what's better or more beneficial. or if you wanna answer negatively. what's worse...
1. a great mic with just an ok mic preamp/channel strip?
2. a great mic preamp/channel strip with just an ok mic?
i'm sure some will say that it's relative and depends on which pieces of equipment you're working with, but i'm just looking for a general/"in most cases" answer.
Comments
Why? TG
Why?
TG
A good pre can work wonders on a cheap mic. Good mics can sound
A good pre can work wonders on a cheap mic. Good mics can sound like sh*t through cheap pres. I vote for a good pre first but best case is a good mic and pre .... ymmv.
Good MIC and Good Pre.
Good MIC and Good Pre.
i think i'll have to agree with Kurt on this one
i think i'll have to agree with Kurt on this one
A pre can be like anabolic steroids or crank for your mic, depen
A pre can be like anabolic steroids or crank for your mic, depending on which way you go. Try to get the best mic you can first, but don't forget the pre's.
hey, get a brick and a rode nt2A and you'll be sounding great fo
hey, get a brick and a rode nt2A and you'll be sounding great for under 800 bucs... the brick is a quality tube pre and the nt2A has the same capsule as the K2- make sure you get the new model that has the new capsule though-
If you don't have enough for both, buy the brick first and then the mic-
If I had to do it all over again I would spend 80% of my mic/pre
If I had to do it all over again I would spend 80% of my mic/pre budget on the pre's and get just 1 or 2 really good mic's; then take it from there.
BEFORE I ever consider what mic and pre to use I make damn sure
BEFORE I ever consider what mic and pre to use I make damn sure the source is usable. The room will matter much more than the gear. The song and song arrangement will matter much more than the room. With these items brought up to high quality, then the choice of finely crafted gear: mic first and its correct placement, then a preamp selected for its particular attributes...will make smiles all around at an session.
A GREAT song can be captured with a cassette recorder and a mic and will STILL be a great song. A poorly written song can be captured on the finest gear and will sound just like a greatsounding piece of crap.
A good pre and sub par mics provide a wider range of options tha
A good pre and sub par mics provide a wider range of options than the opposite.
MistaG wrote: A good pre and sub par mics provide a wider range
As proven by anyone who has tried the good mic/mediocre pre can attest to...
An SM57 though an OSA, API, any Neve clone will sound spectacular ... A U47 through a Ber*** will sound...like a Ber****...
This is NOT to say low or mid level pres don't have their place in anyone's studio....but it is to say that when tracking a lot of sources at once, save the best pres you have for critical tracks (lead vox, etc...)