Support and discussion for all of Akai’s modern standalone MPCs including the MPC X / X SE, MPC Live 1, 2 & 3, MPC One / One+, MPC Key 37/61.
By JJN Sat Jan 14, 2023 2:46 pm
Hi, so I have a Live2 and an old school SH mic md421hl but even when I put rec and gain to max I get hardly some voice sampled. Volume very low. Should I buy a preamp like a Scarlett to get this old lady workin?
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By 83dude Sat Jan 14, 2023 5:54 pm
You‘ll need some preamp. Dynamic mics usually output about 0.5 mV, whereas the Live‘s (+4dBu) output expects 1.23 V, usually requiring 60 to 80 dB of amplification, which is a lot.

Hope that helped.
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By Telefunky Sat Jan 14, 2023 6:03 pm
The best interface/budget preamp you can buy is an Audient ID4. The preamp stage is identical to their 5-fig studio consoles.
It will work great on your MD421, I‘ve used it with a 441 (with the ID22).
By JJN Sun Jan 15, 2023 1:11 am
Thanks people, that makes sense. I’ll dive into the ID4. Just read some other great things about it. Cheers