equipment setup question...

[whitebread]

im just gettin started at this home recording and i got a setup question...
ok so i got a E-MU 1212M and a nice audiotechnica mic and i am planning on purchasing some monitors real soon. is a mixer needed or will it have any pluses if i buy one? if so how would i set it up with what i got? would it be mic>mixer>soundcard ?? also is a pre-amp necessary for a mic to work or can the mic run without it?
please drop some answers for me, thanks

 

[seismetr0n]

you dont really need a mixer, but it might not hurt,
you'll definately need a mic pre amp of some kind.. the emu 1212m only has 2 1/4trs inputs.... if you only plan on recording with 1 -2 mics at a time you might be best off getting some kind of 2 channel mic pre (theres lots out there)..

but if you ever want to record drums, or a live band, you could mix a sub-mix on the on the mixer and send it out to the two channels..

what seems to be the nice part of your emu 1212m is it has adat inputs as well....

i would recommend getting a 2-channel mic-pre for now.. doesnt have to be anything fancy... then in the future you can add another mic-pre with digital outputs, and at least double your inputs to 4..

your computer will really act as the mixer here

gl

 

[whitebread]

hmm...ok so would one of these 2 pres work good....
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--BEHMIC200
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--STOPROPR8/view--Rear

which of the 2 would be better?

also i was thinking of getting these monitorx--> http://www.frontendaudio.com/Wharfedale_Diamond_Pro_8_1_Active_Monitor_p/6911.htm
do they need an additional amp?

thanks to anyone/everyone who answer my questions

 

[seismetr0n]

i dont know if id go with either of those pre-amps... the behringer, isnt really a tube amp (theres a thread somewhere where someone pointed out that the specs admit theres a fake tube thats lit with led's in behringer low-end stuff).. and the other one has too many channels.. you wouldn't be able to mix them down to 2 either ...

why not something like...
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MDODMP3 .. it gets great reviews on here, esp for the price ... or
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--ARTTPSII .. it gets ok reviews too...

as far as the wharfes .. those 8.1's are active.. so no amp needed.... the 8.2's seem to get better reviews (its actually what i use too)..

so recap- get the dmp3, and upgrade to the 8.2a's (if possible-otherwise still get the dmp3 and the 8.1a's)

gl

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Yeah those 8.1's are tiny. 5" LF drivers aren't going to give an accurate representation of your low end at all. I've heard good things about the 8.2s, in fact there was considerable hype about them around here when they first came out.

And I second the DMP-3 rec. also.

So yeah, what he ^^^^ said.

 

[whitebread]

hmm ok yea i think i will upgrade to the 8.2's, but as for the pre-amp i am really trying to keep the cost of it under a hundred dollers so would one of the following 2 be just as good as the dmp-3. note, i'll only be recording with one mic
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--PRSTUBEPRE
http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--THKMIMAB0

and once again thanks for the help

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

Never used either of those so I can't really say. On reputation I'd say it's highly unlikely that they are as good as the DMP-3, it's regarded by many as the best bang for the buck mic pre around.

Try a search on the audiobuddy and presonus pre, then try a search on the DMP-3, then see if you think it's worth saving a bit more cash for the DMP-3.

Even if you upgrade in future years to some really decent pres you'll always find a use for the DMP-3, it's just vey clean and provides plenty of gain, I'm not sure the same could be said for those other pres.

If you literally cannot spend a penny over $100 i'd go with the audiobuddy, it's two channels (you never know when another one might come in handy) and those cheap toob pres tend to sound pretty crap. Don't buy into the toob hype when it comes to budget gear.

Good luck with it.

 

[traps]

E-MU 1212M Card & No Preamp

Whitebread, I too have the 1212M card with a single SM58 Shure mic. I added a trim pot to my PatchMix inserts and up'ed the gain to get around the pre-amp delema. It gets me to about -12 db on my input meter (Adobe Audition 1.5). If I like the take, I'll normalize 60%. Noise is not much of a problem so the normalization is not a concern. FYI, I'm running in by means of a Low-Z to High-Z adaptor, digital (ADAT) out to a Harman-Kardon amp for playback/monitor. I've got my eye on a Berhinger digital mixer which should allow me to run 8 channels in with the optical cable.