preamp

Focusrite has upgraded the preamps on the Scarlett line for its third generation with all-new “Air” settings that aim to recreate the rich, open high-frequency response of the company’s standalone ISA preamps.

USB microphones house a traditional microphone and add a built-in preamp and analog-to-digital converter, which means they can plug directly into a computer or mobile device.

With hundreds of options out there, choices range from the most basic boxes to full-featured interfaces with built-in mixing features and studio-quality microphone preamps.

Not all vocal microphones are portable and most require some form of external preamp and recording interface to function on the go.