by Phillip Kim

In this issue we will discuss Mic Preamps and their importance in the signal path. I would venture to say that every great vocal recording and most great instrument recordings have been run through preamps.  Preamps started back in the 70s and have been a part of music history ever since. 

I was reminded of the importance of a mic preamp as producer Lovetree and I were tracking vocals for the upcoming Nitro Praise 8 record.  We choose the Avalon VT737sp for our session using a Rodes NTK-1 tube microphone, which are both excellent choices for digital or analogue recording.   

Today most people are moving to digital hard disk recording so using a tube mic preamp has become more important than ever to capture a great vocal and color the digital sound with an analog paint brush.  Though it may seem like an unnecessary expense for someone who already has a “direct xlr” in to their digital recorder, I suggest that this is one expense that you should truly consider investing in.  Prices start from as low as $150 for a very low cost unit to $5000 for the top of the line.  The Avalon unit we used for Nitro Praise 8 generally runs $4600 list.  In addition, you can easily rent a high end $5000 unit from a shop for $50 a day that really makes sense to sweeten a recording session on a lower budget.   

It's a moot point to talk about preamps without mentioning microphones.  It is impossible to get an excellent recording with a bad microphone.  You might get a very cool, weird sound from a cheap mic if you are into experimental sounds, but not a great clean recording.  A poor microphone will give you a poor recording no matter how expensive the preamp is.  Remember a preamp is simply magnifying the positive and negative characteristics of the recording as heard through the microphone.  Thankfully you can get amazing microphones for less than $300 these days.  I recommend the Rodes NT1 as a great starter and best bang for the buck.   

The relationship is symbiotic -- microphone-output levels determine how hard a preamp works.  Knowing your mics output and the sensitivity level, polarity, and gain structure allows you to “match” your microphone to your preamp.  The number of microphones and the number of preamps are so numerous it would be a book worth of information for me to cover in this article, but there are many resources available where they test hundreds of mics and preamps together. Nashville engineer Lynn Fuston tackled all of these challenges during the process of creating a multi-CD series of preamp and microphone tests -- available at www.3daudioinc.com. 

The signal path of a mic preamp to a digital work station (DAW) is straightforward.  The Microphone plugs directly into the Preamp usually with XLR connectors and the outs of the Preamp get plugged into your DAW XLR ins.  Most Preamps come with compression scheme or limiter that takes some knowledge to use.  Improper use can create digital distortion and harsh overtones.   If you are just starting out, better not to use this feature in a session until you fully understand it.  In your free time (not during a session) experiment with these features using your own voice.  You will begin to see the coloration and effect that this can have on your recordings.   

You may have the notion that a Mic Preamp is specifically for vocals.  While it is true that they are especially important on vocals, Mic Preamps are an effective tool on almost all input recording.  Depending on your signal path, a mic preamp can really warm up a guitar, bass, or percussion instrument.  Words like warmth, analog, human or organic describe an overall improvement in the sonic quality of the recording.  It’s something your ears have to hear from themselves to understand what these relative terms mean. Preamps are often cited as adding more punch and presence to a recording.  On Drums, a preamp can tighten up the low end of a recording as well as improve the attack.  

Bottom line: Start with a great microphone and add a great preamp to your session to get outstanding recordings.   Don’t settle for the input of your DAW unless the recording is not crucial to your final product.  You will be amazed at how great you tracks can sound.  

For the more technically minded, there is a very good explanation of preamp input gain and headroom at the Rane site here: http://www.rane.com/note148.html.   

Phillip Kim

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Phillip Kim is a musician, producer and writer in the Los Angeles area. A music industry professional for over 10 years, he currently serves as president of NSOUL Records and currently performs as music director for Latin artist Irene Marin. You can contact him via his website http://nsoul.com