Connecting a microphone to an Apple Macbook.

Cervando

New member
I suspect this question has been asked multiple times and so I apologise. My daughter has shown interest in a budget microphone, around £50 and after some reading I thought the AKG D5 would be best. However, it seems to get a decent recording, a cable would not do it justice and someone suggested a USB Microphone instead. If that is the case, which USB Microphone do you guys suggest? Thanks in anticipation.
 
USB microphones are great for podcasters, and circumstances where our usual gain setting is not required. Obviously you can never add another microphone, so singing and playing guitar at the same time is impossible (for the main). The problem is really that most computers have terrible quality microphone inputs - so to get them costs around £50 plus for an interface where you can connect pretty well anything. USB mics that contain the interface internally and still cost cheap money are off course, less good. The cable doesn't;t do anything justice - they're meant to be totally transparent. Quality coming from the mic and the interface really. You're kind of in the middle. What is the purpose of the mic? What are you planning to do - that's more important. The D5 is a fine mic for the price, but it's a super-cardioid, so good at rejecting sound, including, if she hasn't got much mic technique yet, her! Not bad for PA's though and live sound.

The MacBook.
Oddly, the mic input on a MacBook is actually quite a bit better than the usual PC mic input, but the snag is that you presumably also want to hear what she's singing and the socket is already in use for the mic, so again - and interface can do both properly.
 
USB microphones are great for podcasters, and circumstances where our usual gain setting is not required. Obviously you can never add another microphone, so singing and playing guitar at the same time is impossible (for the main). The problem is really that most computers have terrible quality microphone inputs - so to get them costs around £50 plus for an interface where you can connect pretty well anything. USB mics that contain the interface internally and still cost cheap money are off course, less good. The cable doesn't;t do anything justice - they're meant to be totally transparent. Quality coming from the mic and the interface really. You're kind of in the middle. What is the purpose of the mic? What are you planning to do - that's more important. The D5 is a fine mic for the price, but it's a super-cardioid, so good at rejecting sound, including, if she hasn't got much mic technique yet, her! Not bad for PA's though and live sound.

The MacBook.
Oddly, the mic input on a MacBook is actually quite a bit better than the usual PC mic input, but the snag is that you presumably also want to hear what she's singing and the socket is already in use for the mic, so again - and interface can do both properly.

Thanks for your reply. My daughter is intending to sing, as she used to love music a few years ago and practiced piano. For now she intends to upload to soundcloud, so purely for her own pleasure and not live or stage work. I don't want to spend a lot, as my daughter is prone to fads, as we found out when we bought her musical instruments in the past. So really I want to keep it less than £100 in total, including cables etc. Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.
 
The D5 comes out at 70 quid so £100 is not going to leave you much for anything else!

I have one of these: Prodipe TT1 and I think it is very good for the money, half that of the AKG. But, what (wtgr) 'noobs' never think about when recording is PLAY back! A USB mic, except a few more expensive ones, does not give you playback, aka 'monitoring' The young lady will need some headphones and they should be of the closed back variety.

Then she REALLY needs an Audio Interface and a company called Behringer make a range that are very good for the prices. I have a UMC204HD and am staggered how well it stands up against my two other AIs at twice the price. The 204 is around £70 but you can get a lesser model at about £50 but you MUST get one with TWO mic inputs.

Cables will add a tenner each depending on length and you must get a mic stand. A boom stand will be needed to reach across the piano but you can find them at £20 or so. Might only give a year or so's service even with gentle use but hey! You get what...? That lot is not a bad outlay compared to say a year's sub at a pony club or skiing!

You used sterling. Are you UK and if so where?

Dave.
 
Hi Dave,

I was born in England but have been living in Spain for 2 years, although my daughter is doing a degree in Scotland. The piano I should mention is an electronic one, a Casio PX 200. According to the specs it has MIDI IN/OUT, USB port, line out x 2 (L/MONO, R). Is it possible to link a microphone to the piano and record that way? If not, would this model, the Behringer-UMC22, and the Prodipe TT1 allow her to record stereo on her laptop. Would she need any other software? Thanks for your invaluable advice.

Mike
 
These interfaces solve that problem - jack to jack cable from keyboard into line channel, mic into the other, headphones plugged in and away you go. Don;t record Casio's with a mic - it sounds simply terrible. the direct connection will work. to record 'stereo' she'll need some software, but there are lots to choose from, although the free audacity is very poplar and capable.
 
Students can get big discounts on hard and software you know! Check out 'DV247'

So, the Casio has two, left and right line out jacks that will feed the line inputs of an AI and give the full panarama of the stereo keyboard.But! The Casio also has MIDI ports. With a pair of 5 pin DIN to DIN cables daughter will be able to record MIDI data as well. If she is serious about her music she will surely want to embrace MIDI.

All that said. Come ON dad! Stump up 70 quid for the 204HD. That has MIDI ports and (bit techy this) pretty good ASIO drivers. Even if the interest palls in six months you should easily be able to get half to a third of your money back.

(Live in Spain? Bet this mornings election results caused a stir?)

Dave.
 
Thanks Dave,

I expected the result, but it did indeed cause a stir with many expats. I can become Spanish if needs be, as my father is Spanish, so it has less effect on me. OK I will take your advice on the 204HD. It's not the cost, it's just I intended to get a better one if she actually does keep at it, unlike her piano, guitar and ukulele we bought her. She has the attention span of a lobotomized goldfish...

Mike
 
Hi Rob,

I think I will go the midi route and go with Dave's suggestion of hardware and use decent connections as you both suggest. I will tell her to download Audacity. Thanks for your advice.

MIke
 
If you're working with a MacBook, you should have GarageBand. I would skip Audacity, as it doesn't support the ASIO interface by default (Its a licensing issue... details here).
 
I use Cubase, but my copy of audacity is quite happy recording on my MacBook? Is this unusual? Plug things in, like my PC system and it records from them.
 
I think most if not all DAWs use Core Audio in OS X. At least, I've never had to load a driver for Audacity and used it since Snow Leopard.

On a MAC, if it has sufficient ports, you can plug a MIDI device in on one USB port and the interface on another and still use both if I'm not mistaken. I am a one-hand chorder and never tried to record the mic and keys at the same time, but never had any kind of pop-up about a different device being used while switching back and forth within a session. I.e., I think you do not strictly have to have the MIDI/DIN inputs for the MacBook interface, but it won't hurt, and might save a problem if there's any need to plug the interface into a Windows computer.
 
I think most if not all DAWs use Core Audio in OS X. At least, I've never had to load a driver for Audacity and used it since Snow Leopard.

On a MAC, if it has sufficient ports, you can plug a MIDI device in on one USB port and the interface on another and still use both if I'm not mistaken. I am a one-hand chorder and never tried to record the mic and keys at the same time, but never had any kind of pop-up about a different device being used while switching back and forth within a session. I.e., I think you do not strictly have to have the MIDI/DIN inputs for the MacBook interface, but it won't hurt, and might save a problem if there's any need to plug the interface into a Windows computer.

You can actually run audio recording in a DAW from a USB AI and record MIDI data from another, USB MIDI device on a PC. What you CAN'T do is run two or more USB audio devices with ASIO drivers.
I have done it in Samplitude but not with ASIO drivers and the tracks are not synced. Close enough for a 3min song mind.

Dave.
 
You can actually run audio recording in a DAW from a USB AI and record MIDI data from another, USB MIDI device on a PC. What you CAN'T do is run two or more USB audio devices with ASIO drivers.
I have done it in Samplitude but not with ASIO drivers and the tracks are not synced. Close enough for a 3min song mind.

Dave.

You can have your usb audio interface and as many separate usb midi devices as you like,
but OP here is on Apple so he could have as many audio interfaces as he likes too, not that there's a need; Just saying.

If it was just singing and possibly a passing phase I'd have suggested a USB mic but with the piano in the loop I agree with a USB audio interface
with at least one one mic preamp and two line level inputs (for piano L+R).

If you, or someone, is capable of a bit of editing, and you think it might be useful to tweak and fix piano recordings after the fact, midi might be the better option for the piano.

Garageband should have everything you need.
 
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