Members kickingtone Posted March 24, 2014 Members Share Posted March 24, 2014 Hi, I started out improving my singing four months ago, singing AT my laptop. I can't even see where the internal mic is supposed to be. I have also used a few cheapo external mics and headphones (a couple of quid in price). After a while I started to notice various distortions. My first impression was that I was singing flat, until I realized that it was sometimes down to different cheapo mics/headphones distorting the pitch. The experience is useful, because it will help me know what to listen for when buying better equipment. I now need better equipment if I am to hear myself accurately and improve my pitch control. But I am still looking for something low budget, because I want to learn first hand about the limitations before moving to quality stuff. Can someone recommend a basic, no frills, system that will get my voice from the mic (not usb) and onto a standard format, like mp3, on my Windows laptop. What components do I need? I already have Audacity. Meanwhile, here I am. Next six months will be about filling out my voice (more harmonic content), and stabilizing the higher notes (certain vowels in particular). http://soundcloud.com/kickingtone/silence-24l I haven't bothered with the pacing as there is no instrumentation to synch with. Any recommendations for other major areas of focus? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ido1957 Posted March 24, 2014 Members Share Posted March 24, 2014 USB Interface - Focusrite Sapphire is really popular Condensor or dynamic microphone with XLR jack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kickingtone Posted March 25, 2014 Author Members Share Posted March 25, 2014 USB Interface - Focusrite Sapphire is really popular Condensor or dynamic microphone with XLR jack. Thanks. Looks promising. Now I have a couple more questions. Does the USB interface output digital or analogue to the laptop? An analogue signal would pick up noise at the USB port. Do I need an XLR socket on my laptop, for the second option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ido1957 Posted March 25, 2014 Members Share Posted March 25, 2014 A USB interface sends digital info to the laptop through the USB cable - it is virtually silent. I do find that I have to run on laptop battery power to eliminate noise from the power cable - this will limit your recording time. The XLR jack connects the condensor/dynamic mic to the USB interface, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kickingtone Posted March 27, 2014 Author Members Share Posted March 27, 2014 A USB interface sends digital info to the laptop through the USB cable - it is virtually silent. I do find that I have to run on laptop battery power to eliminate noise from the power cable - this will limit your recording time. The XLR jack connects the condensor/dynamic mic to the USB interface, Thanks. How does that measure up to a mic that plugs directly into the USB port? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ido1957 Posted March 27, 2014 Members Share Posted March 27, 2014 Yeah just get a USB mic if you want to save money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators davie Posted March 27, 2014 Moderators Share Posted March 27, 2014 Thanks. How does that measure up to a mic that plugs directly into the USB port? If you're planning to record one or more tracks simultaneously and use a lot of audio processing then I would recommend getting an audio interface to connect your mic in order to prevent latency issues. But if you only intend to record just a single vocal track then a USB mic is sufficient and will save you some money. Maybe the AT2020 or some higher-end USB mics by Blue Microphones would be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kickingtone Posted April 5, 2014 Author Members Share Posted April 5, 2014 Thanks. Right now it's going to be a single vocal track. I am looking for a mic that is more faithful than flattering, as it will be for training purposes. AT2020 sounds good, better than the one that originally put me off USB mics (ProSound USB2.0 HQ Podcast/Vocal Microphone). I found an online review of the latter, which confirms that it was partly the mic and not my awful singing Is it a good idea to train without amplifying the output? It is difficult for me to know if I have achieved decent vocal power, if an amp is doing some of the work. I would want any effects I use to enhance,, not correct, my voice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ido1957 Posted April 6, 2014 Members Share Posted April 6, 2014 Record yourself with backing music so you can tell if you're in key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators davie Posted April 6, 2014 Moderators Share Posted April 6, 2014 Thanks. Right now it's going to be a single vocal track. I am looking for a mic that is more faithful than flattering, as it will be for training purposes. AT2020 sounds good, better than the one that originally put me off USB mics (ProSound USB2.0 HQ Podcast/Vocal Microphone). I found an online review of the latter, which confirms that it was partly the mic and not my awful singing Is it a good idea to train without amplifying the output? It is difficult for me to know if I have achieved decent vocal power, if an amp is doing some of the work. I would want any effects I use to enhance,, not correct, my voice. The USB version of the AT2020 should do the job fine. If you record yourself while wearing headphones then make sure your monitoring volume is loud enough to hear yourself clearly on top any music that is being played. Vocal power is not judged solely on the volume of your voice, its the overtones in a voice that gives it power and makes it ring fully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.