Microphone pre-amps

[robert monahan]

Are the built in mic pre-amps sufficient, or should I invest in a quality mic pre-amp for my DP-24?

 

[-mjk-]

Only you can decide what is sufficient for your needs. Make a recording and listen critically.

 

[Mark Richards]

What mj said. For what music genre? For what audience/market? For what purpose (Demos? Streaming? HiDef audiophile release)?

 

[robert monahan]

I am mostly acoustic folk/country. Gordon Lightfoot style... I know for voice I will be using a condenser mic, but I just wonder if the dp-24 preamps will be bright enough, or if I should run vocals through a good mic preamp.

 

[Mark Richards]

Food for thought (from the Neumann web site):
[https://www.neumann.com/homestudio/en/why-do-i-need-a-preamp]

Why Do I Need A Preamp?

• Better sound quality: This becomes most evident at higher gain settings. While simple preamp circuits often sound fine up to gains of about 40-50 dB, the sound becomes increasingly “veiled” once you dial in more gain, e.g. for low output dynamic microphones. High quality external preamps are equipped with more sophisticated circuitry that retains full transparency even at their highest gain settings.

• More gain: The built-in preamps of an audio interface rarely offer more than 60 dB gain, often less. Low output dynamic mics, such as ribbons, may require up to 70 dB, sometimes even more.

• Lower noise: Some internal preamps are actually quite low noise, already, but if you record very quiet sources and/or use low output microphones (such as ribbon mics), you may benefit from an external preamp. Check the data sheet for the “equivalent input noise” (E.I.N.) figure: -129 dBu is about as good as is physically possible (with a source impedance of 200 ohms; some manufacturers measure with the input shorted, which gives – seemingly – better figures). -127 dBu is still pretty good, but anything above is not likely an improvement over your audio interface’s internal preamps.

• A special sound character: This is perhaps the most common reason to buy an external preamp. The built-in preamps of audio interfaces usually sound fairly clean and transparent, but if you fancy a special flavor, e.g. a slightly “dirty” 60s style tube sound or the smooth “vintage” sound of an 70s style transistor device, you can only get it from an external preamp.

• Bottom line: An external preamp is a great second step to improve your sound quality or to obtain more sound variety, but don’t make the second step before you’ve made the first. You can make great recordings with just your audio interface’s internal preamps and one or two high quality condenser mics.

Robert, as mjk said, you're the only one who can decide whether or not you need to go that route.

 

[robert monahan]

Thanks folks. I am so fortunate to be a part of this forum. My knowledge of recording could fit in my eye and I would still have 20/20 vision.