I have bought equipment, but need advice on how to use it!?

P

plasticnick

New member
Hi all

I've bought an sE2000 condenser mic, which came with a mic stand (which the mic doesn't fit onto :/) and an XLR cable.

I wish to record vocals to my MacBook Pro. A friend said i'd need a Samson S Direct Plus to convert the analogue sound to digital. However I accidentally bought the Samson S Direct (not the PLUS version). So I'm going to send it back for the PLUS version.

I've seen videos though of people using an AUDIO INTERFACE. Do I need one?

So yeh, Ive got a mic, I just need advice on how to record good sound onto my Mac and what you use.

Thanks
:thumbs up:
 
Ive just unscrewed the adapter inside the mic mount and it now fits onto the stand, thanks for that!

Budget is around £50 but can stretch it. From UK, could you recommend a decent USB audio interface? I understand that my budget won't be high enough for anything too good.

Google 2 channel USB audio interface and take note of offerings from presonus, motu, tascam etc.
Google before buying though to ensure compatibility with your operating system.
Not just apple OS....Your specific version.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
plasticnick said:
Thanks for the help.

I haven't decided yet, it will have to be free software though. Would you recommend any?
Click to expand...

i've posted this many times....the PreSonus AudioBox USB should come with free software, Studio One 2 Artist. it has the basics...you can upgrade to the Pro edition later. actually, i think studio one 3 is now out, so it may come with artist 3.

anyways, it's very good software. throw in an interface, and you have what you need for the price of one.
 
Not quite in your budget, but close, I can recommend the ALESIS IO2 as actually being very good.

For software, I'd give Reaper a try...the unlimited demonstration is free and, if you decide to keep it, it's only $60 which is a lot less than normal for a fully featured DAW.
 
Maybe you should get your money back and just buy a usb mic. You can achieve a lot with just one mic..focus on playing music and worrying about all the gear and technology. Big thumbs up for reaper, garageband is great and if you get the right usb mic, you can run some straight into an ipad..completely mobile studio.
 
USB mics can create their own problems as soon as you want to play back a pre-recorded track and play/sing along with it. In the slightly longer term, an XLR mic into a USB interface and then into a computer works out to be easier to use. It also gives you room to expand and change things as you progress into the wonderful world of recording.

USB mics have their place for things like recording podcasts but a simple interface is easier and more flexible in the long run.

Anyway, since the OP already has a decent mic, a basic interface is probably going to be no more expensive (and likely less) than investing in a USB mic.
 
dogbox said:
Maybe you should get your money back and just buy a usb mic. You can achieve a lot with just one mic..focus on playing music and worrying about all the gear and technology. Big thumbs up for reaper, garageband is great and if you get the right usb mic, you can run some straight into an ipad..completely mobile studio.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't. It's a step backwards. If he keeps going, he's eventually going to upgrade to a nicer preamp than the one in the A/D box. He'll want a mic that can take advantage of that. The key to building a setup without wasting money is to think a few moves ahead, then buy things that are useful now but will still be useful as you acquire more and better gear.
 
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