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I need a solid mic for voice over recording, so ideally something that has minimal coloration, or at most a bit of a presence boost in the highs. I've got a budget just shy of $700, and I was looking at the Mojave Audio MA-201fet, but I've never dealt with Mojave mics. I feel like I can't really go wrong with a Royer design, but does anybody have any experience with the brand?
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Nov 14, 2014 19:27
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My weird little guitar trio is going to be doing an all-electric album (we're normally a classical guitar trio), and we're working on our DI set-up. Our ideal plan is to be able to record DI, while also having our signal split to go into our effects and amps, so that we can really perform/monitor the pieces the way we normally play them. The first idea was just to split it with an ABY box and have one signal sent to our Apogee Quartet and the other to our effects/amps. We don't have ABY boxes, so I was asking about the "best" ones for this purpose, and someone had a keen idea - just go DI and then use the outs on the Quartet to send our guitar signal to our effects/amps. This seems like a really elegant solution, but is it possible? I don't yet have my hands on the Quartet, and I've never used one, so I am not sure. If it is possible, it will save us a bit of money on AB boxes that we don't REALLY otherwise need, but at the same time, we are willing to pony up if it's just the best solution.
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Nov 18, 2014 08:04
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firebad57 posted:My weird little guitar trio is going to be doing an all-electric album (we're normally a classical guitar trio), and we're working on our DI set-up. Our ideal plan is to be able to record DI, while also having our signal split to go into our effects and amps, so that we can really perform/monitor the pieces the way we normally play them. Most DIs will have THRU outputs that will go to your amps, you can send the DI signal to the Quartet and run through to the amps without AB boxes or ITB routing or anything.
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Nov 18, 2014 08:30
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I ended up finding a used DBX 166XL and it's great. The 166Xl doesn't exactly have as much as a range as software compressors do but it's a great piece of gear for helping to dampen tone & volume. Gate/Compressor combo is amazing to have, essential almost.
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Nov 18, 2014 08:39
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Is it possible to produce a quality demo on the OP-1? http://www.teenageengineering.com/products/op-1 By quality I mean including vocals, drum track, synth, bass, etc. Been hoping there's a physical device (non-DAW) that allows you to do "everything".
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Nov 25, 2014 08:56
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Faster posted:Is it possible to produce a quality demo on the OP-1? http://www.teenageengineering.com/products/op-1 I assume maaaaaybe, you'd have to sample your vocals and anything else that wasn't synth or drum machine, but theoretically yes, in an absurdly limited sense. You could also do this on a smartphone but I guess the question is would you want to?
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Nov 25, 2014 17:15
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Faster posted:Is it possible to produce a quality demo on the OP-1? http://www.teenageengineering.com/products/op-1 You might be better of looking at a proper keyboard workstation in that capacity.
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Nov 25, 2014 18:44
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I just picked up an mpk49 for at home, usually just use addictive keys as a synth and that works ok I guess, the midi protocol is pretty drat annoying but whatever. Anyways would it be worth bringin this to the jam space for sending midi to my Yamaha psr? According to the yamahha manual it is GM1 compliant and external midi gives access to more effects etc. so I am hopin to kinda use it for effect expression and maybe changing banks. Basically just tryna decide if it's worth sitting in front of the ADHD authored midi spec for the Yamaha. Can I send sysex messages from the mpk? Also if anyone's got a good quick setup for a simple "turn on keyboard, play/practice some stuff, maybe record some looped backing tracks to work on progressions"? Haha I generally use FL or Cubase but loading those up with no real purpose other than makin noise is a little bit of a pain in the rear end with the mpks seemingly not great Windows performance. Im thinking some super minimal way of losing a vst/tracking some midi. E: basically I am trying to eliminate all the interaction a full DAW requires when I just wanna sit down and play for a bit. Tetramin fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Nov 26, 2014 |
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Nov 26, 2014 01:31
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One thing you could do is to have FL open at all times, it shouldn't tax too much on your computer if it is anywhere near decent and would provide almost endless possibility to just sit down, play something and just stop whenever you're bored. I suppose one problem would be ASIO not allowing you to play any sounds while it is active, HOWEVER I just tried to play something in FL and I still were able to listen to some stuff on spotify so... Hopefully it wont be an issue? 
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Nov 26, 2014 02:37
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Yeah i think it's mostly asio giving me a headache with that poo poo. But yeah i suppose I'll just get a fl template set up perfectly how I want and hopefully be all good for the future. Thanks m8
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Nov 26, 2014 02:42
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Anyone have experience with Monoprice microphones? I'm especially interested in the Lollipop Condensor (http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=115&cp_id=11502&cs_id=1150201&p_id=600850&seq=1&format=2), but I'd love to hear from someone who has actually used one. For $350 there are lots of good options. I've had good luck buying computer accessories from Monoprice, but haven't tried any of their audio gear.
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Dec 11, 2014 22:40
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J Hume posted:Anyone have experience with Monoprice microphones? I'm especially interested in the Lollipop Condensor (http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=115&cp_id=11502&cs_id=1150201&p_id=600850&seq=1&format=2), but I'd love to hear from someone who has actually used one. For $350 there are lots of good options. I've had good luck buying computer accessories from Monoprice, but haven't tried any of their audio gear. Monoprice buys components from factories that supply major manufacturers and rehouses them then sells them at much lower prices. Chances are that same capsule is in a $800 mic. That isn't to say that the capsule is the only thing that effects the sound of a mic. But no I haven't tried one of them, and $350 isn't exactly a pittance. For $350 you could probably find a CAD Equitek e100s which is a CRAZY good mic for the money.
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Dec 12, 2014 02:32
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strangemusic posted:I have to give major love to putting LDCs in front of a kick (NEVER INSIDE!) Pussy. There are plenty of LDCs that you can put right up on that kick beater and have at it. KSM32 comes to mind.
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Dec 18, 2014 01:38
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Mic talk: I'm a videographer and most of the time, for interviews at least, I set up a directional mic, center it and aim it directly at a person's mouth. I just purchased my first condenser mic (An AT2020) and with my current home-studio setup, it's most comfortable to place it about three inches left of my monitor, angled toward me, for doing dubbing/narration related tasks. I've had it for about 4 hours and I've recorded some tests, it does sound good, but intuition would say that I would hear myself more in my left channel than I do in my right. This doesn't seem to be the case and barring lovely headphones, I think I sound pretty even. Am I wrong? Do I suck? Tell me what to do, please.
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Dec 18, 2014 03:45
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Dorkopotamis posted:Mic talk: The microphone's placement wouldn't have any effect on where it's represented in the stereo field, since the mic is outputting a mono signal, not a stereo one.
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Dec 18, 2014 03:51
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Would there be a benefit to running the signal from a digi piano through an amp and then into the interface, as opposed to direct from the keyboard to the interface? Just a bass amp w/o any fx
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Dec 18, 2014 04:57
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I'm trying to make a last minute decision on a Christmas present for my fiancee. She sang in high school first in theater, with a bit of training from a voice coach, and has mentioned to me multiple times she wishes she could get more into music. We have a few friends who have some decent talent with a few different instruments, so I'm considering starter home recording packages. Since nobody has much experience recording any forms of music in the group, I'm trying to find a basic recording set. I found http://www.musiciansfriend.com/recording-packages/focusrite-scarlett-solo-studio-pack, and the advertisements make it look appealing (Seems easy to operate, USB interface, but I'm not sure about recording software currently). As somebody with pretty much no experience here and mostly reading the OP and doing some basic research online, does anyone have suggestions for me?
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Dec 20, 2014 17:42
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CCrew posted:I'm trying to make a last minute decision on a Christmas present for my fiancee. She sang in high school first in theater, with a bit of training from a voice coach, and has mentioned to me multiple times she wishes she could get more into music. We have a few friends who have some decent talent with a few different instruments, so I'm considering starter home recording packages. Since nobody has much experience recording any forms of music in the group, I'm trying to find a basic recording set. I found http://www.musiciansfriend.com/recording-packages/focusrite-scarlett-solo-studio-pack, and the advertisements make it look appealing (Seems easy to operate, USB interface, but I'm not sure about recording software currently). As somebody with pretty much no experience here and mostly reading the OP and doing some basic research online, does anyone have suggestions for me? I've only heard good stuff about Focusrite (and I've got a few friends who use similar interfaces), can't say a lot about the mic but I would assume it is a decent enough one for a starter, she can always get a microphone that suits her voice better in the future. I'd say go for it, thats a very nice present for sure
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Dec 20, 2014 18:03
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Ricky Bad Posts posted:Would there be a benefit to running the signal from a digi piano through an amp and then into the interface, as opposed to direct from the keyboard to the interface? Just a bass amp w/o any fx Even with a flat EQ you'll get whatever frequency curve your mic has, plus you'll get the added benefit of moving air vs. the direct signal. What I would do is record both simultaneously and then mix them together. I like mixing lots of different tracks for keyboard, though (especially piano)
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Dec 27, 2014 05:21
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Declan MacManus posted:Even with a flat EQ you'll get whatever frequency curve your mic has, plus you'll get the added benefit of moving air vs. the direct signal. What I would do is record both simultaneously and then mix them together. I like mixing lots of different tracks for keyboard, though (especially piano) This is all true. Also if it's a tube amp you can benefit from a little tube breakup/harmonic richness to your taste. Moving air is always good to have, I do the same amp/direct thing for bass. And if you have something cool like a Leslie cab or a weird PA speaker or something... 
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Dec 27, 2014 21:04
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Considering buying this as babby's first recording interface. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lexicon-Alpha-Studio-Audio-Interface/dp/B000HVXMNE Although this is in the same price range and included Reaper and an amp sim and I'm thinking I could hook a mic up to it via XLR to quarter inch cable (of which I have 2 lying around) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Peavey-Xport-USB-Guitar-Interface/dp/B0057ECZ9I
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Dec 27, 2014 23:35
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Get the first one, you don't want to be connecting an xlr mic via 1/4" if possible, I think there are potential noise and signal level issues when using one of those adapters with a microphone.
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Dec 28, 2014 04:36
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RandomCheese posted:Get the first one, you don't want to be connecting an xlr mic via 1/4" if possible, I think there are potential noise and signal level issues when using one of those adapters with a microphone. Even that would be better than my current set up of xlr to 1/4 plugged into my computers mic in thorough a 1/8 adapter.
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Dec 28, 2014 12:31
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I've got problems with ground loops and it's driving me nuts! It's a home guitar and bass rig with a desktop PC, two amps, a Kustom 10Watt and a Peavey Vypyr VIP3 along with a Zoom G5 multi FX pedal and preamp. I also have a Rocksmith 1/4" to USB interface. The G5 also has USB in/out and the VIP3 has USB out which accepts MIDI in but does not pass audio to the speaker like the G5 can. I also have a Blue Yeti microphone that I use for VOIP and recording my Bass VI tuned down a step but it has no problems at all. Everything works fine on it's own apart from one instrument cable that I've replaced. The problem hum is when I hook multiple devices together which would probably be solved with a few ground loop isolators like the Behringer Hum Destroyer and a USB isolator. For more info here's the situations I've tested and encountered problems
There's probably a few more things I've tried and sometimes the hum is low enough to be bearable but it's always annoyingly loud at night time when I'd really like to use the "silent" USB outputs for practice and recording. With it being Christmas time I'd like to avoid spending more than needed or buying crap gear that's not going to fix the problem so any advice is welcome.
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Dec 28, 2014 15:56
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IronLawnmower posted:Even that would be better than my current set up of xlr to 1/4 plugged into my computers mic in thorough a 1/8 adapter. It actually wouldn't. The 1/8 inch jack on your sound card is expecting to receive a mic-level signal, so even though you're adapting it twice, there's probably not a huge amount of signal degredation. The second link you posted has an unbalanced instrument level jack, not a balanced mic level jack. So plugging a mic into that will probably introduce a ton of noise into the signal, and likely would work worse than your current setup. Plus if you're spending money, why buy the wrong tool for the job?
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Dec 28, 2014 19:25
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MockingQuantum posted:It actually wouldn't. The 1/8 inch jack on your sound card is expecting to receive a mic-level signal, so even though you're adapting it twice, there's probably not a huge amount of signal degredation. The second link you posted has an unbalanced instrument level jack, not a balanced mic level jack. So plugging a mic into that will probably introduce a ton of noise into the signal, and likely would work worse than your current setup. I'm not even sure I have a soundcard I think it's just like the built in intel sound thingy. Am I an idiot?
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Dec 28, 2014 22:08
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IronLawnmower posted:I'm not even sure I have a soundcard I think it's just like the built in intel sound thingy. Yeah, the intel thing is basically your soundcard. Buying an audio interface like the Lexicon one sort of functions as an after-market sound card in addition to giving you more inputs. This can mean, but doesn't always, that your sound quality will improve, since there's now a dedicated processor handling all the analog to digital conversion, and vice versa. While the integrated sound card is fine for the average user, if you're going to be doing a lot of recording, an external interface will probably help you a lot in the long run. And no, you're not an idiot, if you're shopping for your first interface, there's no reason you would know some of this ahead of time. All part of the learning process.
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Dec 28, 2014 22:23
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I'm currently trying to build a basic recording setup, and the more I look around and read, the more I realize I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. I've been looking at what I assume are mid-range interfaces that will provide some room for growth, namely the MOTU 828x, but I really have no idea. At the moment I'm just recording vocals and guitar though, so it's probably a bit excessive. I'm really just looking for suggestions on what to pick up. I have a Sennheiser e835, but I'm assuming I'll want a condenser if I'm going for any sort of higher quality? I don't really know. My budget is around $1500. Please god someone tell me how to throw my money at things properly.
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Jan 1, 2015 15:12
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That interface is hugely overkill for a basic recording setup, do you intend to track a dozen things at once in the near future? If you just need vox and guitar then you can get a great quality interface for less than $400. That sennheiser mic is pretty good, it sits in the SM58 bracket of dynamics and those are on millions of recordings so I don't think you'll run into quality issues. Audio technica 2035 is a good condenser mic for a pretty low price and will cover a lot of your instrument and vocal recording needs. Is your computer up to scratch for recording? How about your monitors (audio, not screen)? For $1500 you could get a decent interface, condenser mic, set of 5" monitors, a mac mini and a copy of Logic Pro.
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Jan 2, 2015 04:32
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RandomCheese posted:That interface is hugely overkill for a basic recording setup, do you intend to track a dozen things at once in the near future? If you just need vox and guitar then you can get a great quality interface for less than $400. That sennheiser mic is pretty good, it sits in the SM58 bracket of dynamics and those are on millions of recordings so I don't think you'll run into quality issues. Audio technica 2035 is a good condenser mic for a pretty low price and will cover a lot of your instrument and vocal recording needs. Is your computer up to scratch for recording? How about your monitors (audio, not screen)? For $1500 you could get a decent interface, condenser mic, set of 5" monitors, a mac mini and a copy of Logic Pro. What kind of interface would you recommend then? I've tried comparing them and reading up, but after a point my eyes start glazing over. I've never seriously messed with any of this, so I have no base of reference to work from. As for my computer, it's more than up to scratch. In terms of monitors though, I've just been using some audio technica headphones, and they haven't given me any trouble. My living situation makes it hard for me to have things that make noise...which is somewhat problematic, obviously. So I'd rather not drop TOO much on those until I can get proper use of them, and instead put that money into other equipment.
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Jan 3, 2015 22:04
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Dimo ArKacho posted:What kind of interface would you recommend then? I've tried comparing them and reading up, but after a point my eyes start glazing over. I've never seriously messed with any of this, so I have no base of reference to work from. As for my computer, it's more than up to scratch. In terms of monitors though, I've just been using some audio technica headphones, and they haven't given me any trouble. My living situation makes it hard for me to have things that make noise...which is somewhat problematic, obviously. So I'd rather not drop TOO much on those until I can get proper use of them, and instead put that money into other equipment. I think as RandomCheese said, it depends largely on what you expect to expand to. If you're only ever going to be doing guitar and vocals, much more than four inputs is overkill, and you'd be paying too much for I/O that you're not using. So what's your eventual goal? To a point, how you divide your budget will depend on how much you want to future-proof your setup. That being said though, I would recommend you not skimp on monitors at any point. If you can't make use of them now, save the money til you can. They're seriously the most important part of your mixing setup. A $1000 mic is useless if you can't accurately hear what it's doing.
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Jan 3, 2015 23:42
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MockingQuantum posted:I think as RandomCheese said, it depends largely on what you expect to expand to. If you're only ever going to be doing guitar and vocals, much more than four inputs is overkill, and you'd be paying too much for I/O that you're not using. So what's your eventual goal? To a point, how you divide your budget will depend on how much you want to future-proof your setup. That being said though, I would recommend you not skimp on monitors at any point. If you can't make use of them now, save the money til you can. They're seriously the most important part of your mixing setup. A $1000 mic is useless if you can't accurately hear what it's doing. Fair enough. Down the line I'd like to have the ability to record a full band, but at present or in the near future that's unlikely. So just guitar and vocals right now, with maybe someone else at times. As for monitors, what's a general range for a decent setup? My neighbors can just deal with it.
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Jan 4, 2015 03:48
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I have a TC electronics Impact Twin, it's a great interface for around $300 that has 4 inputs so you could record vocals, guitar + others if need be, realistically any interface with the similar amount of inputs in this price range is going to be pretty good quality and suited perfectly for the home recording environment. $300 to $400 will get you a decent pair of 5" monitors which is more than enough sound output for most monitoring situations, I have a set of 8" Pioneers just because I can and they have incredible detail but I really don't push them as hard as they could go. You don't need your monitors to be neighbour-annoyingly loud as you can actually do a heap of useful mixing at lower volume levels, it's just having the speakers sitting in front of you reacting with each other and the room you're in is an experience you can't quite replicate with headphones. If you treat your music room a bit with some acoustic foam panels you will get an even more detailed image from any monitors you buy, just having some directly in front, behind and sides of your listening position is enough to clean up the stereo image and tame the high frequencies a bit.
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Jan 4, 2015 13:38
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RandomCheese posted:I have a TC electronics Impact Twin, it's a great interface for around $300 that has 4 inputs so you could record vocals, guitar + others if need be, realistically any interface with the similar amount of inputs in this price range is going to be pretty good quality and suited perfectly for the home recording environment. $300 to $400 will get you a decent pair of 5" monitors which is more than enough sound output for most monitoring situations, I have a set of 8" Pioneers just because I can and they have incredible detail but I really don't push them as hard as they could go. You don't need your monitors to be neighbour-annoyingly loud as you can actually do a heap of useful mixing at lower volume levels, it's just having the speakers sitting in front of you reacting with each other and the room you're in is an experience you can't quite replicate with headphones. If you treat your music room a bit with some acoustic foam panels you will get an even more detailed image from any monitors you buy, just having some directly in front, behind and sides of your listening position is enough to clean up the stereo image and tame the high frequencies a bit. What do you think of the Yamaha HS series, specifically the HS8?
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Jan 5, 2015 14:06
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They will be fantastic, the HS series are one of the first things that come to mind when talking about reference monitors and you'll find them in studios all over the world.
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Jan 5, 2015 15:28
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RandomCheese posted:They will be fantastic, the HS series are one of the first things that come to mind when talking about reference monitors and you'll find them in studios all over the world. Perfect. Now for size, should I worry too much about 8" vs 5" or whatever. For maybe $100 more I can get two 5" as opposed to one 8". Is that worth it, or should will one 8" suffice? I'm working with limited space as it is, and less clutter is preferred.
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Jan 5, 2015 17:04
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Dimo ArKacho posted:Perfect. Now for size, should I worry too much about 8" vs 5" or whatever. For maybe $100 more I can get two 5" as opposed to one 8". Is that worth it, or should will one 8" suffice? I'm working with limited space as it is, and less clutter is preferred. Go with the 2 5" if price is an issue. Frankly I think 8" is overkill for most people, especially if you're in a smaller room, and most 5" these days have good full-range reproduction. What's WAY more important is that you have stereo. Having only one monitor would be like having a bicycle with only one wheel.
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Jan 5, 2015 17:07
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We looked at our dining room the other day and came to the conclusion that we so rarely actually eat in there we mights well refurb it to a more audio friendly purpose. Already we have a set of turntables, mixers, amp etc in place from a party, but we decided to move the elements of our home studio that never really happened in there, to turn it into a casual place to record podcasts and the like in. I've definitely got friends who listen to shows and want to make them without any hardware or knowledge to do so, so if we can provide an avenue to put stuff down on disk for them, that'd be pretty cool. Gear wise I'd say we have the majority of what we need already too: 16 track Yamaha MG166C desk, tons of xlr and line inputs plus a bunch of aux/group options. An 8U or 10U rack that it sits on top of A focusrite FireWire sound card that does 8 channels over xlr or line (plus a behringer ada8000 that adds 8 more) Rane stereo eq Shure sm57 and 58 And for no real purpose an akai s2000 sampler which I guess could serve as an overly complicated way to do drops if desired Computing power isn't too heavy there, just a 2003 Power Mac G4... But not really going to be doing anything insane channel or effects wise anyway. Apart from that $20 behringer headphone distributor that looks useful, more mics/stands which we can borrow anyway, and things like pop shields... Am I overlooking anything 'obvious' that stops me from putting something that's relatively basic for recording but should end up sounding pretty decent? A friends podcast literally use recorded skype calls to produce I believe. An actual environment where people can sit and chat on individual channels must be a huge step up quality wise?
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Jan 7, 2015 23:41
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EL BROMANCE posted:We looked at our dining room the other day and came to the conclusion that we so rarely actually eat in there we mights well refurb it to a more audio friendly purpose. That looks to be pretty much exactly what you need for a podcast. Condensers are what people in radio use since they'll be more articulate for lower volume conversations than 57s generally but if they sound ok to you as is then it's not a big deal.
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Jan 8, 2015 00:35
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Perfect, cheers. The mics we'd be able to borrow are from a radio studio environment, so my money is on them being condensers for exactly that reason. Literally have the 57 and 58 because I got them at a decent price, the 58 is probably useless for vocal use but could be used on any instrument someone might bring in one day.
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Jan 8, 2015 00:41
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