As a rule, karaoke lovers are undemanding to audio equipment. The main thing is to have a working microphone, clearly audible sound, and no interference. Inexpensive devices are quite suitable for singing at home, but their capabilities and technical characteristics cannot satisfy a person engaged in music professionally.
Recording studios use large systems with a lot of functional accessories. A microphone preamp is their indispensable part. This article is about its purpose.
The benefits of a microphone preamp are obvious to people constantly working with professional audio equipment. But is it needed for karaoke systems? Let’s figure it out.
Purpose of the device
A preamp grasps the audio signal and amplifies it to the optimum level. Is it critical for the smooth operation of a microphone? In most cases, yes. Why? Very few microphones are capable of generating a strong signal. As a rule, there are discrepancies between them and operating parameters of end devices.
The preamp is the link between a microphone and a mixer. It has a direct impact on the final sound quality. The signal is converted so that it becomes ideal for reproduction or further processing.
By the way, microphones of the condenser type would not work without this device. Such mics are superior to analogs in terms of capturing vocal shades. But you need phantom power from a preamp to use them.
Do you need an expensive preamp?
We already know what for serious recording studios need a microphone preamp. Without it, you can forget about an ideal signal and getting a necessary sound at the output. It is worth not cutting corners on such equipment. Cheap models may produce the following negative effects:
- no sound improvement
- interference
- voice distortion
You will just waste money by buying a cheap device for a studio.
Should people who sing in karaoke on a serious level purchase the best microphone preamps? No, since such elements are likely to be already embedded in the system. Modern manufacturers equip the following devices with preamps:
- mixing consoles
- computer sound cards
- karaoke players, etc
