Having Problems With Recording & Microphone

  • Thread starter Thread starter itsmcs
  • Start date Start date
I

itsmcs

New member
Hi,

I just bought a new soundcard (Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS) to record vocals on my computer (I am running on Windows XP). I installed the soundcard and plugged in my normal dynamic microphone to the soundcard but when I opened my recording program (Acid 4.0) and tried to record (on stereo), my voice is only recorded on the left side. I tried to test the microphone with the 'Sound Hardware Test Wizard' but the recording meter does not show any movement. The microphone is turned on and connected properly because I can hear my voice through the speakers. I have recorded before (on stereo in Acid 2.0) but on my old computer with a old Sound Blaster Live soundcard and everything was fine on there. What should I do? Also, isn't there a difference in quality between setting the track to "stereo" and "mono"? Any help would be appreciated, Thanks.
 
The mic is not a stereo source. There's no point in recording it to a stereo track. Stereo source recording is only done if you are trying to capture the true sound of an acoustical space (in which case you need at least a pair of good mics and the knowledge of the specialized techniques necesssary to achieve this), or you have a source that is already panned and effected exactly the way you want (for example, the stereo out of a keyboard that is already mixed xactly how you want it).

You take care of the "stereosity" of it when you mix your creation down to a stereo master. The only reason that "everything was fine" on the old computer was that either you had actually recorded a mono track, or else you recorded a stereo track which had two copies of the mic signal, one on each side, which is really useless because it sounds just like a mono track panned to both speakers, and it take up twice as much disk space.
 
Thank you for the information. I have a new problem now. I am not getting any sound at all from my microphone in the recording program when I press the record button, but I can still hear my microphone through the speakers. Help please

Edit: Ok, I got the sound to work and I set the track to mono and now the only problem is, when I record and playback the recording, the sound is very low even when I turn up the volume of the recording to its highest level or duplicate the recording a couple times...somebody please help, I just want to record..
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top