Mic Preamps in Feature Films, Documanteries, TV Drama and Reality Television

[Marc Wielage]

In a studio setting, given the time to get tweaky, why not, if the rest of your shit is together.  In the real world of of location recording, both music and dialog, there are way more important things to focus on.

 

Phil is very wise. 

[studiomprd]

CA: " I don't think this is snob-con-jobbery. "

Like Philip said: I do too...

you said it well Philip...

Edited October 7, 2014 by studiomprd

[Jim Feeley]

For location recording, you really should haul along a couple 1073s. They have handles and everything; totally portable.

 

[CRAIG]

During the last year I have been using two Millennia Media 500 series mic pre amps in 500 series rack

 

Millennia was showing a new product at the AES in LA last summer which looks like a great product

HV-32P portable box 

Two mic preamps in a one box no 500 series rack needed.

Power from 12-15 vdc or 100-240 vac

 

planning to sell my 500 series and get  the HV-32P ( 500 series needs AC)

 

lhttp://www.mil-media.com/HV-32P.html

[RadoStefanov]

There is no answer: NONE...

[smicycle]

I am very confused about what this poll actually means.  Do you mean "how many inputs does your mixer have?" Couldn't it just as easily say: how many (insert literally any tool) do you use?  Sound blankets, lavs, booms, outputs, ears, burritos, etc.

 

Do you mean in series, because that's not really a thing, though the case could be made that a mic level signal being brought to line level in a receiver and then going into a pre-amp circuit on a mixer/recorder would be two pre-amps in series. Unless, say, selecting line level input on a 633 or something bypasses any gain circuitry.  

 

(Warning: pointless parenthetical digression ahead. However, I still need to turn my trim knob to the 11 o'olock position when being fed tone from a 411 at +5 dbu to read 0 dbu on my meters.  This would imply to me that I would be using 5 db of attenuation, but the signal would still be going through the pre-amp circuit, because when the knob is turned clockwise at some point gain will be added.  I doubt there's some magical point wherein the signal is suddenly sent through a gain circuit that is otherwise absent (ie. during attenuation) from the controls.  Or maybe I have that completely wrong, I've never actually looked at a schematic. Digression over.)

 

I don't know where I was going with any of this, but my response to your poll is the same as Neil Degrasse Tyson's when challenged by Stephen Colbert to answer the question "Why is there something instead of nothing?" in ten words or less: Words that make questions may not be questions at all.

 

Also, an aside on whether there's a difference between Neve/API/Trident/SSL/whoever: absolutely.  Yeah, the magic in the room is important, the musicians, the space, the instruments, the amps, whatever.  But to dismiss the importance or sound of specific pre-amps in the music production process is a mistake.  There's a reason records aren't made on Mackies.  Could it be done? Yes.  Yeah yeah I know tools, carpenters, blah blah blah.  But still, nothing sounds better than a 1073 or 1081 pre through a proper full format Neve 80 series console. (API is cool too, get SSL away from me, kthx.)(Ok leave the buss compressor).

[Jeff Wexler]

Someone has been hanging out with Fury...

[Marc Wielage]

Also, an aside on whether there's a difference between Neve/API/Trident/SSL/whoever: absolutely.  Yeah, the magic in the room is important, the musicians, the space, the instruments, the amps, whatever.  But to dismiss the importance or sound of specific pre-amps in the music production process is a mistake.  There's a reason records aren't made on Mackies.  Could it be done? Yes.  Yeah yeah I know tools, carpenters, blah blah blah.  But still, nothing sounds better than a 1073 or 1081 pre through a proper full format Neve 80 series console. (API is cool too, get SSL away from me, kthx.)(Ok leave the buss compressor).

 

I don't think the quality of the mic preamp is going to make a huge difference with dialogue, at least in difficult location situations. Music recording is a vastly different business than location dialogue recording. The emphasis on speed, plus the difficulty in mic placement, avoiding boom shadows, having to deal with multiple camera angles, etc. ... all of these problems don't exist in a music recording studio. There, the artist is 2 feet (or less) in front of the microphone, 100% of the time, and they're never moving. Plus they're in a bone-quiet room tailor-made for recording. In a place that quiet, when you've got the time to go for that fraction of a percent better quality, then sure -- a $3000 mic preamp fed by a $5000 tube mic could well make a difference. The best mic preamp I've used in a music recording session were Avalon 737's, and those sounded fantastic -- better than any console preamp I've heard.

 

But not very practical for location dialogue. I personally think the preamps used in Sound Devices and Zaxcom recorders sound perfectly fine, particularly in terms of headroom. Read the discussion elsewhere on isos vs. mix tracks, and the creative problem of when or whether to use wireless lavs vs. boom mics. 

[VASI]

Hello @smicycle,

 

I think the question is very clear with my plain English. How many mic preamps you use. Nothing else.

 

I have the responsibility to what I am asking, not for what you understand.

 

Have a nice day

 

[Jim Feeley]

I use between zero and 16.

 

Hope this helps!

[old school]

8 on my Solice. Not sure how many I need on average.

CrewC

[smicycle]

I completely agree Marc, that was an aside about music production, as some said it didn't matter in that arena.  Pre-amps of that nature have no place in location sound, for all the reasons you mentioned.  Just can't stand for no slander towards 1073s. 

 

And Vas, I think your question should be: how many channels do you use? (Which still isn't a question that means anything or will produce any responses that could provide insightful answers.)

My reading comprehension may not be your responsibility, but seeing as I wasn't the only person baffled by the wording or intent of this question you may want to reconsider exactly how plain your English was. 

 

Anywho: anywhere from 1-6, seeing as I have a 6 channel mixer/recorder (mixers and recorders are known by the number of channels they have, not the number of pre-amps).  Right now I'm using 0 because it's in my peli.  Tomorrow I'll probably use, like, 2?

[Jaymz]

when being fed tone from a 411 at +5 dbu to read 0 dbu on my meters

 

 

The tone feature on Lectro receivers is simulating the transmitter at full modulation. It's not your typical calibration tone, it's intended to be set to your desired peak level. So more like +12 to +15dbu instead of 0 (or -8 to -5dbfs going into a recorder).