recording vocals with garageband

[TimOlBoy]

hi, i'm new here and i'm having problems recording. I bought a uni-directional dynamic microphone IMP.600 off of ebay for 13 bucks and i'm using a 60 foot extension for it. I'm using the port beside the headphone port to plug it in but I can't get anything to come through. I used it on another computer without the extension and it worked but very very quietly. Does the fact that the inbuilt mic still picks up sound mean that it is the connection?

I've read a little about preamps and that stuff. I want the highest quality sound I can get pretty cheaply. I think I made a mistake getting a dynamic mic. I'm using garage band on an new imac. any help?

[igmolinav]

Hi,

I have used Garage Band a few times. I use iMic as a preamp. It was quite inexpensive. It may work for you as well.

As a suggestion, when you use Garage Band or any other of the iLife applications, you may get more answers to your post, if you post in the Mac Aplications section.

I hope this helps a bit, kind regards,

igmolinav

[thechidz]

you get what you pay for. you need a better mic. at the very least you should get a blue snowball. i think they are only 100 bucks

[zimv20]

i'm using a 60 foot extension for it.

that's a long distance. is it necessary?

[TimOlBoy]

sorta, does it hurt?

[cschreppel]

The cable distance isn't really the issue. The problem is that you're trying to run a mic level output into what is essentially a line level input. Those two don't like each other very much.

Get a standalone preamp, run the mic into that and run the output of the preamp into the computer's line in. You'll notice a significant increase in level.

[thechidz]

sorta, does it hurt?

yes... you wont get much quality with the setup you have. if you want to run a mic straight into your computer you need one thats meant to do that. ie. one with a usb plug

[zimv20]

The cable distance isn't really the issue.

not w/ a decent pre and mic. i once had an issue driving an AT3035 at that distance w/ a cheap pre.

[cschreppel]

not w/ a decent pre and mic. i once had an issue driving an AT3035 at that distance w/ a cheap pre.

Valid point. Those things need something a bit ballsier. If he's trying to drive a dynamic, most pre's should suffice without too much hassle. That's assuming the cable isn't crap.

[TimOlBoy]

Hey there. I decided to upgrade to a pretty good quality condenser mic and I also got a USB mic mate preamp and I am getting top notch quality with it. Obviously I learned a lot about this stuff. I got it wired so that I only need half of the cord but would it be worth it to get a shorter one?

[cschreppel]

Hey there. I decided to upgrade to a pretty good quality condenser mic and I also got a USB mic mate preamp and I am getting top notch quality with it. Obviously I learned a lot about this stuff. I got it wired so that I only need half of the cord but would it be worth it to get a shorter one?

Yes. The shorter the distance the signal has to travel, the better.