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FrontEnd Audio - Tuesday Testers
Mic Preamps
Planning
When testing microphone preamps there are many ways to get it wrong, and only one real way to get it right every time: using pre-recorded clips that have been properly converted to microphone level. Our testing and clip making here is done the right way, with fairness and reality in mind, to help customers of Front End Audio make decisions and choose from the many great preamps on the market today. It took a lot to prove to ourselves that this was the right way to hear the results, but once achieved it was the greatest feeling knowing that what we present to you is fair and revealing and not skewed by performance, mic position or gain staging issues. It’s also 100% repeatable time and time again, so check back often as we add more mic preamp test clips to the player.
Execution
First we wrote a 12 second “song” that would showcase each pre in a snapshot manner, and recorded each clip using an ultra clean path of Earthworks preamps and Mogami cabling. Then, we take our original source files and send them from our SSL converters to the Avedis Audio pad, which takes line level 10k ohm signals and knocks them down -35dB, and outputs at 150 ohm (like a typical microphone). We are able to make perfectly gain matched files this way, using +35dB of gain to hear the tested preamp’s amplifier stage working. When a preamp has a ¼” instrument input available, original bass and keyboard source files are sent out to the Radial RMP re-amplifier and outputted as instrument level to feed the DI. Certain preamps have features or the ability to drive it into distortion, in those cases multiple version of each source are tracked to demonstrate versatility.
All files are recorded at 44.1 / 24 bit into our Audeum / Nuendo PC rig and exported the same length every time for perfect looping in your DAW. These are stream only mp3 files (320k @ 44.1, highest quality) but you can contact us for wav or mp3 download files and line these clips up in your DAW to create a loop with all 8 source files. They have been performed to complete a short song when played together.
Source files:
Kick Drum: E/V ND868 on 22” DW kick
Snare Drum: sE Electronics SE4 on 14”x6.5” Slingerland Copper
Overhead: CAD M179 about 18” over player’s head, facing into kit
Bass Guitar: Ibanez into Radial JDV DI
Electric Guitar: E/V ND468 on Randall MTS series 12” combo
Acoustic Guitar: Oktava MK-012 on Ibanez
Keys: Alesis QS8 into Radial JDV DI
Vocal: CAD VX2 on Ryan Ferris voice
This gives a great test of bass, midrange and top end response as well as transient response,
room / air detail and punch delivered by each preamp by comparison to the others.
This still isn’t the perfect test. In a perfect world we could see how the preamp would interact with ribbons, dynamics and condensers in somewhat different ways. It’s the most perfect test we could share with you to help your purchase decision though: different performances / distances to the mic / gain matching issues essentially render mic pre testing the most difficult of all hardware. We have gone to great lengths to plan and perform enough material to give you a good and rounded overall glimpse of what each pre can do compared to any other in this test. The good part is you are actually comparing the pre-amps against each other, which is what matters most.
Listening to clips isn’t the entire story on purchasing mic preamps, many have features and gain available that you may require for your needs. It’s our job to help our customers know the rest of the story, and ultimately sell you the right device. As always, we invest more time and hard work into info before the sale, helping you save time and efforts later. We support you unlike any other, and try to take away your guess work!
Mic Preamps
