Do I need an audio interface if I have a USB condenser mic?

A

athrun200

New member
I have a Samson C03u condenser mic, I don't know if an audio interface is necessary as some of my friends said that audio interface just allowed you to connect a non-USB condenser mic to computer.
Is it really true that I don't need an audio interface if I have an USB condenser mic?

I usually do live recording on classical and sometimes pop music and that's it.

Thanks in advance for answering my question.
 
usb plugs must plug directly into the computer, not into audio interfaces.

That said, you'd be better off selling the usb mic and getting a real asio audio interface and regular xlr mics.
ubs mics are mainly for podcasting and gamers.
 
I bought the USB mic thinking that it would be convenient, but it turns out to be a waste of money...
Do you have any recommendation for xlr mics and audio interface? I mostly do instrumental recording such as harmonica and violin.
 
The crazy thing is that very often the quality of the audio is very good. I have a rather nice one, bought 5 years ago - large diaphragm, excellent performance - BUT - the one essential feature, the gain control on the preamp is missing. So the gain is preset, usually optimised for speech, as has been said. On every recording you make, the first thing to set on a conventional preamp is gain - to maximise signal to noise and prevent under or over recording. This is a critical feature to lose. The one I have cost a lot of money and has never been used. It also has a reverse feed, so that you can plug a set of headphones into the mic. None of the available drivers worked, and my MACs wouldn't accept the output as valid at all. Since then, I've avoided USB mics completely - and none of the manufacturers have done anything to make them more usable for proper recording - which wouldn't really be that hard, being a simple gain knob on the mic!
 
athrun200 said:
Under $150 for mic
Under $100 for audio interface
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I might suggest finding a used SE2200a from SE Electronics. That was my first LDC mic and I'm still using it to this day. As for audio interface, see if you can find a used Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. They are very decent for the price. I've had the 18i6 version at it worked very well and I never had any problems with it. Pretty decent preamps on it. I upgraded as I needed more outputs.
 
dainbramage said:
I might suggest finding a used SE2200a from SE Electronics.
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I saw some posts on the internet saying that LDC mic are suitable for voical only as it is too sensitive for instrumental music. They said that the loud volume of musical instruments may damage the LDC mic.
Is it really true?

In addition to that, is cardioid pattern good enough for instrumental recording? I don't know what kind of patterns are suitable for recording instrumental music.
 
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athrun200 said:
I saw some posts on the internet saying that LDC mic are suitable for voical only as it is too sensitive for instrumental music. They said that the loud volume of musical instruments may damage the LDC mic.
Is it really true?

In addition to that, is cardioid pattern good enough for instrumental recording? I don't know what kind of patterns are suitable for recording instrumental music.
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What instruments are we talking about? LDC mics are excellent for vocals, acoustic guitars and drum overheads. You might also want to consider finding a used Røde NT-5. That's a small condenser microphone. I never tried those, but it might give you more clarity than an LDC, but the LDC will sometimes sound a bit fuller. If you're recording a single guitar you might want 2 mics in the future in order to record in stereo (one panned fully left, one panned fully right). I do that, but not everyone likes it.

As for damaging the mic due to loudness, I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen unless you record volcano eruptions and jet engines close-miced :)

You'll be fine with cardiod pattern.
 
Totally agree - the only real problem is that because there is no gain control, the only thing you can do if the sound source is too loud or too quiet, is to change the distance, and this is very destructive, done badly. Loud sounds can't damage a pre-amp! After all, with conventional pre-amps, you tend to do this all the time when setting the gain - very few people remember to turn the knob down, then gently raise it. I usually just see red lights, then turn it down!

USB isn't bad, just limiting.
 
athrun200 said:
I saw some posts on the internet saying that LDC mic are suitable for voical only as it is too sensitive for instrumental music. They said that the loud volume of musical instruments may damage the LDC mic.
Click to expand...

I record saxophone, trombone and trumpet with ldc's, so..... no.

ldc's also can go to nearly jet engine volumes, so.... no.
 
athrun200 said:
I saw some posts on the internet saying that LDC mic are suitable for voical only as it is too sensitive for instrumental music. They said that the loud volume of musical instruments may damage the LDC mic.
Is it really true?

In addition to that, is cardioid pattern good enough for instrumental recording? I don't know what kind of patterns are suitable for recording instrumental music.
Click to expand...

About the only thing that would overload an LDC mic worth its FET, would be a guitar amp/cab. The SPL levels found close to these can be very high and could cause the internal buffer amp to clip. In any event many people find dynamic mics more suited to cabs anyway.

What is FAR more likely is that the very high output of an LDC (or indeed many SDC) mic will clip the inputs on the AI and it has to be said that the 2i2 is not great in the headroom dpt.
If you are really strapped at $100 look for S/H M-A Fast track pro, lower gain mic inputs and a 20dB pad. But neither mic nor pre amp will be damaged by any sound level that does not also kill you!

Dave.
 
athrun200 said:
How about harmonica and violin? Dose LDC sound good for these two instrument?
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Yes. Especially violin. As for the harmonica, it depends on what sound you want. There are dedicated harmonica mics out there, but you will get good quality recordings of harmonicas with an LDC.
 
radi0j0hn said:
How do YOU like the sound of what you are recording with the USB mic?
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The sound is okay for human voice but too loud and sharp for instruments such as violin and harmonica. I think for harmonica, we should use a mic with less high frequency response.
 
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