pre amp, compressor

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:23 am

Hey guys,

I'm kinda new to all this and i am finding so much useful info on this site. it is awsome. anyway here is the question. Most of my recordings consist of pretty much vocals and acoustic guitar. I have a tascam dp-02 MTR and a rode m3 condensor mic. The signal i get when im micing up my guitar is very weak. I am after a pre amp of some sort and hopefully later a compressor (for now i can compress the mix in cubase). i have been doing alot of reading and everywhere i go they say that this is not where you stinge. do you think it would be in my best interests to buy a decent pre, for eg, $800 - $1200 or will i not even notice the difference of a decent pre due to my recording interface (tascam dp - 02).

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:33 am

Also if i can add i am looking at buying some sort of single bongo djembe drum. was wondering what you guys thought would be a good mic for this. would my rode m3 suffice? would a sm57 be better. i plan on getting a sm57 at some point anyway as every studio needs one.

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:51 am

SM57 - Every studio needs ten.

If you use the line inputs on the DP-02 then the external pre will make a difference - whether it's better than the tascam, I can't say.

Personally I wouldn't get a hardware compressor unless something in your workflow makes it much easier to use outboard. But I record straight to the PC.

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:20 pm

Awsome thanks for that. I'm guessing the external pre amp will be alot better than the onboard ones on the tascam as i am looking to pay about as much for a pre as the whole tascam unit cost me.

As for the compressor. Is there no problem in using virtual compressors after the the song has been mixed to a stero wave? I was only considering an external compressor so i can compress during recording.

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:16 pm

A better preamp will only make a real difference if you are doing things right before you buy it. Someone who knows what they are doing can make recordings that don't sound "weak" with the equipment you have. Finding the right room, right position of the instrument in the room, right position of the mic in relation to the instrument will make a lot more difference than an $800 preamp. (Which would be a nice investment, don't get me wrong.) The sad fact is that you have to learn your way out of this, not buy your way out. Can you post some test recordings. You might get some ideas about why they are "weak." Bet none of them has to do with the preamp.

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:27 pm

Sure... i will post a recording that i have done recently. I do get good results and i am happy with them its just that in order to get a decent signal i need to push the MTRs pre amps which induces noise. I have been playing around a bit with mic positions and levels and such and i am getting some good quality recordings with out much noise and i am aiming to increase the gain a tad in cubase and also compress a bit. When i am plugging straight in to my MTR i get great levels - its only when micing up - maybe my technique, maybe the equipment, anyways i will post a song that has been completely recorded, mixed and mastered on my MTR - i wont do any post add ons like cubase or increase the gain.

oh and by the way. whats the best way to post a mix?

cheers

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:57 pm

if you want to post a big wave file (i always prefer a mixed/mastered wave myself) use www.megaupload.com or any similar free file hosting sites. once its done uploading you get a link and just save that link and paste it to whoever you want to have it, or in a thread like this Smile

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:54 pm

Awsome thanks man - I will finish recording the vocals, master to stereo and post in this thread in the next few days.

cheers

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