Daking Mic Pres (8)

Mic pres are a somewhat hotly contested topic among engineers. I have much better things to do than argue about mic pres on online forums. There are lots of good ones in this range, I don't know if I can say one is dramatically better than the other. (though I'll admit, there are some which leave me feeling 'bleh'). In fact, if you actually listen to them, the difference between pres at the same price point/level is not as dramatic as the difference in mics/source/position/etc. Not that there aren't differences, but it's not as dramatic as online forums would have you think. It's almost like these folks have never actually used the gear they talk about and are just repeating what other people say in other forums. There are many pres I like in this range, but I settled on the Dakings. Great sound, supposedly modeled after the pres in the legendary Trident A range console, although I can't say because I've never even been in the same room as an A Range. But they do sound great, so works for me. Geoff is very attentive to his client base, and they are very durable, robust pieces. If I am not getting the tone I want, it is not the Daking's fault.

I have 4 of the Mic Pre Ones (standalone single channel units) and a Mic Pre IV, which is a 4 channel rack unit. They sound pretty much identical; same pre, the only real difference is that the Mic Pre IV has iron (transformers) on the output stage, where the Mic Pre One does not. The One has a direct output right from the pre, which I like to use for headphones/cueing when overdubbing vocals and whatnot.

NOTE: There are some folks who like to mix and match different pres on different sources in one recording. I am not in that camp. I prefer to find one I like, maybe 2 if need be, get as many as I can, and use that on everything. There is a logic behind this.

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