Re-recording Through a high end Mic Pre

[rhythmmaster]

just a thought. Assuming i had recorded into something like a 003 with a U87, would i gain anything by sending it back out and re-recording it back through a nice mic pre if i hired one in?

[lakeshorephatty]

it depends what you are starting with but I have found this helps at times.

It certainly doesn't have the same impact as recording through the pre.

you have to make sure the pre has line level. I know nothing of electical stuff but something about impedances and stuff.. Just plugging line level into the pre in doesn't typically work at all.

For me often the more class A path the better so usually tracks hit pre's at least twice and maybe once on the mixdown.

Russell

[cavern]

you'd have to have an idea of what your after before you spend money on a rental.. it could be an effect like reamping through tubes or a pre of a certain color otherwise your just re-recording the same thing with more noise.

[kittonian]

I have to honestly tell you no on this one. Although you will obviously get a different tone by doing this, the real magic of capturing sound comes from the first recording of the source. Sure, re-amping a DI'd guitar or bass is fine because there was no mic involved. However, it's still not as good as properly mic'ing and capturing the guitar/bass the first time.

The signal chain in its entirety is what counts. Great mic, great pre, great converter, etc. Some sort of analog compressor on the way in to digital also helps quite a bit. Unfortunately it's an expensive endeavor but once you get the signal chain in place, you'll notice a substantial difference in the end result, and your mixes will be a whole lot easier to get right.

Sorry for the bad news but I'd hate to see you spend your money on a rental only to realize that it's not really going to help you a whole lot.

[Empty Planet]

Yeah, I have to go with Joshua on this one. I think the effect would be minimal at best. It's like I said in the "preamp impulse" thread: You can't UNsuck what a lousy pre (or bad mic positioning or some other enyuckening process) has rendered sucky.

True, you can only work with what you've got, but I think I went through years of this "fix it after I've recorded" thing, in one form or another, subtle or not. It's why I've become such a crotchety hard-ass about getting it right the first time. The geezers who came before me and told me the exact same thing must've gone through it to. And they were right.

Sometimes the best thing is to do as good a job with what you have as possible, and then let it go and move on to the next project.

Best of luck with it in any case.


Cheers.