Need help with Dynamic Mic

  • Thread starter Thread starter Emma Blowgun
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Emma Blowgun

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OK, so I just bought an M-audio firewire solo for use with my mac and garageband, and so far am very pleased with results. (I've just been recording guitar.)

However, now I'm trying to use my microphone and am not getting good sound. Basically I have to turn the gain on the m-audio box up to full to get any sound, and with the gain that high I can't stand the amount of noise.
The mic is an old one of my dad's I found lying around, it's a Realistic Highball Dynamic Unidirectional. Using google, I found an old thread in this forum from someone having a similar problem with the same mic, and the general response was "it's probably a crap mic".

Basically I'm wondering if there's anything I can do with my equipment to reduce the noise to at least a tolerable level. (I'm a kid and so budget is a big issue, and I'd like to make do with what I have.) Now what i've noticed is that the mic itself ouputs to an XLR cable, but the cable adapts to a quarter inch jack. The microphone input on the m-audio box is XLR, so I have been trying to record the mic through the instrument input. Is it possible that I need to be using the XLR mic input to get a proper signal? Please help, any advice is appreciated.
 
Yes, try a mic cable with an XLR connector or get an adaptor. The microphone input should be more sensitive than the instrument input, allowing for higher gain.
 
There are a couple of mics that can be had for absolute peanuts (£30 here, so about $50 there, less than a video game anyway) that will see you right. I definitely recommend getting the best you can from your current equipment but if you just save a little more you would be very much happier.

- Beyer Soundstar MkII - ebay
- Shure SM57 / 545 - ebay
- Sennheiser E825 - new
- AKG D65 - ebay or D68 new
- Just about any old AKG or Beyer dynamics you can find on ebay
- Superlux TOP 248 and TOP 258 - new

Any of those will do a far superior job IMHO. :)
 
Thank you both for the advice. I believe I'll head down to Guitar Center to look for an XLR cable today, and if that doesn't work I'll try upgrading the mic. Thanks!
 
Heil PR40

this dynamic mic has been getting rave reviews - it's supposed to act like a condensor mic without the hassles. Has anyone used one? I'd be interested in knowing your opinion.
 
Bob Heil is a local boy around where I live. His mics kick ass.
 
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