Yup, you definitely need a pre-amp. The trim knobs on the Korg D1600 are useless on their own for amplifying a mic. (Trust me - I've got a D1600 and it's a well-known complaint.)fajy6 said:I'm using a microphone, into a korg MkII D1600, straight, nothing in between. I think i may need a pre amp somewhere in there, which is the real question that I'm asking? And what is an affordable preamp that will get the job done?
Okay, now we're getting somewhere. A couple of things to try here as we work through the chain. First and foremost, a 57 is going to exhibit the classic Shure upper mid stank because that's exactly what it's intended to do. And that's not a bad thing at all. But you do need to stay right up on it in order to take advantage of what's called proximity effect. It's perhaps explained a little better in reverse: lower frequencies dissipate energy and directionality with distance more quickly than do higher frequencies. Conversely, maintaining a close proximity will ensure that you minimize that loss, and I've found that I really like the aforementioned Shure thing if you can fill out the bottom.fajy6 said:I'm using a microphone, into a korg MkII D1600, straight, nothing in between. I think i may need a pre amp somewhere in there, which is the real question that I'm asking? And what is an affordable preamp that will get the job done?
One simple tip: record the same instrument with an SM57 plus an inexpensive large-diaphragm condenser mic (they are available now for $100 or so) and pan the two tracks apart. It'll sound open, huge, and realistic. So simple, so effective. That's why you buy a two-channel pre-amp. (The LD Condenser will need phantom power, by the way.)fajy6 said:I've managed to get some great recordings out of it using cheapo dynamic mics, so I figured gotta go for an upgrade and get a good mic, thats where the 57 came in. Thanks again for the help.
P.S. ReMasterLA everytime...haha