Please help!

[Patty]

We have a small video edit suite with a voice-over booth. Based on price and quality, it has been recommended that we purchase a Rode mic and get a Focusrite preamp.

At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot--what is a preamp, why do we need one and how do you use it? Currently we have a very simple (and not so good quality-wise) set up that goes directly into a little Mackie board, then into our digital editor. The mic we use is connected with an XLR cable. Is the preamp now necessary because of the new mic?

Please speak plainly, like I'm clueless, because, well, I am. I know almost zilch about audio and I need quick information, but not too much information, if you know what I mean.

If possible, please respond soon...we only have a short time to get this order in before our fiscal year is up!

Thank you!

 

[Lt. Bob]

The Mackie board has preamps in it. when you plug a XLR cable into the Mackie .... you are plugging into a pre-amp.
Now some will tell you how bad the Mackie pres are but they actually are decent enough pres for starting out with and if it's a Mackie with the VLZ - Pro pre-amps ...... they're not bad at all. Yes, there are a lot better pres but you have to kick out bucks for them. Depending on how high a level of quality you're needing, the Mackie pres will probably be just fine.

As for a Rode mic ....... well, which Rode mic?
You can get a lot of different opinions on what mic to get at different price points. If it's something like a NT-1, then there are several that I personally prefer. But I'm not the mic whiz some folks are so I don't want to make specific reccomendations. I'd cruise on over to the mic forum and do a quick search. You'll end up with a big ol' list of suitable mics.

 

[mshilarious]

A preamp raises the signal strength of a mic, which is quite weak, to line level, which is what other equipment needs to operate at. Your Mackie has preamps, that's what you are plugging the XLR cable into. The first gain knob on each channel controls the amount of gain (increase in signal strength) at the preamp.

Before you buy anything, try this: set the channel fader at +0 (unity gain), and the master fader at the same. While speaking at normal volume into the mic, raise the preamp gain until the levels on the meter peak slightly above +0dB. Now listen to the signal in your digital editor. Has the quality improved any? If you hear clipping (nasty sounding distortion), lower the master fader a little until it disappears.

Next thing to make sure of is proper mic positioning. Many mics sound different depending on how close the speaker is. Within 6" you get a 'proximity effect', which is a boost in the low frequencies. It often sounds pleasing in voiceover, but it can be overdone. Have the speaker move their position until you get a good balance.

Watch out for plosives (pops of air on 'p', 't') and sibilance (hisses on 's'). These can be minimized by speaking slightly over or to the side of the mic, or by using windscreens or pop filters. I like to use a pop filter because speakers will glue themselves to them, and by not moving, they provide a more consistent sound at the mic.

Consider the space you have for recording. I assume it's pretty good since you said it was a voice-over booth, but if there are a lot of early reflections off of hard surfaces, that could be distracting.

Next, try slight adjustments on the Mackie's equalization controls (hi, mid, low). By slight I mean +-3dB or so, definitely not more than 6 dB. See if that sounds any better.

OK, if you decide you need better equipment, I'd start with the mic, since a Mackie board usually has decent preamps. You don't mention what mic you have now. The most commonly recommended mics for voiceover work are the Shure SM7 and Electrovoice RE20, but you might try asking on the Microphone board their opinion of a Rode for voiceover. It will definitely work, but you'll get more specifics there. Anyway, you'll want to compare different mics in the store yourself.

If after getting a new mic, you're still not happy, then look into a new preamp.

 

[TexRoadkill]

If you are just doing VO work the mackie preamps are probably good enough. A compressor would be helpful but if nobody knows how to use it then it may be a waste of money.

 

[Patty]

First, let me say thanks for the help--and quick responses. It's all starting to make sense now. The details you gave were great; I learned a lot without being overwhelmed. (BTW, I am a writer/producer who now has to learn the tech stuff due to staff cuts, hence my lack of knowledge)

We have a Mackie 1202-VLZ Pro. Our mic is a Shure SM94. From what ya'll have said, the Mackie is good enough--whew! The Rode mic was recommended by an engineer records audio books for major publishers. I asked for a recommendation under $750 (what's left in our budget) and he spoke enthusiastically about the Rode NTK. He also recommended the Focusrite preamp, but that was without knowing what board we had.

I will take your advice and post something on the mic forum. But I do have one more "really stupid" question. What kind of connectors would this mic have? As I mentioned, we are set up with XLRs. I've tried finding the answer on the web, even on the Rode site, but I can't find what I am looking for. We don't have the ability to rewire anything (location of edit suite vs. booth; institutional restrictions on wiring; internal issues with cost and scheduling, etc.).

 

[Patty]

Whoops!

Just heard back from Rode...and got the answer to my XLR question.

 

[mshilarious]

The Mackie board has good preamps, they should be fine. The SM94 on the other hand . . . I have 4 of them, and it's just not a good voiceover mic. The Rode would definitely be better than an SM94, as would the others mentioned above.

Nearly all quality modern mics are XLR. Please note that some mic (such as the SM94) require phantom power, which is a 48V power supply into the mic. Your Mackie board supplies phantom power, but you need to make sure that the phantom power switch is on.