News Feed
Sign up now for special offers & industry news...
Search
Advanced SearchWhy do I need a Microphone Preamp?
A condenser microphone works by actually converting sound energy into an electrical voltage, but this voltage is much lower than the voltage coming out of your keyboard or other line level sources. If you plug a condenser microphone in to audio interface then the signal it generates will be very quiet unless the signal is boosted. This is why you will need for a preamp.
On a consumer sound card you will have a mic preamp, but it\'s only designed for speech and cheap mic--totally unsuitable for audio recording.
You can add a Microphone Preamps to your set up via:
- Mixer (eg Behringer UB 802)
- Sound Card with built in Preamp (eg Tascam US-122)
- Mic Pre (eg ART Tube MP Studio V3)
On the bottom of this page you will see a lot of different preamps that will boost a microphone signal without adding lots of noise. We have Pre Amps for every budget, however, bear in mind that the Mic Pre is one of the most important links of the chain that will effect the sound quality of your recording system.
Phantom Power
\"Phantom powering\" is a method of providing power to microphones by applying a voltage to the same wires that carry the audio signals. Phantom power can be generated from mixing consoles, mic preamplifiers, or in-line phantom power supplies.
In general, phantom voltages are used to power electronics within condenser microphones. Condenser microphones require power for various parts of their operation, including impedance converters, preamplifier circuitry and, in some cases, to polarized microphone capsules. Phantom is usually a DC voltage ranging from 12 to 48 volts. Microphones draw current from this voltage based on their needs.
Related Products
Behringer Tube Ultragain MIC100
The Tube Ultragain MIC100 is a vacuum tube mic/line preamplifier with integrated limiter for studio, live and hard disk recording applications. It features a carefully selected 12AX7 vacuum tube with UTC technology for exceptional warmth and lowest noise. Thus, the MIC100 can be used to eliminate the "dull" sound of standard digital recorders and sound cards. Also, it perfectly…
Edirol FA-101
The FA-101 is a feature-packed 10x10 audio interface that can handle a full 10 channels of input/output at 24-bit/96kHz. Record and monitor all 10 channels simultaneously in full duplex. Phenomenal audio power for the studio musician! In addition, the FA-101 offers 6-channel recording and playback at 24-bit/192kHz for performance at DVD-A quality. 10x10 24-bit/96kHz audio performance …
Behringer ADA-8000 Ultragain Pro
The ADA8000 is a state-of-the art 8-channel A/D and D/A converter with 8 built-in IMP microphone preamplifiers. This ultra-compact 19" unit gives you the opportunity to connect analog audio signals directly to a multitrack recorder or similar equipment via the integrated ADAT® interface—and needs only one rack space for this purpose! In return, you can even connect the digital signal…
DBX Mini-Pre
dbx offers the Mini-Pre Vacuum Tube Microphone Preamp. The Mini-Pre takes the classic dbx® Tube Microphone Preamp sound and puts it in an easy to use, compact, affordable package. With the new dbx Mini-Pre Vacuum Tube Microphone Preamp you will no longer need to compromise tone for affordability. Classic dbx Tube Microphone Preamp tone, portability and affordability are the…
Web Price:
£84.16 GBP inc VATAvailability:
Call 0844 815 0888
ART Tube MP - Studio V3
The Tube MP Studio V3™ single channel mic pre features ART's new V3™ (Variable Valve Voicing) Technology -- found only in ART microphone preamplification systems. V3™ provides optimized reference points to begin the recording process. The V3™ presets were created and fine-tuned by some of the industry's top studio and live-sound engineers, along with our veteran engineering department.…
