1/8" inputs on an on-board card! (Help)

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Hatsuharu

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I have working on setting up a home-studio for a little while now. I have been slowly buying parts and organizing things, but I have some technical questions about using a computer interface to record with a microphone.

I have a Behringer B-1 Condensor mic (uses +48v phantom power) hooked into a basic old mixer. RCA cables go *out* of this mixer and into the *line-in* port (1/8" jack) of my computer. Now, I have a relatively new ABit motherboard with on-board sound. I'm aware that this "sound-card" is likely a rustic feature there for normal consumers. On making recordings with my Studio Condenser Mic (the Behringer B-1), I get a lot of hiss and I suspect that the quality is *well below* the potential of this microphone. I've been told "the mic is only as good as your sound card"!

My main question is; how much hinderance is my on-board sound card with 1/8" jacks putting on my more-expensive mic? The 1/8" input CAN'T be that good...SPDIF or 1/4" must be better. I think my line-in is unbalanced...does that make a big difference? I plan on buying a higher quality sound card like an Audigy Pro or something like that. Would I want something with balanced 1/4" inputs if I want to make high-quality recordings with my mic? I just worry all the time about how much more I might get out of my mic if I had a nicer sound card, and I wonder -how much of a difference- it will make.

Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks!
 
It could be that you have the line in turned up to loud or it could just be that your on board sound card sucks ...most do.


Look into a dleta 44..it has 4 1/4' ins and 4 1/4' outs. Depedning on your mixer...it could just be a big as a problem as the sound card...what kind is it?

Is it something you bought at a garage sale?
 
Realistic

It's just an Realistic Stereo Mixer from, well I'd say about 1996 or so. I'm just looking for good-sounding microphone recordings with as low signal:noise as possible. I know my on-board sound card sucks; I think an improved card will make a big difference.
 
hatsu - i assume your plugging that b1 into a phantom power box to give it the 48v BEFORE the radio shack mixer or are you plugging it in direct ?
if the latter - this wont work as i dont think realistic mixers have phantom unless i'm missing something.
also look into that delta 44. very popular sound card.
 
Phantom Power

That's right. I have it plugged into a dedicated phantom power box FIRST, then that has an XLR-out to my mixer, then off to the computer.
 
Plug some speakers are phones into the mixer and listen..see if it has those hiss's and such...if it does...the mixer or phantom power box is likley to blaim...if it doesnt...you know that it is your soundcard.
 
hats - you know tracertek.com have cheap low noise sound cards that do 24 bit. like maya (4 ins). and hoontech. then there is the maudio revolution.
all these are around 100 bucks or less .
my suggestion would be to check out the behringer mic 100 preamp.
its like 40 bucks plus a new sound card , and so for 140 bucks or so
you will probably have a better solution than currently.
but i would get these items on trial so you can return them.
just make sure that you ask in advance if the sound card is compatible with
your motherboard and chipset.
2 tips...
dont buy usb sound solutions imho. usb still needs shaking down for audio.
try and keep pci slots free other than the pci sound card.
so contentions dont occur to interrupt audio.
peace.
 
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