buying a mic
 

Help me out.

I wanna pay less than 100 USD. A plug n play would be ideal. Don't want to also buy an interface.

I'm overwhelmed at my options and some guidance would be appriciated.

define "mic"

for podcasting? guitar? drums? vocals? phone calls?

what do you want to record?

what kind of instruments/stuff would you record with it?

ha ha man pause time for everyone eh ;)

ha ha yes-- rendering

Fidelity and where it's going to be plugged into are the other questions - if you don't care and just want a general use mic, you can probably pick up the second-cheapest one and it'll do the job you want. What do you mean by 'don't want to buy an interface'?

I'm just tired of hiss showing up in all the music recordings I make on my computer, vocal tracks or other.

Is a headphone jack imput better than USB, or vice versa?

I just want to pull something out of the box, plug it into my computer, and not have a hissy recording.

no hissy fits eh? ha ha. that's the job of a good preamp. the preamp brings the mic level to line level and sucky ones will add noise. which is why you want a good interface (or mixer).

the input is going to be a line or mic input in your computer. the headphone is OUT. some holes go both ways though, in some machines.

pluggin a mic to a mic input should be okay (though your audio card likely sucks), plugging a mic to a line-in will require amplification that usually can be done by the computer if you tell it you've got a mic in line-in (same case as above), so it would be best if you had preamps.

this is an unfinished answer cuz i have no more time but for $100 you could probably buy a used zoom recorder and use the onboard mics instead of recording to computer.

if you're unhappy with my answer, pray for the return of terminal pharmacy to this shithole of a board.

^ this (especially the Terminal Pharmacy comment... or even Hevusa, moron that he is)

A big part of the reason I don't record myself is because of the masses of complexities in the chain. Mic>cable>mixer>usb>computer or mic>cable>computer all have elements that could be causing hiss. I'm not suggesting audiophile-grade stuff, but unfortunately it's difficult to know where in the chain the hiss is coming from. Could be how the software renders things, could be at the 'in' stage. I'd wager it's the soundcard, but it could be iffy USB port or anything else in the chain I'm thinking that the mic itself won't be the problem - you can get 'hissless' recordings with (shit) laptop mics (not recommended as those speakers aren't adequate for anything).

Best bet - find a mate who knows what they're doing, and ask them. Or PM Terminal Pharmacy, he may lurk still (he was not that long ago...)

Just buy a shure sm58 for vocals. Make sure you know which you are recording first.

http://www.shure.com/americas/produc...cal-microphone

no man, no. that's a dynamic mic with xlr connectors. dynamic is great for the stage and it needs to run on xlr cables but it's not a studio mic (unless, i think, for drums). still needs a preamp, so even if he gets an xlr to miniplug adapter cable he ends up with the same problem he began with-- a shitty preamp adding noise. shure makes an xlr to usb adapter but that's more $$.

at this point i'd recommend either of 2 things for his budget:

1) a zoom recorder. easy to use and does a great job for the money.

2) a podcasting type mic that's specced for plugging directly into the computer, either through line-in or usb.

i'd go for the zoom recorder because in time it could be part of a larger recording setup. it has its own stereo mics to start but also has a couple of xlr connectors (with preamps and phantom power) for adding mics or connecting a mixer-- it can potentially get complicated like this:

mics->preamps->mixer->recorder->import to software

but you can start with the device itself.

i was recording room audio on a zoom recorder the other day and it was pretty good sound, considering-- no hiss, nothing.

You'll get what you pay for - why not just process out the hiss with audacity or something?

budget noise reduction makes audio sound like shit

ps you could get started with the zoom h1 ($90 on amazon) but it doesn't have xlr inputs:

http://www.samsontech.com/zoom/produ...-recorders/h1/

it does have miniplug mic in and stereo line in though. so you can expand a bit.

i use the h4n and it's pretty fucking great with and without mics---and with a field mixer it's fucking brilliant for video because the mixer provides good preamps, limiters, monitoring, etc (not the same as a studio mixer tho).

Shure SM57's are the best and works for almost everything.

those are stage mics. but i guess if you just want 1 mic for vocals the 58 would be it (has pop filter), but i think hooking up to computer with a miniplug adapter would still be fucked in the end.

i just bought a samson g track this week..
it has a built in interface that doesn't require a mixer or additional soundcard..
hook it to the USB port and you're good to go..
it also has a "line in" - allowing you to record an instrument along with vocals..

the amazondotcom user comments are impressive, if you want to check them out...

the price should be in the 100 USD range.. (taxes kill me over here, i ended up paying 200+ USD)

have fun.

That sampson looks sweet.

I've been checking out other boards and sources of info. Don't worry. No one else seems to have any clue, either.

Giving a shrugging "What the fuck?" I plopped down some cash for this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details . Just as hissy as the mic that came free with the computer.

Because I get lousy sound on three different computers, I'm not sure it's the sound card, unless all 3 computers suck. I guess that's possible.

My only hesitation in getting the ZOOM is I can't figure out if/how it can be used as a live mic. Or will I have to record a few tracks on that and then dump them to Audacity or whatever?

Anyway, all this is bullshit. Soundcloud, Bandcamp, even Myspace is LOADED with idiot kids who've seemed to have figured all this out. I feel like there's this really cool party I am welcome to join if only I could find the fucking directions, and no one I ask for assistance can do better than, "I think it's down that road."

It's not really bullshit - plenty of people in this thread have said 'it could be anywhere on the chain', plenty of people have said there isn't a simple answer. Talk to someone whose recordings you like. Do you not know anyone who home records? The reason I don't home record is because the problems you're having are deeply irritating and I can't be fucked with sorting them out. I do most of my recordings on a 'you do this, I'll do this for you' basis, which usually works out that I agree to play violin on something in exchange for them sticking their expensive and well thought-out gear in front of me for an afternoon.

Talking to people has been (part of) the problem. I've sought information from various sources and I've ended up with conflicting opinions and extremely expensive answers.

Man, back in the day I was a four-track cassette wizard. Now I'm a digital dope. Humbling.

talking to people is only a problem if you don't understand what you're doing.

back in the days of the reel tape there were also dynamic and condenser mics, there was mic level and line level, there were mic preamps, and balanced lines and what not.

if you don't know then maybe read this:

http://artsites.ucsc.edu/EMS/music/t...eces_20.html#V.

and this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance...#Audio_systems

http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/12238

if you already knew that then what you're missing i suppose is how to translate the analog signal to digital-- audio resolution, formats and what not. 22 or 44 or 48 or 96khz, 16 or 24 bit, wav/aiff, etc. then read wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio

to record your audio signal digitally: you can do that with a computer or you can do that with a dedicated recorder. i personally prefer the recorder because a) it's cheap, b) it's fan-free and silent, c) it's lightweight, d) it doesn't go to sleep, launch alarms, get spammed, etc. e) it's already got decent microphones for simple recording. i also use protools+computer+hard drives for some things every now and then but it's a more complicated situation and not everybody likes protools and it's fucking expensive anyway and i hate that.

in your case, think of the portable recorder as you cassette recorder-- same shit, different medium. except that you get only 2 tracks at this price point instead of 4, and you get a couple of onboard mics.

btw, those tascam recorders hypertonic posted look great. they start at $99.

now you gotta do your homework and pick one ffks8x

I've done it very sparingly and carefully and it worked ok.

No one is going to listen to your stuff (not just your stuff personally, but most stuff in general not celebrity-linked) for more than 5 seconds anyway and it will be on MP3 so why even get so concerned about your home work?

The same reason complete strangers rarely sniff your bollocks, yet you still shower every now and then.

is it a hiss or is it a hum? these are very different things.

hypertonic was 100% correct. the sm58 and sm57 micrphone capsules are exactly the same, the only difference in the two mics is the shape of the body and the popshield. except for the whole 58 is a stage mic etc. everymic is a stage or studio mic, they are what the are and you can use them how you please.

Your hiss may just be speaker hiss which is slightly accentuated by the mic hiss, it may not be as bad as you think. have you tried playing you stuff back on different speaker systems.

what software are you using? software can be noisy.

if you have any behringer gear in your signal chain that won't help either, some of their gear is usuable for for recording but alot isnt.

usb microphones can be very noisy too and i understand your budget considerations, but in my experience saving that little bit longer for the better gear is very very well worth the wait and you don't end up buying the cheap thing twice.

the usb microphones can be noisy because they have to fit the analog to digital converter inside of the microphone as well as all of the regular microphone circuitry.

a little known brand of microphones mostly because they are russian are octava. they make some great microphones and the housings are beautifully machined and they are generally solid mics. ive recently been out far northern australia recording wildlife with a combination of sennheiser and octava mircophones. octava do a usb mic too

http://recordinghacks.com/microphones/Oktava/MK-012-USB

i would tend to stick away from the likes of behringer, samson etc but if you are in a hurry to record then there is no harm in buying these microphones.

people will always tell you to buy the best and i am one of those people too but with budgets in mind, maybe extend your $100 to $150-200 dollars.

your computer maybe part of the reason for the noise too. depending on where the usb is running on the circuit board in relation to the other things such as fan, power etc this is get inductive noise from the board. so it isn't necessarily the quality of the mic you are currently using.



when all else fails go for the known brands even if they are a little more expensive and in some cases not so expensive.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Condenser.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ro phone.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...icrophone.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2u_XLR_to.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2u_XLR_to.html

if you have any questions feel free to message me and ill try my best to answer within your budget.

good to see some of the old boys are still here

yes im talking about you glice and #$%&^%$#

The problem is hiss, a gentle ocean of it which is particularly noticable on vocal tracks. I'm no audiophile, but the sound is unacceptable. If I can't stand it, I shouldn't push the generosity of anyone generous enough to give my stuff a listen (or to give my ass a sniff).

Well, last night I got to toy around with a ZOOM H1. The playback sounded great to my ears, so I returned the mic I just bought and put in an order for the ZOOM. I have such fond memories of using the TASCAM 424 cassette four-track, but I decided to forgo brand loyalty in getting a tascam digital recorder and instead get something I had just witnessed working fine.

I guess I'll record track by track, dumping and synching the results. ? Pain in the ass, but as convinient as I'll get for the results I want.

This thread has ended up containing some good info, though, and should come in handy for when I have more $$.

I use a £5 computer mic to record all of my music and never get a hiss or hum. Perhaps it may be due to using adobe audition though.

what did you just call me?!?

ha ha-- great to see you back here man. i hope everything is great.

i should PM you about some noise reduction nightmares i'm having. when you have time.

i have plenty of time at the moment it is season of the dead until the summer festivals start hitting in january

OH HELL YES.

thanks man. PM to follow.

its not because you use audition. i listened to some of your tracks, really nice stuff i like. you have a good signal to noise ratio to any hiss hum will be masked because you have a good solid signal going in. this is generally referred to as noise floor and you are way above the noise floor with your signal so the noise is at a level that is very very minimal.

got this in an email from b&h today

i know it's not for everyone but looks like a cool portable setup for podcasts etc.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/indepth/...icrophone-ipad

i have this http://www.ikmultimedia.com/irig/features/ and it works great. i used it quite alot on tour.