DACS MICAMP II Two Channel Microphone Amplifier

DACS MICAMP II Two Channel Microphone Amplifier

DACS Clarity MicAmp 2

A microphone becomes an integral part of the recorded signal if a microphone pre-amp is adding anything more than clean gain to the audio signal on its way from the microphone to the recording medium no matter what that extra is. That results on the next step is bad, this addition is very difficult to remove at a later stage. On the other hand, It is irretrievably lost if anything is subtracted from the audio signal along the same path. No amount of post-production knob-twiddling is capable to re-create the detail lost, or restore the dynamics flattened, by an inadequate mic pre.

So the best and ideal microphone amplifier to use should be professionally designed capable of making sure that neither of these types of signal degradation occurs. It should be:

• as low noise as possible, at whatever level of gain
• grain-free and allow the transmission of a literally high-fidelity signal, which is faithful to both the frequency and dynamic ranges of the source.

This ideal is thought by most to be very hard to achieve – but DACS make a way and talked to recording engineers; they said it’s what they really want, so rather than try to make a feature out of a failing (“it’s not muddy, it’s warm” etc) the lab boffins got to work and professionally developed a unique amplifier topology to provide it.

In addition to those necessary sonic features, it is also highly desirable for the mic preamp to have switched gain controls which should be designed for easy recall of settings, easy to read metering so that level decisions is capable to be made instantly, and both a phantom powered input for 48V mics and a non-powered input for ribbon mics, valve mics with their own power supply, and dynamics.

DACS Clarity MicAmp 2:

• 2 channel discrete-component-based microphone amplifier
• Ultra-low noise, ultra-low distortion circuitry
• Unmatched sonic realism: entirely true to the original source
• Switched gain settings from +20dB to +62dB (plenty to use with low-output ribbon mics) in 6dB steps, with a 0dB to +10dB trim control
• Both a Phantom Powered input and an input that bypasses the input capacitors and is coupled directly to the gain stage, for ribbon, valve and dynamic mics
• Flat frequency response from below 20Hz to above 48kHz
• Three-segment LED display with PPM ballistics and a bright overload LED for clear metering

The Clarity MicAmp 2, or known also as DACS MICAMP II, is capable of producing an extraordinarily clear, detailed, and dynamic sound for recording everything from naturalistic voice and acoustic instruments to high-energy percussion overheads (when utilising the robust input stage and optional in line pad).