issue with SM57 and recording

E

EgoProfit

New member
I have a very simple recording setup:

SM57 -> Tascam US-122 -> Cubase SX

For some reason, when I record even with the level knobs ALL THE WAY UP the mic is not sensitive, it is always recording at very low volume and I have to GAIN THE HELL OUT OF IT to get it to show up on the tracks.

Why is this? Thanks.
 
because in my opinion>the same authorities that tell you the shure 57 is holyer than thou forget to mention you need a 1200$ pre amp to make it sound good,
 
It has nothnig to do with the 57 not being "holyer than thou" (sic). You need a pre-amp.
 
guys, my US-122 has "phantom power" option, should i use it?

Also, I have a 20ft long XLR -> 1/4" adapter cable, should i use a completley XLR cable?

Would this help?

I understand I need a mixer or something for a good preamp, right? Thanks guys.
 
How do you set the gain on the mic preamps of the US-122? There's no gain knob that I can see in a picture.

If there is no gain control, maybe the preamps are preset for a gain compatible with a condenser mic, and then further levels are controlled with the sound card and tracking software. This would be inadequate for a dynamic or ribbon mic.
 
EgoProfit said:
guys, my US-122 has "phantom power" option, should i use it?
Click to expand...
no

Also, I have a 20ft long XLR -> 1/4" adapter cable, should i use a completley XLR cable?
Click to expand...
yes. this is most likely your problem. I answered already in your cross post in the computer recording forum. The XLR input has higher gain and you should always use that with microphones.

I understand I need a mixer or something for a good preamp, right? Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
no, you don't need a mixer unless you're mixing multiple sources at once. for a single mic, the preamps on the 122 will work fine. they aren't the greatest preamps in the world, but they are every bit as good as those in budget mixers. I would suggest upgrading your mic before going on the holy grail preamp search. Not that a great preamp isn't useful, it's just that to get a preamp that will make the SM57 sound significantly better will require a large preamp investment.
 
Ego, phantom power won't help you. It's for a condenser mic. If you have an XLR input, then use a mic cable that has XLR's on both ends. If you're using a cable that goes from XLR to 1/4", make sure it is a transformer. Chances are it's not, so that's probably where you're problem is.
 
crazydoc said:
How do you set the gain on the mic preamps of the US-122? There's no gain knob that I can see in a picture.
Click to expand...


:D :D :D :D
 

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EgoProfit said:
guys, my US-122 has "phantom power" option, should i use it?
Click to expand...
This has no bearing on the issue at hand.
Also, I have a 20ft long XLR -> 1/4" adapter cable, should i use a completley XLR cable?

Would this help?
Click to expand...
If you mean from the mic to the US-122, then this is probably a lot of your problem. You need to plug the mic into the XLR input of the 122 - otherwise you are losing half the signal from the get-go.
I understand I need a mixer or something for a good preamp, right? Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
A preamp would almost certainly help.
 
crazydoc said:
If you mean from the mic to the US-122, then this is probably a lot of your problem. You need to plug the mic into the XLR input of the 122 - otherwise you are losing half the signal from the get-go.
Click to expand...

Actually, using an xlr to 1/4" cable should NOT cause that problem. What I'd bet is the problem is that he's using the LINE input on the us122. (it doesn't look like the us122 has a 1/4" mic input).

I've used an xlr to 1/4" cable with 4-track recorders with 1/4" MIC inputs and there was no problem with getting a decent signal.
 
MrBoogie said:
Actually, using an xlr to 1/4" cable should NOT cause that problem. What I'd bet is the problem is that he's using the LINE input on the us122. (it doesn't look like the us122 has a 1/4" mic input).

I've used an xlr to 1/4" cable with 4-track recorders with 1/4" MIC inputs and there was no problem with getting a decent signal.
Click to expand...
You may be right that his problem is using the line input. But nonetheless, if you use xlr to 1/4" without an intervening transformer or other balanced to unbalanced conversion, you are losing one half of the balanced signal, and therefore one half the power/gain/level of your signal.
 
I'm going to try getting an XLR -> XLR cable and see if that helps. Thanks everyone for the quick and meaningful replies. I appreciate it!
 
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