Channel Strips & Preamps

Even if you do most of your audio mixing and recording in a digital audio workstation (DAW), you still need to invest in select audio components like channel strips and preamps.

What Are Channel Strips and Preamps Used For?

Audio channel strips and preamps are both important components in sound engineering. They prepare an audio signal from a source, like an instrument or a microphone, for recording or live broadcasting.

Channel Strips 

Channel strips are arranged in either a vertical or horizontal format with the audio signal flowing from one end to the other. The signal passes from a source input like an XLR jack through a series of controls including, gain, equalizer, high pass filters, effects knobs, pan knobs, mute controls, and a fader knob before culminating in an output port. 

By adjusting each of these knobs and controls, you can fine-tune the signal as it passes through the channel strip to achieve your preferred sound.

Preamps

A preamp is a component that takes a line-level sound signal and boosts it. Once you boost it, you can send the signal on for more processing in the channel strip or directly transmit it to an amplifier.

Audio channel strips traditionally include a preamp component, but preamps and channel strips aren’t the same thing.

Number of Channels

Channel mixers come in a few different sizes depending on how many separate signals you need to work with. Mono or single channel strips can only accept one signal, so they’re commonly used for a microphone or single instrument input.

If you want to adjust multiple input signals, you can either use several single channel strips installed in a rack, or select an audio channel strip containing multiple channel inputs. The more channels you have, the more individual signals you can adjust and control.

Inputs

XLR is among the most commonly used audio inputs, but you can also choose a channel strip with ¼-inch, ?-inch, ethernet, RCA, or other input ports.

Quality is Crucial for Channel Strips and Preamps

Whether you do most of your audio engineering digitally or you prefer to work analog, it’s important to choose the highest quality components possible. By selecting professional-grade gear from brands like Behringer, Whirlwind, and Millennia, you can avoid interference, hums, and signal loss in your next piece of audio.