Hi. I hope someone with technical knowledge may be able to help me. I am a complete newcomer to home recording, and my equipment choices will be limited by budget. I want to record classical guitar at home, and probably some electric guitar. I am looking at getting two small diaphragm condenser budget microphones for a stereo xy set-up. I am considering, amongst others, the t.bone SC 140 stereoset bundle, the Behringer C-2 Studio condenser microphones (Pack of 2) and the Samson CO2 condenser matched pair. Although I have read some bad reports about Behringer, some people have suggested that the C-2 microphones are adequate for home recording. I have the following information on the aforementioned microphones.
1.The t.bone SC 140 Stereoset Bundle from Thomann :
Field sensitivity [mV/ Pa]: 16.2
Equivalent noise level [dB(A)]: 9.2
SPL [dB SPL @ 1% THD]: 140/ 150.
Electrical impedance [Ohm @ 1 kHz]: 220
2. Behringer C-2 Studio Condenser Microphones (Pack of 2)
Sensitivity of 8.9 mV/Pa
Equivalent noise level (IEC 651) 19dBA
Maximum SPL (≤ 1% THD @ 1 KHz) 140dB (0 dB), 150dB (-10dB)
Nominal impedance 75Ω.
Load impedance > 1kΩ
3.Samson C02 Condenser Microphone Matched Pair
Sensitivity of 10mv/Pa
Equivalent noise level of 22 dB (A weighted IEC/ DIN 651)
Maximum SPL of 134 dB (THD≤ 0.5% 1000 Hz)
Rated Impedance 200Ω
I also want to purchase an audio interface that will be compatible with my chosen microphones. My research has led me to believe that an audio interface's preamp should not add too much noise to the signal and needs to have enough headroom to prevent overloading by the microphone. I found a good article online that explains this: Selecting Mic Preamps. The M-Audio M-Track 11 looks like it would suit my needs and is within my budget, but sadly the specifications for this interface are lacking some of the technical details that the experts suggest are needed to determine the compatibility with a given microphone. There are no figures for preamp maximum input level or preamp input impedance, and I also wanted to confirm whether the interface is usb 2.0. The preamp EIN is stated as -126 dBu (max gain, 150 Ω source, unweighted), which, if I calculated correctly, appears not degrade the performance of any of the three microphones listed.
I am also considering the PreSonus AudioBox iTwo which seems to have the right preamp specifications for the microphones ( Input Impedance (Balanced) 1,200Ω and Max Input Level (Unity Gain, 1 kHz @ 0.5% THD+N) +10 dBu) , although the equivalent input noise is not given.
Behringer also have a budget interface the U-PHORIA UMC202HD 24 Bit/192 kHz. This has MIDAS preamps, which I have read are highly regarded. It has a preamp input impedance of 3KΩ but a maximum input level of only -4dBu ( although it does have a pad switch, which I am surmising will be equivalent to boosting the input level ). Additionally the UMC202HD specifications do not state the preamp EIN.
As I mentioned at the start of this rather long-winded post, I am completely new to home recording and until a few weeks ago knew absolutely nothing about microphones, audio interfaces, preamps etc. I am therefore finding some of the choices and technical details rather bewildering. So, in summary, I am hoping someone with a little patience and far greater knowledge than I possess will be able to explain whether my assumptions have been correct and if I should be concerned about the lack of details given in the manufacturers data sheets, or whether I am simply expecting too much from budget equipment in the first place. Perhaps the old adage “You get what you pay for” is correct. I am trying to avoid buying equipment that ruins my classical guitar recordings because of high noise levels. I also realise that there are many other factors that will affect the quality of recording such as room acoustics, computer fan noise, microphone placement, instrument quality and not least my own ability ( or lack of ). I am using Windows 10 Home Edition 64 bit with 4GB RAM and an Intel i5 2.80GHz processor. If anybody is willing or able to answer this post I will be eternally grateful. Tony.
1.The t.bone SC 140 Stereoset Bundle from Thomann :
Field sensitivity [mV/ Pa]: 16.2
Equivalent noise level [dB(A)]: 9.2
SPL [dB SPL @ 1% THD]: 140/ 150.
Electrical impedance [Ohm @ 1 kHz]: 220
2. Behringer C-2 Studio Condenser Microphones (Pack of 2)
Sensitivity of 8.9 mV/Pa
Equivalent noise level (IEC 651) 19dBA
Maximum SPL (≤ 1% THD @ 1 KHz) 140dB (0 dB), 150dB (-10dB)
Nominal impedance 75Ω.
Load impedance > 1kΩ
3.Samson C02 Condenser Microphone Matched Pair
Sensitivity of 10mv/Pa
Equivalent noise level of 22 dB (A weighted IEC/ DIN 651)
Maximum SPL of 134 dB (THD≤ 0.5% 1000 Hz)
Rated Impedance 200Ω
I also want to purchase an audio interface that will be compatible with my chosen microphones. My research has led me to believe that an audio interface's preamp should not add too much noise to the signal and needs to have enough headroom to prevent overloading by the microphone. I found a good article online that explains this: Selecting Mic Preamps. The M-Audio M-Track 11 looks like it would suit my needs and is within my budget, but sadly the specifications for this interface are lacking some of the technical details that the experts suggest are needed to determine the compatibility with a given microphone. There are no figures for preamp maximum input level or preamp input impedance, and I also wanted to confirm whether the interface is usb 2.0. The preamp EIN is stated as -126 dBu (max gain, 150 Ω source, unweighted), which, if I calculated correctly, appears not degrade the performance of any of the three microphones listed.
I am also considering the PreSonus AudioBox iTwo which seems to have the right preamp specifications for the microphones ( Input Impedance (Balanced) 1,200Ω and Max Input Level (Unity Gain, 1 kHz @ 0.5% THD+N) +10 dBu) , although the equivalent input noise is not given.
Behringer also have a budget interface the U-PHORIA UMC202HD 24 Bit/192 kHz. This has MIDAS preamps, which I have read are highly regarded. It has a preamp input impedance of 3KΩ but a maximum input level of only -4dBu ( although it does have a pad switch, which I am surmising will be equivalent to boosting the input level ). Additionally the UMC202HD specifications do not state the preamp EIN.
As I mentioned at the start of this rather long-winded post, I am completely new to home recording and until a few weeks ago knew absolutely nothing about microphones, audio interfaces, preamps etc. I am therefore finding some of the choices and technical details rather bewildering. So, in summary, I am hoping someone with a little patience and far greater knowledge than I possess will be able to explain whether my assumptions have been correct and if I should be concerned about the lack of details given in the manufacturers data sheets, or whether I am simply expecting too much from budget equipment in the first place. Perhaps the old adage “You get what you pay for” is correct. I am trying to avoid buying equipment that ruins my classical guitar recordings because of high noise levels. I also realise that there are many other factors that will affect the quality of recording such as room acoustics, computer fan noise, microphone placement, instrument quality and not least my own ability ( or lack of ). I am using Windows 10 Home Edition 64 bit with 4GB RAM and an Intel i5 2.80GHz processor. If anybody is willing or able to answer this post I will be eternally grateful. Tony.