Do I Need A Mic Preamp? 

Very good and accurate video. No one needs my advice but, before I spent $3000 on a mic and preamp (in this case for recording my singing voice, not voiceovers), I bought a couple of hours at a recording studio that had the classic mics and excellent engineers I needed to really understand how the mic and preamp I had decided on would sound. I compared the mic to a collection of U67s and U87s. I knew the sound I was looking for (I listened to classic recordings of singers with a similar voice to my own and brought samples of those recordings). The mic and preamp combo added a very pleasing harmonic distortion in a studio environment that made mixing so much easier. Unfortunately cheaper preamps generally weren’t making much of a difference or their distortion characteristics were not suitable for a mic preamp. Cheaper mics were too sibilant for my voice. It may take $1000 or more to get a preamp that gives you the pleasing sound you’re looking for. Not everything has to be expensive to be good, but with some mic types and preamps, it probably will. For whatever it’s worth, I highly recommend booking a couple of hours at a well staffed studio to AB the gear you’re about to buy, or just bought, with “control” gear. Obviously you can’t always return mics, but you can return preamps. Anyway, after carefully choosing a mic and preamp beforehand, comparing them with the studios gear answered every question I had and was easily worth the $150 of studio time. I didn’t need advice, I just needed to hear. I ended up buying a Vintech “Neve” style preamp that cost about $1,500 and a $1500 Soundelux mic (a U47 type). That was 10 years ago. I still use the same mic and preamp today. Not bad. Sorry for the long story!

This was the most coherent explanation of preamp workflow I have ever heard. Thank you.

"You want to add an outboard mic preamp to get that liquid, 3D, solid, full, empty, thesaurus busting, magical sound that some mic preamps are supposed to have". That's exactly the one I'm looking for! Sadly, I can't seem to find it.

Great video! As a music producer myself I think the "Do I need" is one of those questions which will never leave you for the rest of your life as a producer. You will always feel the need of something new :)

“The sound of moss trembling”

This was such a simple, no-frills, informative explanation. I can't give this enough praise. Thank you!

Love the "no bullshit" videos!

You guys are how they say - “killing it”

Quality video and explanation. Keep these awesome videos coming :)

Douglas Adams would be proud :) Very entertaining and informative, great video!

Love a video that starts answering my question from the first second

Very interesting and thorough. Thank you. I always wanted to get at least 4 valve preamps for my digi001. I thought about buying them (well, that can be expensive) I thought about building a 4 to 6 valve preamp myself but never got to do it. Anyway, I record my drums using 2 condenser mics in channels 1 and 2 and the rest of the mics are 57s or 58s directly to channels 3 to 8 (these are from the back pannel and aren't preamped). My point here is that I can control the input gain from channels 1 and 2 and have a great input signal. But the 3 to 8 channels -without preamp setups- have very low inputs so I end up normalizing my tracks. I get a very good result in the dynamic range and I certainly don't need to buy or build microphone preamps. To me the normalize function is more than enough to get a killer drum sound so, I don't think I'll ever get preamps.

Just getting into audio and have found this channel very helpful

This is the difference between pro and noob seriously, and I recommend everyone watch this video as the first video to watch when starting to record!

This is the content the world needs!!!

Excellent and BS free advice 👍🏻 This one should be pinned at the top of every music gear forums there is. Save a lot of people’s $ it will.

Really Thanks! Your video helped me a lot!

All the other videos on this are so crappy. This one is exactly what i needed to hear! Thank you for this guys!

As pub-gigging-for-fun amateur I have never understood the reason for mic preamps, so thx for the explanation and giving me the confidence to answer, "No".

THIS VIDEO isn't getting enough visitors. Great Info!!!!

I would add, I if you have a ribbon microphone that doesn't want 48+ phantom power and your interface is global on/off, an external preamp will be useful.

Helpful video, clear answers.

Well done mate! I enjoyed this! Thank you! 🇨🇦👍🏻

You are potato starch Tuber man, I heard you in Slate VMS shootout, the songs in caged prisoner's voices still rings in my head whenever I see.

Great info! Top marks A+

Sam is correct. Live band, drums or choir, you need more preamps. Especially demanding are drums & percussion, they need a mic preamp with larger input overload margin, more dBu so they do not clip. Some preamps have input pads that help with that problem. The room you record in, the instrument, the player and the mic you use are far more important than the mic preamp.

Great info...thx.

Great vid as always, with a 1.5x, it’s even better

This guy drinks tea.

You're really cool! Cheers and thanks!

Love the sardonic tone aimed at the entire army of internet insistance I need a mic preamp ... Thank you

excellent!!! thanks

Great video thanks

I love these videos! Sam Inglis is both informative and hilarious. Thanks SOS for being the best source of audio information out there :)

Do I need a recording magazine? LOL

Thanks. You just saved me lots of money. Will buy an SOS to celebrate.

Thank you

Good video ----- well done.

Great Magazine by the way !!!!

excellent.

Thanks

i bought the antelope zen go interface and would like to add an external preamp from golden afe pre73jr do you reckon its necessary or they do are equal please advise

If you own a dynamic mic like an SM7 or Ribbon mic, a Cloudlifter is a good idea.

Great information, and I was really excited - until you mentioned "IF you have the mic pointed at the right instrument and musician." As a drummer, I was hoping your information on preamps would include discussion of a talent-boosting module. ;)

For me I want to be shure abiut the calculus you do with db and dbu, have I to calculate the difference between max gain and max input dbu ? Thanks :-)

Great video. Funny and informative. Though I’m confused as to why the video is so off centre.

Hi bro, does the Dynamite inline preamp works with studio condenser microphone ?

Daaaaaaaaaaamn, he said thesaurus busting, very well said.

Ah, yes, the warmth of field mice scratching their knees... perfection.

This question has been busting my chops all day. I have an apogee duet and I’m getting ready to order an SSL 12. Both wildly different preamp options built into the audio interface. However I just ordered a UA 710 mic preamp. I thought it fitting because of the tube and digital options. But apogee offers very nice sounding preamps as it is. I really hope that the UAE is going to offer something more. SSL built-in preamps have true tones in my understanding but don’t offer any additional flavor. Not a bad thing, just looking to have different options. Any advice would be helpful

Would a mic preamp be good for mic’ing up a clarinet? Currently using a piezo barrel and curious if instead of a piezo pickup, using multiple mics into a preamp> power amp with lots of headroom into a cab of choice. Is this pointless or should I just go the Keyboard amp route? Not really interested in having the whole signal going to the PA. ROCK N ROLL!

I have a Blue Nessie USB mic that i have in an adapter that hooks up to a tablet. I rap, and was told i need an amp. Is there anything compatible or whats your advice?

I always wondered if preamps would give vintage synths extra warmth and punch rather than having them go straight into a converter

I do just voice over, so I guess I need only a microphone connected to an audio interface via XLR. It has already some preamp. Then EQ, nothing else, and I am a great speaker. Other things or effects, might be in post.

...moss quivering... wow.. this guy is entertaining! I think this new "Sound on Sound" "megazeen" or whatever, idea he has has real potential to catch on if enough people hear about it. Although, im not sure. If it uses flattened dead trees like comes out of grampa's old "facts machine" it might struggle. I'll definitely look fornhis youtube channel though. I loved this video

It depends on the quality of the preamp in the audio interface. Some are not very good. Many are pretty goo and some (eg Audient) are excellent.

So I have a scarlett solo and a Aston Spirit microphone. isnt the solo a preamp? Or am I shooting myself in the foot having a good mic with a smaller interface? any info would be much appreciated.

I got a Focusrite ISA One purely because I have more money than sense.

Yes you do

You Do Not Need a Shower. It’s been 3 years and I still Bring home ladies from the pub.

Can't get enough of British teeth. Malcolm Dome was the best.

I wish this guy was my college lecturer LOL

Thanks you just talked me off the ledge

Nail the Mix !! Hilarious !!!

Moss trembling would be in the background of a johan Segeborn guitar video.

❤️

SMALLER DRUMKIT! 😂😂😂😂😂

sir I have a very serious question sir, do my Focusrite scarlete 2i2 3rd has a good preamp?

I think there’s one more thing about mic preamps - input impedance. Different types of mic preamps have different input impedance so they load a mic differently and so they affect microphone’s behavior in frequency characteristics and in dynamics at specific frequencies. Even some of the classic mic preamps have input impedance switch, so user can better match it with output impedance of a microphone, and so change mic behavior. Sam said that most mic preamps in their level comfort zone will sound the same. In my opinion it’s not true. Switching input impedance can really make a difference in sound and it’s not that subtle as you may think.

You must be using a genuine Neve 1073 for this Presentation… 😊

I look forward to these videos now. 😂

Fieldmouse scratching its knees 😆 thats wild

Do I need to go to a shop to buy a mic preamp? Should I shower before? Or maybe after shower the preamp? Please answer, I NEED TO KNOW!!!!!!!!!

Keeping in mind that "The right setup" is always subjective and heavily dependent on the context.

I have a regular Lavalier microphone but when I plug it in to the aux of my radio, it doesn't hear the lavalier. Suggestions? I am not a musician. I just want to hear people in the back seat of my taxi. I have a Plexiglas barrier because of Covid. Amazon doesn't have an easy fix. I have a Lavalier and a mini boombox

I feel personally attacked by that melodica comment

This bloke needs a personality

500th Thunbs Up.

Just wondering ...... do i need a mic pre-amp? :-)

Which mic pre amp? A mixing desk. ☺️

Only if you want to record.

Moss Trembling

I feel like you found you reason of existence

do I need a mic preamp.. YES..

Hahha. This is on its way to praising Brando. What plants crave.

good man yerself

nice... fuzz box lol

Pre amp or compressor?

'Or a smaller drum kit' ...

i was so shocked to see John malcovich ... I thought it was you...

Do you have a mic? Then yes.

This dude needs a de-esser

DOI

Getting married soon,Bro in law(marriage celebrant)wants a wireless mic)for the officiating. I can for $42 buy a cheap ass mic with a 3.5 jack receiver,if this plugged into my vox practice amp and switched from line to mic mode,will it work? PS Ryuchi Sakamoto would be interested in the sound of moths cowering😉😅

not if you're recording a snare with a 414 you don't

why is everything about recordings and vsts and interfaces What happened to doing it in front of people.Anyway surely they can just do it close proximity to amp.oh dear

His mouth says no but his continually nodding head says yes, go buy that expensive preamp! ;)

Mic pre amp are a thing of the past ,get a apollo and call it a day,I listen to test after test no different then the preamp and if it is ,it’s so minor you have to listen a 1000x time to tell the different ,trust me save ya money buy a plugin I was in this same boat looking at tons of videos almost pull the trigger on the Avalon glad I didn’t

I barely understood anything so I guess its too early for a mic preamp for me xD

The difference is only subtle is your talent is subtle. 6:00 “Pretty much any mic preamp, if you operate it within its comfort zone, will sound the same”… is about the time you should realize no one should be listening to this dude. Preamps, not driven hard at all, add density and impart an EQ curve… some “soak up” transients or sibilance, others offer a mid-boost. Some sound soft, some sound “hard” and yes, some sound cheap and some sound expensive.