What is a Microphone Preamp?

In this video, Mr. B ( @MrBintheStudio ) explains microphone preamplifiers, aka mic pre's, or preamps. Also a comparison between four mic preamps: the Neve 5024, the Avalon 2022, the C|24 mic preamps, and the Rolls MP13.
Mr. B is a Media Arts instructor at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska.
Instagram: / mrbinthestudio
Twitter: / mrbinthestudio
Media Arts degree programs at Northeast Community College:
Audio Recording Technology: northeast.edu/D...
Broadcasting: northeast.edu/D...
Cinema: northeast.edu/D...

[@vincegraphix6938]

the only straightforward explanation on the web

[@StuartRochabrunt]

This is one of those cases when a KZbin channel does not have the amount of subscribers it deserves. Very good work, funny and at the same time, enlightening explanations. You have it all, you really deserve more but at the end, it's about quality and not quantity.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thanks! I haven't been at it for too long, so share and spread the word! :)

[@h1films55]

From top to bottom i hope u never stop these videos THANK U

[@WillVRam]

Now I finally understand what is a Pre-Amp and Amp and I can't describe the feelling. I'm creating now a playlist and favoritating all your videos. I'm also sharing your videos. Thank you so much!

[@Slapegg]

As a sound design student your videos are super informative and I love the humor you add to your videos. I laughed quite a few times! Thank you for making these videos!

[@JHS56247]

This is a great explanation of what a mic-preamp is and how it works. Looks like you're a professional recording engineer, and Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@rhasheedadavis1387]

i love how you explained this... the demonstrations were awesome! I go to class every Monday and my Audio Engineer instructor always talks about it but has never explained it like this! thank you so much. I understand this so much better! You have a new subscriber! Cant wait to check out your other videos!

[@JeserNoob]

Me: “Hey Record label.. can I record with Steve Albini?” Record Label: “No.. we have Steve Albini at home.” Steve Albini at home:

[@stevenrolison3140]

That Neve is in a class of its own.

[@mpireoutdoors5274]

Great video. Cuts through the confusion and stays clear and to the main points. Thanks. Helped.

[@BEiche-lp1jb]

Honestly well done Mr B. Easy to follow and concise

[@TheWalkingAmongTheDead]

This is way too funny haha. Thank you for the educational video man. I got a Shure SM58 from my father that dates back decades and I love it. Also got a focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen with a pre-amp and was never quite sure what it was for except for volume.

[@ryanjamesclark9781]

I like the Avalon on the Piano...the snare was harder to tell a difference although the rolls seems like less clarity.

[@ryanjamesclark9781]

Thanks for the video!

[@Magnulus76]

Avalon was the only one that stood out to me on the piano. I just didn't hear a significant difference with the drums or on the piano, otherwise. I actually have a Rolls preamp. It's not the greatest but for my purposes I wouldn't notice the difference (I live in an apartment with a background noise level of about 35-40 dB). It was either get the Rolls, or the Behringer Ultragain Mic 100, and I wanted to avoid tubes if possible.

[@billybadwordproductions1857]

I figured it's obvious to you... but I'm starting a Drum channel to show my progression picking up a new instrument. So this is absolutely helpful to me as I am recording more than Drums over all. As I progress to find other members to jam with and create.... this is something I'm currently educating myself in. I have built everything from the ground up and started one year ago. I will be working on mastering the sound of the drums with the sound booth and drum booth. I am also looking at compressors along side of the pre-amps. I used to be a truck driver and I dropped everything in life to be happy. I quit driving to follow my dreams and what do you know... I was serious and life made the way for me.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Very cool... best of luck to you!

[@toomasvendelin]

A stellar example of how to make a KZbin video. And the sound clarity convincingly proves the author knows what he talks about. Thank you very much!

[@shinypoptart]

I appreciate that the audio, in this video about audio, sounds great.

[@LadyLove747]

I just love the funny guy asking the most important questions, lol 😂 I’m literally cracking up! 🤣 Thanks for such an awesome tutorial, and breaking it down to making since for us beginners. 🙋🏽‍♀️

[@ranzratte]

Awesome video! Keep it up! Best regards from Germany!

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thanks! :)

[@mickdebergerac1143]

Great tutorial and for me the Neve on the piano was quite an ear opener

[@skylergronholz6838]

Yeah this video is the first I’ve watched of yours and I have to say SO REFRESHING! Usually I hop onto youtube to find an answer to a specific question, 3 hours later I’m more confused than when I started with a bones level of hopelessness that I’ll ever figure this out/what the hell am I doing with my life!? lol All that to say, very clear, simplified for the noobs and just complex enough (for me) to get acquainted with the more advanced aspect of recording. Its even got some creative production value (a little cheese ball but in a funny and engaging way- promise that’s not a dig :). Anyway, I’ll definitely be checking out your other videos and a huge THANK YOU!!!

[@ANOOPBAL]

I like way you ask questions and then answer. This is great didactic technique! Now tell us pre-amps to buy based on price. Will be a nice follow up.

[@YOTHEARTISTA]

That Avalon sounds amazing!

[@amplifier2]

This is one of my favourite channels at the time. And I have seen and watched a lot.

[@phonixsolomon6275]

AVALON my favorite so far.

[@chadbierman8058]

The Rolls Pre-amp sounded surprisingly good for the price on piano to me! Thanks for the great video too! God Bless!

[@Mauler1987]

Fantastic technical explanation mate, love the humor, best way to get people to come away with a smile and retain the info.

[@Jonifico]

Wow the MP13 was definitely flatter. I loved the bass of the Neve but i think the Avalon was probably the best all-round. Amazing video, entertaining and educational. Congrats!

[@monikaglowacka2451]

I agree...

[@DennisAbad]

love your teaching style Mr B! i'm a video editor just starting to learn about audio, i learned so much from this. we need to grow your channel! i volunteer as tribute!

[@devpratapsinghgaur4521]

Explained wonderfully in detail with all possible factors which could affect the sound quality sir. Thank you From India

[@BillSebald]

Great video. Thanks for making it clear.

[@user-hs1zz9sx2e]

Really helpful , please please please keep producing video clips like this !

[@williammcshane685]

i love this man

[@MayankSolanki92]

That was entertaining as well as very informative. Very well executed. Please keep video's like this coming KZbin need intellectual beings like you.

[@DonnyBandz]

Havent seen an HD rig in a decade or better! Those Double 02's and 192s used to be king of the hill and still sound great imo. Refreshing to see these days~

[@NERGYStudios]

Hands down the best explanation video around!

[@jamiekronick1]

Thank you. Seriously. Thank you.

[@peter_castle]

great video! I didn't know what was a preamp, this was awesome for introduction! I hope your channel is successful.

[@hugoporto9374]

Not even 10 seconds of video. Already gave a like. Thank u

[@MidxRange]

Thanks man . Stay up . I like that “ puzzle pieces together “

[@depazo]

Man, I just found this video. Thank you! what a great explanation.

[@soulemnthegreat9557]

That piano riff is soooo sick! I wanna sample it so had.

[@MrBinthestudio]

That's Chopin's Prelude Op. 28: No. 20 in C Minor

[@salihhill1424]

Gotta love this guy ! The amount of knowledge he dropped 😍

[@pietdebeer7972]

Great production!

[@DarkPoutine]

Thanks for keeping it simple for a newb like me. I think you might have saved me some money. Rock and roll! \m/

[@tioliak]

Thank you for the explanation. Very informative and entertaining

[@andreumateulamas]

Great explanation. Thanks for the advice.

[@BoterBug]

do work in video and use an audio recorder when plugged into different sound systems to get clean audio. It has a LINE/MIC switch for its inputs... had NO idea what that meant before watching. Thanks!

[@youngkaiju]

thank you very much for this video, everything is explained perfectly, simple and good

[@rahilshaikh0786]

I was so confused about mic & pre amp,but u helped me a lot through this video thanks a lot 😀😀😀

[@GraeneyMac]

This explanation is a godsend. Thank you.

[@shashankarunkumar7867]

0:42 nailed it!

[@MedyLandiaCapellan]

Best explanation ever! Thanks, Mr. B!!!

[@FailSalon]

Outstanding video! Clear and easy to understand. Hope you keep up the awesome content!

[@phanessalaines1821]

Thank you so much for this information!

[@EslamAbdElaziz]

I'm so happy that I found your channel, Thanks a lot.

[@supremo8556]

I like your videos man to be honest! I hope your channel will increase subscribers coz you are good!

[@RuhkcusTV]

Great overview ! Thanks

[@johnlilts]

Best Explanation! Wow!

[@calvinlewis1979]

Really well put together video 👍

[@00Max00]

Subscribed. Very well put and entertaining video! I hope your channel grow, man

[@ctzeninsane]

You need x100 more subscribers. You definitely deserve it.

[@monsemedina17]

You just had to save my exam tomorrow! thank you so much! you must have millions of subs wtf.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Awesome! Good luck!

[@maximf.5537]

Very good instructional video! Funny moments are a bonus. ;)

[@dashcamandy2242]

Excellent explanation! I'm gonna be the silly guy that asks in the comments, "Why did you choose the opening to Barry Manilow's 'Could It Be Magic?'" knowing fully the riff is not originally Manilow (or Donna Summer, for that matter).

[@lifeshapers-integratedheal2266]

You are an amazing Teacher indeed!!! I thank you. Your contributions help several novice like me around the world. I came across your video while researching gears for 1. making online lectures, 2. posting some informational videos on KZbin and 3. conducting a Podcast over internet. For the same, I am confused whether I shall be using an external USB mixer like ALLEN and HEATH ZED10iFX or rely on focusrite2i2 audio interface and software settings for tone control and faders. Sir, may I request you to throw some light over my confusion. I am planning to purchase Shure SM58 mic (dynamic cardoid) {intention to record my spoken voice} > Allen and Heath Zed 10i Fx mixer (with USB out) > Camtasia Screen recording software. My possessions: I already have Stage pass 500 PA system from Yamaha, ME2 Sennheiser lapel omni directional mic and ME3 cardoid head worn mic [mentioning here just for you to be able to guide me better]. Expecting your help. Thankyou in advance.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thank you for your kind comments. To answer your question, first let me ask, are you podcasting live, or recording them first? If so, which DAW are you using?

[@lifeshapers-integratedheal2266]

​@@MrBinthestudio Sir, I am so excited you chose to answer my question. Having known you are a teacher, my inner-student has become unstoppable. Please excuse me for the length of my question. Thank you again in advance for your time involvement and wisdom filled input that will stay with me life-long. I sincerely VALUE it. Answer to your query: I am not using any DAW at the moment, nor I am Podcasting in the moment whether live or recorded. I do not have gears nor am I clear about the signal chain, I must follow. All I know is that I am determined to deliver quality content {life-related educational courses} of professional quality in both listening and viewing. I have decided to invest in proper audio and video set up that makes making of professional content easy and joyful. I have gone through several videos made by you; especially the nine piece puzzle one. The 9th piece of puzzle, as mentioned in the video, for me is YOU - A sound engineer-teacher. Pat on my back for finding you!!!!! I am searching answers for the following questions: [ you are free to answer only as many as you choose to] Shall I purchase both Mixer and audio interface? Which mixer would you suggest? Which mic would you suggest? Is there a big difference between ZEDi10FX mixer giving an sampling rate of 24 bit/96kbps vs an audio interface giving a sampling rate of 24 bit / 192 kbps? Shall I attach a Preamp Mic Processor DBX 286S immediately after the mic? Shall I attach a mic activator just before the DBX 286S ?

[@MrBinthestudio]

Ok, I think you need to find someone who can mentor you through this process in-person. You have a lot of specific challenges to overcome, and I don't want to lead you in the wrong direction. It's rather difficult to give direction at this level through written communication. I would recommend that you go to your nearest pro audio retailer and see if someone can help you build your system. Do you have something like that near where you live?

[@lifeshapers-integratedheal2266]

@@MrBinthestudio Yes Sir, I have visited 2 such outlets which sell professional products. In India, we do not have facility to actually see or test demos, Even when the shops are large in size, they will showcase products on google and won't show or test un-boxed items. Somehow, I have not been able to build enough trust on to them. For instance, they promote British Acoustics mixers, when I checked BA website, I could not feel it trust worthy too, no single KZbin reviews either, and so on. I appreciate your concern. May be I have posted many questions at one go; but as a teacher if you can relate with the type of challenges, I am going through, then you can someday cover my questions as your video topic. I think each question will hold enough substance for a novice. Thank you for your time.

[@MrBinthestudio]

Good luck to you! :)

[@shamicentertainment1262]

My headphones are decent but I couldn't hear the difference because I've got cheap ears. Thanks for the video, super easy to understand

[@mmoriarty]

I laughed out loud at your comment mainly because it's cleverly written, but also because it resonates with me. "Cheap ears" 😂

[@chainsawdeathlust]

Thanks so much!! been recording live bands with a 12 channel mixer... will definitely get better results

[@talemaker1]

Wonderfully done and very useful. And very funny I might add. Loved it! Learned a lot and got some good laughs while doing it. :)

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thanks! :)

[@imothy]

I have very good ears, I also have perfect pitch. I've been recording bands on a DIY budget for the past 25 years or so and have been through a lot of gear. I tend to stick with the basics, SM57's, SM58's and a few other simple mics, mostly under $200 range. Actually lately since china is cloning lots of shure products i've been able to build up a pretty sick array of mics. I am calling BS on expensive mic preamps. The only reason I can see that anyone would use one is to get a more "vintagey" sound. It seems as if preamps from the mid 90's to today are mostly "great" quality, meaning, they don't hum or hiss or add any kind of nonsense to the signal, and you are able to bring mic's up to a level that your interface can interpret them and turn them into wav files which can be manipulated to sound like ANYTHING you want! The only use for expensive mic pre's that I can see, is for people that don't have enough creative energy to fatten up their mix with creative EQ/Compression/Automation/Saturation. They may not understand how to get a punchy sound in post processing, so they turn to an industry tool that was designed originally for analog tape tracking. Or maybe they just need racks full of pre's to stumble upon that magic take. I dunno but, if I can't hear the need for a $2000 mic pre, how the hell is the listener going to be able to hear it? And even if they could, would it matter?

[@EslamAbdElaziz]

0:11 this is so Michael Scott from the Office :"D

[@halalg9817]

really love how u explain things! :D

[@alejandronieto576]

Thanks for this. Greetings from Buenos Aires.

[@sebastianschneller3938]

Dude this video is perfect

[@DK-mq9zf]

Greetings fŕom Korea. Ty for your advice!

[@HazeAnderson]

This is pure gold. Thank you! 😬👍

[@jungacayan7805]

very clear explanation,,,the best

[@jackclarkson1672]

This is very helpful.

[@englishcitykorea]

Wow you have a golden voice! Thanks for sharing well-made video with detailed information! So great :)

[@ManOfJupiterMusic]

You earned a subscriber! brilliant video

[@FaresMason]

The jumpcut at 0:07 is so epic 😂

[@JVMyers]

Avalon sounds really good. Surprisingly, the cheap one doesn't sound too bad.

[@randomgaming667]

great video thanks

[@BryTunesMusic]

Awesome overview - love your style and content and hope people catch on :)

[@christianfrades2761]

Very informative! Thank you!

[@SamMestas]

good info. thx

[@danzbeard]

haha great video! Thank you for the entertainment and info.

[@sabdartmusic]

Thanks for this video! I finally understood how this works. 🙏

[@thomasojii31]

Excellent! Thank You!

[@taokichavez9319]

amazing video, thanks :D

[@bjdent]

Exactly what I was looking for!

[@TamilGuitarLessons]

Mr B, greetings from India! My quick question is (assuming I've a focusrite 2i2 audio interface) does the inbuilt microphone preamp(with toggle switch in mic) is really necessary to record music in a better quality or I can buy a plain mic and control the level in focusrite?. Thanks for this wonderful video

[@MrBinthestudio]

Thanks for watching! The built-in preamps on the 2i2 are good preamps. If you wanted to step up the quality of your recordings, I would invest in a high quality microphone. I hope that answers your question.

[@TamilGuitarLessons]

@@MrBinthestudio ...Thanks for your Quick reply! So as far mic is concerned I don't ve to worry about toggle switch in mic... A good mic without any inbuilt preamp works fine right?

[@MrBinthestudio]

@@TamilGuitarLessons I'm not sure I'm understanding your question correctly. What kind of microphone are you using? What is the brand and model number?

[@billybadwordproductions1857]

lol thanks man love the whole video!!!! Great work!! and thanks again

[@_arman_]

hilarious and informative... thank you!

[@nirshor9236]

Thanks for this!

[@AdrianMakBC]

This is an excellent video, I learned so much, thank you.

[@MartinVanDerSande]

Great content.

[@nch8472]

Thank you

[@kevinmahoque5608]

Very helpful video.

[@joaomoreira]

Thank you for your help

[@kintubeats]

Verry well explaiend!!! thanks