micphone home recording problem

[musicman3000]

Dear Friends,


i am trying to record music with my (mono) vocal microphone (not computer mic) but whenever i record an mp3 sample then burn it on to the cd player, i can only hear the left side. do i need a (stereo) microphone? perhaps and (stereo) 1/4' jack? both?


i also have one more question...i wan't to record my guitar and microphone both at the same time direct-into the computer jack with software, but i think for stereo recording you need to use the line in for both...do i need a divider jack? if so mono or stereo? i can't record direct from my amp line-out due to the fact my hedphone/line out jack doesn't work...what should i do?


thanks guys! i hope you can help me im new to this process


-Aaron

 

[Armistice]

Sounds like you need a pan control Aaron..

But seriously, I don't know anything about PC recording and soundcards, but I'm sure someone will be along shortly who can solve your problem for you.

Luck!

Cheers

 

[NYMorningstar]

Your mic is a mono source and your soundcard is a stereo input. You need to get a Y adapter that will split the mono signal in two and then you need a stereo 3 ring adapter that will accept both mono inputs and plug into the soundcard(Radio Shack). You didn't mention a preamp which is necessary to use the line-in on your soundcard. You can't just plug your mics and instruments directly into the soundcard. You need a preamp to bring the signals up to line level first. The easiest way is to get a small mixer with a couple preamps and use 2 mics. Use one for vocals and the other to mic the guitar amp. If you get the mixer you won't need the adapters mentioned above. Most mixers have a stereo out that would go directly into your soundcard's line-in.

Have fun with your project and welcome to the BBS.

 

[Adam P]

For starters, if you don't have a mixer or preamp for your mics, get a mixer with at least two XLR (microphone) inputs, like this. You'll also need a cable to hook up the mixer to your soundcard...in this case, it would be a RCA-to-1/8" cable, like the kind you get with a portable CD player to hook it up to a home stereo. You can get these at Radio Shack for a few dollars. If the mixer you get has RCA Tape Outs, plug the cable into those. Otherwise, you'll need a pair of 1/4" TS (tip/sleeve)-to-female RCA adapters, plugged into the 1/4" main outputs of the mixer.

Now, plug one mic into the first XLR input and pan the channel hard left. Plug the other mic into the second XLR input and pan the channel hard right. In your multitrack software (you are using multitrack software, right? Which program?) set one track to record from the "Mono - Left" Line in channel, and set another track to record from the "Mono - Right" Line in channel. Bingo...you can now record two channels simultaneously with total channel separation (that is, you won't have to worry about things like submixing on the way in).

I know this sounds complicated when its written out, but its really not in practice. What it is doing is sending a separate signal down each of the mixer's two channels (the left and right channels). Because things like vocals and guitar (and the majority of audio sources) are frequently recorded in mono, you don't need to worry about stereo mics or anything like that. I think it can be easier to think of the channels in terms of numbers (IE Channel 1 and Channel 2) rather than Left Channel and Right Channel. In that case, you'd be sending, for example, vocals on Channel 1 (aka Left) and guitar on Channel 2 (aka Right).

I hope this helps. Its very a basic and beginner way of doing 2 track recording, but it should get the job done.

 

[musicman3000]

Thank you guys!