PC Setup giving poor quality

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timbo101

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Hi,
I now have a recording set up on my PC which I thought would give me a good recording quality but it does not.The quality is flat and tinny like a real cheap tape recorder.
Here is the equipment I am using: I have a Shure SM57 Mic , I am using a M Audio Audiophile Delta 2496 souncard and I am also using a Behringer Tube Ultrgain Mic100 tube pre amp.
The PC is a 2.1Ghz Athlon XP with 1GB ram and a 7200rpm hard drive with a Sound blaster Live platinum 5.1 card for playback.
I have tried several software packages ie : Cubase , cool edit pro , Cakewalk sonar, Adobe audition and N track studio which all pretty much give the same results.
Please be aware that I am a complete novice and that I know very little about home recording so I may just have it all set up wrong or something but I am pretty sure that I should be getting a fair recording quality result with my set up. I am using the setup to record acoustic Didgeridoo.
Can someone help please or should I just sell the hardware and give up and go to a studio ???
Thanks.....Tim
 
Could be your mic pre...or your mic placement. I mean, let's be honest...the Behringer pre is not the ideal solution for recording. I'm sure it's what you can afford but there are better things at that price point.

BUT, that shouldn't be the sole thing responsible for your "tinny" sound. I would say that your mic placement has something to do with it.

AND...get this....your ROOM probably has quite a bit to do with it as well. Room acoustics are very important to a good recorded sound. Do you have the SM57 right up on the grill?
 
Hi, I know that the pre amp is not brilliant but I thoght it would give fair results with what I have.I have tried the mic at different distances from being several inches away from my instrument to being right up inside it.When its closer its better but then I get popping and distortion etc but that might be due to me not having a clue about setting the recording levels correctly.As for the room I record in well its my Bedroom so its full of stuff and thickly carpeted so I dunno it that makes any difference.
I just wanna be able to get a decent enough recording quality to put on to CD for the car etc etc.....Thanks
 
UB802 said:
I don't think a SM-57 is going to capture high quality sound for recording on a didgeridoo. The mic pre is MORE than good enough quality, and the soundcard's A/D converters are just fine.

You might want to look into a large diaphram condenser microphone to record your didge. This type of mic delivers a much more natural sound, and will eliminate many other problems that a SM-57 in close proximity would have with this type of instrument.

Good luck.
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That must be why the SM57 is a staple in the recording industry huh?

LOTS of guitars were recorded with nothing but a 57 on the grill.
 
Hi,
I thought the SM57 would be ok as a professional player mate of mine recorded his cd with one and it sounded great but I dont know what other kit he used with it. I have the option of buying a Samson C01 Large Diaphragm Mic, Would this be any better for quality on my setup please...Thanks
 
Not to be negative, but shouldn't a dynamic like a 57 be BETTER than a condensor for extremely close micing due to the slower transient response?

A didgeridoo is a fairly tonally complex instrument isn't it? A good condensor might be nice to have anyways, so if you get one, you might try recording with two mics: the 57 up close, and a large condensor further away should pick up on the lows a little bit better due to the longer length of the sound waves (people who know more than me, of which there are more than a few, feel free to correct me on this, it's just something I heard), and then you can mix the two recordings together. I've used the principal to great advantage micing guitar amps.
 
I will probably stick with the SM57 for now as its not a bad mic but will get a decent condenser when I have some more funds. Is there anyway I can eliminate the pop sound when I first play my instrument into it...
Also any tips on setting up my levels please.The pre amp has both a gain and an output dial on it and do I need to do anything to the settings on my Audiophile soundcard etc.Sorry for being such a noob and bothering you all with it but I am sure I can get a better result with the hardware that I have than I am getting now...Thanks
 
Hi, Thanks for the link to the fishbones plugin. I will swap back to Cubase and give it a try tomorrow.....Thanks
 
Is there anyway I can eliminate the pop sound when I first play my instrument into it...
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Those things must make a LOT of air to freak out a 57. You might try a popblocker. Since you've admitted to not having extra funds, that means making your own out of a coat-hanger and some panty-hose. Fun!

Also any tips on setting up my levels please.The pre amp has both a gain and an output dial on it and do I need to do anything to the settings on my Audiophile soundcard etc
Click to expand...

The pros around here might have to correct me, but isn't it unusual for a pre to have a gain and an output? Is the output nothing more than a line level trim, with hard right being 100% level? If so, I would presume that you want to keep it at 100% all the time, and simply adjust the gain for different levels. However, if "output" is what I think it might be, then you'll want to mess around a bit. Probably, you'll want to set it to where whenever the indicater on the amp reads +12, your software on the computer should hit digital 0.

The default settings on the Audiophile should be fine. You can set the variable signal level to -10 if you wanna make sure you have good headroom, but I wouldn't suggest it. I'd much rather get the level as it is personally. You may care to decrease the latency buffer if your computer can handle it, especially if you're monitoring post rather than pre.
 
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