Looking for a new mic

[lilrush]

I currently have a shure sm-58 and while this is a pretty good microphone...
i need one thats more sensitive.
I am using garageband and a mac pro to record and i dunno if any of that plays a role in the sound not being loud enough....but i feel like i have to project my voice too much for it to be at a level where it can compete with the beat (Hip-hop/rap songs).

Any suggestions?

 

[Ripthorn]

First off, you shouldn't use your stock sound card. They are always too noisy and don't have enough gain. Get an interface with a preamp (usb interfaces are getting really cheap) as this will give you a much better noise floor and more gain. Also, you are going to want a condenser mic more than likely. Depending on your budget, a good low budget mic would be the studio projects b1. They sound good and won't set you back a ton.

 

[lilrush]

could you possibly post a link to such an interface.....i would have no idea what i'm doing... but if u suggest one i will add it to my to buy list and eventually grab it off ebay.

Aswell, i will look into the mic you suggested, thank you for the quick reply..
I wasn't aware that the sound card wasn't delivering top quality..

 

[Big Kenny]

CAD M177
AT 4040
Some Audix stuff

 

[Ripthorn]

An interface that will work if you are just doing one track at a time is the lexicon alpha. It hooks up via usb and has a built in preamp. A link is here

There are a lot of mics that you could use, you could even go really cheap for the mxl 990 (like 60 bucks), but a little extra money will probably get you something nicer.

 

[lilrush]

I just noticed all of my recordings have a noise...like a small buzz or air sound ...even when nothing is said into the mic.....is this also a result of not having a usb interface?

 

[antichef]

I just noticed all of my recordings have a noise...like a small buzz or air sound ...even when nothing is said into the mic.....is this also a result of not having a usb interface?

Good luck, and welcome to a new place! - the buzz is your helpful guide into the world of "Gear Acquisition Syndrome", or G.A.S. - your efforts to get rid of the buzz will lead you in many directions, some of them probably expensive and unnecessary - if you're careful, though, maybe not.

Noise like that can be introduced in many ways - could be the mic (but probably not), could be the cable, could be the computer where it takes in the signal and amplifies it and converts it (likely is, and an interface or better sound card would help), could be the other end of the computer where the digital signal is converted back to analog to go to your speakers (an interface will help here, too), could be your speakers, could even be some noise in the room that your brain is blocking out unless you hear it in a recording. Most probably, it's a combination of several of these.

If you're not using an interface, that's the first, best place to look for improvement, I think. This is the wrong forum for a big discussion about interfaces, but you'll find lots of good info further down in the other forums (fora?). Since you're using a mac, you should also consider firewire interfaces - I'm not current on pricing, and they may tend to be more than USB, but I'm not sure.