Studio Preamps Explained! (2020)

Head producer and engineer of GSI Studios simply explains what preamps do, preamps tonalities, cheap vs. expensive pres, and more.
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Website: www.lovesciencemusic.com
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All background music by Love Science Music
The recording studio: www.gsinyc.com

[@sinhaparakh]

You explained everything in a very clean and crisp manner like an Avalon :)

[@nathanielbrice8725]

Loved the explanation of colours of the preamps! Also love the ATC’s in the studio! Subbed!

[@drewmiller4840]

amazing video man, Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world

[@KeithHutchinsonYT]

It is a real pleasure of mammoth proportions to be enlightened by someone who stays on the point and with clarity. Much appreciated. Thx. Keith

[@lovesciencemusic]

🤙🏽

[@SohNatan]

One of the best videos about pre amps ever dude! Short and to the point and super clear with lots of valuable info! Amazing job, thank you so much

[@seanjohnson1793]

Good job

[@msimple]

great explanation thanks Ive been looking at those Neive Pre's and now I will look closer

[@onlyjonesy8]

very informative in such a short amount of time, thank you so much!

[@Dolle_Man]

You made very complex stuff, super simple, amazing teacher! subbed

[@Fabelnegros]

Hi, watching from Mauritius bro, Eric Harland is one of my favorite drummer, I follow him a lot, and that's how I landed there. It is very interesting to learn about the environment where he is working, and everything happening behind. Thanks a lot for these insights bro, indeed, the content is educational and very well explained. Keep it up, we need more !!!! Take care.

[@78thandSynth]

Excellent. Perfect intro and explanation. Looking at the heritage line

[@teashea1]

Well done - articulate and organized presentation

[@ninebl]

Great video. Thanks.

[@larryatha3221]

that was useful, thanks. I build acoustic (steel string) and classical and flamenco guitars and I am trying to learn how to record them. I like the sound of ribbon mics for acoustic guitar and I know I need good pre-amps to take advantage of them. I'm glad you told us about the Neve 1073s you like.

[@lovesciencemusic]

Yea the Neve 1073 are the best imo but they’re very expensive. For ribbon mics, there are pre amps built specifically for ribbon mics since ribbons are often low-gain mics. AEA makes a good one that we just bought for the studio

[@ReneSerna1021]

thanks for sharing!

[@ashribar]

super good explanation! cheerz

[@KunchangLeeMusic]

This is the best explanation - thanks

[@rezfgjj9194]

you explain things very easy,thanx

[@HarleyBob957]

Great explanation. Thanks

[@harisbabajic2158]

Great video. Please make some mic/preamp pairs video. what usually goes together good. Thanks!

[@marksmusicplace3627]

well said and well explained

[@johntuttle1207]

Good video. Good explication.

[@NainaKay]

This was both informative and relaxing that music was spot on. I feel like I’ve just been hypnosised in to getting a new pre amp.

[@lovesciencemusic]

Lol thanks! Yea the music is from my meditation EP so that’s why 🌀

[@lovesciencemusic]

Here’s the link to it 🙏🏽 : open.spotify.com/album/4OMguVgLpBJQBcynHeBRh5?si=DPDTj3TrS7SegLr2ghUpKA

[@NainaKay]

@@lovesciencemusic ahh it all makes sense now...got my evening music sorted thanks for the link!

[@lovesciencemusic]

You’re welcome, hope you like it :)

[@jaywest174]

Dude: I think you’ve just found your Wonder Woman. Loves starts with admirers.

[@gregberne631]

nicely presented video

[@Mack28_]

Great Video. Very Informative 😁

[@horvmusic4293]

Great video bro

[@coriscorniffe1880]

Great video

[@larrydoss]

Very nice explanation. Thank you.

[@lovesciencemusic]

Cheers

[@jmoss99]

That was an interesting breakdown on mic preamps. However, I could not find much in the world of outboard preamps that did what I was looking for. So I designed my own Vacuum Tube mic preamp and recorded with that for 20 years. I am not talking about a single tube job, but the entire audio chain Vacuum Tube. Sounded Great. THEN a friend who used to work at a major tube amp company talked me into making a Pro Audio version. So I did. A Pro Audio mic preamp has more requirements. The flat freq response needs to be from 0.5 Hz to 56kHz. A Vacuum Tube mic preamp needs to have a THD+Noise of below 0.25%. Mine is 0.02%. However, THD is not a bad thing if you start to drive the tubes as that is where the even harmonics come from, but for a clear sound you want to be able to get very low THD. In the field of mic preamps there are different design visions or concepts. This is what the design engineer sees as what they want to bring to the market. I have been working in studios since 1967. Back then everything was vacuum tube. When I went to college we were taught Tubes and Solid Stage at the same time... Hollow State and Solid State right along side of each other. Triodes produce even harmonics, which are in tune with the fundamental signal. Transistor amps produce ODD Harmonics which are NOT in tune with the fundamental frequency. The more you drive the tubes the more harmonics you get and for even harmonics, the warmer the sound. For a transistor mic preamp, you should stay in the low THD area. Hey like guitar amps. Here is another thing to know. Not all circuits are designed for worst case situations. In the 1980s I used to soup up consoles that were not of the highest design quality. They were what some call "Affordable". For example, take a 24 channel mixing board that was "Affordable" . It was affordable because the makers cut corners on it's components. They would use tiny bypass capacitors and cheap little op-amps. So that if you sent a KICK DRUM SAMPLE into one channel, it would send all 24 tracks into saturation. All 24 of the overload LEDs went off. That means all the channels were effected by one channel passing a KICK DRUM sample. I find that this still happens with a lot of mic preamps that are "Affordable" only there are no next door channels. Just the sound is flattened out and generally sucks on things like Kick Drums. Kick Drums are long low frequency signals that approach DC which are tough on the active devices. A quality decoupling capacitor (the electrolytic capacitor that acts as a reservoir for current needed by an active device such as a differential amp) might cost $2 to $5. The ones they used might cost $0.30 Yeah.. 30 cents. Enter the bean counters as electronics engineers. That goes all the way down the parts list. Why don't you do a shootout with kick drum samples someday? Kick drums are used all the time. Of course, the preamp folks are going to want to do a shootout using some girl with a high voice which will pass fine. So, this is just one issue that that shootouts have overlooked. Jim Moss MosswareProAudio

[@arpervisionzproduction3068]

Nice one dude

[@royaltyregimemediagroup105]

Awesome......Thanks

[@buddhikachathuranga9202]

Thank you!

[@Yishaiiiiii]

the music at the backround made me feel like im on a trip lol . thx for the information bro its dope !

[@lovesciencemusic]

Ahhh good! That’s because it’s the music from my meditation EP!

[@codenamegrs9278]

Hello , very cool video man 🙏🏻🔥 🧙🏻‍♂️. What do you think about the SPL Goldmike MK2 ? 😄

[@timmyblack8588]

very helpful video

[@wesleyhendricks153]

Very nice video. I am just wondering what your preference would be between hardware and emulations. Also it would be nice if you made a similar video on mixers as well.

[@lovesciencemusic]

Hardware sounds better to me than plugin emulations. Hardware emulations can def be more affordable and sound great such as BAE, warm Audio

[@fran__co]

Niiiiiice video thank you man!

[@lovesciencemusic]

Cheers

[@waskerbasket9601]

Great explanation

[@lovesciencemusic]

Thx!

[@themarcos150591]

If every producer/engineer on KZbin were like you, people starting out would be happier and less anxious :)

[@lovesciencemusic]

Noted! Cheers

[@AngloSaxon1]

Great video. I am moving from an audio interface to a dedicated recorder. I have a warm audio WA12 preamp which I really like. Would it be possible to connect the preamp to the recorder for a better sound, or would it be better to just record straight into the recorder?

[@lovesciencemusic]

Recorder as in tape machine? Sure you can do that, that’s how records we made before DAWs

[@heybony]

GOOD one !

[@heartland3887]

very cool video!

[@lovesciencemusic]

Thanks!

[@Flakkawrld]

Dope vid fam, do u get ssl plugins or anything with a preamp if i got a 710 twin finity for example looking into sum but tryna see cuz think i hears sumwhere lmao, respect!🔥💯

[@BDG860]

Appreciate the stuff man , what pre-amp would work best for recording hip/hop and pop vocals ?

[@lovesciencemusic]

It’s def a matter of opinion, but I love how Neve and API pres sound. For pop vocals I’d say anything Neve because they sound warm. For hip hop maybe something cleaner sounding like an SSL would be ideal

[@aLoudSi1ence]

This was very useful, thanks. If you go low end, what would be the best?

[@lovesciencemusic]

You mean what’s a good pre for low end? I like all the Neve stuff. For bass there are some good DIs that capture great low end - i like the DIs made by Noble and by Evil Twin. If you want low end, it’s best to use a pre that has an EQ so you can boost in the 30-150 hZ range

[@WarrenHenry]

Good stuff bro.

[@lovesciencemusic]

Thx Warren 🙏🏽

[@lightstreamscomedance222]

Gr8 video! Question: What preamp would be best for warming up and improving the sound of my classical guitar? Do I need a tube preamp, or something else? Thank you!

[@lovesciencemusic]

Something with a warmed saturated character to it: Neve, API, Tree Audio, BAE

[@losamanecidosdelasierra5223]

Hello my friend. Do you recommend a Focusrite Red 1, 4 channel pre amp?

[@newmanh]

First time I subscribe to make one get 1000 (sorry buddies, I shouldn't have said anything, but yeah, it was 999) Great content. thanks.

[@philipkarst7918]

Thanks

[@johnmccabe3257]

Dumb question from a newbie: I record my guitars / bass direct (Focusrite i818) - would it be useful / possible to have a preamp when recording instruments? Is that a different type of pre-amp? Any guidance would be great.

[@ncjazz]

What’ do you recommend for horn sections I record each instrument one at a time and looking to get the Tower of Power sound! Also do you recommend using multiple mics for single instruments like horns ?

[@lovesciencemusic]

*mic! Not mix

[@lovesciencemusic]

Also a touch of compression can make them punchier as i know tower of power is punchy. Distressors are nice on horns for this

[@RGE_Music]

anything you recommend for reggae?

[@razashush1839]

thank for the video what do you think on the Neumann V402 pre amp and the Universal Audio 4-710d pre amp ?

[@lovesciencemusic]

I’d prob go with UA but haven’t used either tbh

[@bigdap100]

Great Video. But I recommend making high end DAC/ADC Conversion a priority over a high end preamp...a UA Apollo is not a high end converter by the way...Prism Sound would be a great choice.

[@lovesciencemusic]

True. Any cheaper piece of gear in the chain will degrade the sound

[@Rhapsolin]

I can't find any working Sony Sra 3s for sale. Does anyone know any pre amps similar to it?

[@SirRodney4Ever]

What do you think about the 1073 vintage vs the 1073 spx/dpx? I just bought the dpx and wanted to pioneer doing an a/b against these two. Have you heard the difference between each?

[@wearethecumberlands]

thoughts on the dbx 286s?

[@88Doug]

Do you recommend using the foam ball for the condenser that is provided, or keeping it off? I've recorded both ways.

[@lovesciencemusic]

It’ll prob sound a little brighter with the foam off. So try both on diff vocalists to decide

[@thehigherupz2259]

So my question is I have a Telefunken tf39 copperhead! Which is a tube microphone ! Would you go with a brighter pre amp? Or darker pre amp? And if so what would you recommend to pair with that mic ?

[@lovesciencemusic]

Good mic, used that one a few years ago. It would prob sound good with a slightly darker pre... API would be nice

[@SouthElConcepto]

Hi man thanks for the info. I got a wa87 black mic and I'm stock to buy a excellent preamp between Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, Avalon 737 or the BAE 1073 can you tell me which are they characteristics and which one will buy.. Thanks!!!

[@lovesciencemusic]

BAE sounds best to me. Warm, clean, has character

[@gian_accetta]

Is there a chart or list with all different type of pre amps and what their characteristics sounds like? Thanks

[@lovesciencemusic]

Hmm good question. Not sure - it might be somewhat subjective based on what sorts of things you record and what sounds good to you

[@billymack4258]

Great info! You said your favorite mic pre is the original Neve 1073 how does the BAE 1073 w/eq compare to the original Neve I'm in the market for a good top pro mic preamp I have an open budget . I'm currently using MacBook pro m1 ua 1176 comp , ua 610 micpre and trying out the the BAE 1073 w/eq with u87 ai into Dangerous D A/D+ converter bypassing the Apollo x6 convertors. I'm unsure about the BAE it seems to have a blanket sound to it. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for your time. 😊

[@lovesciencemusic]

Thanks! I mean the vintage 1073s will sound better. But the BAE 1073 is awesome, we have one and i use it almost every session

[@billymack4258]

@@lovesciencemusic Thanks so much! I know every vocal session is not the same but would like to know some of your setting using u87 ai going through the bae 1073 on male vocal rock, country, blues etc... ? Thanks again. 😎

[@joshgiunta5996]

@@billymack4258 Hey Billy - I love the sound of the u87 ai, but I find it to be a very bright mic in most cases. So I usually end up cutting highs and adding a few lows to make it sound a bit warmer. I actually recorded a vocalist with that mic today through the BAE and with an API 560 in the chain. On the 560 I cut a pinch at 16k, 8k, 4k, and boosted 63 & 125. I compressed with a Distressor set in Opto mode and it sounded killer

[@billymack4258]

@@joshgiunta5996 Awesome Thanks!

[@rosspeterson2658]

Im going to be hosting an in home acoustic recording session with both ribbon microphones for acoustic guitars, a variation of microphones for drums (KG 414s for floor toms, Sennheiser MD421s on rack toms, and Shure SM57s and Telefunken M80s on snare.), 4 omni directional microphones (any suggestions on a microphone to capture a large group of people in a circle?) and 2 cardio directional microphones (AT2020 and rode NT1). What would you suggest for this type of setting?

[@lovesciencemusic]

Sounds like you’ve got it figured out pretty well. Omni directional mics will work well for a circle of people but if you have 4 mics in Omni you might run into phasing issues between those mics. Maybe try those mics in a cardioid pattern (if they have one) and point them more directionally towards the key musicians. And maybe a semi circle will work better than a circle when in comes to phasing between your mics 👍🏽

[@rosspeterson2658]

@@lovesciencemusic thank you so much for the advice! The reason i have 4 Omni directional mics is because there’s 4 different rooms people will be in. The two cardiod pattern mics will be placed in front of the lead singers as need be. Any suggestions on a mic pre amp that would work well in this situation?

[@shimakhanoomi1920]

Please introduce the best preamp models 🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍

[@g3nius]

I have a Neumann U87 Ai with a Apollo Twin (Homerecording) and use UAD Plugins for the Preamp, because I am not experienced enough, why I didnt buy a hardware-preamp till now. What would you recomend for Preamp as a Plugin for Rap-Vocals? 1073, 610 b or Avalon 373 ... I know, i can test it myself, but I would like to know your opion out of your experience and would you recomend to still buy preamp hardware?

[@lovesciencemusic]

Plugin wise I’d use 1073 to warm it up. Upgrading depends on the work you’re doing and if the expense is justified. It dies sound better, but if it’s worth a few $k is a personal decision. Some gear sales reps let you demo gear, like Alto music

[@TomBelknapRoc]

Ok. I'm not expecting miracles. But I'd love your honest assessment of MiDAS preamps. I've seen them sold as single-amp units for $100, but something like the Tascam 16x08 uses a MIDAS-derived preamp. Like I said: I'm not expecting you to gush over them, but I am curious how someone with as much experience as you would view them? Thanks.

[@lovesciencemusic]

Hey Thomas - I haven’t used any Midas pres so I don’t have a direct opinion on them. But i generally think of preamps in 3 tiers of quality: consumer grade (like Midas or Scarlett) interfaces, mid level (like Apollo or Duet), and studio grade - 500 series being lower tier of that , rack unit and some console pres being higher tier. Mostly with pres, you get what you pay for. Some of the better consumer grade pres I’ve used are the clue focusrites, ISA series I think. That company had some crossover with Neve at some point, so that’s worth researching 👍🏽

[@lovesciencemusic]

And if I personally was to buy a consumer pre without hearing it I’d probably buy the SSL2 because of the company

[@musicplaylistize]

@@lovesciencemusic the ssl2 are extremely clean, there's absolutely no noise under 90% Gain.

[@apsed817]

How do you feel about a Neumann Tlm 103 mic with a WA12MKII preamp ?

[@lovesciencemusic]

Love the 103 but not familiar with WA

[@fernandoobregon3359]

Have you tried a Neve spx 1073. I was wondering what you think. I have one but im not to sure about it if its high quality.

[@lovesciencemusic]

I haven’t but in my experience all things neve are dope

[@darrylweller6143]

What do you think of 500 series mic pre’s? I little disappointing to the 19 inch rack. What neve made today do you think is the best?

[@lovesciencemusic]

500 series pres are good, a definite upgrade from pres built into an interface. But they don’t sound as good as rack style pres or console pres

[@lovesciencemusic]

Re: Neves, hmm maybe the AMS neve stuff or the BAE neve clones

[@Bexgotthebounce]

Is it possible to put already recorded vocals through the Apollo to add the preamp to them?

[@lovesciencemusic]

Yes… sometimes if I’m sent a vocal that doesn’t sound good I’ll print it through analogue pre, EQ, compressor which makes a huge difference

[@TheBRAZILY]

What about the preamp grace design 103 m and what is its quality ??

[@lovesciencemusic]

Grace makes great stuff, super clean sounding

[@dannydaniel8975]

What if you use a cloud lifter with a cheap pre amp? Would that help?

[@lovesciencemusic]

Cloud lifters help with getting more gain out of quieter mics without the noise. But they don’t really change the sound quality. They’re common on SM7b mics or ribbon mics

[@heythere6983]

Is there any benefit to recording with the preamp vs using the pre amp on a recording by adding it as an insert? I’m gonna use multiple mics on my guitar cabs and am debating if I need pre amps with multiple inputs (for the sake of having enough to get the tone) or simply have the inputs in my interface and just one pre amp. Then I can just add the pre amp flavor post recording? Isn’t this possible too? Benefits, drawbacks? I’m assuming the benefit is obviously not buying 8 of the same pre for one take .

[@lovesciencemusic]

Hmm, well plugin preamps never sound as good as the outboard equivalent, but i use preamp plugins all over my mixes to improve tone. And outboard stand-alone pres always sound better than interface pres. But you can make great sounding records with all of it

[@dougmann66]

MAJORCOOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@lortakeover2129]

Best affordable preamp for 3D effect On vocal s

[@terencedennis3972]

I just invested in a Avalon 737

[@lovesciencemusic]

Nice!

[@KunchangLeeMusic]

Do you think the digital plugin of a neve would pass for the same as the real hardware in a blind fold test ?

[@JaeBTundra1]

Nothing is like the real thing

[@lovesciencemusic]

Good question. Depends on what is passing through it. Some people could tell the difference, some not

[@thehowlingterror]

voltage is electricity yeah?

[@Asgaia]

Its not quite true, that preamps are for amplification in all cases. Sure quiet sources and quiet mics may need 60dB of gain. But a D112 in a bassdrum is "hot" enough to go directly to "tape" or whatever takes line level. And so are vocal mics in front of a loud singer. In this case the most important thing is impedance. A SM57 directly to line input can sound dull. A good preamp can do wonders here. A SM57 can sound surprisingly good with a good preamp. Mic inputs have usually a much bigger input resistance than line inputs. Bigger input resistance means, less current (ideally zero amperes) therefore less load on the mic and less frequency deforming. But on the other side, the higher the input inpedance the higher the noise. So they are only as high as necessary and line inputs have lower.

[@lovesciencemusic]

This is all true 👍🏽 Sometimes you can even amplify a mic through a high gain compressor such as the Retro

[@operasinger2126]

Thanks for video! The music sort of was too loud.

[@jasonalexjones6089]

Does having a cheap preamp ruin the sound of a u87

[@sagegracemusic5981]

Yes

[@lovesciencemusic]

Yea, you won’t experience the full glory of the mic

[@joshmcdzz6925]

I think I will disagree with you on cheap vs expensive preamp. I guess the difference is the 'name'. I tested a dirt cheap mic preamp ( art tube preamp ) and ran the gain (input) all the way to 40db + 20db(button) and I heard NO noise at all. the only thing I noticed was the tube was really at work and its sound was really gritty more like the 60s kind of sound from blue note records.. that cheap preamp got's some color. I think driving it to 30db gives a good balance of clean sound with a touch of some harmonic distortion.. If you don't believe me, just buy it and test it ( it's a cheap preamp )..

[@lovesciencemusic]

Cheap pres can certainly get the job done for all sorts of records. But the better pres pick up dynamics differently and are more dimensional sounding

[@vedranc6546]

And how analog sound become digital writen in your PC? Paired high end pre amp without AD/DA high end conversions is awkward and misleading. First time to hear that Avalon 737 is cleanest since all know tube give vibe in sound which so not consider the cleanest sound.

[@khontratv9350]

Ok rich kids get mommy's credit card and start ordering

[@lovesciencemusic]

But you don’t need a full studio to do great mixing

[@antonbriggs5680]

@@lovesciencemusic It does make it easier. Also more colors to paint with if you know what I mean.

[@jvonnjvonn4688]

we heard this all before

[@kksstudios]

yep that 1000.00 wont make a crap song better, wont write a good song but think of the pub bragging rights you have Hey my Pre cost more that your car. I note no test material. I bet most non musicians couldn't tell the difference if setup correctly. Maybe a lot of 'cheap pre's ' are not setup correctly while expensive ones are always.

[@lovesciencemusic]

Good music matters more than anything and it can be made on anything

[@hermannikovalainen]

Basically all consender mics have much more noise than the preamp

[@DE-signYourLife]

Why are u all guys speaking about Mic if u also plug instruments in it like guitars?!?!

[@pmbison73]

Damn...just watched a video on how much preamps were good BUT very overrated 😴