is this all i need to record vocals?

[Andrew Lamprecht]

https://m.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/art-tube-mp-studio-mic-preamp

I have a shure sm57. I want to record vocal tracks. Would this and my mic do that perfectly fine using audacity?

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: is this all i need to record vocals?

If I'm reading this correctly, you still need an audio interface in your PC - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb05/articles/arttubemp.htm 0 the ART Tube doesn't look to be anything other than a tube pre-amp, it isn't an audio interface.

You should be able to connect it to the built in audio connections on your PC mobo, but the quality of the A/D converters might not be that high. You might be better off picking up a small USB interfaces (such as one of the Focusrite Scarletts) to run the ART Tubes into.

 

[dystrust]

Re: is this all i need to record vocals?

If I'm reading this correctly, you still need an audio interface in your PC - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb05/articles/arttubemp.htm 0 the ART Tube doesn't look to be anything other than a tube pre-amp, it isn't an audio interface.

You should be able to connect it to the built in audio connections on your PC mobo, but the quality of the A/D converters might not be that high. You might be better off picking up a small USB interfaces (such as one of the Focusrite Scarletts) to run the ART Tubes into.

+1
You need an interface more than a (stand-alone) preamp to record with. I haven't used one but I've heard the Focusrite Scarletts are great for the money, and they include a couple preamps that are absolutely usable for demo recordings. As far as an upgrade path from there, I'd recommend getting a large diaphragm condenser ( AT4040 is great for the $$$ ) and maybe a couple more dynamics ( Sennheiser 421 maybe? ) before worrying about preamps.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: is this all i need to record vocals?

another +1, with a caveat;

I have this one, and it sounds really excellent and can push a lot of Db into whatever your recording device is. If you are on a PC, have non-busted audio-in plugs you normally find on a PC, and download ASIO4ALL you will be able to get a pretty decent sound out of it, at least for demoing.

The ASIO4ALL drops the latency down to very low levels and the preamp will do an excellent job of sending a thick, quality signal to the computer for post processing with reverbs and compression. The OPL button button on there is a tube driven limiter, by the way. it's slow to hit it's limit and mine overreacts sometimes. I just turn the output down and deal with it.

for the record, this box is also a nice bass d.i. There are also write-ups online about what different tubes do in it. It's a pretty neat piece of equipment.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: is this all i need to record vocals?

Agree with posters above; better off getting an audio interface with a mic pre built in. Most come with a free "lite" version of a DAW, or use Reaper which you can try for free. Unless you have a REALLY good, dedicated, sound card, I would not use the audio input on your PC to record with. The results will not be worth the money, time, and trial/error to get it right.

Check out Masta'C in the Trading Post; he usually has great deals in quality interfaces.

The 57 will work fine for tracking vox or instrumentation.

The ART stuff is very ... 'prosumer'. It will not yield a significant improvement (or any, imo) versus the mic pre in a quality interface.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: is this all i need to record vocals?

Agree with posters above; better off getting an audio interface with a mic pre built in. Most come with a free "lite" version of a DAW, or use Reaper which you can try for free. Unless you have a REALLY good, dedicated, sound card, I would not use the audio input on your PC to record with. The results will not be worth the money, time, and trial/error to get it right.

Check out Masta'C in the Trading Post; he usually has great deals in quality interfaces.

The 57 will work fine for tracking vox or instrumentation.

The ART stuff is very ... 'prosumer'. It will not yield a significant improvement (or any, imo) versus the mic pre in a quality interface.

As a cheapskate I totally....
well, I agree with Twilight on audio quality from stock PC inputs. I do also believe that the preamp is a good bang for the buck though.

Before you pull the trigger on it...I'd cruise over to Masta'C's interface stash too. The tube in the ART box doesn't necessarily help out much, though like I said it does make a brettygud bass preamp/d.i. for $40. An interface will have a good mic preamp in it, plus it'll ship the audio over to your DAW much better than PC ins will. If you need to make sounds go into a computer you'l be much better off with even a small interface.