Help with mic preamp or other...

[Hamner1]

Essentially I am looking for an economical but respectable item to be able to record from an SM57 and record to my harddrive without distorting the soundcard/PC or what have you. I am not looking to have pro recording performance or production, just be able to capture the tones of my rig.
I looked into these items briefly.
POD Studio? UX1
Rolls MP13 MIC PRE AMP
ART Tube MP Studio Mic Preamp

mic > audio interface > USB input on PC :?:

I know little in this area, so any help would be great. I'll probably be looking on the used market at Music Go Round or if reasonable new at any of a number of various music stores in the Minneapolis area this weekend.

I would also consider any video cameras that have a mic input (if any of them have a mic input). Obviously not looking at any video cameras used by professionals. That is out of my league. :lol:

 

[LunatiBSW]

I'm gonna put up some clips with my setup this afternoon, you can see if it sounds good to you, it will b sm57>profire610 FireWire interface> logic with my MacBook pro.... I did a quiet test run last night as I'm in an apartment, and it sounds great to me. When I get home this afternoon I'm gonna crank the rm100 a get some rough edited samples up.

 

[Hamner1]

LunatiBSW your new recordings are sounding pretty good.

Alright I must be getting old or trigger shy. I hit every GC & MGR in the Minneapolis area over the weekend and nothing. So I have been doing some searching online and if you guys can give me some feedback on these items. Either personal experience or knowledge of compatability or other issues.

Junk or worth the $$ (keep in mind my simplistic needs/wants).
ART USB Dual Pre Recording Computer Interface Preamp
http://cgi.ebay.com/ART-USB-Dual-Pre-Recording-Computer-Interface-Preamp-/330585378431?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf86c8e7f

M-Audio Fast Track USB computer recording
http://cgi.ebay.com/M-Audio-Fast-Track-USB-computer-recording-/170668361005?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bca0852d

NEW NADY USB-24M USB COMPUTER RECORDING MICROPHONE MIC
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-NADY-USB-24M-USB-COMPUTER-RECORDING-MICROPHONE-MIC-/390331447415?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ae1913877
This reminded me of my sons Rockband mic whic I tried & it was worthless. :lol:

Lexicon Lambda USB Computer Audio Recording Interface

Thank you for any insight you may have.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I'd cross the USB mic off the list
Good for podcasters, but as a guitarist you'll want a seperate mic & interface

sm57s sound like money with high end preamps, but at low/mid levels I'd look elsewhere for your mic needs, the 57 IME sux at recording without high end gear.

I was in the same boat last March, winded up with an 11R...but I also needed di headphone tone.

Also browse around Gearslutz, great resource for this question; good luck!

 

[Hamner1]

Thank you for the info. I mentioned SM57 as that seems to be the standard. What mic suggestion would you recommend for my particular use?

 

[Shinozoku]

Sennheiser E906?

MXL 4000 at a distance *liplick*

 

[Julia]

I'll warn you. Recording is addictive. Plus it's a great way to monitor your progress, and for you to record any creations.

And the main thing about recording -- nothing is ever as simple or as cheap as you may think.

Do you have recording software? Y/N If no, what are you looking at? Reaper is probably the best of the cheap DAWs out there, but if you're looking at going more than that down the road, you'll want something like Presonus Studio One Pro.

Interface: M-Audio Fast Track Pro --I've been using this for three years. It's a good interface for what it is. It allows zero latency monitoring. It has phantom power if you want to use a condenser mic with it, two front inputs, S/PDIF input on the back, and is probably the best one for under $200.

Mic to record your amp tones? Honestly I find things much easier recording direct from a modeler. 99.9% of the people out there can't tell the difference anyway. Good modelers run from about $500 to $2000.

The downside of the Eleven Rack, which does sound fantastic, is that you must use Pro Tools to access the editor and do reamping with it. Avid made sure you got hooked into their system.

Line 6 POD HD 500 is what I use > Fast Track Pro > DAW.

 

[Mike P]

Essentially I am looking for an economical but respectable item to be able to record from an SM57 and record to my harddrive without distorting the soundcard/PC or what have you.

What interface do you currently own?

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Thank you for the info. I mentioned SM57 as that seems to be the standard. What mic suggestion would you recommend for my particular use?

You might want to check out some ribbon mics- lots out there under $200
Problem is quality control, sometimes the ribbon is not "tight" and a slacky ribbon will sound inferior. Return policy is important here. People seem to love the Fatheads. I had a Cad Trion that was decent bang for the buck, as well as some Royer 121 look alikes I found on eBay cheap cheap.

Many LDC will also sound better than a dynamic on low end pres.
None of these solutions are as cheap as a 57 though, so if you ever plan on upgrading your pres, a 57 is a mic that should last a long time for many applications...I just didn't "get" all the rage people had with 57s- it always seemed shrill and abrasive, but then I upgraded to some hi end pres and it was like a new mic.

57s sound great live, so it's always good to have a few in your stable.

 

[Mike P]

57s sound great live, so it's always good to have a few in your stable.

If this is "Just For Fun", there are plenty of mics under $100 dollars new that definitely fit the bill. Audix i5, Heil PR20, Sennheiser 609 Silver and the aforementioned SM57 would all be fine choices.

My recommendation is to purchase the best converters with a built-in preamp that your budget allows (i.e., soundcard), then choose a microphone from the list above.

But most of all, enjoy!

 

[crankyrayhanky]

^ agreed

a cheap 57 with a hi end preamp/converter would destroy a $3k mic into a cheap pre/converter

 

[m0jo]

About the Lexicon Lambda:
I own a Lexicon Alpha, it's pretty good for most stuff.
If you can get better you should, but it fits the bill nicely.

Mics:
SM57 would be cool, but go for a Sennheiser 606 or 609 if you want a bit more balanced tone (bit less agressive to my ears).

IMO. a ribbon mic is overkill.
Also because like Julia said: it will be more expensive to get reasonable (and reliable) quality.

 

[wesarvin]

^ agreed

a cheap 57 with a hi end preamp/converter would destroy a $3k mic into a cheap pre/converter

I half agree.

A 57 just fits into the mix just the right way because of its crappiness. A $3K won't work as well (usually, wait until you try a Royer 121) depending on its response.

My 57 into my API A2D=Buttah

 

[schlagdog]

If you want something small and basically as good as you can get buy an Apogee Duet. They just came out with a new model so you can get the original one way cheaper. It's small and as far as preamp/converters it is top of the line.

 

[Hamner1]

57s sound great live, so it's always good to have a few in your stable.

If this is "Just For Fun", there are plenty of mics under $100 dollars new that definitely fit the bill. Audix i5, Heil PR20, Sennheiser 609 Silver and the aforementioned SM57 would all be fine choices.

My recommendation is to purchase the best converters with a built-in preamp that your budget allows (i.e., soundcard), then choose a microphone from the list above.

But most of all, enjoy!

Just for fun primarily. Essentially be able to capture the tones of my rig and throw down some ideas from time to time when they knock me on the back of the head. The other thing I used to do as a kid was have a tune playing & then play along while recording. I had a dual cassette boombox, ghetto blaster or whatever the term was back then :lol: Anyway tape 1 was the album & tape 2 was a blank tape set to record & then the built in mic picked up my playing, so both were on one tape. As you can guess the tone/recording was horrible but I could hear where I was playing along & any "mistakes" or embelishments as I called them came out.

 

[Mike P]

If you want something small and basically as good as you can get buy an Apogee Duet. They just came out with a new model so you can get the original one way cheaper. It's small and as far as preamp/converters it is top of the line.

While the Duet is a nice piece, it's Apple only.

 

[Mike P]

Just for fun primarily. Essentially be able to capture the tones of my rig and throw down some ideas from time to time when they knock me on the back of the head.

Are you on a Mac or PC? Do you currently own DAW software? It's somewhat tenuous to make a recommendation without knowing the basics. Thanks!

 

[Hamner1]

PC - USB hookups (no firewire, although I could always buy the piece, or take out the one I installed on my daughters PC).

No DAW software. I was hoping/thinking some of these interfaces would come with some type of DAW.

 

[Hamner1]

Well I finally scored a Lexicon Omega (no software or cubase though). Should be here sometime early next week. I downloaded the driver software from lexicon, now some type of DAW I guess I need. Originally this product came with Cubase LE. I have Audacity on my PC. Any other modest priced DAW suggestions.

 

[Julia]

Presonus Studio One Pro. $399. But they're coming out with version 2 this fall.