Recording

J

JamesL

Gawd
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
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I don't need anything at the professional level, but I want to get something other than my webcam-mic to record some stuff for you know.. just tinkering with, sharing with friends, etc

Cellist, so no vocals.

I looked around, and I'm pretty clueless in this area, so any push in a general direction would help

Also, what kind of connectors do mic's generally use? 1/4"? I can connect it straight to my mic-in, so long as my computer has a ADC, right?

If it matters, I'll be building a capable desktop, getting good headphones(+amp), and either a soundcard or external-dac as soon as I come back from the break.
The recording stuff is just a side-thing to keep me occupied in times of boredom.
Price range - decent quality for as cheap as possible.. under $50 preferably.

Thanks~
 
JamesL said:
The recording stuff is just a side-thing to keep me occupied in times of boredom. Price range - decent quality for as cheap as possible.. under $50 preferably.
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That's pretty low. Check out Blue's Snowball. This is realistically the absolute cheapest I would go, and there's no real configuration or experience required to get started.

If you want to go with some of Hurdler's recommendations, then grab Shure's SM57 in place of the SM58 and try and go with the Lexicon's Lambda rather than M-Audio's FastTrack.
 
mm.. $8.. and $350.. that's quite a big gap.



what exactly does the recording interface do?
I was thinking of purchasing a Juli@ for my headphones as well.. what would that do for recording?


As I said.. this is just to fill in spare time, when I have it. I mostly want to just be able to hear myself so I know what to improve on. I'm not going to be distributing anything, except maybe a copy to my grandparents, who've never heard me play.

I'd use a video cam if I had one, but I don't.. but my webcam mic just doesn't cut it for me.. and I'm not sure the logitech one would do me much better.
 
The recording interface will convert a microphone (or instrument) into a USB signal that the computer can work with. If you are looking for quality recordings, then I would go with one. I have no experience with the Snowball, so I can't say anything about the quality of it.

As to what Phide said, I agree with his suggestions. The SM57 is more for instruments, while the SM58 is more for vocals, which is what the OP in the other thread was looking for.

Also, when you get into high end recording, $350 won't even get you a mic anymore :eek:. It might get you a couple of your cables though!
 
Hurdler said:
The recording interface will convert a microphone (or instrument) into a USB signal that the computer can work with. If you are looking for quality recordings, then I would go with one.
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Can't the adc on the esi Juli@ do a decent job of it? Like I said, I don't need good sound quality, so long as I can recognize the more obvious dynamics, intonation, and of course rhythm.

As to what Phide said, I agree with his suggestions. The SM57 is more for instruments, while the SM58 is more for vocals, which is what the OP in the other thread was looking for.
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Mm.. I heard condenser mic's are better suited for instrumentals. Would I want a wide diaphragm for better bass recognition?

Also, when you get into high end recording, $350 won't even get you a mic anymore :eek:. It might get you a couple of your cables though!
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that's cool, but I've had tape recorders, and know soccer mom's handycam's that cut the job for me, except I thought I'd get better sound by just getting a dedicated mic, instead of maybe one that's built into a portable handycam. Am I wrong?
 
If you want a quality condensor mic for not a whole lot of money, I'd recommend the Marshall MXL V57M. I use one at home for some basic recording and believe it does a good job with both vocals and instruments. I bought mine a while back with the shockmount for just over $50.

(PS I'm not sure how familiar you are with mics but this one will require that you have XLR inputs and a phantom power source in order to use it.)
 
JamesL said:
Can't the adc on the esi Juli@ do a decent job of it? Like I said, I don't need good sound quality, so long as I can recognize the more obvious dynamics, intonation, and of course rhythm.


Mm.. I heard condenser mic's are better suited for instrumentals. Would I want a wide diaphragm for better bass recognition?



that's cool, but I've had tape recorders, and know soccer mom's handycam's that cut the job for me, except I thought I'd get better sound by just getting a dedicated mic, instead of maybe one that's built into a portable handycam. Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

For the price that you're looking at (cheap) the SM57 would be as good a choice as any. Once you get into higher end stuff then condenser would be the way to go though. I'm not aware of any low end condenser mics that are worth the money though.

And no, the esi Juli@ isn't going to convert a mic signal into a usable signal. If you really don't want to spend the money, then that $8 logitech mic will suit you fine for messing around. If you're looking for a very competent, highly upgradeable entry level system, then you're going to have to spend about the $350 that I listed.

Others have mentioned the USB mics, as I mentioned earlier, I have no experience with those, but I'd imagine that they'd be better than the logitech.
 
JamesL said:
Mm.. I heard condenser mic's are better suited for instrumentals. Would I want a wide diaphragm for better bass recognition?
Click to expand...
The Snowball is a dual-capsule condenser with selectable cardioid or omni patterns, but its sensitivity is more typical of moving coil dynamics. Sonically, there are few differences between a typical $100 dynamic and a typical $100 condenser, and the SM57 is a proven benchmark in the sub-$100 dynamic market (probably the best moving coil dynamic under $200, actually). Tough as nails, too.

The Snowball's been reviewed by good rags plenty, so check those out before you buy anything.
 
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