Mic preamp

[Matt Crooks]

Novice question here: What difference does a good preamp make?

I know that's probably not an easy question to answer, but someone help me out here, I'm really clueless on it. It's not like there are sound bytes to download that show sounds through various preamps (are there any?). And I don't have enough real studio experience to hear it. I know a good preamp obviously sounds better, but HOW does it sound better? Is it as drastic a difference as say the POD compared to a real amp combo? Is it an even balance of frequency response or something like that?

It can be quite dramatic.

When going from decent pres to great pres it sounds like there's a sheet lifted off the mic. However, your signal will only sound as good as your worst component... so if you monitor through a pair of Radio Shack speakers, you might not hear much difference.

When comparing high end pres, you'll hear a difference in the amount and the character of certain frequencies. Neves, for example, seem to have a low-mid and high end character that many people love.