• What is a Microphone Preamp?

• Vintage Neve 1073 vs. Vintech X73i Mic Pre Shootout

Incidentally, the recently released PSP InfiniStrip plugin comes with a total of five (5) different preamps which you can demo from the PSP website, http://www.pspaudioware.com/plugins/dyn...finistrip/.

But, I truly wonder if PIANOTEQ users are really making informed decisions or just going with what's in their guts.  Few if any have stated the rationales behind their now voting against the preamps.  Which honestly to me is telling in itself.  I’m getting the impression software users view preamps as just unclean and too dirty and filthy to sustain classical idioms to them probably best preserved by purely digital sounds.  No surprise now nobody wants any coloration applied to the music of Beethoven!

It appears no self respecting musician nor new user could ever have wanted even any wine with his dinner music, and really only prefers fast food served in a styrofoam tray next to a paper bag in which is a diet coke labeled sugar free.

When today’s music can go from chamber, to jazz, and to rock, and hip hop, I have myself to wonder if the young new breed of piano players, that often post to this digital forum, is one only wanting to place its selfish desire before music listeners, who could someday constitute its general audience.  Those which definitely like to hear music but are far from being the creative and talented artist you are still deserve to hear the best an industry has to offer!   Long before this digital age began, people listened to a large variety of famous piano pieces on the records they had collected.  Which they enjoyed immensely.  Which were recorded with microphone preamps. 

Only now the burgeoning artistic pianists who are also techno-savvy software end-users seemingly prefer playability over listenability.  (That’s seldom a forum topic.)

When I began to use PIANOTEQ v2.1 more than ten (10) years ago, it had no modeled mics, no perfect mics, no U87s, no C414s, and no single microphone clearly of any kind!  Currently PIANOTEQ v6.7 has no preamps (no perfect preamps and no modeled versions either).  Obviously, it has no preamps at all as of yet; it has none of any identifiable model per se.  Just as early versions had no mic, v6.7 has too no single preamp clearly of any kind!  Certainly, none is available right now within the software to make it sound somehow indistinguishable truly amongst familiar sounding piano recordings, those that are of the widely recorded wood bodied types. 

Although the sounds of which were recorded by physical microphones that connected to physical preamp hardware.  Which inside professional recording sessions in turn connected to desks.  Whether you like it or not, a preamp imparted a lot in those older recordings still enjoyed by listeners.  Matter-of-factly these recordings are the ones bought in droves by the many!

Since as PIANOTEQ admirably demonstrates, specific microphone brands and models can add various richly expressive colors to an otherwise bland piano digital recording —even an uncompressed format— to me preamps now also add something very special indeed.  You call it what you will; to me it is a listenable clue into a performer's own character.  A selection of preamps allows that when even the newest user as protégée piano performer can choose freely from among them.  That’s precisely because they like a blank canvas to which a painter applies his tapered brush might more than adequately convey the most colorful impression.  (Per any recording media a hardware preamp was no less than an extension of the music and instrument played and recorded by professionals.)

My initial comparisons posted previously include default settings only, because listeners were to hear very subtle differences from a preamp.  I have now provided an example of custom settings.  Which might allow you to get a better idea and lifelike representation (that is) of the actual character and personality of the live performer as likely (to my understanding) communicated even through the electronic impulses of a software or hardware transformer modeled inside the preamp:

https://soundcloud.com/user-75091580/i-...973-preamp
https://soundcloud.com/user-75091580/i-...973-preamp

One completely overlooked advantage of preamp uses that is before postproduction —as the name preamp implies— is by them you get to tone shape left, right, mid, and side microphone input separately.

Recently I've read several posts of users using elaborate loudspeaker schemes.  Configurable inputs which you can tone shape independently to your liking, might alleviate anything previous you had gotten with probably obtuse space consuming speaker arrangements and comfortably give greater individual control now by just two (2) speakers that are independent, especially, when they are truly tone and volume adjusted independent of each other.  Therefore within any possible space —regardless of its size and dimensions furnishing accoutrements— you're likely to get an highly customizable stereo image of this piano (that is) thereby in front of you via the two (speakers) tweaked apart from each other er equalized separately.

An example, perhaps two (2) is forthcoming!

Edit: well a lot changed including “imported” to “imparted” as I was maybe subconsciously thinking too much of the wine analogy, though California is my location.

Which are under appreciated.

I too went to a Utah campus; let me know your thoughts.  (Smile.)

Luc Henrion, a lot I’ve to digest.  You suggest possibly the mics were used without pres?  I note no mention at all of any, specifically.  You see I need to get all the dirt on the recordings, specifically on the equipments used to make them.

I have to disagree, dklein.  I am declining to take you up on your offer.  About which Volume presently serves as some sort of a preamp.  If anything comes remotely close to some resemblance in a preamp stage, it would be only the combination of Level, Reversed polarity, and Proximity effect compensation, in PIANOTEQ.  That might for each individual microphone act as a preamp (lack lustered) ahead of OUTPUT.

Certainly, users have been discouraged against any uses of sarcasm, so now I’m very serious!  Next is laughter.  Don’t resist.  Resistance is futile.

Thanks for the pointer towards that part of the optional FX chain inside PTQ.

All fun - cheers to you, Luc.

If I want something other than that, I'll use other existing tools. Just like the world of drums and perc audio tools, there's no shortage of tools and choices in the wild going back decades.

The idea seems the result of a blush of discovery - I'd recommend just enjoying the learning curve and keep discovering things - but to me there's no requirement or desire for a selection of pre-amps in Pianoteq.

BTW - the mics do have color/flavor/patina.. just not too strong.. any DAW and FX can add more if wanted.. and like Luc needs, Pianoteq also has already "perfect" or un-flavored mics too, in case new users don't yet know.

Always like to read Luc's posts since his type of clean classical piano recording is not in my experience - but I too like working from clean piano recordings, often applying production values as required. I have good understanding of how difficult it is to get a good real piano recorded.. which is why Pianoteq is so good for my purposes.

Therefore the idea is redundant or retrograde in essence, there's no need for specific pre-amp modelling in this context IMO.

Like the plugins in the samples, we can already levy any number of production tools for the effect (and more), yet I really like Pianoteq's Amp for this (just use low drive, low 1 or 2% mix then radically alter the amp's 3 tone sliders to decide on the color/flavor/patina you want.

My award for nifty-est idea in this thread goes to David for the word 'patina', it's pretty perfect

Probably should be said, that virtualization or hardware emulation in software is really not new - and Modartt's work has also been long in the works.. it makes sense maybe if Modartt eventually makes a business decision to enter the hardware emulation field maybe (entirely up to their business decision of course and I have no business telling them they're missing out.. they may be very happy to work on more pianos.. wouldn't be surprised if they were also just happy to happily retire too and would wish them the best and thank them for the brilliant piano tool we have right now - in all reality, it's as finished as I need).

I don't see much advantage to users in some pre-defined pre-amps for the mics.. let alone the fact that not many users get too deep into the mics as it is. If opening the mic panel is rare, then pre-amps is also a rare requirement, if not rarer.

I believe most users of Pianoteq use it for playing, and don't want normally an 'effected' post production type sound.. and those who do will have their own workflows for accomplishing this.

And again, do just try the "Amp" in the effects for this.

It may surprise even the crustiest of old audio geeks. I now have a few pre-saved "effects" racks in Pianoteq (in the effects panel, choose "save as" and all the effects you've altered are saved.. load this for any preset you change to.. and they translate very well across pianos and presets for my purposes (similarly nice to the way the samples show a subtle yet 'something' kind of way - and of course you can push it beyond and into experimental territory like many other Pianoteq tools).

And also again, if I want more, the DAW and a million plugins already exist for much more than just this.

That's in a nutshell how I see it.

anyway, i always appreciate these threads that discuss audio processing and present different options to help me get the holy grail sound in my own recordings.  i always learn a lot.  they're a great resource.

Well this voting was at 50% for and 50% against preamps.

If you voted already, please just allow others to cast their votes now, unless of course you’re wanting to change yours.

Man, sincerest apologies.

About the song rendition, it’s of a MIDI file I got somewhere.  At the other thread (Compare Pianoteq Recordings with and without Preamps) found are examples of other preamps and their default settings.  None of these exhibits my playing.

However, intended at this thread is definitely one more example at least that might demonstrate custom preamp settings and other plugin possibilities.  Soon I will post that.

In regards to your really getting the most possible out your listening to any of the already furnished audio examples, I’m recommending you now listen to them through some very high quality studio monitors or home stereo equipment loudspeakers.  That which might help you better appreciate truly the benefits of preamp usage in recordings.  Cheap gear along with headphones are possibly going to require additional audio recordings from a PIANOTEQ preset fully mastered beforehand or binaural mode examples.

Whether or not such gear is going to be useful on any test you conduct with the examples now provided, it is highly debatable since no binaural mode preset was chosen and poor speakers lack a flat frequency response and are therefore incapable of any accuracy necessary in frequency reproduction: of the specific frequencies given by the modeled preamps themselves.