Upgrading SoundCard!!! (what next)

[ritz crackerton]

alright, been doin alot of research in regards to a new soundcard... im not willing to fork out to much money as of yet but i still need some better quality than my soundblaster audigy audio w/fiberwire....

so if i go with the emu-0404 will i be making a wise decision....

plus having a shure sm58 mic is a preamp required? if so whats some good ones for reasonable prices and good quality...

using audobe audition, no instruments, solely vocals.... rap...
p4 2.4 - 512mb ram / will be 1gb.... (just incase it matters)

anything else?

 

[bigwillz24]

alright, been doin alot of research in regards to a new soundcard... im not willing to fork out to much money as of yet but i still need some better quality than my soundblaster audigy audio w/fiberwire....

so if i go with the emu-0404 will i be making a wise decision....

plus having a shure sm58 mic is a preamp required? if so whats some good ones for reasonable prices and good quality...

using audobe audition, no instruments, solely vocals.... rap...
p4 2.4 - 512mb ram / will be 1gb.... (just incase it matters)

anything else?

The card would be fine for you if you are only recording only 1 or 2 mics, however; the patchmix software has a bit of a learning curve you'll probably need to read the manual more than once,I did.

I'd suggest grabbing a condenser mic instead of your dynamic and maybe a M-Audio DMP3 or FMR RNP they seem to get good reviews around these parts for best "bang for your buck" preamps.

 

[ritz crackerton]

funny i was just thinking of switching mics, seen some good posts on the behringer b-1? any thoughts?

 

[bigwillz24]

funny i was just thinking of switching mics, seen some good posts on the behringer b-1? any thoughts?

Behringer has a bad reputation around here... It may work for your purposes however; I am no microphone expert but the condensers I use are the Octava MK-319 wich you can get on sale at GC right now for 69 bucks and a Shure KSM27 or 127 i'm not sure at the moment. I have used both for recording rap vocals with excellent results.


Good Luck

 

[ritz crackerton]

i actually meant the b1 from studio projects, just read a thread about it saying its not good for vocals... imma check out the ones you mentioned. gc = ???, and would any condensor be better than my sm58?

 

[crankz1]

GC = Guitar Center ... here in the States. No telling where you are located.
Also the same as Musician's Friend for the online shopper.

The SM58 is a good all-around dynamic mic (yes it requires a preamp) that I find most well suited for live on stage. That's not to say it doesn't have a place in the studio. That's entirely in the hands of the beholder. Also, not just any old condenser is going to perform better than the 58. You really just need to try some different mics and see what fits your expectations.

As been stated, you would be best off to spend your money in the front end prior to upgrading your soundcard (i.e. preamp/mic).

Your best bet would be to audition different mics and pres at a store to see what matches your vocal style and your expected outcome. Along with your budget. This can be misleading though, as you will be in a different environment than where you will normally be doing your recording and monitoring.
If you have a set of headphones that you use and are comfortable with the way they sound, you can always bring them along for your listening purposes. However, the sound of the room you test in will still play a part in the auditioning.
A good return policy is always nice in the event you get something home and find it doesn't work well in your environment.