What You Need to Know About Microphone Preamps: We Talk to Dalama

We talk to Dalama (DalaMIX), a master of mixing, about preamps. For anyone considering expanding their collection of studio gems, whether in a home or professional studio. 500 Series, 19" rack units, warm, cold, vintage, modern,  European, Chinese, American, “fat” and “in-your-face” sound. What to consider when choosing and why.

Introduction

Many users began working in a home studio (home studio) years ago. Computers and technology made home recording sessions possible, starting with demos and those first tentative steps. This generation of “at-home” composers/producers has continued to evolve and, in many cases, is now looking for increasingly refined levels of quality. What began with a computer, an affordable audio interface, mediocre monitors and a poor-quality microphone gradually turns, after years of saving and effort, into a carefully assembled collection: good microphones, top-class monitors and, alongside quality software, boutique analogue outboard gear such as the subject of our latest features: microphone preamps.

No matter how much equipment we acquire, reaching the technical standards of professional studios—in terms of both equipment and experience—will be genuinely difficult. The most interesting aspect today is that we can begin developing ideas in our home studio and then export parts of the project to a professional studio, where they can be given the necessary weight and magic.

19” rack vs. 500 Series. When should you choose one or the other, and  why?

What accounts for the difference in price?

The factor that has the greatest influence on pricing is labour, and we all know that China is the least expensive option, which is why major brands have been manufacturing there for many years. If a product comes from the US or Europe, its cost rises considerably and it becomes less competitive. Although quality controls in China  are becoming increasingly rigorous , there are still certain areas in which tighter control would be advisable.

Plugins vs. analogue hardware

The eternal question many people ask… Some will say analogue is best, while others will say a plugin is better.  Personally, I prefer a combination of both: when recording, I choose the microphone and preamp according to the final result I am aiming for; then, during mixing, if the performers are of a high standard, I remain faithful to analogue and try to stay within that environment, using only the occasional plugin for the convenience it offers when automating.

 
What can good preamps give us that digital cannot?

Every preamp is different, with its own behaviour and its own sonic colour
We should remember that analogue equipment is defined by the different elements from which it is built: resistors, capacitors, valves, and so on. These components are constantly reacting in different ways and never sound exactly the same, because the first element affecting every one of them is the electrical current. Even with the best transformer and the best UPS in the world, the current will never be completely stable or perfectly clean, and that is why we NEVER obtain exactly the same sound.

Thanks to this behaviour, we can also colour the preamp in different ways according to what we are looking for. A classic example, to make the idea clear, would be a guitar amplifier whose texture we want to change. Simply lowering the input voltage by a few volts will cause all the components to behave differently, producing different timbres as the voltage is raised or lowered.

We were already doing this many years ago, and that is where, for me, the major difference between analogue and digital lies. Although developers take many of the parameters described above into account when modelling and programming the behaviour of a plugin, they cannot yet replicate the analogue universe with 100% accuracy. This is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage; they are simply different tools to be used in different ways. By contrast, in the digital world we can automate anything we want, as many times as we want and at a thousand different points throughout a song, without the timbre changing—whereas in the analogue world it does.

Classic preamps. Why does a  1970s or 1980s NEVE, to name just one example, remain a worldwide reference? What do these preamps bring to a recording?

We forget that, until fairly recently, there were very few manufacturers and brands to choose from. The brands that dominated the previous era in terms of popularity were Neve and SSL, well ahead of API, Helios, MCI, Harrison and others, not to mention older models. These great “monsters” have been praised and revered because they defined an era that, in my humble opinion, was the most colourful in terms of sound and, why not say it, musical styles as well. I mention this because people believe that owning this vintage equipment will automatically make them sound glorious, forgetting that the most important element WAS and STILL IS the sound source. In most cases, that source had already been “worked on” by the musician or artist, sometimes in close collaboration with the sound engineer. Take Hendrix and Kramer as an example—how many hours did they invest? Here is a simple, perhaps silly, example to explain what I mean:

Why did Page, Hendrix, Clapton, Jeff Beck and Van Halen, to name just a few, sound so different from one another while using practically the same instruments and amplifiers?....What made them different was the enormous number of hours they invested in distinguishing themselves from one another, using elements as basic as a simple guitar pick. We could offer thousands of explanations, but we do not have enough space to devote the necessary time to them. The conclusion is that the preamp is not as important as the sound source.

Once we invest in high-end preamps, can we use them for vocals, acoustic guitars and percussion? Or does each preamp have its own specialised role, as microphones do?

Some preamps will get us to the desired sound more quickly, others will require more work, and some simply will not add anything useful.

I believe that we should not become obsessed with models, brands and so on. We only need to remember—if this helps anyone—that in the past, consoles were what they were, and their 40, 60, 80 or more channels were “the same”. Those very channels were used to record and mix EVERY type of music: rock, folk, blues, country, big band and much more, yet they ALL sounded different. What was the mystery? NONE! Musicians were chosen according to the aims of the composer, arranger, musical director and sound engineer, as was the studio itself. Everything was based on two fundamental elements: SOUND and CONCEPT

The same applies to microphones: four brands and four models, rather than the excess we have today, where people drive themselves mad in search of the Holy Grail, believing that the secret of success lies in the preamp and the microphone. A major mistake!

Five leading preamp manufacturers worldwide?
The five leading manufacturers today, without becoming overly brand-obsessed, remain the same, followed by all the other imitators with varying degrees of success. Major brands such as SSL, Neve and Focusrite, among others, have increasingly moved towards more affordable products—often at the expense of quality—in order to survive in an era in which consumption and sales take precedence over products with spectacular specifications and finishes. Only a small number of such units would be sold, eventually threatening the manufacturer’s survival. With an unprecedented explosion of brands and models, the choice is now driven mainly by two factors: budget and the attitude of, “Look how cool it is—so-and-so has one too!”

Which ones, and why?

Which preamps do you have at DalaMIX, and why did you choose them? 

Here are some of the preamps we use at DalaMIX:

DalaMIX. We give our clients the option of using “old-school” preamps or, alternatively, modern preamps, depending on their needs. We always try to advise them, but we let them use their own ears to decide which option enriches their sound the most. With an interesting palette of products—preamps and microphones—we can tackle different projects according to each client’s requirements. What matters most to us is that they leave happy and do not feel disappointed.

There is currently a great deal of choice and competition, but we try to offer our experience while fostering a positive atmosphere, so that everyone involved can focus solely on making good music.

Conclusion

At ISP Música Magazine,  one of the qualities we most admire in the most knowledgeable people across different fields is their humility—something Dalama always conveys. From our own experience, the atmosphere created in the studio is also extremely important when it comes to bringing out the best in performers. A tense musician or artist will rarely deliver inspired takes and may even become blocked. When you work with an expert such as Dalama, who is also able to maintain that friendly “vibe”, and add the formidable equipment available in the studio—which he knows how to use to its full potential—the sessions are likely to produce something exceptional. All that remains is for the recording project, the ideas and the artist to be equally outstanding, and then… “let’s go get them—they are few and cowardly”.

Many thanks to Dalama for his time and for sharing his knowledge.