I can't seem to get a mic level right, what am I doing wrong?

[brownsville]

I just got a Fostex XR-7 four track and are trying to toy around with recording guitar and vocals. I have a cardoid Audio Technica mic I've attempted to use on vocals and acoustic guitar. It works, but the level is very week (I have to put my receiver on max in order to hear the track) I purchased the impedence adapter from radio shack as recomended by the FAQ, but still the sound is dull. Recording direct from electric guitar gives me more than enough volume. Am I just not singing as loud as I should, or did I forget something? Do I need to run the mic into a preamp? Do I need a PA and a second mic to amp that? Or should I just try a different mic (btw, that Audio-technica was $40, the most expensive my local electronics superstore carried, and boasts professional soud quality...)?

 

[SHEPPARDB.]

I just got a Fostex XR-7 four track and are trying to toy around with recording guitar and vocals. I have a cardoid Audio Technica mic I've attempted to use on vocals and acoustic guitar. It works, but the level is very week (I have to put my receiver on max in order to hear the track) I purchased the impedence adapter from radio shack as recomended by the FAQ, but still the sound is dull. Recording direct from electric guitar gives me more than enough volume. Am I just not singing as loud as I should, or did I forget something? Do I need to run the mic into a preamp? Do I need a PA and a second mic to amp that? Or should I just try a different mic (btw, that Audio-technica was $40, the most expensive my local electronics superstore carried, and boasts professional soud quality...)?

Good recorded vox will require that you spend a few more $$$$$I am just kinda starting out(3.5yrs recording exp.)and I would recommend that you at least have the following:
1.sm 57.
2.one more sm 57
3.at least one sdc or mdc mic.
4.One Ldc for vox.(as well as other purposes)
5.A decent entry level pre-amp.

 

[kristian]

From what I gather, and I didn't spend the time to figure out what the XR7 is (analogue/digital) but to answer the question that stuck out most is; yes, you do need a mic pre. This should be your signal chain.

Mic->Pre->Recorder.

However, most 4 tracks if not all these days have pre amps built in. They aren't stellar, but hey, it is a 4 track. So if yours doesn't have any pre amps built in then you will need to buy a small mixer or stand alone pre amp. Since you say you bought an impedance adapter I am assuming that it has a 1/4" connection into the 4 track. In that case you might not have a pre amp. Just a quicky so you don't have to ask another question when you do get a pre amp or find the one on your 4 track. To use your gain stage properly you want your fader to be at unity, the point where it is neither attenuating or amplifying the volume. Then bring the trim up from 0 to the desired level. This will give you the best signal to noise ratio and least distortion.

 

[ebeam]

There should be a gain or trim knob on each channel. Have you tried adjusting that? If you are cranking the gain and still can't get enough signal, I'd start trying different mics, cables, etc.

 

[brownsville]

--There should be a gain or trim knob on each channel. Have you tried adjusting that? If you are cranking the gain and still can't get enough signal, I'd start trying different mics, cables, etc.--

Yes, I've had the gain slider all the way up and still get little to no responce on the LED level indicator for that chanel; the sound still records though, just at very low volume. If a new mic is what I need, or a new preamp for that matter what specs should i look for in buying something relatively cheap (I remember seeing something online about building your own mic preamp but can't seem to find it...)?

 

[Big Kenny]

this is a cassette recorder right? You will have two settings to mess with. one will be a trim or fader. the other will be a line level for mic or line or instrument. Don't get a preamp till you get a better recorder. you might be able to get a sound out of this unit, but the only investment to be made at this juncture is an sm 57
In hIs Name
Big Kenny

 

[brownsville]

It is a cassette recorder. Each input has a level adjust (which is maxed for the mic), as well as a master level adjust. each chanel also has a pan, FB, bass and treble. I was under the impression that my mic was not recording at a usable volume because of a differance in the impedence b/w source and input, and that the radio shack adapter piece which converts from XRL(?) to a 1/4" would match the input level to that of, say, an electric guitar input; but there doesn't seem to be a large difference. If I buy a more expensive mic, will I still have the same problem? For right now, I just want to formulate the riffs and melodies in my head into something that resembles a song. Sound quality doesn't have to be superb, just good enough for me to listen to.

 

[maestro_dmc]

You should be able to get a usable signal with what you have.

Is there a way to change the trim or gain for each input channel? There's usually a way to change between line level and mic level on those units, a little gain knob above the level fader, or a switch that says mic/line, or something.

If not, and you don't want to spend much money, so look into a behringer mic pre or a little mixer to get the mic up to a usable level.

A more expensive dynamic mic isn't the answer to your level problem, though you will end up with a better sound with say a Oktava MK-319, or something like that. But you will definatley need a pre with phantom power for a LDC mic like that.