low input level / mic recommendations?

[tick]

Hi there

Wonder if anyone can help? I spent three days trying to figure out how to get the us-122 to work with my mac os9 - before giving up and plugging it into my toshiba laptop - when I discovered the thing was actually faulty!?!?!
The reason I mention this, is that I am a little uncertain as to whether the mic pre-amps in my replacement us-122 are also faulty.

It all seems to be working okay - however, when recording with my sm58 mic (canon-to-canon jack), I get an okay signal, but I have to turn the input level up to full to get a signal - it records alright, but it doesn't seem right to have to have it on full-whack in order to get a decent signal - so I'm wondering (paranoia, maybe?) whether this unit is also faulty. As it is I have to have the phones and the monitor volume pretty much on full to hear anything?

Anyone else noticed weak input signals with sm58 mics?

I'd really appreciate some comments or feedback - positive or negative, as I'm new to all this, and I have to admit that my confidence in this unit is wavering.

Maybe it's all fine and I should just be using a condenser mic. If so, any recommendations on a good (affordable) mic?

cheers!

J.
*

 

[Cosmic]

Hi Tick,

I tend to think there is nothing wrong with your unit. Dynamic mics do not approach the output of condensers, so the 58 will sound quite low in your setup.

I own the Tascam 788 and the 2488, and the issue is the same: you have to turn the pre-amps to 95 percent or more to get anything remotely up there with a 58, at which point I am not interested anymore.

I don't use built-in pres; I have a DBX 286A pre that gets everything unity gained before it hits the converters. It's about 160 bucks and has a gate, a compressor, and Phantom for condensors. Check it out; good low-budget bang for buck.
If you haven't already, check out www.Tascam2488.com, for many boards that will help you.

Marshall condenser mics are cheap, they sound better than they cost, not great, but workable. The V67 I have works delivers surprisingly well for $99.

Hope this is useful,

CC

 

[tick]

thanks

Thanks Cosmic

It's great to get some feedback - as I was getting nervous about the quality of the unit. So, that's good to know.

A friend is kindly giving me her Fostex digital 8 track, which a plan to use as a pre-amp (and to give me a few more inputs to play with - although, I believe they'll still all record onto 1 track on the software). But I'm hoping that that set-up will work okay.

Out of interest, is the DBX 286A made by Tascam too?

Also, if you use a seperate pre-amp and plug it into the us-122, does it cause any latency issues?

Just wondering.

Cheers!

J.

 

[Cosmic]

Hi tick,

No, the 286A is made by the DBX company; they have a whole line of pre-amps, eqs, and compressors, all rack-mount style. Their stuff is popular for live work and sound-reinforcement as well, so the units are quiet, well-built and rugged.
Latency issues I cannot address since I use all-in-one DAWs.

Glad I could be of help,

CC

 

[manning1]

i'm a puter engr and will not touch a usb unit.
too many folks have problems with usb for audio.
if you MUST use this stuff ; try and have it as the only unit using the
usb bus.
the other mistake is too many folks trying to use laptops as daws.
until rececently they were woefully inadequate. slow hard drives,
and often not enough memory. and slow processors.
unless a laptop has 7200 rpm drive, 512 ram, and a 2ghz processor i wouldnt consider using one.
if you want to see how good yours is get diskbench from prorec.com.
post the results here and i'll be happy to make suggestions.
(note diskbench is pc only. not mac)
peace.