This year will focus on the changing economy and technology and how everyone in the production business can keep making enough money to survive!

Daking is going to be there and you should be there too!

http://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2012

Check out the new Mic Pre 500 as well as the FET III Stereo Compressor!

http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/gearfest2011/

April 6-9 booth 5.1 A-71 or 5.1 A-795

Answer: First you need to terminate the input of the mic pre by connecting pins 2 and 3 together.  This can be done with a paperclip inserted into pins 2 and 3 on the microphone input.  If you have a microphone plugged into the mic input, then you are hearing the self-noise of the mic AND the noise of the preamp.  If you have it connected to nothing then you are hearing an un-terminated connection which is likely to include electro-magnetic and radio interference.

With pins 2 and 3 shorted, you can easily evaluate the noise added by the pre-amplifier either by ear or with your favorite meter.

Geoff
Let me start by saying that i purchased your 4 channel mic pre and i LOVE IT!

I was wondering, do the front DI inputs by-pass the mic transformer?

Thanks
Chris

Chris,

The direct input does not go through the transformer, it goes straight to the preamp.

Guitars have high impedance outputs and would be loaded down by the 1200Ω input of a mic pre. The DI has a very high input impedance, >100kΩ.

Geoff

“If I have the Gain control turned all the way down, how can the mic pre still be peaking? If I engage the Pad button, will this change the sound?”

The Mic Pre One by Daking Audio

Here’s the answer:

Gain Explained

The “Gain” control is not a volume pot. It will not shut off the signal. It controls the amount of gain the mic pre can produce. The minimum gain is about 25 db, (or 5db with the pad in) and the maximum is >70db (about 10 dB more than most pre-amps.)

Microphone Output Explained

All microphones have different output levels. Ribbons generally have the lowest outputs while condensers have the highest. Dynamics are somewhere in the middle.

If you mic a guitar amp with an RCA 44 (the premier ribbon mic), you will probably need to add gain. If you use a Neuman U87, you will need the pad. That’s why condenser microphones usually have pads built in.

How to Use the Pad Control

Some people believe that the pad changes the sound. Not really true. Most good preamps have an input impedance of 1200Ω. This is the “load” or “termination” that the microphone is looking for. The frequency response of a mic is frequently affected by the load so they are optimized for this standard reflected impedance. In many mic pres, the reflected impedance changes when the pad is inserted, so the mic behaves differently when padded. We are very careful to see that this does not happen with our pres, the impedance does not change.

Do Not Fear the Pad.

Essentially a single channel of the Mic Pre IV, the Mic Pre One features switchable phase, 20dB mic input pad and +48V phantom power, plus a selectable 1/4-inch front panel hi-z instrument input, all utilizing relays with gold bi-furcated contacts. Two large knurled aluminum knobs control the variable high-pass filter (0-200Hz) and continuously variable input gain, which is complemented by a full-width, twenty-segment bi-color LED meter.

The rear of the unit offers a Jensen transformer-isolated mic input and fully-balanced XLR output, plus a 1/4-inch line output. A fourth connector introduces DC power from the external power supply to the unit.

Noted Brad Lunde, president of TransAudio Group, “This Mic Pre One is the very definition of value – a Daking-designed high-end mic pre for those who only need one channel. It’s ideal for pros on tour and studios that seek to locate the mic pre in the vocal booth for short cable runs. Small project studios on a limited budget, can now use the same high-end sounding gear as the pros.”