TheMicrophoneGuy Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Hey, I'm getting an AKG 220 I think and a preamp to go with it because I don't have anything that delivers phantom power. My question is, do you really need a preamp with digital mixers? Could I just find a freeware preamp VST to use instead? I don't know much about this. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozovian Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 preamp vst lol If I understand it correctly, you need the preamp (or whatever) to get a clean and loud enough signal. A "preamp vst" would certainly get it loud enough but it won't get it any cleaner. And before you ask: no, a de-noise vst can't get it all without screwing with the sound you want to keep. Someone more knowledgeful can elaborate on this, and correct me if I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMicrophoneGuy Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Alright thanks. Sorry, I don't really know anything about this stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analoq Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 What you should invest in is an audio interface with a built-in pre-amp that provides phantom power (+48v) Even if you have the pre-amp to boost the signal to line-level, you're not going to get a great recording thru your soundblaster/onboard audio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMicrophoneGuy Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 well bummer. any recommendations on one to get? all I've ever used is this old m audio fasttrack, which isn't good from what ive been told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analoq Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 oh, you've already got an audio interface -- it just doesn't have phantom power. Ergo, your problem. I see. So you either just need the external pre-amp or sell your FastTrack and buy a MobilePre/other audio interface which has phantom power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 what's your budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMicrophoneGuy Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Well, I guess around 200, but less is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverCoat Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I have a Tapco mixer with two preamps on it and it was $60 and some change on ebay. Very nice. here it is in its natural habitat I also got a nice interface from another guy here on OCR, a E-Mu 1212m for... well shit, I forget how much I paid for it. But you can get audio interfaces like an audiophile 2496 or Emu 0404 for less than $100, or an external one for a bit more [don't know much about those]. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMicrophoneGuy Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 I'm really new to this, but I have even less knowledge about computers. Something tells me I wouldn't be able to figure out how to work something that wasn't as retardedly easy as USB. I mean, is it a lot better quality using something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverCoat Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Putting a PCI card into your computer is easier than making a sandwich. You shouldn't have any problems. I wouldn't fault you for using USB or Firewire though since it'd be external and most people probably don't want 4 more cords sticking out of the back of their computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMicrophoneGuy Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 I think I'm going to have to stick to a usb interface, all my software is set up on my laptop, and transferring it to my desktop wouldn't be the easiest thing. So, is the mobile pre decent or no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnappleMan Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 USB is not the best way to go for critical recordings. You'll be battling with dropouts and sync issues, not to mention double the latency of a PCI card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMicrophoneGuy Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 So there's no way to get good recordings with my laptop? I mean, it's better than my desktop, I already have my sequencer set up, and my desktop is pretty loud if you make it do anything. Plus I couldn't very easily move my desktop with my to go record. I mean, is there any other solution? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmony Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Upgrade. I have the FastTrack Pro (also USB) and it's really not bad at all. It has the phantom power you'd need in both of its pre-amps, its setup is easy, I don't have problems with huge latency or dropouts, it's perfect for a laptop setup, and its under $200. Problem solved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMicrophoneGuy Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 There's really nothing critically wrong with USB interfaces. They're pretty on par with firewire for the most part, and as the owner of both a firewire and USB interface, both with 8 inputs I don't really have any problems with either. PCI is fine too, and like OC said, they're much easier to put in than you think. If you can put a DVD into a DVD player, you can install a PCI card. If you do go with a USB interface, I like Harmony's suggestion about the Fast Track Pro. While I really love M-Audio stuff, I don't much care for the Mobile Pre. It doesn't even have a master output control knob, which is just plain silly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMicrophoneGuy Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Anyone have any experience with good firewire audio interfaces while I'm at it? These things seem pretty durable, so I think I'm going to try to find a used one on ebay or craigslist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I own the M-Audio Profire 2626 which uses their Octane preamp technology, and I think it sounds really really great. They have a lesser version (the 410) which is about half the cost ($399). Anything less than that, and you may as well just get a USB interface IMO. Lots of people here have the Presonus Firebox ($299), but I have had countless troubles with several of the Presonus Firestudio Project (next step up) so I'd personally steer clear of them. With a budge of $200, I'd just go for the Fast Track Pro or a PCI card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langriman Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I've got a similar question... I'm about to get an M-Audio MobilePre USB because I'd like to be able to record in out-of-the-way places with a good microphone on my Windows laptop, and I was also hoping to get better playback out of it than through my laptop sound card, which sounds crappy. I don't have a FireWire port, and I don't want to spend too much. I've heard mostly good reviews of that model, but a few customer reviews said their recordings came out noisy. Anybody here have good/bad experiences with it? big giant circles sez: "It doesn't even have a master output control knob, which is just plain silly. " That's not a big deal for me... is there anything else wrong with it? I'm planning to buy an SM58 to plug into it, to record my singing. Good choice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 what specifically are you planning on recording with it? What DAW are you planning on using? If people simply say that their recordings "come out noisy" that could be a whole slew of different factors that arent necessarily related to the interface. If you're merely planning on using an SM58 to record, there's not much point in getting an interface with phantom power unless you plan on buying a condenser mic later on. Also, don't get the SM58. Get the Audix OM2. Go to any Guitar Center or other music store that might have both and ask to test them both out side by side. You'll hear the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langriman Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I'm hoping to record myself singing... I have a normal male voice with good range, and I'm hoping to record in an empty stairwell at my school that has great acoustics. Recording software will be whatever the manufacturer packages with the USB interface, or Audacity or the Windows recorder or whatever else I can get my hands on. I'm a good programmer and a cheap bastard so I'm hoping to keep as much of the music-making process inside ChucK, SuperCollider, C or Matlab as possible... I do have access to Max/MSP and Logic Pro at a lab near here, as well as an AKG C1000S, but it's inconvenient. I'm assuming the raw stream of numbers that is sucked out of the USB cable is independent of the software. Like I said, my sound card stinks, so I was hoping to get the USB interface for both the mic and my head phones, and at the moment I do have a condenser mic (AKG C1000S) on short-term loan so phantom power would be needed for that. I'll check out the Audix OM2, it looks like a lot of people agree with you. EDIT: The MobilePre comes with Ableton Live Lite... cool... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langriman Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 ... did that answer your questions about my questions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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