Laptop Recording/Mic/mbox

[magnus1225]

Hello everyone. I would like to record myself playing some instruments...guitar/accordion/piano. I have a super cheap mic from radioshack. The sound is terrible when I record, I always have to amplify it. I'm not knowledgeable at all in home recording. My friend has an digidesign mbox, so I thought maybe I need one of those to improve the recording. Then I got an email back from him saying that it might just be my mic (i'm the sure mic is a big problem) so he suggested the MXL990. So I guess my actually question, could I just get the mic and get good sound quality? Do I need the mbox? What's the point of the mbox? Are there other rather inexpensive mics anyone wants to recoommend? Thanks everyone!!!

 

[punkrocker]

Ok I'm going to answer in sections making to easier to read.

1.This depends. What are you recording into? Your computer's sound card? An audio interface? An all-in-one multitrack recorder type thing? You will have to tell us what you are recording into before we can give you advice as to wether or not pick up a mbox.

2. Yes unless you are wanting to have your sound crappy as an effect, radioshack is very bad for recording. You will have to get a different mic. Again because some mics (include the MXL 990) require phantom power, we cannot give you advice to mics because we don't know if the interface you are recording into has phantom power and/or preamps. Here's a link to my band on itunes all the vocals were done with the mxl 990 into a presonus firepod into acid pro 6.
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=279924140

3. The point of the mbox is to provide an audio interface or means of transferring the sound of the microphone to your computer.

4. What kind of guitar? Acoustic or electric?

5. I will recommend some mics when you respond with the what you are recording into.

 

[apl]

Naiant has some very nice little mics for doing that kind of thing, along with preamplifiers. Plus the guy that runs the place is very helpful.

http://www.naiant.com/studiostore.html

 

[apl]

And I think he's got one you can plug directly into your laptop's soundcard.

Now, that will get you a much better recording than you're getting now. But if you keep dinking around you'll eventually want to get much more sophisticated.

 

[magnus1225]

Thanks for the reply all.

1. I'm just recording into my computer's soundcard right now.

2. MXL 990 needs phantom power? What is that? I can't just plug it into my computer?

3. So if I got the MXL 990 i would need a mbox?

4. Acoustic guitar, but I do have pickup for it so I can plug it into an amp. But i'd mostly be using it as an acoustic.

On another forum someone said I should forget the "crappy condenser mic" and just get some Shure SM 58's and a computer interface. What do you say to that?

 

[punkrocker]

Thanks for the reply all.

1. I'm just recording into my computer's soundcard right now.

2. MXL 990 needs phantom power? What is that? I can't just plug it into my computer?

3. So if I got the MXL 990 i would need a mbox?

4. Acoustic guitar, but I do have pickup for it so I can plug it into an amp. But i'd mostly be using it as an acoustic.

On another forum someone said I should forget the "crappy condenser mic" and just get some Shure SM 58's and a computer interface. What do you say to that?

1. Ok then that clears things up.

2. Yes it is an external source of power to power the mic. You will also need a preamp to bring the signal up to level. Many preamps come with phantom power. Many condensers microphones such as the mxl 990 require phantom power. Here is a great entry level preamp with phantom power for $30
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ART-Tube-MP-Studio-Mic-Preamp?sku=180581

3. No you could get the mic and the previously suggested preamp and then run a 1/4" cable out of the preamp's output into your computers sound card.

4. Ok then the reason I asked was because I might have reccomened different mics depending on which one.

I would say don't listen to that person and go with the lower level condensers such as the mxl 990 because the things you are recording are better with condensers.

For mic reccomendations:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/prod...-Studio-Microphone-with-Shockmount?sku=273158

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-MXL-990-Condenser-Microphone-with-Shockmount?sku=273156

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/prod...ragm-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone?sku=270620