Calling all Podders and Streamers.

[ecc83]

Bit more of my inane waffle. That was done with a VERY cheap headset. looks a bit like this,
Wantek Wired Cell Phone Headset Dual with Noise Cancelling Mic, 3.5mm Phone Headset for iPhone Samsung Galaxy Huawei HTC LG ZTE Blackberry Mobile Phone iPad Tablet Laptop MAC PC Skype(F602J35): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

But mine was nowhere near 30 quid, less than 10 I would say. The recording was made using a "TEKNET USB audio adaptor. 3.5mm jacks in and out I use that because this Lenovo T510 has NO sort of audio input and the headphone jack is buggered on me HP.

Just for a change I did the recording in Adobe Audition 1.5 16bit 44.1kHz .wav then converted to 320k MP3 in Samplitude.

I don't know what 'sperts think of the sound quality but there is plenty of level and the noise is low, especially when you consider that included ambient noise. I just dropped the headset aside of the chair and shut tf up.

Dave.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Thanks for sharing, Dave. It's pretty impressive, to be honest.
I've heard headsets that sound awful - very tinny - presumably small capsules in hollow plastic chambers,
but I've heard plenty that sound decent too.

This is certainly the latter, for me.

 

[TalismanRich]

Dave, I think that the Lenovo 510 has a combo 3.5mm audio jack, 3 rings and a tip to handle stereo headphones and a mic. A truly screwed up device in my opinion. Generally, I like Lenovos, but that's one place that things were really cheapened. My old Asus laptop has two proper jacks for mic and headphone. My newer S340 has one combo jack.

That's ok by me, since I don't use the microphone anyway.

As for the sound quality, the noise was plenty low and the level plenty strong. Your voice was very clear. Having heard some of your other posts, I think that its lopped off some of the top end, but for streaming stuff, that's probably not an issue.

 

[ecc83]

Dave, I think that the Lenovo 510 has a combo 3.5mm audio jack, 3 rings and a tip to handle stereo headphones and a mic. A truly screwed up device in my opinion. Generally, I like Lenovos, but that's one place that things were really cheapened. My old Asus laptop has two proper jacks for mic and headphone. My newer S340 has one combo jack.

That's ok by me, since I don't use the microphone anyway.

As for the sound quality, the noise was plenty low and the level plenty strong. Your voice was very clear. Having heard some of your other posts, I think that its lopped off some of the top end, but for streaming stuff, that's probably not an issue.

I am pretty sure Rich that the T510 does not have any audio input of any kind. I spent some time on this and no input shows in Devices save the internal mic (killed. BBIL) I also spent a lot of time trying to find a way to record Stereo Mix that is any audio, radio, YT going through the laptop. Could not do it until I found a dodge in Audacity! Don't know how but it routes audio to itself. Brilliant!

The headset was very cheap but I have since found a weeee label! Sainsburys. "SKU 12641359" I shall see if that throws up anything but I doubt I paid more than a tenner for them. I was looking for just lightweight headphone for wife but they were the smallest and cheapest I could find.

Not surprised at the loss of top end for the price but then I am still a bit gruff post Covid.

The little TEKNET device is a wonder, just plugs and plays on both W10 and W7 and gives plenty of headphone welly and clean mic gain as you can see.

Dave.

 

[TalismanRich]

The USB adapter apparently works fine. As for the mic input, you would need one of these.


Combo jack adapter

All these thin laptops have gone that route, along with stuff like the PS4 and XBox One.

This is from the Lenovo 510 spec sheet,

Ports
1 x USB 2.0
2 x USB 3.0
4-in-1 Card Reader (MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC)
Combo audio/microphone jack
Ethernet (RJ45)
HDMI
VGA

 

[ecc83]

The USB adapter apparently works fine. As for the mic input, you would need one of these.


Combo jack adapter

All these thin laptops have gone that route, along with stuff like the PS4 and XBox One.

This is from the Lenovo 510 spec sheet,

Ports
1 x USB 2.0
2 x USB 3.0
4-in-1 Card Reader (MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC)
Combo audio/microphone jack
Ethernet (RJ45)
HDMI
VGA

Yeah but...

 

[TalismanRich]

I'm pretty sure that if there's nothing plugged into the input, there's nothing for it to add for a device in Windows. If I go to my sound devices, my headphones don't show up until I plug them in.



There needs to be a microphone attached to show up. For that you need something with the TRRS plug, either a headset or a splitter.

 

[ecc83]

I'm pretty sure that if there's nothing plugged into the input, there's nothing for it to add for a device in Windows. If I go to my sound devices, my headphones don't show up until I plug them in.

View attachment 106670

There needs to be a microphone attached to show up. For that you need something with the TRRS plug, either a headset or a splitter.

That might well be the case Keith but since nothing I do lets me route 'thru' sounds to an input, the aforementioned Stereo Mix, I have to conclude there ain't one? Every laptop and desktop I have had in the last 15yrs, XP, Vista, W7 has had that facility. Not the T510.

Oh! And BTW it does not have built in Blue Tooth. Spent feckin AGES trying to sync two pones! Bought a dongle..Bish-Bosh.

It is in may ways an excellent lappy but I would love a full user manual for it. Lenovo say they put it on the hard drive. Since this has had W10 pro put on it by the re-furbers, all gone.

Dave.

 

[TalismanRich]

Dave.

See if you can find the hardware manual and the user manual on this page. There are a bunch of different versions of the 510, depending on the processor and other options, but it may be on the list under 500 series Ideapad.

Home - PC Support - PH

 

[ecc83]

USB mic

Not so dusty?

Sorry to submit ME to you all once again! Running out of mics now (Ooo! Still got the Reslo RB..."Get thee behind...."!)

The mic is the Citronic CCU3 from Studio Spares, nice people. The build quality is really good, especially the base where the USB B plug goes in and thereby hangs a tale...

I sent son in France a USB mic some time ago (on offer at £40 at Maplin) and he liked the sound of it for ac' guitar. Unfortunately the USB port broke away from the PCB and now the mic is no more*.
He has a modest recording rig, UMC204HD, '57. a cheap BM800 cap' mic but he liked the USB jobby because he could just plug it in and go.

I shall bow to (much!) better ears but I think that mic gives very decent results for £50?
I am still going to put off those that want to build a small 'studio' setup from the USB mic idea, very limiting and of course there is no playback system (son has that) But for talk purposes or indeed the capture of a single instrument on the fly, not at all bad?

*I am going to get him to post the mic back to me. Even if I cannot fix the USB port I think I can bypass that and make it work from phantom power.
N.B. IF any of you already have a USB mic, FCS give it a dedicated cable and cable tie it to the mic body thus taking away any strain on the USB port.

Also: I am going to send the mic to him in the next day or so and press him to do some recordings with his (proper!) classical guitar. Nice bit 'o Bach. Then of course post it here.

Dave.

 

[Steenamaroo]

You never need to be sorry for trying something out and sharing findings.

I don't hear anything wrong with that mic at all. I agree, no point encouraging USB microphones to studio beginners due to the limitations there
but as a desk talk mic or for a streaming musician or podcaster, it seems like it'd be perfectly fine.

Looking forward to hearing how the guitar comes across through it.

 

[ecc83]

You never need to be sorry for trying something out and sharing findings.

I don't hear anything wrong with that mic at all. I agree, no point encouraging USB microphones to studio beginners due to the limitations there
but as a desk talk mic or for a streaming musician or podcaster, it seems like it'd be perfectly fine.

Looking forward to hearing how the guitar comes across through it.

Too kind! One thing struck me? The virtual absence of popping even though I was using no kind of shield.

There was also no shock mount the mic screws into a ring on the, all metal, stand adapter and yet I detected no LF rumble. Now, it MIGHT be that the mic is rather bass light but I don't have an acoustic bass handy to test that! Even if there is a rather reduced LF response that is surely a good thing? The vast majority of things we record stop at about 80Hz.

Dave.

 

[ecc83]

Last words(!) on the USB mic. Before I packed it off to son I used a bog standard USB A to C adapter and plugged it into my Sony 10 smart phone. The mic worked. I did no more than check function but this could be handy for others? I know my son has a very early tablet and I am sure the mic will work with that.

Dave.

 

[ecc83]

Son has done a very brief recording for me with the USB microphone.

We were at cross purposes in that he did not think I wanted a recording with it but was waiting for another, conventional LDC to show up. So he dashed this off a bit quickly for me...

Recorded in his flat which he says has a good sized room and it sounds like a nice room to me? Other comments very welcome. He hopes to send me some more recordings, jazz acoustic guitar this time.

Dave.

 

[Steenamaroo]

This is the CCU3 mic? Sounds perfectly fine to me!
Lovely to have a competent musician doing the tests! Makes things a lot easier.

There's nothing about the sound of that that would make me scratch my chin or think twice. It sounds really good!

 

[ecc83]

This is the CCU3 mic? Sounds perfectly fine to me!
Lovely to have a competent musician doing the tests! Makes things a lot easier.

There's nothing about the sound of that that would make me scratch my chin or think twice. It sounds really good!

He has sent me a slightly longer version, done in his kitchen (not quite as nice IMHO) but we have a slight misunderstanding. He said on the phone on Sunday that he "might" do another recording using the super cheapo BH800 mic I sent him months ago?
Now, because he has decamped to the kitchen (FKswhy!) AND he might be using a different mic with the Berry UMC204HD I am loathe to post it yet. I have emailed him for the full SP but no response so far (KIDs Eh?!)

Yes he is a good musician (well, dad wstwh!) and on that piece he tells me he tried very hard to get his technique right. No squeaks and no intonation problems because of "ham-fingeredness"!

He is working on another piece of Bach and tells me he has got the 'dots' and positions sorted out but he STILL can't 'king play it! Looking at the late J Bream master classes.

Dave.

 

[ecc83]

Son has sent me a clip of the Goldberg variations. He apologizes for some of the fluffs and squeaks, says it is hard piece, especially the trills.

Same USB mic, same room.

I have since found the Citronics CCU3 on Amazon for about £20 post paid. I got one Sunday and the build quality is just the same and a brief voice test shows the microphone to be very similar to the first one as I remember it.

Dave.

 

[ecc83]

Since son has little other choice at the moment he decided to play all the parts in this movement of a Brandenberg concerto.
Low stuff (Cello) was a classical acoustic, midrange a Tele and the really high violin parts a Rickenbacker because it has 24 frets.

I know I'm his dad but I think he has done quite well? I added the bit of 'hall' verb using Samplitude Pro X 3 pluggin.

Dave.