So, I just purchased an SP-PREAMP-11 (
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/item/SP-PREAMP-11) and have been trying it out with my Edirol R-09HR. So far, I have been much less than impressed with my purchase. To my ears, the SP-PREAMP-11 seems to produce more noise than the R-09HR's mic-in preamp. ... I started by recording a straight tone with the preamp connected to the line-in, with the gain set at "low" (22gb). With the recording level at about 55, my levels were just hitting the -20dB mark. ... So, then I tried my old SP battery box connected to mic-in, and at a recording level of 45, everything was hitting the same mark (right at -20dB). I then Normalized both files to 50% just so that I could hear the noise levels a little better, and the preamp/line-in combination seemed to produce more noise. ... Am I testing this correctly?
Also, when I use the Preamp, is the "low" (22gb) gain setting actually increasing the self-noise of my mics (SP-CMC-8s)? ... And is it better to use a preamp > line in than it is to go battery-box > mic in and then adjust the recording levels? I've heard that adjusting the "gain" of the signal by adjusting the recording levels is a poor way to control the signal. ... Is that correct?
Thanks!