Problem with new mic..

[ChordGirl]

What I use is not a USB mic, so I don't know. It's a XLR mic, stage condenser plugged into an interface (a poor one, mind you, an old analog Tascam 4-track, run into a cheap USB converter. ). I don't record into analog first, because there is some serious fuzz when I do that. The only thing I really use it for is writing and fleshing out songs. If I want a real recording, I'll go somewhere else.

[grace_slick]

Where do you go to record properly??? An actual studio? Wow. If I went to one of those, I'd feel silly...like some joker loser who was going in, breathing all over their precious microphone, singing some lame song, giggling and goofing around, and then leaving, having accomplished nothing! lol

[ChordGirl]

LOL. I have a good friend that has a simple but nice setup for recording. It's mostly for acoustic stuff, as he doesn't do much doctoring to it. Basically, he records live tracks into it. I actually prefer that, as does he. (We are hopelessly stuck in the past. :poke: ) He uses excellent microphones, which I also like. I posted this awhile back in another thread, but this is basically what his recordings would sound like. From my solo demo:

http://www.myspace.com/beckywardmusic

 

He's an awesome writer, too. Here is a fuller acoustic band sound he did on his myspace. http://www.myspace.com/stuleal Check out 'Home.' I think he does a great job, especially since he doesn't use punch-ins. Edit: I forgot he has a song called "Gracie." That's a good one, too.

 

Your recording of the Scientist sounded really good, so whatever you're doing is working. You are much too hard on yourself.

 

I did some recording in a really good home studio once, and it was a terrible nightmare. I disliked the guy's original song that I sang, and the whole experience turned me off so much that I didn't even accept the free studio time I was given in exchange for recording vocals on it. I didn't want to work with them ever again.

[JohnBenussi]

I went out and bought a Samson R10S microphone for 20$, it's probably no worse than the rock band mic that I'd used for the past year, but for some reason when I record something into audacity the thing DOES work, but it seems to barely pick up any sound at all, like, the recording is way too low for anyone to hear it clearly without me trying to use tools from the drop bar to amplify it.. And then you hear hissing white noise in the background. Is there a reason why it may not be picking it up? Anything I can do or might not have done to ready it for recording? I'm anxious to record some demos and some new vocal recordings, and now I finally get the mic to work and then this happens.. FML..

 

 

Well, I hear you on the jobby job...still you're going to need

certain pieces of hardware to get the results you're after...

 

 

The mic isn't the biggest part of the equation here for vocals.

The audio interface is really the main focal point of vocal recording.

 

A computer's on-board sound card (which has the mic input jack)

isn't going to cut it nominally speaking because it's not

amped/nor has gain stages like a mic preamp,

which an audio interface has.

 

If your current hardware setup is working for you

then disregard this. I just remember when I

used on-board sound cards and they didn't work...

 

However, check out the program "reaper." -which is free to try-

Then you can configure to record your vocals through your on-board

port/mic, throw in the background track on an audio track and record

that way. This way you can get into the habit of working with

audio recording software like that where you have

channel strips, input/output busses, master outs, stuff like that.

[JohnBenussi]

LOL. I have a good friend that has a simple but nice setup for recording. It's mostly for acoustic stuff, as he doesn't do much doctoring to it. Basically, he records live tracks into it. I actually prefer that, as does he. (We are hopelessly stuck in the past. :poke: ) He uses excellent microphones, which I also like. I posted this awhile back in another thread, but this is basically what his recordings would sound like. From my solo demo: http://www.myspace.com/beckywardmusic He's an awesome writer, too. Here is a fuller acoustic band sound he did on his myspace. http://www.myspace.com/stuleal Check out 'Home.' I think he does a great job, especially since he doesn't use punch-ins. Edit: I forgot he has a song called "Gracie." That's a good one, too. Your recording of the Scientist sounded really good, so whatever you're doing is working. You are much too hard on yourself. I did some recording in a really good home studio once, and it was a terrible nightmare. I disliked the guy's original song that I sang, and the whole experience turned me off so much that I didn't even accept the free studio time I was given in exchange for recording vocals on it. I didn't want to work with them ever again.

 

Hey now, this is you? Wow it's really good:thu:

I've never heard your singing and I did the acoustic vibe more than

ever trying to delve into that sound myself. Do you have

any more material put down?

 

I don't have a studio, just a ghetto setup trying to sound uh, 'pro.'

 

Anyway, I wanted to know if you'd check out my new song?

You don't have to listen to all of em, just one it's the first one.

I wanted to ask you earlier but you've been absent of late

and well, I dunno, people tend to skip over my material like

I'm hexed or something:freak:

[JohnBenussi]

But see, the audio interface I plug my mic into HAS a mic preamp and it's on all the time, but still...unless I put a HEAP of gate or whatever it's called on, when I record, which can end up sounding TOO loud and picks up every single tiny noise and also gives a lot of hideous feedback, I have to record with the quietness and then raise the volume in my DAW after it's recorded...which also gives that HISS sound...

 

 

 

Hey Grace!

Your mic requires a lot of gain, and I'm not sure your

Line 6 toneport can muster up enough of it without introducing

artifacts and other issues.

 

However, it might be so....

the goal is to get your input signal as hot as it can be

(your loudest singing) should barely register a red LED (clipping)

 

Have you tried using REAPER?

If not, it is free and you should definitely try it out.

A full license is only 60USD or so.

 

There you can turn up the gain from within the software (reaper)

and make your voice loud, but not over zero db (which means distortion)

 

I would plug in some headphones into your Line 6, and "monitor"

your voice signal that comes out of the Line 6, and turn up the gain.

 

Then on your software (whatever you use) look at the channel

strip for that specific instrument (should be a line/mic channel strip)

look at the input signal---the signal usually shows 2 meters

for left and right, but for a mic it is just mono or just one, meter.

 

Look at the color of the meter and you'll know right off the bat if

the input signal (your mic) is not high enough.

 

Then look at your stereo output channel strip (this is what gets output

to your speakers) =the end result of what you hear.

 

On my interface I can choose what to monitor, not sure with yours

but this is only in reference to the headphones plugged into your interface, and not the stereo output.

 

You basically need to "play" with the signals

-your mic input gain

-your channel strip gain which monitors your mic input

 

These two things need to be dialed in to achieve maximum loudness

with minimum distortion/clipping.

 

Your ears and the meters will tell you if you are on the right track.

 

 

 

As a reference for the "normal" volume?

Plug in your keyboard as a stereo input (L and R)

then have that channel strip just below the mic channel...

 

Play your keyboard and watch and listen how loud it is and

how the metering looks like.

 

Then try to gain the mic so that the piano is still loud

and your vocals can sing a smudge over the piano so they mix well

but so that your voice is on top of the piano...

 

You can do it.

[ChordGirl]

Hey now, this is you? Wow it's really good:thu: I've never heard your singing and I did the acoustic vibe more than ever trying to delve into that sound myself. Do you have any more material put down? I don't have a studio, just a ghetto setup trying to sound uh, 'pro.' Anyway, I wanted to know if you'd check out my new song? You don't have to listen to all of em, just one it's the first one. I wanted to ask you earlier but you've been absent of late and well, I dunno, people tend to skip over my material like I'm hexed or something:freak:

 

Hey thanks, Johnny! I tried to download a song I wrote several years ago for a 3-part chic harmony group I was in. I can't remember how to change it from Windows media to MP3, though, so it didn't work. If I can figure that out, I'll put it up. Quite honestly, that cover on my myspace is from a couple of years ago, and it came out better than the rest I did on my demo, IMO. I took down everything else because it was not that good, and doesn't really represent how I sound now. I will be doing some more recording this fall/winter, though.

 

 

I will definitely check our your songs this weekend, but for now, I have to run some errands, so I'll get back to you.