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Gear / Technical Help => Battery Boxes, Preamps, Mixers, ADCs, and Processors => Topic started by: redbook on October 28, 2005, 06:50:26 PM
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As a good newbie I am, I always wondered if boosting the signal with a preamp is the same as boosting with software.
I mean, do I get exactly the same result adding, let's say +15db with an AD20 than adding +15db with SoundForge?
It's something like digital zoom vs optical zoom? lol
I always thought "hardware" amplification has to be better, otherwise nobody would carry preamps and simply would amplify the signal later.
Am I wrong?
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i forget the exact equation, but if you are recording at say -12 dB you are effectively only recording at 12 or 14 bits. so hardware is always better.
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Also, when you add +15dB of gain post production...you add +15dB to everything...including the noise floor of your pre/AD. If you got a noisy pre or AD, or if it has a tendency to brickwall at higher gain then you are better off adding gain in post production. It is a trade off if your gear is not quite up to scratch.
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for the record, digital zoom sucks. Optical zoom does not, thats why I paid many thousands of dollars for long lenses. Back to audio I have never, ever, not even once, been happy when adding a lot of gain post.
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ok thanks for your replies, better now :)
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Also, if you are recording quietly (and adding gain later), you are losing dynamic range (if you're recording something dynamic).