Record with USB or 1/4 inch stereo jack?

  • Thread starter Thread starter eckin
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eckin

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I recently purchased a Shure SM57 mic in order to record my guitar and possibly vocals. However, like most mics, it has three prongs on the back. My problem is that i need to find an adapter to plug it into my computer. I have done just that, but now I have another problem. At radioshack there is an adapter that goes from the three prongs to a usb cord, and another adapter that goes from the three prongs to a 1/4 inch stereo jack (I have the adapter from a 1/4 inch stereo jack to a regular mic in headphone size). So my question is which one would provide a better quality? Which is easier to use? The USB or the 1/4 inch stereo jack. Any help is greatly appreciated! And im sorry if this post was rather confusing, i am, afterall, a noob. Thanks!
 
Do yourself a BIG favor and stay away from usb mics and adapters.
They are basically made for PODCASTING (radio chat shows), not music recording.

The analog-to-digital converters in their mini-soundcard are mediocre for music.
The poor monitoring in them will give you fits trying to overdub new tracks.
The short cords will introduce a LOT of computer fan noise.

Get yourself a real audio interface and regular mics. Here's a good guide:
Audio Interfaces and Soundcards

(you'll want to bookmark and read through ALL of Tweak's Guide...)
 
When I first recorded something onto my computer, I used one mic into the mic input of a Stanton SMX-201 DJ mixer, and then from the RCA stereo outs to the 1/8" line input on the back of the computer. All of that went into Audacity, so when I hit record I got a doubled-up version of the mono input as a stereo track. The next go-round created another stereo track that I overdubbed something else onto and so on from there. It's really low-rent, and I'm sure some of the more seasoned people around here will let you know about that, but you can get tunes cooking on a rudimentary level with that kind of setup, and at least make a CD ready demo of whatever is lurking in your musical mind right now. Just don't plan on putting any major studios out of business with such an arrangement.

For 3-pin XLR to tip/sleeve there is always the ubiquitous XLR transformer, which can be had for around 20 bucks in any music store. That will get your 3 pins down to two leads, though it's not the best setup in the world.
 
TimOBrien said:
Do yourself a BIG favor and stay away from usb mics and adapters.
They are basically made for PODCASTING (radio chat shows), not music recording.

The analog-to-digital converters in their mini-soundcard are mediocre for music.
The poor monitoring in them will give you fits trying to overdub new tracks.
The short cords will introduce a LOT of computer fan noise.

Get yourself a real audio interface and regular mics. Here's a good guide:
]

(you'll want to bookmark and read through ALL of Tweak's Guide...)
Click to expand...
i disagree....for the money u cant beat what u get from a usb mic as far as sound quality...no way..no how...unless u get free studio time :)....seriously i bought a samson col usb and was let down at first with the lagging....the quality is great but that latency was an issue......so after a day i came up with a solution...u have to know how to use ur asio drive ok....heres what i do.......

1.in fruity loops (dont matter which one) i ran my usb mic into the Edison to record my vocals....the key is I turn the mic DOWN so it doesnt come into the headphones but the music does.

2. i hooked up a regular 8 dollar computer mic from wal-mart into the soundcard...the key is i turned it UP.so it comes through my headphones with the music....as we alll know computer mics sound ok aslong as ur not trying to make a song.

i only use the computer mic as a reference for my voice but im ACTUALLY recording the usb mic...

being that u cant avoid the lag like u can going direct all u have to do is slide ur vocal recodings(wav file) over and sync it up....with a little money and a lot of ingenuity can benefit from the sound quality of a usb mic....trust me!!! ill even make a video if needed.
 
Rizzo - you are new here, so we'll give you the Newbie 'tip of the hat' :facepalm: You don't know what you are talking about if you think USB mics give great sound quality.
 
And the second tip.... DON'T RESURRECT DEAD POSTS...

I've typed it in capitals seeing you're hard of hearing... hope that helps..
 
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