Sound Cards and Recording Mics

  • Thread starter Thread starter CrimsonChaos
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CrimsonChaos

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So I am fairly new to recording and cant seem to get a high enough quality recording for the life of me.

I just had a few questions that hopefully someone could answer for me.

Background info: I play guitar and am interested in recording vocals and guitaring(acoustic, mildly distorted, and heavily distorted.)

I guess the main questions I really have are
A. How big of an impact is buying a sound card for my computer going to be? If it is going to make a substantial impact, then do you have any suggestions? I'd personally like to stay under the 150 dollar price range but if its worth saving up for something higher end, then definitly suggest something more expensive as I would rather wait and save up the money rather then just blowing 150 dollars on something that is going to be worthless to me.

B. I am also trying to decide on which dynamic microphone I would like to purchase. Right now I am heavily debating between the Shure SM57 and the Audix i5. It seems as though every review I read says that the mic they are reviewing is much better then the other. I would like to get someones advice on this matter. Also if you think there is a better mic out there suggest it to me because I am definitely willing to do more browsing before making my decision.

Thank you for your time :D
 
Howdy crimsonchaos, welcome to HR! As for your questions..

How big of an impact is buying a sound card for my computer going to be
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HUGE! The sound card in your computer was made for about 3 cents in the middle east.

As for recommendations.. my first interface (sound card) was the PreSonus AudioBox USB 2X2 USB Recording System: Shop Pro Audio & Other Musical Instruments | Musician's Friend. In my opinion it is perfect for what you want to do. As for mics.. both the sm57 and the i5 are splendid. I find the i5 is slightly brighter than the 57, but still very similar. For vocals and acoustic guitar though, I recommend a large diaphragm condenser over a dynamic. If you only intend to purchase one though, go with a sm57. They sound good on basically whatever you point them at.

Drew
 
Yes, buying a soundcard will improve your recordings dramatically. Look into some Tascam interfaces. The Tascam US-144 is right in your budget. And for the mics. Really, it doesn't matter too much. I heard the Audix sounded more "plastic" like, but I think both mics sound pretty much equal. The sm57 is an industry standard though. But really, choose the one you think looks best :D
 
Everything you record requires the soundcard. Its probably the most important link in the chain for this reason.

The sound card is the bottleneck. If you have a high end preamp and microphone, they're not going to sound high end through a bad sound card.

However, say you have a high end sound card and a cheap microphone. That high end soundcard will get the most out of that cheap microphone.

So in my opinion, upgrade in this order:

1. Room Acoustics, Sound Treatment (very cheap and you will learn a lot about sound in the process).

2. Sound Card

3. Mic

4. Preamps

5. Everything else.
 
1. Room Acoustics, Sound Treatment (very cheap and you will learn a lot about sound in the process).

2. Sound Card

3. Mic

4. Preamps

5. Everything else.
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I would USUALLY agree with that.. except maybe in this instance. This guy is using the 1/8" jack on his computer. He NEEDS an interface. Treatment wont do shit if your signal is already super shit. Don't think Im bagging on treatment though. It is with out a doubt the most important aspect.. But without an interface he cant really record anything at all.

Drew
 
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