3rd October 2012
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#1 | | Gear addict
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 307
Thread Starter  | Whats first buy. Preamp or mic
I have a guage mike and a cheap rane mic pre. What would be the first and most imoortant thing to buy first to upgrade. a good mic preamp or a better microphone.
What mic pre would be recommended for vocal sound of katy perry, kesha, britney etc.
Thanks
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3rd October 2012
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#2 | | Gear Head
Joined: Apr 2012 Location: Holland
Posts: 68
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Joji  I have a guage mike and a cheap rane mic pre. What would be the first and most imoortant thing to buy first to upgrade. a good mic preamp or a better microphone.
What mic pre would be recommended for vocal sound of katy perry, kesha, britney etc.
Thanks | Do the mic first. A great mic through a mediocre preamp will always beat a mediocre mic through a great preamp.
As for the vocal sound: get Katy Perry, Kesha, or Britney to sing for you.
Seriously, no mic is going to give you 'that' vocal sound. So many factors come into play here.
However, the Neumann U87 is just about the standard when it comes to pop-music.
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3rd October 2012
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#3 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,056
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Joji What would be the first and most imoortant thing to buy first to upgrade. a good mic preamp or a better microphone. | This is a question that has been asked many times. Do a search and I'm sure you'll come across some helpful comments. No sense in having the discussion repeated again.
Good luck.
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3rd October 2012
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#4 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Nov 2007 Location: Elizabethton, TN
Posts: 193
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To be honest, I'd rather use an SM57 through a good pre before I'd consider using a U87 through a Behringer. Just my opinion.
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3rd October 2012
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#5 | | Gear Head
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 50
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Go for a good mic before buying a good pre. Don't buy a cheap pre, just save until you can buy a good one.
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I don't care much about music. What I like is sounds.
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3rd October 2012
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#6 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2009 Location: hull
Posts: 1,164
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Haha gearlsutz is so slutty / tiresome about microphones. There are loads of great dynamic mics out there for under £50 that are as good as the classics like an SM58. Can someone show me a great preamp for the same money?
People seem to forget to advise that good mics can be bought more cheaply than good preamps....and so you don't need to spend 200 on the mic and then 200 on the preamp. And aren't Guage mics decent Chinese clones? keep the Guage, I think they get OK press, even here, and get a nice preamp.
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3rd October 2012
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#7 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,165
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Agree. I've actually come to the conclusion that pre and mic share about 50/50 duties. My SM7B was really missing something until I upgraded to a quality transformer driven preamp. Likewise, my nice mics were really missing something when I was using a cheap M-Audio preamp. But if I had to choose, I'd run a cheap SM57 through a nice preamp anyday over a nice mic through a junkie preamp. I don't think you should skimp on either. Something will most likely be lacking if you do.
1,000 dollars can get you a killer preamp/mic combo these days. Quote:
Originally Posted by lapsang Go for a good mic before buying a good pre. Don't buy a cheap pre, just save until you can buy a good one. | | |
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3rd October 2012
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#8 | | Gear interested
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 27
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A good pre can make an okay mic sound good.
A bad pre can break a great mic.
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3rd October 2012
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#9 | | Gear Guru
Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Orygun
Posts: 11,105
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Thing is: The Rane isn't a bad pre-amp. There really aren't too many bad pre-amps out there anymore.
Excluding finicky mics that only sound good through transformer-coupled inputs, a decent pre-amp is all you really need for most things. The whole pre-amp mojo, where people like the higher levels of particular distortions, is like preferences for certian guitar amps. Most people are better served with a decent pre-amp and leaving plenty of headroom.
...and you get more bang for your buck having several mics to choose from than several pre-amps...
-tINY
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3rd October 2012
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#10 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,165
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I own that exact Rane preamp as well. It's very decent on condensers (I've heard condensers are less dependent on preamps). I happen to only use if for acoustic guitars with a pair of Little Blondies, as it seems to excel on that source. However, when I run my Sm7b through it, the mic sounds dull and thin. But when I run the SM7b through a fully modded GAP PRE73, wow, big improvement in warmth, detail and bigness.
The question of the day is: Are there big differences between wire and gain preamps? (Grace, Rane, RNP, M-audio DMP3, etc). I'm guessing there's very little difference. What exactly does a "clean" preamp really offer besides "clean" gain? I have no idea of what differentiates any of the above preamps. I've tried them all at one point or another and never came to any real conclusion on the differences. They all just seem to get the mic to line level in a clean fashion, but that's about it. To my ears, a transformer based pre is where the magic is. Iron just seems to have a way of adding meat around the mic signal, if that makes sense.
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3rd October 2012
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#11 | | Gear Guru
Joined: Jul 2004 Location: Orygun
Posts: 11,105
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That transformer distortion you hear is caused, largely, by hyseresis. This increases IM distortion, especially at low frequencies. There is probably a way to model it in software, but I don't know those plug-ins...
-tINY
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3rd October 2012
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#12 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 5,476
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Joji I have a guage mike and a cheap rane mic pre. What would be the first and most imoortant thing to buy first to upgrade. a good mic preamp or a better microphone. | John Hardy said to me that a good mic pre can help even the budget mics sound better.
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"I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot."
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Show business: we're all here because we're not all there.
Resistance is not futile. It is voltage divided by current.
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3rd October 2012
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#13 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2004 Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 724
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I think I saw the answer to your question in one of these threads: mic or pre? Mic or pre? mic or pre?? Mic or Preamp Mics or Pres!? Mic or preamp? New Mic or Pre? Vox: mic or pre Pre-Amps or Mics? Mic, pre or plugin New Mic or New Pre? New Mic or Pre Amp? Upgrade mic or pre? mic or pre next step more mic or more pre? Preamp or Mic delemna more mics or mic pres? New Mic or new preamp? New Mic or New Preamp? Warm punchy mic or pre New mic or mic and pre? New mic pre or new mic? Mic or Pre amp upgrade? Upgrade Mics or preamps Pre amp's or Mic locker? Mic Pre upgrade worth it? should I upgrade mic pre? New Pre amp or Microphone? Better mic or Better pres? Mic or Mic Pre first??????? I have to ask!!! Pre or Mic Advice—New Mics or New Pre? Better preamp or mic first? Upgrading chain, Mic or Pre? A new mic or a new preamp???? Is it new preamp or mic time? New mic, new pre or new both? Upgrade Time, Mic & Pre Help. Prioritizing Mic/Pre Upgrades Do I need a new mic or preamp?? mic,preamp or compressor help!! Neumann u87 or new mic pre-amp? Which First: Good Mic or Good Pre Most influential: mic pre or mic? What first? Good mic or good pre? AKG c3000, new preamp or new mic? Mic or pre? the endless dabate.... new mic or pre for a female voice? Help me choose a new Mic or Preamp Pre Amp First or Microphone First? Pre Amp First or Microphone First? What's worth the $$ mic, pre, or A/D what should I get next...mic or pre? Need opinions on mic/mic pre upgrades? Got about $200 to spend: Preamp or mic? What to buy first: Preamp Or Microphone What should I get: New Mic or New Preamp? Mic preamp or Mic (The chicken or the egg) $2.5k+ for new mic/preamp - UPGRADE ADVICE What should I upgrade mic or preamp first? new pre vs. new mic...(to pre or not to pre) Do I need a new mic pre or a new mic first?? 1,200 for a mic and pre give or take a little Music Project - do I buy a new mic or preamp? can someone offer advice? new mic? or preamp? What's more important better mics or preamps? Unsure of what to buy...new mic or new pre amp are mic pre´s more important than microphones? Which would be a better upgrade, mic or preamp? ST55 - new mic, new pre, or new audio interface ST55 - new mic, new pre, or new audio interface? $1000 pre & sm7b/sm57 or $1000 mic & onboard pres Upgrade Mic selection or Pre Amp with current setup $5000 to upgrade home studio - Mics? Pres? Monitors? My next addition... mic or pre for more vocal options? I have a Presonus Firestudio Mobile...tube pre or mic? REALLY NEED to upgrade preamps and Mics (I think) Help? Decent Mic and GOOD Preamp, or GOOD Mic and Decent Preamp? What needs upgrading more: my cheap mic or my cheap preamp? looking to upgrade, advice on mics/pres for acoustic/folky music Better a dynamic mic + very good preamp or condenser + quiet good preamp ? New vocal pre...or a mic? - Something not dark, very forward, defined, airy Good mic or not-so-good mic + preamp? Where to put the money when on a budget Buying an sm7. Should i buy another vocal mic to go along with it? or a better pre? Beginner here with UX2. Need help on vocals. Should I get a new pre-amp or a new mic? | |
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3rd October 2012
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#14 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Feb 2008 Location: Burbank, California
Posts: 1,565
| Quote:
Originally Posted by 2pulse I think I saw the answer to your question in one of these threads: | Nice!
Lock her down, run a script that points then next similar question to this answer.  | |
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