Microphone trouble

[Pathogenik]

ok so i bought this mic and i know it doesnt need a preamp or anything like that. it hooks up to the computer through a 1/4 to 1/8 in. adapter then to the microphone jack. but on my computer when i select the microphone as being my default recording device i hear static coming from my computer speakers. so when i record its all staticy from that. is it my soundcard or what? this sucks because i cant get a good mic to work on here and this computer is only a year old. Do I have to change the settings on my computer or what?

 

[Pathogenik]

i think i might have it figured out now. ive gotten the static to go away so now i gotta record in a small room cuz the room im in right now is really open. and i just gotta figure out how to get the best quality out of it.

 

[danny.guitar]

What kind of microphone is it? And are you using one of those normal/gaming sound cards? ie: RealTek, SoundBlaster, etc.

The mic jack (preamps inside those cards) are usually noisy but not that noisy. When recording, you need to look at your input meter to see what levels you're recording at. It sounds like you might be clipping/distorting/recording too loud.

 

[mwthompson]

You should also use headphones when you record. You don't want to record what's coming out of your computer speakers, and having your speakers on can also cause nasty feedback.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

All microphones require a preamp.

That is why your computer card has seperate Mic in and Line in inputs; the Mic in goes to a mic preamp to bring things up to line level.

The problem here is the Mic preamps built into most stock computer soundcards are designed for things like headset or webcam microphones; they are not really designed with pro-quality recording microphones in mind.

To get the best sound you can, you don't need a new computer, or even a new soundcard. You need a halfway-decent sounding external preamp designed for quality audio recording.

G.