What is a discrete mic pre?

What is a discrete mic pre?

“Discrete Class A” is a descriptor often applied to a mic preamp. Discrete simply means that the amplifier is built from individual transistors or vacuum tubes, resistors, and capacitors as opposed to being an integrated circuit.

What does a mic pre do?

At its most basic, a mic preamp takes the low output from a microphone and amplifies the signal to a higher line level. The mic preamps built into most audio interfaces will do that. It will deliver a cleaner, more accurate signal, with higher gain, lower noise, less distortion, and more headroom.

What does class A preamp mean?

“Class A” refers to a specific amplifier output design. But this high fidelity comes at a cost of energy efficiency, because a Class A amplifier draws current and consumes power even when there’s no input signal present. That makes it great for preamps, but inefficient for power amps.

What does discrete mean audio?

(1) In audio/sound terms discrete refers to multichannel audio or soundtrack being stored with each individual channel isolated from the other tracks. Contrast with matrixed where multichannels are blended.

Is mic preamp necessary?

The audio signal from microphones is weak, so they need a preamp to translate it into a stronger “Line level” signal. To put it simply, if you want to get the most out of your microphone and achieve the best possible sound quality, using a good mic preamp is essential.

Do I need a mic preamp?

Are preamps necessary?

The purpose of a preamp is to amplify low level signals to line level, i.e. the “standard” operating level of your recording gear. So you need a preamp for just about any sound source. But this doesn’t have to be an external device. Most audio interfaces already come with built-in preamps.

Are external preamps better?

An internal preamp is more convenient and generally much cheaper. But it rarely gives you good sound quality. External preamps sound much better, but they cost more and require some setup.