Re: Copying Op Amps to Make Mic Amps


"D from BC" <myrealaddress@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:hd5pv2prt0v8ltd7acflhqdfafhqes1mko@xxxxxxxxxx
On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 22:03:10 +0000, Ian Bell <ruffrecords@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

D from BC wrote:

Wow ...3 threads at same time for mic amps.
"Improved mic amp posted on Rapidshare"
"A Better Microphone Amplifier Yet"
"Is S.E.D. actually sci.electronics.dummies"

I'm surprised mic amps are a lively topic on here.
I thought it would be a beaten to death topic like audio power
amplifier design.
Also, by now shouldn't the ultimate microphone amp be a well known
cookbook circuit?.


Mic pre design is a complex trade off. There is no perfect design, that's
why there are so many.

Ian

Trade offs....
I'm aware of:
noise
gain
PSRR
CMRR
distortion
dynamic range
stability (DC bias and feedback)
power efficiency
PCB size
cost

How much more can there be?
D from BC

I think this is a point that Graham has been trying to make. For a musician
or sound engineer, there is a certain sound to micpres, etc., and maybe
that's why his design was successful. In technical terms, I suppose it's
probably some lack of quality (I'm not saying this about Graham's design
BTW) in the design that imparts a difference in tone to whatever's being
recorded. This explains why you see Neve channel strips going for a couple
grand on eBay, even though Rupert himself admits that today's designs are
far better. This may also help explain why the high end boutique micpres can
fetch a similar price, even though there couldn't possibly be enough spent
on actual components or R+D or whatever to justify the cost. Maybe Phil's
right and the engineer types are deluded, but they seem convinced that there
is a difference, and maybe there is - this mysterious tonal quality that
certain designs impart. Whether it is better for the sound or not is a
matter of opinion and personal taste. I'm a musician myself, and what I
record is largely classical guitar, which requires a very low noise micpre,
which the SSM2017 is able to deliver. The noise contributed by the micpre
itself, with whatever resistors or other noisy passives I have in there is
miniscule, and for all intents inaudible, so this one works great for me.
I've not had the fortune to A/B it with a Focusrite to see if the latter has
a better 'sound', although a local studio owner has invited me to bring my
micpre and go head-to-head with his Focusrite. Maybe I'll take him up on it
some day, but I figure that my playing itself needs more work than my
recorded sound anyway. ....




.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Copying Op Amps to Make Mic Amps
    ... "Improved mic amp posted on Rapidshare" ... Mic pre design is a complex trade off. ... or sound engineer, there is a certain sound to micpres, etc., and maybe ... The noise contributed by the micpre ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: Copying Op Amps to Make Mic Amps
    ... "A Better Microphone Amplifier Yet" ... or sound engineer, there is a certain sound to micpres, etc., and maybe ... that's why his design was successful. ... The noise contributed by the micpre ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
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