2 questions on home recording & small venue gigs

stockholm

New member
Hi, I need advice for a simple setup for home recording & small venue gigs

I am thinking of combining
- an acoustic guitar with a preamp
- fishman loudbox artist acoustic combo amplifier (guitar + vocal inputs & comes with an internal 24volt phantom power)
- condenser + dynamic mic

Here comes my questions:

- Assuming the condenser microphone will need a 48v phantom power for full performance can I add that into my setup externally (between mic and amplifier) even though the amplifier has 24 volts phantom power embedded? Does it risk damaging the microphone or the amplifier?

- I want to record/use the sound from the amplifier (both the microphone and the guitar) directly to my very simple MacBook and iPhone (via 3.5mm jack!) Do I need an audio interface for this purpose? or can I just use a 3.5 mm output directly (or from the 6.3 mm output of the amplifier using a converter) into my MacBook. In practise does it make sense to convert from RLC/6.3mm jack to USB? Does using an audio interface provide me recording in different channels? My experience from my current 10W amplifier tells me sound is so weak that it does not even make sense but on a 120W amplifier it might make a difference.
 
Yes, you can add phantom power externally.

It would be best you get an audio interface as you can record each track separately.
 
The Loudbox Artist I looked at has three direct outputs. The ideal is to record all inputs on separate tracks. If you just have two inputs, guitar pickup and vocal mic, then a common 2-channel interface would be adequate. But you never know when a couple of extra inputs on the interface would come in handy, like when you want to add an audience mic to your live recording. To be honest, a Zoom H4n Pro or H5 might be the better option for live recording, though they aren't ideal as an audio interface.

You might try your mic with the built in 24 volt phantom. It might work just fine. If not, it's easy to add an outboard 48V box. It might be best in that case to turn the onboard phantom off.
 
Can Scarlett 2i2 be used for its phantom power? In a setup where microphone first goes into Scarlett and the output of Scarlett goes into the loudbox. I am asking this not for recording, nothing related to computer. Only trying to see if I can phantom power my condenser mic via scarlett 2i2.

---------- Update ----------

Thank you both BTW! :)
 
Can Scarlett 2i2 be used for its phantom power? In a setup where microphone first goes into Scarlett and the output of Scarlett goes into the loudbox. I am asking this not for recording, nothing related to computer. Only trying to see if I can phantom power my condenser mic via scarlett 2i2.

I think it's going to need a computer to route the inputs to the outputs. And doesn't it power off the USB?
 
I think it's going to need a computer to route the inputs to the outputs. And doesn't it power off the USB?

Yes, the 2i2 is USB powered.

To the OP:
You are trying to combine two separate applications - for what purpose? Get an audio interface and record your guitar with a mic, then the vocals. If you want FX such as reverb, these can be added in the DAW.
For live use, don't bother to use a condensor mic, just use a Shure SM58 (or other dynamic mic), plug straight into the Loudbox.
 
Yes, the 2i2 is USB powered.

To the OP:
You are trying to combine two separate applications - for what purpose? Get an audio interface and record your guitar with a mic, then the vocals. If you want FX such as reverb, these can be added in the DAW.
For live use, don't bother to use a condensor mic, just use a Shure SM58 (or other dynamic mic), plug straight into the Loudbox.

One of my purposes is home video recording with my phone which has a way better camera than my laptop. I want to be able to use my condenser mic by plugging it into loudbox and (along with my guitar which does not need a mic since it has a pick). Plugging it into computer does not help me in this case because there won't be any sound outlet :)
 
One of my purposes is home video recording with my phone which has a way better camera than my laptop. I want to be able to use my condenser mic by plugging it into loudbox and (along with my guitar which does not need a mic since it has a pick). Plugging it into computer does not help me in this case because there won't be any sound outlet :)

You could do this without the Loudbox. Record video on your phone and sound on your laptop, then sync them up later. Or you could use the Loudbox just for the guitar and record voice and guitar on the laptop.
 
One of my purposes is home video recording with my phone which has a way better camera than my laptop. I want to be able to use my condenser mic by plugging it into loudbox and (along with my guitar which does not need a mic since it has a pick). Plugging it into computer does not help me in this case because there won't be any sound outlet :)

Unless you really want the pickup sound of your guitar recorded, the natural acoustic sound (miked, not plugged in)_ is always going to be better. As BSG suggests, record video with your phone, audio with the computer. You wont' need a separate phantom power to plug the mic into the amp, as you will be using an audio interface with phantom power.
 
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