When do I need a mic pre-amp?

[Richard Monroe]

Joan, I'm mot familar with the Audio Buddy or your sound card, but others here will tell you what kind of cables you need. The mic plugs into a 3 pin connecter called XLR, then the mic pre plugs into the sound card. What I do know is that the quality of the cables in the signal chain is critical to sound quality. When you know what cables you need, go to a big pro audio outlet such as Guitar Center or Mars music, and buy high quality cables such as B.LU.E., Monster, or Mogami. *Do not* hook up your new toys with Radio Shack cables unless you like to listen to the radio while you work! Somebody please tell the nice lady what cables she needs-Richie

 

[chessrock]

Re: Where does the pre amp cable go?

Hi guys:
Well, I've got the new Shure 58sm mic and an audio buddy pre amp and not sure if I'm supposed to plug the pre amp into the mic at the back of the computer (pink) or the blue one. Boy, this is fun. And it came without cable. I assume I just go to Radio Shack and ask for a mic pre amp cable? Joan

You will want to go to radioshack and ask for:

a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter.

And it has to be exactly that. The 1/4" adapter will be the bigger doohickey that plugs in to the back of your audio buddy (should be labeled "line out.") The other side of the cord will be much smaller. This side will be your 1/8" inch side -- you will plug this in to your sound card (there should be something on your sound card that says "line in.")

Oh, and ask them to give you "balanced" cable. If they look at you funny when you say that, then just say you want it to be "stereo."

Remember "line out" always hooks up to "line in." Always go line out of whatever the sound is coming "out" of, and go line in on whatever that sound is going "in" to. Easy enough.

Good luck. Take it a step at a time.

 

[Joan]

Perfect and so clear. Thanks enormously. I'll get there eventually, but wouldn't be possible without all this wonderful help I've gotten as I learn. Joan

 

[Joan]

One more question

Those 2 little knobs on the audio buddy pre amp - about how far up should I turn them up? Halfway maybe. Thanks. Joan

 

[jgourd]

If the budget is zero and you have an SM-58, just get a balanced to unbalanced transformer at Rat Shack and use the mic jack on your sound card. It ain't audiofile, but you can use a decent mic with a SoundBlaster that way.

 

[Sennheiser]

Hi Joan, I've not seen the pre-amp you have, but I suspect the the two knobs you refer to are the input/gain knob and output knob.

This is where it can get interesting. You have to set up what is called a gain structure to get the best signal-to-noise ratio out of the whole signal chain. If you'll indulge me for a moment, each device in your signal chain has an optimum input level above the noise floor of the input device. It also has a maximum level at which it will accept these signals. You want your input and output signal to be as high over this noise floor rating as you can get without distorting the signal or clipping, and you output signal to not go over what it is capable of putting out. If you exceed this output limit, distortion and clipping will result.

If you have ever heard the rock guitars of a rock concert, this is exactly the sound you are hearing. For some reason though, it sounds great on an electric guitar. It won't sound so good on your computer.

You start with rolling the gain up to about zero on all of the devices; the pre-amp, and the sound card, and the recording program. (I'm much better at this in analog. You may have different labels and markers on your equipment/software. And someone here may better be able to help you because you are working in digital and I do not. The principle is the same however.)

The idea is, no matter the recording format, to get as much signal through each of the devices as possible without distortion or "clipping". You want the highest gain (or signal) on an input and output as the device will handle before that point. And before it reaches the recording medium...

unless it's tape. But that is a story for another thread.