help with recording!

[mastodon897]

Hello, I am an extreme newbie. Actually today is the day after Christmas and I just recieved my mixer/mic for Christmas. I am using a Berhinger C-1 condinser mic and a Behringer XENYX 1204USB, usb mixer running into a PC(Windows 7) and using the program Audacity. I am also just recording in my bedroom which is big, not ideal but I am just making sure it all works right.

The problem is that when i play my acoustic guitar next to the mic it sounds horrible. It sounds just about the same as when I into my internal mic. It sounds a lot better when i sing into it. I have tried placing the mic at all angles around my guitar but no change. I called a friend who lives in another state that messes with stuff like this and adjusted the settings to what he suggested and tested the gain with the green lights.(I know I am not peaking or whatever, the lights are still in the green). I just don't know what to do or how to fix the problem.

Thank you for your help!

 

[mjbphotos]

Can you post a link to a sound file. A lot of folks disparage the Behringer line in whole, so maybe ...

 

[Shadow_7]

It sounds like you are clipping or something. Make sure that you adjust your levels. Things are a lot louder up close than far away. Make sure that the mic specs to a decent SPL rating. And set your gain conservatively or you can overload the interface. You're not likely to overload the mic with an acoustic guitar. But I've maxed a few at the mic with a solitary trombone. The resulting waveform in audacity should never have flat peaks. If done right. And you should probably keep it safe and confined to 50% of the screen real-estate (-5dB peaks). That way you have a safety margin if you get a bit carried away.

Also make sure that audacity is using the mic that you think that it's using as input.

 

[jacksonstewart]

hello i am new to this..its nice to read all ur threads..