mic to 1/4 inch

[adferrendelli]

right now im looking at some mics for recording mostly acoustic guitar, vocals, and my amp. im looking at the SM57 and it seems to have gotten plenty of good reviews. the problem is that my audio interface only has regular 1/4 inch adapters. i have a mic to 1/4 inch adapter, but would that cause the mic to get worse sounds? right now the only mics i have are attached to the interface, and they actually sound alrite. i am planning on getting a new interface but i dont have the money right now.

 

[antichef]

what interface is that?

 

[dgatwood]

right now im looking at some mics for recording mostly acoustic guitar, vocals, and my amp. im looking at the SM57 and it seems to have gotten plenty of good reviews.

IMHO, the only thing the SM57/58 have going for them is consistency.... They are consistently mediocre at everything.... There are plenty of other mics in the same price range that are, IMHO, generally better. It was a reasonable low end choice five or six years ago. Not so much these days. YMMV, of course.

the problem is that my audio interface only has regular 1/4 inch adapters. i have a mic to 1/4 inch adapter, but would that cause the mic to get worse sounds? right now the only mics i have are attached to the interface, and they actually sound alrite. i am planning on getting a new interface but i dont have the money right now.

Generally speaking, hardware with 1/4" inputs doesn't have preamps, so you probably need one. The only exception would be hardware designed for guitar inputs, but in that case, you likely have such a high input impedance that it won't ever sound quite right even with a matching transformer.

Either way, you're probably asking the wrong question. Like antichef asked, what is this interface you're talking about?

 

[crazydoc]

This is just me (others will disagree), but for the same price as a 57 you can get a mixer/preamp with phantom power:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-Eurorack-UB802-Mixer?sku=631238

and a large diaphragm condenser mic:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-MXL-909-Vocal-Condenser-Microphone?sku=273100

Hook up to the the line input of your soundcard or interface, and you'll get a recording much better than you could ever get with a SM57 without a good preamp.

Of course, the 57 is a piece of equipment you'd probably keep the rest of your life, whereas you'll outgrow the others in a short time. But you'll get started cheaply, and the sound will be fine (for awhile.)

 

[Shadow_7]

It sounds like you need a microphone preamp. Something like a DMP3.

You could probably get an XLR to 1/4" TRS cable or adapter. But the gain level that reaches your interface might not be usable that way. And if you use a mic that needs phantom power, you wont have it going that route.

My Delta 44 is this way. 1/4" TRS connectors only. No onboard preamps. 4 ins and 4 outs and full duplex. Attractive for the price. But expensive once you get the cables, adapters, and stuff needed to use it.

 

[adferrendelli]

i use an H4 that i started out using as a 4-track. it does have phantom power and pre amps onboard. i am planning on getting a new interface, but i dont know what im going to get and i have to look more into it.

 

[mattkw80]

IMHO, the only thing the SM57/58 have going for them is consistency.... They are consistently mediocre at everything.... There are plenty of other mics in the same price range that are, IMHO, generally better.

dgatwood,

You are so right.

In fact, I've had enough of the sm57 worship, and despite owning 2 of them, and 2 58's, I've begun looking for alternatives.

You sum it up best..... consistently mediocre at everything.