Im Such A Newbie help me please lol

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01Sublime01

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allright. ive been recording with audacity and ive gotten pretty good results..it has unlimited tracks...im using a cheapie crap mic but overall i think they come out good....except for thta annoying little buzz in the background...i need to know if anyone knows where i can get a free digital mixer :) and if i should upgrade to a dynamic or condenser....btw im recording to my laptop. if you wanna hear the tracks ive recorder so you can get an idea of what they sound like just email mehere well thanx alot if anybody helps me lol. Bye
01Sublime01
 
i don't really know what you're asking. but, if you're asking for a free digital mixer, the answer is, "no." if you're asking whether or not you should upgrade your mic, then the answer is, "yes, if you want your recordings to sound better." if you're asking if buying a new mic will get rid of the hum, the answer is, "maybe, but i really have no idea where the hum is coming from."
 
01Sublime01 said:
allright. ive been recording with audacity and ive gotten pretty good results..it has unlimited tracks...im using a cheapie crap mic but overall i think they come out good....except for thta annoying little buzz in the background...i need to know if anyone knows where i can get a free digital mixer :) and if i should upgrade to a dynamic or condenser....btw im recording to my laptop. if you wanna hear the tracks ive recorder so you can get an idea of what they sound like just email mehere well thanx alot if anybody helps me lol. Bye
01Sublime01
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If you're recording to you laptop via a "crap mic" and the laptop's built-in sound card, it's no surprise you're getting a buzz (and not the good kind.)

Upgrading to a dynamic to a condensor depends a lot upon what you are recording the most. If you're miking a gituar cabinet a lot, then get yourself a basic dynamic.

If you're recording all vocals and acoustic guitar or something like that, then you might be better off with a condenser. Keep in mind though, that with a condensor, you're going to need a preamp that can supply phantom power to the mic. PC soundcards cannot do that.

When you get a better mic you'll want to dump that laptop soundcard anyway. Save your money (a couple hundred bucks) and get yourself a 2-channel mic/line interface that connects to your PC via Firewire or USB. Decent ones can be had from m-Audio, a better one from Tascam, and a sublime one from Apogee, with a dozen other brands in-between. You can usually find a package of one of these with a cheap MXL condensor mic (or something similar) for ~$300.

G.
 
By "free digital mixer", do you mean software? Why not download KRISTAL. It's a free 16 track recording software, mixer, VST plugins, and 3 band-parametric EQ
 
Thanks guys but im sorry i dont understand the first two posts. The buzz I'm getting is not really a very obnoxious hum. I really wanted to know if a condenser or dynamic mic will fix my problem of that buzz. I'm recording to a laptop with a silent fan and the fan hardly ever goes on so I doubt i could be the fan. And another thing is I need a versatile mic and im not sure what i should get. Whats the cheapest I can get a condenser and pre-amp for? im a total newbie as I've said before and well my setup is microphone to computer. Click record. Playback. Done. I need to know how to really set it up because im very like confused If anyone can explain this i will be extremely greatful
 
Well the preamp of your soundcard, with the cheapy mic will be what is causing the buzz. If you get a better preamp and mic, and plug into the line in of your soundcard you will get a much clearer signal. It's hard to say what the cheapest condenser and preamp would be.
 
pandamonk said:
Well the preamp of your soundcard, with the cheapy mic will be what is causing the buzz. If you get a better preamp and mic, and plug into the line in of your soundcard you will get a much clearer signal. It's hard to say what the cheapest condenser and preamp would be.
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Yeah, it could be either the mic or the soundcard or a combo of the two.

I agree with panda except on one point; get a preamp that runs via USB or Firewire into your laptop and bypass the soundcard altogether. Laptop soundcards are notorious for poor audio quality (not all, but enough).

As I mentioned in my original post, you can get inexpensive condensor/preamp combo packs from most music gear sites in the $200-$300 range. It's still not going to sound like a commercial CD, but it's going to be a big improvement over what you have now.

Alternately you could probably buy the condensor and the preamp seperately used on eBay for half the price quoted for new.

G.
 
Yeh Glen's right. I just suggested it as it will be a cheaper solution. Something like the Behringer MX602A with a condenser mic, could cost around $100-$150, but it wont be nearly as good as the firewire,USB or PCI solution.
 
What do you mean? The line-in? Well most standard sound cards have a mic in, line in, and speaker out.
 
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