Help-voice recording equipment

[Phoebe]

As a beginner, am planning to use cubasis VST project pack which comes with a compatible soundcard. Mostly want to record voice (mine), keyboard(mine-midi) and possibly (someone else's) guitar. In addition to the above package, do I need to purchase anything else besides the microphone and stand? Can I plug the mic directly into the soundcard and get OK voice results? I was thinking of getting the Shure 58.

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Phoebe: [first time I saw this name was in the novel, CATCHER IN THE RYE, by Salinger. Holden Caulfield's little sister's name.]

You might want to get a better mic. Can't help you out too much because I use a stand alone MD-8. But, in the right forum, you'll get plenty of help. Use the search function and see what comes up.

Green Hornet

 

[Brenton Trott]

Can I plug the mic directly into the soundcard and get OK voice results? I was thinking of getting the Shure 58. [/B]

Only if the soundcard has a microphone input. mic inputs and line level inputs are very different. My guess is the soundcard would only have a line input in which case you will have to buy a mic preamp to boost the signal up to line level.

SM 58 is a good place to start..........there are a lot better if you can afford a bit more $$. Try the microphone forum.

Brenton

 

[AlChuck]

Actually most cheap soundcards like the Creative SB Live or Turtle Beach Montego II have a Mic In jack too, but the preamp is terrible.

 

[Phoebe]

This is very helpful. Thanks, guys.

I talked to a guy at the store who said the noise of my computer would be a problem with voice recording, but that I might be able to get away with buying a sheet of some kind of sound absorbing material (looks like an accordian) and making a little kiosk out of it, then singing inside it. Obviously, my goal is to make my $$ go as far as it will to get myself in a situation where I can start learning how to do this stuff. I am under the impression that buying an (8-track?) recorder would ultimately be a much more expensive way to go for home recording. I want to be able to come up with a finished piece that will play on my web site.

 

[AlChuck]

Ambient noise is always a problem with recording through mics. Cars go by, toilets get flushed, phones ring, planes fly over... In a home studio situation, all you can do is take steps to minimize this stuff, unless you have the resources to build a "real" studio room or at least an isolation booth. That said, the idea of the "kiosk" is a good one, but you can probably do the same thing with some thick blankets or carpet remnants, which might be a lot cheaper than buying a few yards of Auralex of whatever.