What Should I Consider When Buying a Microphone?

"Talking amplifier" is a microphone amplifier, which is a device that amplifies the signal input from the microphone. It is divided into dynamic microphones. The recording condition is that the main microphone should use a higher sensitivity microphone.

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Amplifiers and amplifiers

Many friends who are new to audio often don't know the microphone amplifier and power amplifier. Many netizens often ask questions such as: "Is the microphone amplifier the same as the power amplifier?", "Can the sound be processed into the computer?" First answer that the microphone amplifier and power amplifier are different, then let's explain the microphone amplifier and power amplifier.

What is a power amplifier (power amplifier)

Power amplifiers are generally understood as post-stage power amplifiers; audio amplifiers are generally understood as pre-stage power amplifiers, but for civilian use, the combination of the two is often called a power amplifier.

Usually most power amplifier equipment:

The post-stage power amplifier is mainly for current amplification, that is, outputting a constant voltage, and then driving the speaker through the fluctuation of the current to generate sound.

The pre-stage power amplifier is mainly a voltage amplifier. By enhancing the voltage contrast, various tone colors are changed, and then amplified and sent to the post-stage amplifier. Because the weak audio signal does not go through the pre-stage amplification, it is almost impossible to promote multiple amplifiers. , Even one is difficult, or the sound is poor.

What is a preamp (microphone amplifier)

What is "talking"? "Preamp" is a microphone amplifier, a device that amplifies the signal input from the microphone. This thing is usually only on professional microphones or wireless microphones. Professional, such as some electrostatic microphones or other microphones, in order to get extremely high sensitivity and wide audio range, a special circuit is used to amplify him, and then output through the line. For professional equipment, digital signals are generally used and the acquisition equipment is also a special acquisition card for computer acquisition. However, many also have ordinary interfaces, which can be connected to pre-amplifiers or even post-amplifiers, as well as mixers and other equipment. Wireless is mainly to amplify wireless signals into audio signals.

These devices have one (or more) preamps on the mixer, sound card, or karaoke machine. The other is a stand-alone preamp, which is only responsible for amplifying the microphone signal and performing some necessary processing, and then turns it into a line output signal and outputs it. This kind of independent work preamp is generally more comprehensive and professional. Here we talk about this kind of independent preamp, as well as the preamps on digital mixers.

This independent preamp usually has the following functions: 1. Compressor; 2. EQ; 3. Flutter canceller; 4. Hiss canceller; 5. Noise gate.

One of the most important principles for adjusting the limiter is that the purpose of using the limiter is not only to compress the dynamics of the sound, so that it has a strong expressiveness and fullness. It is even more important to use the limiter. Don't let listeners hear "traces". In other words, if you record a song or a musical instrument and feel that there is a process of compression after the sound appears, then it is your failure to use the limiter.

As for the hiss canceller, most of the words are relatively simple. You only need to set the threshold and the amount of elimination. The focus of the hiss elimination is to make the sound not turbid because of processing.

If the microphone amplifier output is an audio interface (that is, the round lotus socket), then you can connect to a computer, but it is best to adjust the microphone sensitivity of the "microphone amplifier" device to the minimum and the output volume to the minimum. The output is a non-audio signal, but an audio socket is used, and the actual output is some current signals that damage the computer's audio acquisition module.

Speakerphone improves sound quality

With the rapid development of the trend of computer home appliances, digital recording systems have also evolved from computers, professional audio cards, and professional recording software, centered on equipment such as mixers, multitrack recorders, and effects equipment. This development change allows more professional and hobby users to get a digital recording system at a more economical price. As the cost of purchasing a digital recording system continues to decrease, it has also led to the rise of some related industries. Online K-songs, CRBT productions, podcasts ... make many aspiring people become the focus of social attention overnight.

Maybe you have already been the author of this configuration of computer + professional audio card + professional recording software. You have already mastered the operating procedures, and you can also use your technology to complete a complete recording work. Finally all downmixing worked. After mastering these technologies, what you care about is how to make the sound quality of your work better.

Of course, correct and accurate use of the right effects is a way to make the sound more pleasant. However, this method can only be used to reprocess the audio data you have recorded in the computer. Once the audio signal you have recorded in the computer has some deficiencies (such as signal distortion that is often prone to occur), Then adding any effects to modify the sound can only be futile. Therefore, we must pay attention to how to record a high-quality audio signal at the beginning of recording, and ensure that the signal has a sufficiently large dynamic range and a sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio ... You may be aware of this, but how do you get this high-quality audio signal? It is recommended to add an audio processing device in front of your professional audio card-a preamp, with the preamp, there is not much distance from the excellent sound quality in your mind.

Talk preampmicrophone preamplifier, literally, speak pre is a kind of equipment that amplifies the very weak signal output by the microphone. This is just a literal understanding. In fact, it is not only provided. The function of amplifying the weak signal of the microphone. The DI box (converter box for guitar and bass recording), compressor, equalizer, DA converter, etc. often used in recording are also mostly audio signal processor functions. It was gathered in the speaker.

Some professional audio cards have built-in preamps, but due to the cost of the product, this type of preamp integrated on the audio card is mainly used to complete the function of amplifying the weak signal of the microphone, especially if the When a large dynamic range audio signal passes through, the signal distortion phenomenon is very easy to appear. This is why when recording, human voices, solo instruments, and other sounds are prone to distortion. Therefore, it is not necessarily that the quality of your microphone is not high enough, it is most likely that the quality of the microphone on the audio card hinders the good performance of the microphone.

There are many words amplifiers that can be seen in the market. They can be roughly divided into two categories, one is the tube amplifier and the other is the transistor amplifier. Digital audio signals are discrete signals. Compared with continuous analog audio signals, the sound sounds a bit hard. The characteristic of the electronic tube is to show a warm tone. Amplification will make a digital sound that originally sounds a lot warmer. Of course, the warm tone characteristics presented by the tube amplifier are not necessarily suitable for processing all sounds. It is necessary to choose whether to use the tube amplifier according to the different styles of music works or personal preferences. In other words, it is necessary to prescribe the right medicine.