What Is a Preamp and Why Do I Need It?

July 11, 2019 5:09 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Audio recording requires a lot of equipment, from microphones to power amps to mixers and much more. All of this equipment is necessary for recording your art in the best quality possible and producing it to high standards.

One such piece of equipment is the preamp, or preamplifier. Although preamps are known to be critical in all recording setups, whether you’re a novice or a pro, many people don’t understand their true function and importance. Here is what you need to know about preamplifiers in Chicago.

What is a preamp?

A preamp is a crucial piece of audio equipment that is incorporated into many different audio applications, from recording to speaker systems. Nowadays, many types of preamps are available.

A preamp can be found as an internal circuit in a variety of audio devices, such as microphones. Preamps can also be separate, external devices containing the circuit. These external devices come in a wide range of styles to meet the varying needs of audio recording professionals.

Standards for audio signals vary across many types of devices, so “gain” is required when using just about any kind of audio recording equipment, but particularly with microphones and some instruments. These devices tend to produce low-level signals that won’t work well with mixers and other recording gear.

Essentially, what a preamp does is modify these low-level audio signals by amplifying them to the operating standard of your other recording gear, or “line level.”

Preamps in Chicago have a few basic aspects across all devices. First, they will have a minimum of one input for microphones, but many preamps have more to accommodate one or many other instruments.

The preamp will also have a knob that adjusts the gain, or amplification, of your input. When you plug in your input cable, you’ll need to do a gain staging, where you adjust the gain so the output is the appropriate level for your recording equipment.

Some devices also contain other features, such as controls to add “color,” or special sound characters.

Why should you use a preamp?

Preamplifiers are important for maintaining consistent, great-sounding audio quality while recording. Without a preamp, you could crank up the input level of your mic or other equipment, but you’ll be amplifying noise and distortion at the same time, which will result in reduced sound quality overall. Ultimately, without a preamp, the input will either be too low or too distorted to use.

Fortunately, most equipment today includes a preamp that is already built in. However, as you grow in your audio recording abilities, you should consider purchasing a dedicated external preamp in Chicago, which will give you much better sound quality and more gain for equipment that requires it.

Browse our selection of preamplifiers in Chicago!

At Quintessence Audio LTD, we provide a wide variety of top-of-the-line audio equipment, sold by extremely knowledgeable staff who are prepared to help you every step of the way. If you’re looking for a preamp to include in your new recording setup, or require a new preamp to accommodate larger or more advanced recordings, visit us and browse our selection.

Categorised in:

This post was written by admin

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *