Mic Preamp Buying Guide: Upgrade Your Signal Path

If you've got a mixer or audio interface, you've likely already got a mic preamp or two. So, why invest in a standalone mic preamp like the ones you'll find in this buying guide? Well, if you've been plugging your microphone into the same pre all this time, you likely haven't heard everything your mic has to offer. Mic preamps can make a huge difference in your signal path -- and your recordings.

What's a Mic Preamp -- And Why Do I Need One?

As any audio engineer will tell you, a microphone converts acoustic energy (such as the sound of your voice) into electrical energy (voltage running down a cable). Even a very sensitive microphone produces a relatively weak signal, so a mic preamp is necessary to bump it up to a useable level. A microphone preamplifier takes that low-voltage output from a microphone, and amplifies it to a much stronger line-level signal -- often up to 80 dB louder. Now, your stronger, louder signal is ready to be recorded.

How Does a Mic Preamp Affect My Recorded Sound?

Mic preamps make microphone signals louder -- but they also do so much more. In a word, the electronics in preamps "color" the sound of any signal that's run through them. A tube-based preamp will add characteristic harmonic distortion. Meanwhile, a transformer-based solid-state preamp will offer its own subtle character and definition, while a transformerless solid-state preamp is likely to result in a more transparent sound. Every pre is different. Your vocal mic may sound hollow and thin through one pre, but rich and warm through a better pre. In fact, microphone preamps are so crucial to the sound of recordings, pro studios often have racks full of preamps for different purposes -- just as they have microphone collections.

Ready to upgrade your signal path? Find the right pre for your price range in this buying guide!