Quick question about running XLR into the pc for recordings

[winburg]

Just a quit question here. So im being told that the ideal standard for recording into a PC based work station is to buy a good sound card that has XLR inputs on them for the best clarity. now i know for some people that may be another debate but my question is.

If i had a set up like this:

Condenser Mic -----XLR----- Preamp ------XLR------- Mixer ---- Converted RCA to stero jack--- Computer

How much quality am i going to loose from running stereo jack from mixer to the PC. ?


i do know i that RCA straight through to the pc from the mixer is another option but im seeing if i can sneak by without having to grab a sound card just at the moment.

 

[Chili]

How much quality am i going to loose from running stereo jack from mixer to the PC. ?

Not as much as running the preamp into another preamp on the mixer. Preamp Out should go into a line level input on the mixer. 1/4" patchcord is fine if the distance is short.

About using the built in sound card on your computer. The converters are made from cheap components and are not meant for the high fidelity requirements of audio recording. You might not notice a difference between it and a high end converter at first pass, but with each track you add to a song, the poor quality will become more noticeable as it adds more noise.

 

[Bobbsy]

There's no single answer to your question.

There are at least a couple of things involved here.

First, the difference between XLR cables (which are "balanced" audio) and your RCA to stereo jack cable which will be "unbalanced". Balanced cables are preferred because they are far less prone to picking up outside interference. They achieve this by feeding the audio signal twice but with the signal polarity reversed between the two cores carrying the signal. Any interference affects both cores the same way but, when the polarity is swapped at the receive end, any induced interference will cancel itself out.

How much of an issue this part of it is varies greatly from set up to set up. If your unbalanced RCA to stereo lead is kept short and doesn't run through an electrically noisy area, you may not notice any difference at all. On the other hand, if your set up is right under an arcing thermostat (been there, done that) then it can make a big difference.

The other aspect is your sound card--and this can be the biggy. Built in sound cards are usually pretty dire in terms of performance--noisy, prone to clippng etc. etc. My specialist sound card gives me a S/N of better than 85dB. The "Realtek HD Audio" on my laptop is nearer 60dB S/N. The background hiss of the Realtek is quite audible; an 85+dB S/N is effectively silence.

So, basically it depends on your situation and what you consider acceptable. By all means play with the set up you describe--but you'll almost certainly decide you want better soon.

Bob

 

[Bobbsy]

1/4" patchcord is fine if the distance is short.

It also depends on whether we're talking about a balanced TRS patch cord or unbalanced TS. If it's balanced, the performance is every bit as good as a balanced XLR. If unbalanced, then my comments above apply.

FYI, I agree with going into the mixer at line level. However, a lot of cheapie mixers just use the mic inputs with a pad, nullifying any advantage. It depends on make and model (and whether the line input is dedicated to line or just another jack on a mic channel strip) whether this change gives any advantage.

Bob

 

[bdenton]

First...forget about cables...

Second...do a lot of research and learning...

Look especially at a USB or Firewire interface with built in preamps. It will have XLR inputs....

Do a lot more research and learning...

You will the no longer have the questions in your first post...