15 Pre-amps Mics put out signals which are amplified at the input of the mixer using a circuit called a 'mic pre-amp'.
This brings them up to a healthy level before they go to the recording device.
Initially, you'll probably do this using the pre-amps built into your mixer or soundcard.
However, due to their cost, mic pre-amps on some cheaper mixers are severely limited in quality and to include high quality ones in the desk would increase the price hugely.
Also, the quality of a mic pre-amp in a soundcard can be limited because mic level signals can be subject to electrical interference from other components in the computer.
This can limit the quality of your recordings because a poor quality mic pre-amp can make even the wickedest mic sound wack.
For this reason, there are loads of stand-alone boxes on the market which offer a single, high quality pre-amp which you can use instead of the ones in your desk or soundcard.
The box will put out a line level signal which you plug straight into your recording device.
Many offer compression, EQ and a gate for processing the sound before it's recorded.
You can pick up signal processors like this for as little as £100.
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