ABSTRACT
Microphone preamplifiers are an integral part of any tracking session. The mic pres job is to amplify low-level microphone signals as transparently as possible, but this has not stopped recording engineers from coaxing out coloration from these devices. The recordings sounded great on the SSL at House of Blues: it had just the right amount of grit, along with clarity. A typical working procedure is to use a colored console during tracking. A common choice for this work is a vintage Neve console for tracking and a less-colored console with sophisticated automation, such as an SSL, for mixing. “Coloration” occurs when audio equipment alters features of the original program material, including changes in the frequency response, dynamic envelope, and harmonic content, through the addition of harmonic components, a process which is more commonly called “distortion”. Alongside Dynamic range compression processors, equalizers are also employed during tracking to sculpt the audio material’s frequency content.
