shure sm57 into computer

  • Thread starter Thread starter trickedthePigs
  • Start date Start date
T

trickedthePigs

New member
ok well im getting an sm57 soon because im interested in recording and all that good stuff. as of right now i use adobe audition 1.5 and my 10 dollar computer mic (suckkk). i record my guitar through a boss mt-2 pedal to a fender fm 212r.

now my question is, to hook the sm57 to the computer, do i need like an adapter or something? or is there something else i need to buy? any help would be greatly appreciated
 
Worst route: Get an XLR to 1/4" cable, and a mono 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. Now plug the mic into the cable, into the adapter and finally your MIC IN on your soundcard.

Better route: Get an XLR to XLR cable and a simple preamp such as the Audiobuddy. Plug the xLR to XLR cable into the mic, and then run a cable from the line out of the audiobuddy into the line in of your soundcard.

Much better route: Get a decent preamp, plug the mic into the preamp then plug it into a decent sound card such as the maudio audiophile 24/96.
 
Hey there!
You're going to need a preamp of some sort. Whether it be a channel on a mixing desk or a dedicated hardware preamp unit, the mic isn't going to be able to put out enough level to really give you any clarity if directly plugged into the soundcard.

The soundcard itself will also be a bit of a stumbling block to good quality recording if it isn't built fior the job. The M-audio Audiophile 2496 wx3 mentioned is a good, cheap 'pro' quality audio card, as is the Event Mia MIDI.

There's plenty of info in these forums about what cards people have recommended. Do a search on 'sound cards' and 'pre amps' to get a few ideas.

Happy hunting!
Dags
 
trickedthePigs said:
thanks for the help guys, would this be a decent mixer/preamp to use for recording and for live shows too?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/631238/
Click to expand...

Somehow, I knew that would be a Berri before it came up! :rolleyes:

trickedthePigs, yes that would do it. However, the Preamps on the Behringer UB series aren't the best, by far. You'd be better of getting an AudioBuddy, or maybe an ART Tube MP pre. The mixer isn't really nessicary for your setup. Now, if you want to be able to record more than one source, you'd need a mixer. If you want to "use for recording and for live shows" you'd probably want to look into a bigger mixer.
 
I smelled the berries before I clicked the link. The question is how much are you willing to spend on an audio interface. If you want it all in one then you can look into a firebox if you have firewire. thats if you want to shell out $300. but the audio file has XLR.
 
no im just looking for a cheap preamp so i can hook up an sm57 to my computer
 
ive heard that the behringer does the same thing as the audio buddy
 
Yup the behringer does the same thing for you, but not in the same way or I should say with the same qaulity. I am not saying that the Audio Buddy will knock your socks off, but it should be better then what the behringer puts out.
 
Ok well I'm getting the SM-57 Mic, and the Behringer Eurorack UB802 Mixer, and some XLR and guitar cables as well.

Anything else you guys think I need for a beginner in recording? I'm just looking for things that are absolutley nessesary. I'll take all the advice I can get. Thanks.
 
Well since you completly ignored pretty much everyones advice... uhmmm... no.
 
Well I was told that the mixer does the job of a preamp as well so I didn't need to buy a seperate one.

I have no idea what I'm talking about so correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Ok yes the behringer has preamps on it and it will work for what you want to do.

The question is... HOW LONG WILL IT WORK! and HOW WELL DOES IT WORK!

Behringer is known for shoddy quality control with there products. Just do a search here and read some of the horror stories that go along with that mixer you want to buy.

A better suggestion if you just have to have a mixer is a Yamaha MG 10/2.

I've owned both mixers and I'm telling you the Yamaha is a much better deal for your money.
 
Once upon a time I did blind side by side test of three preamps

The M-Audio DMP3
The M-Audio AudioBuddy
and the Behringer preamps on a UB2442 (same family as the UB802)

The Behringer stood out a mile.. the recording was scratchy hizzy and on the whole vastly inferior.

It was a lot harder to choose between the audiobuddy and the dmp3... there was a difference sure but i think both could be useful depending on the source you were recording...

I did pick the DMP3 (the more expensive one) as my favorite but it was close...

In short... if you want to get good recording results you need decent preamps...
 
Well, see the thing is I'm pretty short on cash, so I'm trying to get the cheapest one possible. I looked up the Yamaha and it's around $100 or more. I'm only 15 with no job or anything so an SM57 and a mixer is kind of a lot of money for me =/. What I think I'm going to do is buy the Behringer, play around with it for a while until I learn what I'm doing and get better at recording. Then I'll upgrade to a better one. Thanks for all the help, though.
 
With the AudioBuddy or the Behringer mixer you're still going to have to plug it into your computer's soundcard, and if you're using a stock computer soundcard or a SoundBlaster or something its going to be pretty shoddy. You'd probably be better off with a combo preamp/interface. Tascam makes one. M-Audio makes several. They'll cost a little bit more, but will offer a lot more in terms of quality and future expansion.
 
So your saying I won't need to upgrade my soundcard on my computer? What is a good, cheap interface?
 
If you get an interface you'll be using it's AD conversion, rather than the AD conversion of your computer's stock soundcard.

For the money a Tascam UB-122 or M-Audio MobilePre seems like a good deal. If you're using a desktop PC a M-Audio Delta 1010LT could be good, as it has 2 preamps and a total of 8 inputs and outputs, if you ever decide to expand. I don't think it offers phantom power, but you don't need it for an SM57. Should you ever get a condenser mic, you'd need an external preamp with phantom power, or a phantom power box to use with the 1010LT's built in preamp.

Keep in mind I've never personally used any of these. They're just products from respected manufacturers that seem like good values for the money.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top