I am willing to spend betwween $600-$800 on a mic pre, does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should get.I want at least 4 channels, and I am recording rock and roll music of course.

thanks, all your wisdom was very helpful but what if my mixer doesn't have phantom power, is there any way I can externally get phantom power.

If I don't use a preamp and I just run the mics through a mixer and then into the recorder, how will it affect the outcome of my recording. If I do buy a preamp what would you reccomend for someone who is on a tight budget.

This may seem like a silly question.If I am using a preamp do I still need to run it through my mixer before going into my recorder or can I go straight from the preamp into the recorder.