes) is a secondary benefit.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 1:06 pm

You are absolutely right John. Many mixers have superb pre amps built in, Mackie being one of them. Some of their 'project' mixers have been responsible for many releases, proving just how good they are.

BTW John, nice to see you here & thanks for your input.

shinynewtoy · Post by **shinynewtoy** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 7:49 pm

Tony...

I'm planning a move to a ProTools rig soon... just wondering if you've worked with/heard anything about the Focusrite Pre's in the M-Audio interfaces. I'd just like to know if I should figure on getting some outboard gear to go along with it.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 7:50 pm

We've done a lot of recording with a Mackie mixer and love it, also have one for road work. Can't be beat!