Best home studio microphone?

ItsMeLewie

New member
Hey guys,

any help would be greatly appreciated. at this moment in time and for a few years i have recording vocals using a Shure SM86 condenser mic that goes through a Yamaha MG10/2 mixer for the phantom power and through line in to connect to the computer.
its a few years old and i'm sure my niece has smashed it about a bit, also i seem to get an issue where it records only the left hand channel when recording in audacity and end up having to split the track to mono ( i dont know if this is the right thing to do as my knowledge is limited but it seems to work ok? if you can offer any advice on that, that would be great also)

basically im looking for a rough price match of the sm86 but something more suitable for bedroom recording as i'm sure this is a live condenser mic,
is there a better mic i can be using for the job or is this absolutely fine.

Thanks for any replies :thumbs up:

Lewie
 
One problem you have is how you have Audacity set up. The mic is a mono mic, therefore you should set Audacity to mono input.

In regards to the microphone. If you try and find the best place for the sound you want. Turn down your gain so you are not picking up all of the room. A dynamic mic would reduce the room, but won't eliminate it. Maybe use some absorption in front and behind you to reduce the room acoustics.

Not talking you out of a new mic, but I think you should work on your location and find away to get your mic the best you can. Once you have that, then when you look for a new mic, it will be for all of the right reasons. A new mic will not make your room sound better.

Getting the right room sound is really not that difficult, just takes time and experimenting.
 
What [MENTION=136361]DM60[/MENTION] said.

And, if any way possible, take that mic somewhere you can plug it in to A/B against a new mic to determine whether there's really a fault with the mic. If not, I'd just keep on using it and think about switching to using an actual audio interface to record with, and using software like Reaper or even whatever the interface comes with.

Now, if there is something wrong with it, then try different mics in your price range until you find the one that sounds best on your voice, if that's its prime purpose. If you get that far, and aren't sure, check back and we'll be happy to provide opinions out the wazoo :).
 
No one mentioned it yet, but you'll get a lot better sound (from any mic) by getting an audio interface (get one with phantom, you wont' need the mixer) with USB output so you're not using the crappy soundcard in the computer.
 
Thank you all so much for your replies, i feel it will help me massively!

with regards to audacity, i'm pretty sure i tried this before but then it would record no sound atal? it's almost as if that channel was muted and enless i recorded on both and then split i would get no sound being recorded? if i had the stereo recording and then split it to mono it seemed to pick up and record sound then?

I am definitely going to go with an audio interface which i feel would clear all these problems up anyway but just one question, does this connect to the computer via usb or have i misunderstood? i wouldn't need to upgrade to a digital sound card or anything like that would i?

also could anyone recommend an audio interface from experience? the Focusrite Scarlett Solo (2nd Gen) seems to be inexpensive with good reviews.

Thank you guys so much i really appreciate your help

Lewie
 
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its a few years old and i'm sure my niece has smashed it about a bit, also i seem to get an issue where it records only the left hand channel when recording in audacity and end up having to split the track to mono

Hi there,
This, most likely, isn't a fault.

A connection directly to computer by the common 1/8" connector is usually stereo, unbalanced. That means the silver tip carries left signal and the ring carries right signal.
If the cable coming from the mixer breaks out into left and right and is plugged correctly, then what your software sees is a reflection of the panning on the mixer.

Looks like audacity lets you choose 'Left Channel' on an audio track, so give that a click, then plug your mic into channel one and set its hardware pan to the left. You should be good.

The terms left and right are misleading or confusing. With a more developed interface you'd simply have 1,2,3,4 etc.
One they're in the computer they're neither left nor right - Just mono tracks with their own (new, centred) pan knob.

The DAW is a whole new mixer that will let you pan any mono track left or right or wherever in between.


Short version - Your mic is a mono source, so it should be recorded as one. :)
Hope that helps.

AI: If you like having, or need, hands on control of faders/mutes/eqs then the mixer set up is OK, assuming you're happy with the sound quality?
If those are unnecessary bells and whistle to you, then a small AI is probably a good move in terms of simplicity and quality.
With a condenser mic, more or less any of the two-channel offerings from anyone reputable should be fine but, of course, check system/OS requirements first.
Tascam, Presonus, NI, Roland/Edirol....Lots of good budget models out there.
 
Yes, the audio interface connects to your computer via USB, and takes the place of the built-in soundcard.
 
Thanks guys, just wondering how the Scarlett would connect to my current set up as my speakers are connected through line in to the PC, they are alesis speakers

Thanks
 
You just connect you monitors to the scarlett instead.
Consider the scarlett a replacement for onboard sound; In and out. :)

What model are the alesis? You most likely need a pair of 1/4" TRS cables, but best to be sure.
 
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