Two preamps in serial??

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:52 pm

I am planning to do a live recording. I was thinking to use the line output on the FOH mixer. But I was wondering, should I go directly to my converter or should I go through some of my preamps as well?.. I have 6 good preamps (API and Green river). Or will this degrade the sound? (I think the FOH mixer is a Allen&Heat 48chn)

I know I would be better to split the signals before they reach the FOH mixer. But I dont have that option..

How would you do it?

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:54 pm

Direct to the converter.

The signal from the board's output will be too hot for the preamps.

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:48 pm

What if I use the line inputs on my preamps?. Will the signal still be too hot?

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 5:26 pm

No but why introduce more noise?

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:13 am

Nice preamps. You could take 6 mic channels through those and then split two ways: to the converter and to line inputs on the A&H board. Allow the less important mics to go into the A&H, and for those channels use the channel direct outs straight into your converter.

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:54 am

Boswell wrote:

You could take 6 mic channels through those and then split two ways: to the converter and to line inputs on the A&H board.

Wouldn't that change the impedance (preamp out) and degrade the sound quality? Rolling Eyes

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:58 am

Depends on how you do the split.

Y cable - yes.
Patchbay normalled - yes
Isolated (transformer) - no

However, in none of these cases would I worry since the output impedance of any of these pres is <_edit_> LOW </_edit_ >enough to not worry about a cut. Split 3 or 4 ways...maybe. But then that would just be insane, wouldn't it?

Me personally - I would go for the easy route seeing as how there's not a chance on earth anyone would ever be able to tell the difference in a final recorded project between an A&H Pre and an API when recording off of FOH. (Perhaps if the performer were Peter Gabriel or Sting...maybe.)

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:16 am

Quote:

What if I use the line inputs on my preamps?. Will the signal still be too hot?

No, but then you're just throwing another circuit in the path.

Kinda redundant.

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:00 am

Cucco wrote:

Depends on how you do the split.

Y cable - yes.
Patchbay normalled - yes
Isolated (transformer) - no

However, in none of these cases would I worry since the output impedance of any of these pres is high enough to not worry about a cut. Split 3 or 4 ways...maybe. But then that would just be insane, wouldn't it?

Me personally - I would go for the easy route seeing as how there's not a chance on earth anyone would ever be able to tell the difference in a final recorded project between an A&H Pre and an API when recording off of FOH. (Perhaps if the performer were Peter Gabriel or Sting...maybe.)

Just curious, why those two?

With my suggested scheme, the A&H pre-amps would not be in the recording circuit of the first 6 channels, and so Twood could choose a sonic flavour for each channel according to the sound source and the type of mic used. Having said that, the A&H desks I have used (GL2800s) have all have clean pre-amps with good headroom, so the case for using boutique pre-amps is a lot lower than it would have been with, say, a Peavey or a Phonic mixer.

I think you meant to say "the output impedance of any of these pres is low enough..."

By the way, it's a myth that transformer splits do not impose loads on the source. The actual load will be reflected back through the transformer as the square of the turns ratio, so 1:1:1 split transformers will act in loading terms as though the two loads were in parallel and the transformer not there.

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:47 am

Boswell wrote:

Cucco wrote:

Depends on how you do the split.

Y cable - yes.
Patchbay normalled - yes
Isolated (transformer) - no

However, in none of these cases would I worry since the output impedance of any of these pres is high enough to not worry about a cut. Split 3 or 4 ways...maybe. But then that would just be insane, wouldn't it?

Me personally - I would go for the easy route seeing as how there's not a chance on earth anyone would ever be able to tell the difference in a final recorded project between an A&H Pre and an API when recording off of FOH. (Perhaps if the performer were Peter Gabriel or Sting...maybe.)

Just curious, why those two?

Why which two?
Peter Gabriel and Sting?
A&H and API
or Y Cable and patchbay

Boswell wrote:

I think you meant to say "the output impedance of any of these pres is low enough..."

Yes - that's exactly what I meant - thank you. I'll edit my previous - thanks.

Boswell wrote:

By the way, it's a myth that transformer splits do not impose loads on the source. The actual load will be reflected back through the transformer as the square of the turns ratio, so 1:1:1 split transformers will act in loading terms as though the two loads were in parallel and the transformer not there.

I did not know that - thanks. Now I do.

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:08 pm

Cucco wrote:

Why which two?
Peter Gabriel and Sting?
A&H and API
or Y Cable and patchbay

Peter Gabriel and Sting. Perhaps there is some special sonic quality to their voices that has passed me by?

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:10 pm

Nope...think more on the production value of the show, not the performers themselves.

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:12 pm

Nope...think more on the production value of the show, not the performers themselves.

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:05 am

Oh, right. I'll listen more closely next time I'm having coffee in Starbucks.

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:13 am

LOL...

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