Karaoke Forums

Can someone recommend a mike preamp for $100 or less?

I found this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=23784&item=3779434410&rd=1 on ebay.

Will this do just for putting my vocals thru a sound card?

Should I be looking for a "Tube" preamp?

Single Channel OK?

Going through a computer sound card, you really aren't going to hear any benefit from a mic pre & possibly could make it sound worse, but if you are going to get one, the Art is a good little unit. I have a similar model in my studio.

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Lonman,

If I don't need a pre before going into my computer sound card, then I just plug the mike directly into the sound card?

I realize nothing I do is going to give me "stuio" qualilty sound, but I am trying to found out the best way to get decent sound recorded on my computer.

I appreciate any advice or tips

Chris

PS - Is there any other way to get vocals on the computer?

There are many of us here who just plug the mic direct to the sound card and sing. The result is of course not of 'stuoi' quality. Just compare my sub (mic----SBL---Pc, set up ) to that of ... let me see... Micky, who is known to use good mixing board. You can hear the diff in sound quality. But if you are going to compressed to below 3mb then it does not realy matter.

For 100 bucks you may want to buy a small mixing board. A tube pre- amp is to me, an overkill. But then again its just me.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

I'm a little surprise with this statement, I guess you mean adding an additional mic pre-amp to the mixer? A mic SHOULD always be connected into a mixer that has a Mic pre-amp and than you connect the mixer in Line In of the audio card, the Mic In on any audio card is not design for that!

Most new mixers with XLR connection will have a decent Mic pre-amp, no need to over spend if you only use it for recording the vocal, most mixers with xlr connection will give you excellent results with a good Mic & cable of course

Thanks for using my recording as an example, I'm using an ordinary mixer, it's a Behringer UB1622fx-pro that has a good Mic pre-amp combined with an Audio-Technica microphone with XLR cable (studio grade). For what I use this mixer for, no need to spend more, I'll get the same results with a mixer selling twice as much!

Why are you surprised? A mic pre-amp isn't going to be of much use by itself, If he was asking about a mixer, then I would have said otherwise. He didn't say which kind of soundcard he had either & probably most of the people here (unless they are very serious) don't have a sound card with XLR inputs. Most modern mixers built in pre-amps are more than adequate by themselves without the aid of an outside pre.
But again, he was asking about a stand alone unit the does nothing but be what it is - a pre-amp.

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If you want to record yourself with the best possible sound, then rack up some really good sounding equipment...Good sounding doesn't mean expensive.

You wiil need a decent mic-I suggest starting with a Shure SM58. Patch the mic into a sonically decent mixer(small and cheap can be ok) and then add effects/processors as required...Effects and processors include mic pre's and reverb/EQ's....all of them cost $$, but not necessarily a lot of money..

Yes, a decent tube mic pre can make a difference, but a cheap one can add noise and distortion. Few cheap mixer pre amps wil do you justice when recording your vocals, but they work ok when live and on stage...Don't forget to consider a vocal compressor.

As with all such equipment, you need to learn how to use it. Start with the idea that a little is too much and then go from there.

Keith01,

I agree with everything you say except for the Mic, the Shure Sm58 is a good choice for live but not for recording, hard to get some good clarity on the vocals, I own one and it's an old model that's over rated

You don't have to buy a mixing boad to get a decent mic pre for computer recording. You can get a Rolls GCi404, M-Audio Fast Track (both under $100) or a Tascam US122, M-Audio Mobile Pre USB for a little bit more and have a cleaner sound. You're streamlining your sound via this method by cutting out patches.