I know that they'll be outdated but I still need to learn some point on how they work and the equipment needed.
I know that they'll be outdated but I still need to learn some point on how they work and the equipment needed.
There's nothing that you're going to learn with an external sound card that you're not going to learn with the internal sound card you already have. It's the same thing. One is outside of your computer and one is inside. Trust me... Save your money. Work with what you have until you've gotten 100% out of it. And honestly, for most people, that's never. If you don't need more equipment or better equipment until you hit a brick wall where your current equipment just won't do what you're trying to do.
True, just tell me what a preamp is used for.
Every mic needs a preamp. Your USB mic has one built in. A raw mic signal is an extremely low, inaudible signal which is about -50dB. It's called a mic level signal. You can google mic level signal for more info on that. This signal has to be boosted to an audible signal called a line level signal (You can google that too). This is the signal you're used to listening to thru your speakers. The preamp amplifies the mic signal from mic level to line level. When recording, the signal should be between -20 and -10dB.Originally Posted by Lil. D
So it's like this
Phantom mic > Interface > Preamp > computer?
No.
1. There's no such thing as a phantom mic. It's called a condenser mic. Condenser mics need phantom power supplied to them in order to work. You can Google mic types, condenser mics, and phantom power to understand these concepts.
2. A recording interface is a combination of inputs and outputs, including preamps, that acts as an A/D/A converter for the computer to access these I/Os thru connections like USB, FireWire, and pretty soon Thunderbolt. So when recording with an interface, the signals goes like this:
mic > interface analog to digital converter > interface preamp > USB or FireWire cable > PC
And on playback it goes:
PC > USB or FireWire cable > interface digital to analog converter > interface speaker amp > speaker or headphone cable > speakers or headphones
In your case, everything for recording is built into the mic. So it goes like this:
mic condenser > mic analog to digital converter > mic preamp > USB cable > PC
And your playback looks like this:
PC hard drive > PC sound card speaker amp > PC sound card digital to analog converter > speaker or headphone cable > speakers or headphones
Don't buy either of the interfaces He posted. I have the AT2020 XLR version, and I use it with a mixer. I want to get a preamp as well, but that's in due time. You would be just fine with the USB mic. Also, you don't need an interface, you could get a Phantom Power Supply with a Hi to Low impedence adapter(I did this when I first started out) or you can get a preamp and still use the same adapter. You could also get a cheap 2 channel and use y audio cables (RCA red and white audio in and out to a mic jack plugin) to hook up to your computer. You could also get a USB interface, or preamp. You have a lot of options. I would say stick with the USB mic until you get comfortable with recording and good at mixing, then upgrade!
So dont buy an interface, buy a mixer? I doubt you have the need for a mixer...
why mess about with phantom power units and mixers....The two interface i posted were in reply to the guy wanted an interface...Focusrite interfaces are pretty good at that price point, i would expect either to be better than a usb mic (more so the firewire one) I have used a couple of usb mics and they were horrid (at2020 and behringer c1u) I had a much cleaner sound with a c1 mic and a m audio fastrack. That said I would agree with getting a good usb mic (whichever they are?) if you want a quick solution and have no plans to upgrade. Otherwise i would suggest a good quality interface with clean conversion that can be used as a standalone unit. Preamp and mics upgrades will probably last most people a lifetime, just get a solid base to upgrade from. A cheap mixer will be as disposable as a usb mic very soon. Ideally id stump up the cash and go with something like an RME.
It depends on the individual if you want to record over mp3s for mixtapes then a usb mic may be all you ever need, me personally im more into the engineering side of stuff so i want clean. The usb mics i used were horrid especially when stacking vocals, that goes for cheap xlr condensers too.
Do what your budget and needs allow. im the type to never be happy with the sound and always want to upgrade, so imo give yourself a good starting point with a good interface. Conversion would be the last thing to upgrade so get a good unit now and dont worry about it for a long fucking time.
Also factor in a usb mic is basically an all in one package, so a 60 quid at2020 xlr condenser should give a better sound than a 100 quid usb version with preamp and A/D built in, and the conversion in onboard sound cards cost pennies to make.
simple maths
Last edited by Big Question; April 29th, 2011 at 07:53 AM
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Pretty much. Only reason I recommend a USB mic to a beginner is because there are going to be a multitude of factors that hinder the persons quality for a long time that an equipment upgrade won't solve. Plus, it's a lot better for most people to discover they suck at something after paying $100 instead of $400+.
Also, a standalone phantom power supply is noisy and designed more for live use just like guitar stomp boxes.
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