Systems and techniques for processing a signal associated with a microphone are presented. The system includes a microphone component and a preamplifier. The microphone component is contained in a housing. The preamplifier includes an input buffer that receives a signal generated by the microphone component. The input buffer also generates an output signal that comprises a direct current (DC) voltage offset in comparison to the signal, where the preamplifier controls a degree of the DC voltage offset based on a control signal.