SM58 Quieter than a PC mic?

  • Thread starter Thread starter DigiDunce
  • Start date Start date
D

DigiDunce

New member
I've just started to get together some equipment for recording non-singing vocals.

I have an Creative Extigy external soundcard, and have just bought a Shure SM58 microphone. I do intend to purchase a mic pre-amp, but I wanted to test the mic in my Extigy anyway. I used a jack converter (6.5mm - 3.5mm) and gave it a go - recording using the bog standard recorder that came with the soundcard. The recording was very, very quiet.

So as a comparison I plugged in one of those Creative PC mics I had lying around, and was surprised to find it was louder?!

I'd be very appreciative if one (or more) of the experts on here could help out a newbie like me and tell me if this is something I should be concerned about (ie a problem or fault in the mic or cable), or whether its something to be expected and a pre-amp will change my world, and my output!!

Many thanks for listening...
 
Computer mics are high impedance (louder) and most pro mics are low impedance (quieter). The preamp is what does the work in raising the signal. The advantage of low impedance balanced mics is that the signal can be run over long distances with less worry about noise and interference.

The preamp on your audigy is made for high impedance mics and that is why it works better with your computer mic.
 
That's what I thought the first time I purchased SM58. I think using dedicated pre-amps (or the one in outboard mixer) will unleash it's power rather than soundcard's smurfin mic preamp :)
 
Extending this conversation

I've got my wireless SM58 hooked up via XLR to my mixer. Got the mixer hooked up to the sound card from "Tape Out" (R/L) to LINE IN (with Y-connector).

1. Phantom power is on (tried it off too). The playback volume after a test recording from the mic is almost nonexistent. It has to be at least 3 times lower than the volume of the music recording. Any idea on why this is? Also, the volume from the music is not that high in the first place. I have the slider on the mixer all the way up.

2. Do you lose stereo going from the mixer to a single input line into the sound card?

3. Do the thin 1/8" connector wires degrade the quality and volume of the sound it is transporting from mixer to sound card?

The mixer is a crate pro audio CSM12, if that helps any.
 
Found article on wiring a mic

says <<... the easiest way to use a mic channel for feeding a soundcard is to turn its fader fully down and then use the pre-fade send control to send the mic signal to the mixer's pre-fade output jack. This is normally used to set up monitor mixes, but in the smaller studio it can be fed directly into the soundcard input as a means of routing the mic signal separately. Essentially, the mic signal goes through the mixer channel, via the pre-fade send and out of the pre-fade send jack without interacting with anything else the mixer may be doing, almost as though it were going through a separate piece of hardware. >>

Is he referring to the PFL on my mixer (assuming prefade line)? No manual, gotta guess at alot of this stuff. Then my PFL Out line is a 1/4" output. Is there a cable made that goes 1/4" out and 1/8" in? Went to Radio Shack, the dude's like, "huh?"
 
Kevin,

You shouldn't post the same exact question in multiple places. What happens is that Mr. X will come along, read one, and possibly expend considerable time and effort trying to help, when meanwhile, Ms. Y has already read your question in another place, and answered it thoroughly. Had Mr. X found your question in one place, he would not have needed to answer at all.

And not only is it potentially unfair to the other members on the BBS, but it's confusing as hell for you to have to remember the two or more places you asked your question, and to have to decipher two or more responses that are the same but different.

If you ask a quation at the bottom of a related thread and then later feel that you should have created a new thread, you should say something like, "I've started a new thread for my question, please respond there," and give them a hyperlink.

For those that are reading this thread and want to answer Kevin's question, I direct you to his other thread:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=86790
 
Thanks AlChuck

I'll do that from now on. Still getting accustomed to message board etiquette.

Begging everyone's forgiveness
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top