Ok so I'm thinking about putting a studio together and right now I'm looking into a microphone preamp. The reason why I'm thinking I need this is because if I were to plug my microphone into my computer's soundcard or even my mixer, the quality would be horrible.Is it mandatory to get a preamp for your mic? I don't really want to buy a big bulky one because my home studio is going to be small.
So how does the preamp work with the whole battery thing? I mean wouldn't you want to be able to plug in your preamp instead of sticking batteries in it?
Wayne Parham Messages: 18752 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
You can build a power supply, sure. There is no requirement that the +3V source be batteries. Batteries are a very noise-free power source though, and the current draw is small so the batteries last a long time.
Since the draw of energy from the batteries is small, you wouldn't actually be spending tons of money on them all the time. But I honestly prefer to plug my pre amp in.
Wayne Parham Messages: 18752 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
An AC power supply rectifies DC power from AC, so there is necessarily a filter. You'll have rectifier switcing artifacts and low frequency AC noise to deal with. A battery does not have these issues.
A battery has higher internal source impedance and has to be recharged or replaced, so those are the downsides to a battery. But it is pretty noise free and can be an attractive option, especially in a circuit like this that needs to be noise free and that has very low curent draw.
I use a pre mic amp that uses batteries. I use to have a power supply that plugged in but in all acutality, I feel as if I get much more quality from using batteries.