I sing and play the piano, thats all I do, what do I need.

Q

qwerty11

New member
So I have a nice quad core 27" iMac, a Yamaha kx8 keyboard, jackie mr8 monitors, and a sure sm58 Mic. As you can see i have a lot of the pieces already. I'm thinking an Apogee One will be a good interface. All I need is a decent pre amp for a mic and headphones. I could also run my motors out of the 3.5mm jack. My keyboard connects directly via usb, so I don't really need any other connectors.

How is the mic of the Apogee? I'm not to happy with the sm58 for voice. Is the Apogee mic good enough or do I need to spring for a decent condenser mic. If so, please recommend.

Also, for what I am doing will garage band be enough, or do I need to upgrade to Logic Express or Studio?

Thanks for your help!
 
well for starters - you don't want to plug your mackies into a 3.5 mm. you won't be getting +4dB if you do. so id say find an interface with 2 solid pres. i really like me focusrite saffire pro 14.

you probably don't like your sm58 because the gain isn't as "high " as you'd like it to be, and it's more for a live mic and certain vocalist, IMO.
i would rather use a condenser on vocals any day of the week. depending on your budget you should look into an AT2020 or a rhodes NTA-1 both good starter mics.

the apogee is very good as far as conversion from what i've heard but you will be lacking a pre which is more money. so it's up to you.

for what you are doing, yes garage band will be enough. untill you start wanting to do more. but for now get on good terms with garage band then talk about making a switch.
 
James21 said:
well for starters - you don't want to plug your mackies into a 3.5 mm. you won't be getting +4dB if you do. so id say find an interface with 2 solid pres. i really like me focusrite saffire pro 14.
.
Click to expand...

James, could you elaborate on this? Not doubting you, just uneducated on this. I thought the pre-amps on the output were pretty solid on the apogee.
 
miroslav said:
A candelabra...a backup band...and a good agent.
Click to expand...

qwerty11 said:
Thanks, but I was more referring to home recording.
Click to expand...

Don't you love it when humor goes unnoticed? :D

Well, I would consider the fast track pro for what you're trying to get. It's a solid interface that gets a lot of love around here. I'd recommend it over the Apogee...that thing just doesn't look like it would hold up.

M-AUDIO - Fast Track Pro - 4 x 4 Mobile USB Audio/MIDI Interface with Preamps

And if you're looking at large-diaphragm condensers, might I recommend the MXL v67g? It's a great ldc for someone who's just starting! And good quality for the price (only $100!)

Amazon.com: MXL V67G Large Capsule Condenser Microphone: Musical Instruments

Or, if your budget is bigger...the Sennheiser MK4 is AMAZING. :) ($300ish)

Amazon.com: Sennheiser MK4 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone: Musical Instruments
 
James21 said:
well for starters - you don't want to plug your mackies into a 3.5 mm. you won't be getting +4dB if you do. so id say find an interface with 2 solid pres. i really like me focusrite saffire pro 14.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm not reading your post the right way, but I'm trying to understand what the monitor connection/level has to do with the preamps....?
The level might be a bit lower, but it will work fine off the -10/3.5mm output, he just needs the right kind of connection going from the 3.5 mini to the monitors. I'm assuming the 3.5 is a mini-stereo connection, so a Y-cable terminating with either 1/4" or RCA will work fine. The Mackies have enough "kick" to boost up a -10 level. I switch between -10 and +4 going to my Mackie 824 monitors all the time...not a big deal.

AFA what preamp and mic....that's another discussion.


guitaristic said:
Don't you love it when humor goes unnoticed? :D
Click to expand...

You can lead 'em to water...then it's up to the horse. ;)
 
qwerty11,

You're right about the SM57 not being great for recorded vocals. You'll definitely want a large diaphragm condenser mic like the Rode NT2-A (my personal fave) or an Audio-Technica AT2035.

The Apogee One does have a preamp, and would do what you want quite well and it's $249. You could also check out the Centrance Inc. MicPort Pro - Compact USB Microphone Preamp (24-Bit/96KHz) for $149 if money is an issue.

Hope that helps!

Ken
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top