help in making my studio work

[mc tina]

Hello,

My name is Tina, I am a singer and I want to record my voice at home.
So far I have this: a Macbook (Intel), a Xio 25 Synth, Alesis M1 monitors, Senheiser headphones. I work on Logic 8.
I want to buy a LDC mic and I thought of a Rode NTK or a Rode NT1000. My voice does not have a lot of highs so I'm thinking one of these should do the job.
The problem is, how do I link everything to work.
The Rode NTK comes with a power supply so linking it with the Xio Synth could be a problem, because the mic input has phantom power (with no possibility to turn it on or off, I think it's integrated and that's that). Without linking the mic with the synth, I can't make the connection with the Mac.
On the other hand I could buy the Rode NT1000, which needs phantom power, so the problem is solved, but I'm not sure whether the this one is better than the NTK. So what should I do?
And then, the question is, do I need an amplifier? with everything that I already got?
Sorry if this sounds dumb, I'm a newbie in recording. Until now I've used a Samson C01 which worked on USB, but it totally sucks.
Thanks.

 

[mc tina]

oh, and this is me:
www.myspace.com/tinaemcee
there you can hear my voice recorded on crappy mics, just so that you have an ideea of how I sound, and what LDC should I use at home.

 

[KineticSound]

Tina,
Both the NTK and NT1000 are great mics. The NTK specifically has its own power supply since it's a tube mic, and tube mics have different power requirements from most other condensers.

I'd hate to see you put down that much cash and not have a proper interface to get the most out of your new mic. Assuming you're on the previous generation MacBook (not the new aluminum one), it's hard to beat the Apogee Duet. I have one of these with my RODE mic that I use for voiceover work, and it sounds great. If the $500 price tag is a little scary, there are other options from Tascam, M-Audio, Lexicon, and others that can do a similar job for less. A friend of mine also in the VO world swears by the sound of the MicPortPro, though it's more limited in functionality.

 

[mc tina]

thanks for your answer, so if I understood corectly, I definately need a preamp, that's fine by me. Apogee Duet scares me a little because it looks like it has no inputs, outputs etc. , it's strange looking. How does M-Audio Firewire Solo sound to you, together with Rode NT1000? It's a hot deal if I buy it online from a store in Germany, and it also comes with Ableton Live Lite.

 

[mattr]

The duet does have inputs and outputs (it would be fairly useless otherwise ) but they're hidden on a breakout cable. I think its 2-in, 2-out.

The price for a 2x2 interface does seem quite high, but the Apogee converters are top-notch and so if you're only going to be recording one or two tracks at once then its probably a good investment that you may never need to upgrade/replace.

The Firewire Solo would also work great, possibly not quite as good quality as the Apogee, but we're talking differences that you may not even be able to notice.

As for the mics, you've already narrowed it down to some good choices
I love Rode mics! They're not quite as expensive as some of the big boys, nor as cheap as the Chinese imports that some people hear swear-by, but they have great build quality and a good, fairly neutral and versatile sound (some of the cheaper ones can be a bit bright, but I find the NT1000 to be well balanced). I use my NT1000s on vocals and drum overheads.

 

[KineticSound]

The duet does have inputs and outputs (it would be fairly useless otherwise ) but they're hidden on a breakout cable. I think its 2-in, 2-out.

Right-on. The Duet has two input channels that are switchable between XLR and 1/4", a pair of balanced 1/4" outputs to connect to your studio monitors, and a headphone jack.

Tina,
To clarify, you will need a preamp to pair with your new condenser mic (no matter which one you choose). In the case of our discussion here, we're suggesting that you find an interface with the mic preamp built-in. I don't mean to confuse things, but the preamp is the device that provides the gain (adds volume) to the mic signal; the interface turns that signal into digital information that the computer can understand. The M-Audio unit and the Apogee Duet have both preamp and interface in one box.

The M-Audio is a fine unit; not quite in the class with the Apogee, but should serve you fine. As Matt points out, you might not even notice the quality difference between the two on an NT1000. (I'd venture to guess the difference would be more readily apparent on the NTK, though! ).

 

[mc tina]

a million thanks to both of you for your quick and explanatory answers, I ordered yesterday the Rode NT1000 + M Audio Firewire Solo (budget reasons) plus a sound absobing pannel. I couldn't have done it without you guys, I'll let you know how the whole setting sounds like but I'm pretty sure I'll be more than happy

 

[Richard Monroe]

Yo Tina! I'm not really sure what the problem here is. Feeding phantom power into the output of a Rode NTK will have no effect whatsoever on it. Not to say that a good interface might not improve your overall sound. The phantom power issue is a red herring.-Richie