wolverine1190
New member
Hey there, this is my first post on the forums.
So I decided I wanted to record some stuff with my guitar by micing up the cabinet instead of using some type of effects processor and going directly into my laptop. I did still want to go directly to my laptop however. So I purchased a Shure SM57 and a XLR to USB adapter. In a nutshell: one end of cord plugged into mic, the other end plugged into my laptop.
So I hook it all up, everything looks dandy. To test the mic I talk into it. Nothing... So I scream into it... Nothing. I scream into it again and then add 40 db of gain (in Audacity). Behind all of the insane hiss, my scream sounds like a whisper.
The adapter to go from XLR to USB has a gain control on it, so I think "Oh it must need more gain, that's all." The gain was maxed out. So I then figured, hey, it's a dynamic mic, and it needs more volume. That's all.
So I put the mic in front of my guitar cab and gave the amp some volume (this is a 50 watt tube amp). Nothing was being picked up by Audacity. I crank the amp, and all I hear is some annoying fizzy noise that supposedly is my guitar.
By this point I figured something is broken, whether it be the adapter I'm using or the microphone. My first guess was the adapter. I uninstalled and reinstalled it and tried different USB ports to no avail. So I then decided to see if the adapter was NOT broken. My amp head (Marshall JVM205) has an XLR out on the back of it. So I ran a cable from the amp's out into the adapter, and then into my laptop. Wahlah. Sound.. not good quality, but there was sound.
So I guess what I'm wondering is if this means my Shure SM57 is a lemon. I just bought it today, brand new. Or if I'm a complete newb (this is my first try at recordng this way) and I'm doing something really stupid... I really hope its the latter. Thanks for any help in advance guys. Sorry the post is so long.
EDIT: It would also stand to reason that the mic is NOT broken because it is indeed picking up sound, although extremely quietly. I'm baffled.
EDIT Again: So my volume pedal wasn't completely depressed when I cranked the amp before. This time I made sure it was and put the amp to about 5/10 on the MV and I do get sound. It sounds pretty good. I guess I didn't think it would take a 50 watt tube amp with the master volume at noon or higher to record. Is this normal or no? (sorry for all the edits, I'm experimenting as I go )
So I decided I wanted to record some stuff with my guitar by micing up the cabinet instead of using some type of effects processor and going directly into my laptop. I did still want to go directly to my laptop however. So I purchased a Shure SM57 and a XLR to USB adapter. In a nutshell: one end of cord plugged into mic, the other end plugged into my laptop.
So I hook it all up, everything looks dandy. To test the mic I talk into it. Nothing... So I scream into it... Nothing. I scream into it again and then add 40 db of gain (in Audacity). Behind all of the insane hiss, my scream sounds like a whisper.
The adapter to go from XLR to USB has a gain control on it, so I think "Oh it must need more gain, that's all." The gain was maxed out. So I then figured, hey, it's a dynamic mic, and it needs more volume. That's all.
So I put the mic in front of my guitar cab and gave the amp some volume (this is a 50 watt tube amp). Nothing was being picked up by Audacity. I crank the amp, and all I hear is some annoying fizzy noise that supposedly is my guitar.
By this point I figured something is broken, whether it be the adapter I'm using or the microphone. My first guess was the adapter. I uninstalled and reinstalled it and tried different USB ports to no avail. So I then decided to see if the adapter was NOT broken. My amp head (Marshall JVM205) has an XLR out on the back of it. So I ran a cable from the amp's out into the adapter, and then into my laptop. Wahlah. Sound.. not good quality, but there was sound.
So I guess what I'm wondering is if this means my Shure SM57 is a lemon. I just bought it today, brand new. Or if I'm a complete newb (this is my first try at recordng this way) and I'm doing something really stupid... I really hope its the latter. Thanks for any help in advance guys. Sorry the post is so long.
EDIT: It would also stand to reason that the mic is NOT broken because it is indeed picking up sound, although extremely quietly. I'm baffled.
EDIT Again: So my volume pedal wasn't completely depressed when I cranked the amp before. This time I made sure it was and put the amp to about 5/10 on the MV and I do get sound. It sounds pretty good. I guess I didn't think it would take a 50 watt tube amp with the master volume at noon or higher to record. Is this normal or no? (sorry for all the edits, I'm experimenting as I go )
Last edited: