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Need Recommendation for Starter Mic and Pre-Amp

One thing I've read about the USB Mic (mic that plugs directly into USB), is that the latency on it (while recording into multitrack) is horrible! I've never demoed one, so I don't know for sure. If I do go that kind of route, I'd want a setup simillar to protools and it's USB/Firewire mic preamp hardware; however, I'd use Adobe Audtion as my prefered DAW.
 
Emmett said:
marketweis said:
Wouldn't you think that something like the MXL USB mic would be good enough for things like web-related projects (podcast intros/virutal tour narration, etc.)? Still producing a pretty darn good sound, yet not neccessarily studio quality? That's really all I want the mic to be able to do in that regard, since I have a professional studio I use at my radio station for producing the stuff for air that really NEEDS to sound fantastic.
Click to expand...

Yes, most likely it would do a fine job for those things. It will still need some "in the box" processing, but that's not too hard to do. I definately prefer the sound of the MXL to the sound of the Samson, R0DE or even the BLUE. I'm not sure what MXL did differently, but whatever it was, it worked...They got it right. Even so, I don't think any of them are a replacement to the "old" way of having a quality mic, preamp and interface. But who knows what the future will hold?

Emmett
Click to expand...

Well I downloaded the little spoken audio sample from the MXL site to see how I could improve the sound in Adobe. Of couse, there are different variables, like I might naturally have more resonance in my voice than the guy they had on their sample, but I couldn't quite get out the "tinty-ness" sound in the highs. I got it to sound a bit more punchy though. I think what I'm looking for this thing to do though, one of these mics will be okay. It's a pretty cheap solution for sure.

Edit: I actually just listened to their sample again from the MXL website and really cranked the monitors. Not as tinty as I thought. Really sounds pretty good.
 
I should also note that I am not a fan of MXL at all, in general. However, I've been convinced that they're offering the best USB mic on the market, at least for now.
 
Yes, the laptop has the stock Gateway soundcard. Remember though, a USB mic bypasses your soundcard
going into the computer.

My experience with MXL mics has not been good. Before I realized that you really do have to spend more than a hundred bucks on a good VO mic, I bought the MXL2003 and V67G. Very harsh on the ssssss sounds,
particularly on female talent.

I think you'd be happy with the Samson or MXL USB mics for your purposes.

FYI: I now use a Neumann TLM103 and a Shure SM7B.

Hear them, below...

www.asapaudio.com
 
surfdude said:
Yes, the laptop has the stock Gateway soundcard. Remember though, a USB mic bypasses your soundcard
going into the computer.

My experience with MXL mics has not been good. Before I realized that you really do have to spend more than a hundred bucks on a good VO mic, I bought the MXL2003 and V67G. Very harsh on the ssssss sounds,
particularly on female talent.

I think you'd be happy with the Samson or MXL USB mics for your purposes.

FYI: I now use a Neumann TLM103 and a Shure SM7B.

Hear them, below...

www.asapaudio.com
Click to expand...

This thread made me compare my old standby ATM-61HE (discontinued) mic and a Tascam outboard USP Interface, with the Samson handheld USB mic. Trying both, and using my laptop with Sony 7606 headphones, I was hard pressed to hear much difference, although the cheap Samson was a bit more susceptible to popping sounds. As long as you don't get too close to the thing, it performed better than I thought it would. It sure is easier to carry around when compared with all the rest of the stuff. It just depends on what you need to do. I wouldn't use it for imagining for a station, but it is handy for a lot of purposes. The large diaphragm condenser version might be OK for more ambitious projects.

I've always had good luck with MXL products, so I'd be sure to check their USB mics out too.
 
I've also had good experiences with MXL mics... in my home studio I'm running an MXL-2001 thru a dbx286a and it sounds much better (for my voice anyway) than anything at the radio stations I'm at.
 
surfdude said:
Yes, the laptop has the stock Gateway soundcard. Remember though, a USB mic bypasses your soundcard
going into the computer.

My experience with MXL mics has not been good. Before I realized that you really do have to spend more than a hundred bucks on a good VO mic, I bought the MXL2003 and V67G. Very harsh on the ssssss sounds,
particularly on female talent.

I think you'd be happy with the Samson or MXL USB mics for your purposes.

FYI: I now use a Neumann TLM103 and a Shure SM7B.

Hear them, below...

www.asapaudio.com
Click to expand...

Hey Bill! Love the site! Demos are good too. Your rockin!

What's your setup?


CM
 
Thanks CM!

Mostly use just the Yamaha mixer pre with a Shure SM7B straight into
the computer and Adobe 1.5. Then use the Audition effects.

Like I said, I have a TLM103 and a DBX286A, but the SM7B just seems
to match up better with the room and voices for commercial production.

If I was doing narration or books on tape, I would use the 103 for more character.
 
surfdude said:
Thanks CM!

Mostly use just the Yamaha mixer pre with a Shure SM7B straight into
the computer and Adobe 1.5. Then use the Audition effects.

Like I said, I have a TLM103 and a DBX286A, but the SM7B just seems
to match up better with the room and voices for commercial production.

If I was doing narration or books on tape, I would use the 103 for more character.
Click to expand...


I had a TLM103 in Raleigh. Like an idiot I sold it for an AKG 414 (which the Showgram all use at my recommendation, lol!). I regret selling the TLM now. It's next on my gear list. Mike Urben uses it. His spots sound like he's right next to you in the car. Mike's a purest. Doesn't really add additional compression. Just uses the 528e then adds the Adobe compander to his full mix. Urben is great!
 
I'm kinda in transition right now,..I started off with a focusrite trakmaster, then I picked up a dbx286 off of ebay on the cheap to use as a back-up..to my ears, the 286's processing sounded
great with the TLM-103, even though I know the focusrite has a better pre..If I wanted to use the Focusrite's pre before the 286, would I run it in to the the "insert"?
 
BobSacamano said:
I'm kinda in transition right now,..I started off with a focusrite trakmaster, then I picked up a dbx286 off of ebay on the cheap to use as a back-up..to my ears, the 286's processing sounded
great with the TLM-103, even though I know the focusrite has a better pre..If I wanted to use the Focusrite's pre before the 286, would I run it in to the the "insert"?
Click to expand...

Yes. I know quite a few people who do that. Lots of people like the processing of the 286A, but the preamp isn't anything to write home about. So they do exactly as you're describing with their preamp of choice.
 
I hope somebody notices this reply to an old thread! But, I didn't wanna start a new thread on the same topic.

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I want to set up a low-dough space in my basement just to knock out the occasional freelance VO job.

I definitely want to go USB, but that's as far as I've gotten. A USB condenser mic like the MXL 990 USB seems like a great way to go for $100. But, I'm thinking that if I ever want to upgrade the interface or the microphone, I'd have to buy all new equipment.

So, in that regard, I thought a better way to go would be to get a non-USB condenser like...well...the MXL 990, and plug it into a USB preamp. There are a crapload of M-Audio USB MobilePre units on fleabay right now. But, I really have no idea what would be the best way to go for a USB preamp. (The MobilePre seems a little out of date to me.)

Then again, there are those MicPort Pro things which are attractive options. But since I'm not worrying about being mobile, would I just be better off getting a USB box?

Or, maybe since the whole USB thing is kind of emerging right now, maybe I should hold off a little longer.

Ugh. So many freaking factors!

Any comments on this situation would be greatly appreciated!
 
It's hard to comment, but I will say, I do NOT recommend the MXL990. I owned one, so I speak from experience. The frequency response is goofy and the diaphragm is small. Very poor internal build quality. Of the cheapies, the Audio-Technica AT2020 is the one that I hear most about, for $99. I've heard one and they do sound like the rest of the AT family, just not quite as smooth and pristine.

Emmett
 
Workaphobe said:
I hope somebody notices this reply to an old thread! But, I didn't wanna start a new thread on the same topic.

I'm in the same boat as the OP. I want to set up a low-dough space in my basement just to knock out the occasional freelance VO job.

I definitely want to go USB, but that's as far as I've gotten. A USB condenser mic like the MXL 990 USB seems like a great way to go for $100. But, I'm thinking that if I ever want to upgrade the interface or the microphone, I'd have to buy all new equipment.

So, in that regard, I thought a better way to go would be to get a non-USB condenser like...well...the MXL 990, and plug it into a USB preamp. There are a crapload of M-Audio USB MobilePre units on fleabay right now. But, I really have no idea what would be the best way to go for a USB preamp. (The MobilePre seems a little out of date to me.)

Then again, there are those MicPort Pro things which are attractive options. But since I'm not worrying about being mobile, would I just be better off getting a USB box?

Or, maybe since the whole USB thing is kind of emerging right now, maybe I should hold off a little longer.

Ugh. So many freaking factors!

Any comments on this situation would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

I hear ya about all the factors. I tested a buddy's Samson USB mic, and it's a no-go for me, as are all USB mics I've decided. I don't like the fact that you can't tailor the sound before getting it to your PC.

So I just purchased a DBX 286A and can't decide which way to go to get the audio into my PC from the DBX. Just when I think I want to go w/a USB interface (M-Audio, Edirol, Lexicon, etc.), I think maybe a PCI interface instead.

I want to go USB for sheer convenience, but will a PCI interface give me any better performance or will it be negligible?? I just don't freakin know!! I just want to get this DBX into action soon.
 
In short, PCI will treat you much better than USB. Firewire is also better than USB. But PCI will still give you the best performance for the price. If you only need stereo analog ins, look at the E-mu 1212m or M-Audio Audiophile 192. Both sound great. The M-Audio is easier to set up, but the E-mu sounds better.

Emmett
 
Emmett said:
In short, PCI will treat you much better than USB. Firewire is also better than USB. But PCI will still give you the best performance for the price. If you only need stereo analog ins, look at the E-mu 1212m or M-Audio Audiophile 192. Both sound great. The M-Audio is easier to set up, but the E-mu sounds better.

Emmett
Click to expand...

You hear that sound? That's the sound of me going back to the drawing board and hitting my head against it. I guess maybe I shouldn't be going USB. PCI sounds better. I had assumed that the price would be too high. What kind of price point should I be expecting for a PCI card?
 
The Echo Mia Midi is a pretty good PCI card for around $125 on-line. It gives you 1/4" phone jacks for ins and outs.
 
SirRoxalot said:
The Echo Mia Midi is a pretty good PCI card for around $125 on-line. It gives you 1/4" phone jacks for ins and outs.
Click to expand...


I've used the Echo Mia for a few years. Great card for the price!

Told my CE about it at work and he bought a few for the studio pc's.
 
The E-mu goes for $150 and the M-Audio for $180. The Mia is also a good card, though the converters are not as good as either card I mentioned. As I recall, it also does not have spdif in. In all honesty, I doubt you'll hear much audible difference, unless you ears are VERY critical.
 
So, you guys using the PCI cards...

You have your mic going into a preamp (or a mixer, maybe?) and then into your soundcard? Am I following you guys correctly?
 
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