*Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

[Ocifer]

Okay all,

Now I know some of you record (with great outcomes) with mics instead of the more convenient line-in way.

I'm looking into getting a mic. I've heard great things about the Shure SM57 mic and am looking into getting one as my first mic. Now, I may have misunderstood but I've read that some people (for home recording, anyway) use mics like this and feed them directly into their sound card... does this work? I think I remember Marin or someone saying something like that.

Are there any other EQ'ing steps I should take. I've already read up on how to boost or cut certain frequencies to compliment guitar tones and I plan to mess around with that. My final question is: Will it be okay if I plug a mic straight into my soundcard?

[Wattage]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

I use an SM57 right into my soundcard. The cards generally don't have very good mic pre's so you might want to look into an inexpensive mic-pre like the ART Studio V3 or OPL. Gives you a better signal into the card with some compression (if desired) and some tube warmth. Can't go wrong with an SM 57 as your first mic, great tool to have for the long run.

[kmcguitars]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

There are many ways to do it. This is my setup, The mic goes into a ARTtube
preamp, Than into my old Tascam 414 (used as a mixer) I have 2 RCA plugs
line out on the Tascam, I have a dual RCA to sterio 1/8 inch
adatpter cable that goes into the soundcard. The main thing in digital
recording is getting a good signal level. You don't want any overloads
or hot signals. Hope this helped.

BTW, Wattage type's faster than me

[JammerMatt]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

Are there any other EQ'ing steps I should take. I've already read up on how to boost or cut certain frequencies to compliment guitar tones and I plan to mess around with that. My final question is: Will it be okay if I plug a mic straight into my soundcard?

Good thread. I'm interested in the above part. How does this work?

[diggamark]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

I use a 57 straight into soundcard but I've got a card that doesn't seem too common (waveterminal 192l)

[Ocifer]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

Good thread. I'm interested in the above part. How does this work?

Well about the EQ'ing thing, maybe Twighlight Odyssey could go into it further or whoever it was that posted the link that I read. Anyway, using programs like Cool Edit or ones similar to it, you boost certain frequency to compliment certain sounds you want. Its what pro engineers/producers do. Although, I do remember that Twilight said it was better to cut frequencies you don't want, rather than boosting the ones you want to accent.

If I were you, I'd just use the search function and search "Recording Tips"... I think that's what the old thread was called.

As an example, if you bring up the higher frequencies, you'd get a nice "jangly" sound and hear nice pick attack. It really accents clean fender tones. I was messing around with my Vox Tonelab, and I was using a Vox AC30 model and it was always coming just short of that bell-like vox tone the Beatles and Brian May of Queen got. So I worked with some of those frequencies that I read about and I brought up those higher frequencies and a few somewhere in the midrange and the sound finally clicked.

[Ocifer]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

Here's the link I was talking about. Helpful thread, it is.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=6997&highlight=Recording+Tips

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

I think we covered it pretty well on that thread, but I'm here if anyone has any specific Q's. I will try to help, if i can!!

[Ocifer]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

Oh Twilight, I've got a quick question. In the old thread you mentioned cutting or rolling off frequencies instead of boosting. If all I did was roll off a few frequency ranges, would it result in a much quieter track... or what?

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

Yes, it will. There are various terms for audio nastiness such as 'hash' and 'rumble' ... EQ would definitely take care of that. And then there's hum + buzz.

What kind of noise are you referring to, Ocifer, and I will try to help ...

Oh, TOTALLY off topic ...BTW, your avatar RULES. I put on "Innuendo" for the first time in years this morning, and I forgot how draw-dropping that album is! I listened to it twice in a row!!

[Ocifer]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

First of all, I meant overall volume. Would I be left with a really quiet (volume-wise) track? From what you've said, am I right to assume that it can be used to kill of buzz/clicks/general noise, too?

On a side note, yes Queen and Brian May rule. Innuendo's a great album. I like their earlier albums too, especially Queen II.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

First of all, I meant overall volume. Would I be left with a really quiet (volume-wise) track? From what you've said, am I right to assume that it can be used to kill of buzz/clicks/general noise, too?

Yes, since you are essentially applying gain when you EQ, you are either exciting certain areas of the frequency spectrum or depressing them. So, EQ will change the overall volume ...

And yes, if you know the frequency of the offending sound, it's possible to zero in on it, like a laser, and virtually make it non-existent. To do, this, however, you need to apply a SERIOUS notch in that frequency, which can possibly lead to sonic 'holes', possibly not ...

[Brow]

Re: *Question About Microphones* [Help A Guy Out]

If you want to kill off buzz and hum, a Noise Gate would probably be a better option than adjusting EQ.

Because as Twilight said above, by adjusting the EQ trying to remove the buzz/hum you're also removing EQ of all the other instruments too. Which will affect their sound, and maybe change the overall level of the track.

Craig