subject: Learn About Microphone Preamps [print this page] A mixing console has several strips that serve as inputs, a microphone preamplifier is simply a single channel of a mixing console. When you have a mixing board you are committed to every input channels sound quality, but with preamps you can have a variety of sounds when recording. A preamps main job is to boost a microphones low signal into a usable line level that can be manipulated by your audio equipment. Due to variety, design, features, and sound quality of preamps your recordings can become very dynamic.
There are a few common features among most microphone preamps. Gain control allows you to adjust the signal being picked up by the microphone, however too much gain can create noise in your recordings but can be helpful when recording quiet performances. Another feature that can be found on microphone preamplifers is an equalizer (EQ), which can cut or boost a given frequency to change the sound quality of an instrument. Just a helpful hint, when doing your mixing try to cut frequencies first before trying to boost frequencies.
A compressor is another feature found on some preamplifiers. Compression shrinks the dynamic range of an audio signal, then takes that signal and boosts it. This allows for quiet parts of a recording performance become louder so they stay audible in the entire mix even if the song is loud. Just a word of caution, when using EQ, compression or any other type of effect during recording you have to remember you are committed to those changes because when you're doing your final mix it is hard to remove compression or reverse an EQ.
In the digital realm microphone preamps are very useful. Instead of having a bigger recording console you can have a couple unique microphone preamps, which can conveniently be connected to an audio interface or sound card with line inputs.Choosing a microphone preamp is purely a personal choice and what choice you make is purely what will work best for you. Microphone preamplifiers are a very cost effective way of experimenting, allowing greater functionality and adaptability in your studio.
Sometimes you will find yourself in a critical situation and a microphone preamp can offer low distortion specs, a special sound, or use of tube and integrated circuit technology, which is why microphone preamps are used. When it comes to the selection of a microphone preamp it is purely a personal choice. The days where there was only a few ways to get a great recording is gone, now you can choose from an abundance of equipment. It is important to try and test microphone preamps to find the one that will do the job you want and have people wanting to record with you because you have that preamp that records the sound they want.
