Just bought an xlr mic please help! :)

A

arcticx7

New member
Hello,
I just bought a cheap xlr microphone, for music and for skype calls, discord, gaming, etc. It's obviously not getting enough power but I seem to be getting two answers when I look for the same question. Phantom power supply, and an audio interface. I don't understand the difference since I'm a complete newbie. What's the difference between the two? Can I record with the phantom power supply? Can I make high quality discord or skype calls with an audio interface since the audio interface should be also providing the power right? ugh.. Btw I also have a guitar, and midi controller that I use in fl, and I want to buy monitor speakers. I connect the akai mpk via provided usb. If I should buy an audio interface which one? (I saw that the focusrite scarlett was highly recommended), and how to set up the mic, monitors, and guitar?
Thanks for any help in advance since this is all kind of confusing to me! :)
 
Let's start with the mic. What make and model is it?

If it is a condenser mic, it will need power for the electronics that are in the mic. Dynamic mics for the most part do not need phantom power. This power is called 'phantom power' and is usually provided by an interface or a mixing board if recording. There are separate phantom power supplies that can provide power like you mentioned, but that is all they do is provide the mic with power if an interface or mixer may not have it which is rare. A phantom power supply in itself does not provide a means to 'properly' record, if you should be thinking of plugging into the 'MIC' input on a computer or laptop. A USB interface is the best way to start as it should provide the phantom power the mic needs as well as a means to get audio in and out of a computer. Most have instrument inputs that a guitar can be plugged into.

It's been a while since I've bought a USB interface, so I hesitate to suggest what might work best for you. You may want to give an idea what your budget is. You mention MIDI and some interfaces have 5 pin DIN connections which allow use of some older MIDI gear.
 
I bought a floureon bm-800. It's a really shitty condenser mic but for skype calls and lo-fi sound recordings I think it's fine.. I know it's not getting enough power since at max gain the sound is almost not there and there's a lot of pops. I would need a phantom power supply to provide it with the necessary power. But since I want to also record with it it's best I go with an audio interface right? If I understand correctly the usb audio interface would also provide it with the necessary power? Plus I would also need it to connect the studio monitors (which i intend on buying), and my guitar, right?
 
arcticx7 said:
I bought a floureon bm-800. It's a really shitty condenser mic but for skype calls and lo-fi sound recordings I think it's fine.. I know it's not getting enough power since at max gain the sound is almost not there and there's a lot of pops. I would need a phantom power supply to provide it with the necessary power. But since I want to also record with it it's best I go with an audio interface right? If I understand correctly the usb audio interface would also provide it with the necessary power? Plus I would also need it to connect the studio monitors (which i intend on buying), and my guitar, right?
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Ha! Just an hour or so ago I was talking to a guy in Greece who is looking to buy a BM-800. I have had two and both work really quite well but, There have been several posts here from people that have had 'lemons'. Noise, low output, no output. Yours seems to be another casualty of the lousy QC but let's make sure you are using it a'right?

The mic comes with an XLR to 3.5mm 'stereo' jack plug cable. That goes into the mic input of a laptop which provides the tiny amount of power needed for the mic's amplifier. But. You need to have the mic input correctly configured. Assuming you are using Windows you need to go into the Sounds setup menu and set the Mic input as 'default' device and then set the gain. Some experimentation needed here. Note the set value but set 'Mic Boost to zero. If the level is low but not noisy (hiss) crank the gain up and try again. My experience with the mics gave me pretty good sensitivity, way better than an SM57, and acceptably low noise. I would NOT describe the mics as "total shit" they are really very good for the very low cost..IF you get a good'un of course!

Yes, you will need an interface but DO look further than the F'rites! They are good but the Steinberg UR22 has many devotees and since you already have a synth, do investigate MIDI?

Dave.
 
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