Help Newbie with Final Touches to First HR Setup!

I

Ibrow

New member
Pretty much a total newbie here. I have Read and Read and Read. I will be recording to my PC. I have a few questions before I buy ANYTHING. Like Ed says, Buy cheap, buy twice. :)

I already have the PC with an SBLive! w/5.1 card.(shitty, but good enough for now.) I was at Mars the other day and finally got to test the AT4033, I think it was. I was astounded as to how sensitive it was. I live in an apartment so I don't think I need a condenser mic yet. Maybe someday I'll get a basement and be able to squelch ambient noise, then I'll get myself a condenser. I will primarily be recording vocals, for now, into my PC. I am thinking SM57 or 58. Since someday I will go to a good condenser, I think a 57 should be able to handle vocals for now, then instruments later.

Question: Should I buy the 58, because it's "better" for vocals? In the future, from what I've read I don't think the 58 will be as versatile as the 57 in so far as micing instruments. Is that correct?

Q2: How do I run the 57, or 58 into my PC? I know it has to come in at line level. Do I need a preamp, and if so what type, cheap? I would like to buy the Blue Tube. (buy cheap, buy twice) Would that be overkill for running a dynamic mic into my PC? I most likely won't be able to get a condenser, and have a nice quiet place to use it, for over a year. Would it just be better to get a less expensive preamp, or not?

Q3: Finally setup. How the heck do I set this up? SM57/58 to preamp via XLR cable to what? There has to be some sort of conversion in there to get it down to the 1/8"jack on the soundcard line in. Any help and suggestions in finishing the connections are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for any and all answers. I have really learned a hell of a lot from reading so very many posts on this board.

Now if I could just sing as well as I read, I'd really have something.:)

Ibrow
 
I'd go for the 57. The 58 is supposedly "better" for vocals. I use 58's live for vocals in my band. However, I fi was to record vocals with a dynamic mic, I'd probably use the 57. They seem to just sound mroe clear. The 58 really "colors" your sound (not necessarily in a bad way).

You do need a preamp. I'd either go for the Blue Tube, or the Art Tube MP. You'd plug the mic into the preamp using an XLR Lo-Z (XLR male to XLR female) cable. Then you'd plug the mic pre into the soundcard using a mono 1/4" to 1/8" cable. You might not be able to find one, so just buy a guitar cable type thing and a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. You plug the Line Out on the mic pre into the soundcards Line In.

jake
 
Thanks very much. :) That's exactly what I was thinking. I was figuring the blue tube would be a little much for a dynamic mic. The blue tube can provide phantom, correct? I'll have to hit a few online stores to see what this little setup is going to cost.

Thanks again.

Ibrow
 
Condensers are not only more sensitive, they tend to have more high-end too. But the SM57 is popular for vocals so thats probably a good choice anyway.

Supposedly, the difference between the sm57 and sm58 is that the 58 has a built-in pop-filter. That could probably change the sound somewhat, so going for a sm57 and a pop-screen seems to be a safer bet.

Yes, the blue-tube has phantom power. Both the Blue-Tube and the Tube MP seems to have somewhat shaky quality control, beware of that. But they are cheap!

The Behringer ULTRAGAIN PRO MIC2200 has gotten good reviews too and is $20 more that the Blue Tube. It might be worth a checkout too.
 
My group has been recording for the last 7-8 months using SM57's and SM58's (vocals and accoustic guitar). Very pleased with the results. Can't say I can hear a real difference between the two.

We borrowed a condenser mic for one session we did, and here's my take on that. The signal was much hotter and we were able to record from further away from the mic. This helped reduce plosives and breath noise. However, I didn't find the actual sound quality to be any better (could have been the specific brand - which at the moment I can't recall what it was). Also, on the downside, the condenser picked up ambient noise much stronger (furnace sounds, etc.). It really needs to be dead quiet to use the condenser. The dynamics seem to have a limited range (distance from the mic), and therefore help in reducing stray noise.

I found that we can compensate for the signal strength difference by sinmply increasing the gain on the 57/58's. This allows for a good signal, but you do have to sing pretty much right on top of the mic (I think this is a fact of life with dynamic mics).

All in all, I would highly recommend the Shure's. The 57 is probably better for instruments, as you can "aim" for the sweet spot. I don't feel any pressing need to go get condenser mic's (despite the prevailing wisdom on this BBS). However, I would like to try some other brands of condensers to see what they give me.
 
Thanks for the replies. :)

That's exactly the reason I don't want a condenser at this time. I can hear myself breathing. Plus with cars going by outside, I don't really need those sounds integrated into my music.

I am most likely going to look into that MIC2200. It's only $20 -$30 more. Does anyone know where I may be able to get a review of it? Or a comparison between that and the Blue tube?

Thanks.
 
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