gotcha. definitely not required.
sometimes i'll go back and listen to Hendrix, recorded on 4-track, just to remind myself of what's possible.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New to recording...Need a beginner's setup
- Thread starter AFABS
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
gotcha. definitely not required.
sometimes i'll go back and listen to Hendrix, recorded on 4-track, just to remind myself of what's possible.
I would get something other then Monster Cables, they don't sound any better then ones you can buy off monoprice.
Consider getting the SM57 used via Craigslist if you can... I found some guy who was getting out of recording (this stuff comes up on C/L a lot) and I bought an SM58 with a stand, an XLR cable, and some miscellaneous adapters for $75...
As for cables and things like that, I think you can't go wrong with Sweetwater -- I wouldn't recommend Monster either, but Sweetwater has such stunning customer service that they really earn the recommendation. I recently had a guitar patch cable go bad ... since they assign you a personal sales associate regardless of how expensive the things you order are, I just replied to Michael's last order confirmation on a Sunday when I noticed the cable was broken. I had the replacement on Tuesday without even having to send the original in. Amazing. Sweetwater is only a couple of hundred miles from here, but still.
Monoprice has a great reputation -- I just don't hear about them being used by musicians as much. But I hear good things about them all the time.
As for cables and things like that, I think you can't go wrong with Sweetwater -- I wouldn't recommend Monster either, but Sweetwater has such stunning customer service that they really earn the recommendation. I recently had a guitar patch cable go bad ... since they assign you a personal sales associate regardless of how expensive the things you order are, I just replied to Michael's last order confirmation on a Sunday when I noticed the cable was broken. I had the replacement on Tuesday without even having to send the original in. Amazing. Sweetwater is only a couple of hundred miles from here, but still.
Monoprice has a great reputation -- I just don't hear about them being used by musicians as much. But I hear good things about them all the time.
I agree, dont use Monster Cables. They are high quality, but you will never hear the difference. Not even close to being worth the price. Any low-prices mic cable will work, just dont buy junk. The general rule is that if it looks like junk it probably is.
Also, if all you are ever going to record is voice and an amp you only really need one mic stand. I've recorded my guitar amp several times by looping the mic cable through the carrying handle on top and letting the mic dangle in front of the cone. You arent supposed to point the mic directly at the cone anyway, so this works fairly well. Mic stands dont cost a bunch, but if you are looking to squeeze every dollar out that you can you can get away with only one mic stand.
Also, if all you are ever going to record is voice and an amp you only really need one mic stand. I've recorded my guitar amp several times by looping the mic cable through the carrying handle on top and letting the mic dangle in front of the cone. You arent supposed to point the mic directly at the cone anyway, so this works fairly well. Mic stands dont cost a bunch, but if you are looking to squeeze every dollar out that you can you can get away with only one mic stand.
Ah i thought I'd have to point the mic towards the cone...I looked into getting a boom mic so i could do both amp and vocals...maybe i'll use your method
IMHO, the amp simulators in Logic (and GB) are decent, and I haven't turned on my amp in months.
Anyway, I'd put a word in for a condenser mic(s). It depends what style you're trying to record. Vocals thru a shure 57 are good for a ragged, hard-rock type vocal, but if you want something cleaner with more treble, you really do want a large diaphragm condenser. For acoustic gtr, LD or SD condenser is fine (the LD will just have to be a little further back from the guitar, or else it sounds 'boomy'). You don't have to spend a ton, the MXL 990/991 package (an LD and SD) is only $80, and is decent quality for the price. But if you use condensers, you probably want a mic stand (they're very sensitive to any vibrations) and a pop screen (for vocals).
Anyway, I'd put a word in for a condenser mic(s). It depends what style you're trying to record. Vocals thru a shure 57 are good for a ragged, hard-rock type vocal, but if you want something cleaner with more treble, you really do want a large diaphragm condenser. For acoustic gtr, LD or SD condenser is fine (the LD will just have to be a little further back from the guitar, or else it sounds 'boomy'). You don't have to spend a ton, the MXL 990/991 package (an LD and SD) is only $80, and is decent quality for the price. But if you use condensers, you probably want a mic stand (they're very sensitive to any vibrations) and a pop screen (for vocals).
i start off by pointing the mic at the cone, but not directly at the center. i'm skeptical of the "hanging the mic right in front method," as there's not much flexibility for placement -- i may have the mic back a foot or two. definitely can make good use of mic stand with boom for this.
Salient: I kind of want to shy away from the amp simulators...I want the sound from my amp, for now at least...and I will probably look into a nice condenser mic in the future when my budget allows for it...
As for mic stands...I might just get a low profile stand to mic the amp...and a standard one for vocals...not sure if a boom stand would reach all the way down to my amp on the ground? I suppose I could just put it on a stand or something though.
As for mic stands...I might just get a low profile stand to mic the amp...and a standard one for vocals...not sure if a boom stand would reach all the way down to my amp on the ground? I suppose I could just put it on a stand or something though.
I hear you, and I have to admit I miss feedback (ah, the plight of apartment dwelling).
I have an On Stage Stands boom (that I've used for vocals and acoustic), but I just checked and it looks like it gets low enough for any amp.
I have an On Stage Stands boom (that I've used for vocals and acoustic), but I just checked and it looks like it gets low enough for any amp.
A boom stand will ream to the floor easily enough. Back when i was in school we didnt have any short stands so i used to mic my cab with two boom stands, one in font and the other about a foot behind the cab for a bit more presence. You can adjust pretty much everything on a boom stand so you dont need to worry about it reaching.
I have the Lexicon Onix U22, and I've been happy with that. However, the driver is not compatible with Snow Leopard (there's another thread about that). Thankfully I found the thread beforehand, but it's a pain in butt, and we're all sort of waiting to see when they come out with a new driver. The new Apogee One looks pretty sweet (they seem to have a good track record with mac drivers), if portability is important and you don't need to record more than 1 track at a time.
What is a "drive issue?" When I googled "M-audio" "drive issue," I didn't really find much, but what I did find....
- driver issues ... there are some issues with the way Windows handles audio that people complain about, but most of it is solved by CoreAudio in OS X. You still might have to disable your wifi to get your latency acceptably low, but aside from that, it should be fine.
- sometimes people say it's a "drive issue" when your HD can't record data as fast as your audio interface can make it. I guess different audio interfaces have different buffers, but this isn't really an audio interface brand problem. You really either need to record to RAM, optimize the HD / get a faster HD / HD interface, or record less channels at once / lower quality.
Anyways, I'd reiterate my recommendation of Line 6's products... very nice.
- driver issues ... there are some issues with the way Windows handles audio that people complain about, but most of it is solved by CoreAudio in OS X. You still might have to disable your wifi to get your latency acceptably low, but aside from that, it should be fine.
- sometimes people say it's a "drive issue" when your HD can't record data as fast as your audio interface can make it. I guess different audio interfaces have different buffers, but this isn't really an audio interface brand problem. You really either need to record to RAM, optimize the HD / get a faster HD / HD interface, or record less channels at once / lower quality.
Anyways, I'd reiterate my recommendation of Line 6's products... very nice.
What is a "drive issue?" When I googled "M-audio" "drive issue," I didn't really find much, but what I did find....
- driver issues ... there are some issues with the way Windows handles audio that people complain about, but most of it is solved by CoreAudio in OS X. You still might have to disable your wifi to get your latency acceptably low, but aside from that, it should be fine.
- sometimes people say it's a "drive issue" when your HD can't record data as fast as your audio interface can make it. I guess different audio interfaces have different buffers, but this isn't really an audio interface brand problem. You really either need to record to RAM, optimize the HD / get a faster HD / HD interface, or record less channels at once / lower quality.
Anyways, I'd reiterate my recommendation of Line 6's products... very nice.
i've looked into the line 6 stuff...it's kinda been between that and m-audio
sorry for the confusion, i meant "driver"...but i'm seeing it's more in windows
I say the same about photography. People today would insist that you can't shoot sports without a camera that has both good autofocus and can shoot at least 5 frames per second. I remind them that there were good images in 70's issues of Sports Illustrated. All of those were shot with manual focus and film.
But what both of us are not saying is that the new systems have allowed more people to make images and music. Todays automation means you need less skill to get the same result. So more people can jump in and make stuff.
Yes they did great work 50 years ago using only an four track analog tape recorder but the average amateur couldn't do much at all.
I've been considering the Tascam US-122L as a USB interface. Specs seem decent and the thing's cheap too. Have you considered the Audix i5 as an alternative to the SM57? Many people seem to think it sounds better.
"can anyone give me some more usb audio interfaces that work good with their macs?"
I have not tried one myself, but I have heard decent reviews regarding the M-Audio "Fast Track Ultra" USB2 interface.
Try googling "fast track ultra". There is at least one YouTube demo of installing it on an iMac, seemed to work very well.
There really aren't many USB2 interfaces out there (there may be more in the future). USB1.1 audio interfaces seem to have problems with through-put and latency, and until recently the trend amongst manufacturers seemed to be "towards firewire".
The aluminum MacBooks pose a problem (of course) because they don't have firewire (a marketing mistake that Apple seems to have corrected quickly!).
I would STRONGLY advise AGAINST buying any USB interface that was USB1.1 (as distinguished from USB2.0).
If you really REALLY want to do audio on a Mac portable, you might bite the bullet and consider selling the MacBook and moving up to a MacBook Pro with firewire. You'll then have MANY more choices available to you.
If you're sticking with the MacBook, I'd suggest the Fast Track Ultra or perhaps one of the Edirol USB2 interfaces.
I have not tried one myself, but I have heard decent reviews regarding the M-Audio "Fast Track Ultra" USB2 interface.
Try googling "fast track ultra". There is at least one YouTube demo of installing it on an iMac, seemed to work very well.
There really aren't many USB2 interfaces out there (there may be more in the future). USB1.1 audio interfaces seem to have problems with through-put and latency, and until recently the trend amongst manufacturers seemed to be "towards firewire".
The aluminum MacBooks pose a problem (of course) because they don't have firewire (a marketing mistake that Apple seems to have corrected quickly!).
I would STRONGLY advise AGAINST buying any USB interface that was USB1.1 (as distinguished from USB2.0).
If you really REALLY want to do audio on a Mac portable, you might bite the bullet and consider selling the MacBook and moving up to a MacBook Pro with firewire. You'll then have MANY more choices available to you.
If you're sticking with the MacBook, I'd suggest the Fast Track Ultra or perhaps one of the Edirol USB2 interfaces.
it's unfortunate that the macbook aluminum doesn't have firewire...and i don't think i'm gonna upgrade, "built the bullet", to the mbp. i think usb 2.0 should be fine
right now i'm pretty set on the fast track pro or even the fasat track ultra if i feel like shelling out the extra $150 for a some more mic inputs.
right now i'm pretty set on the fast track pro or even the fasat track ultra if i feel like shelling out the extra $150 for a some more mic inputs.
Precisely. Having apps like Logic means anybody can jump right in and have smei-professional results almost right away, but that doesnt mean the same results are impossible with something simple like Garageband, it just might take a bit more time and effort. Honestly, i'd rather teach someone how to make great music using something basic so when they graduate to a better app they dont have to rely on the new features to make great sounding tracks, but instead can use it to make their already great tracks even better.
Our apps keep getting better and better but the quality of music isnt. Dont get me started on the loudness wars...
The "pros" just want to justfiy emptying their wallets on an app, imo.
Even today many photography teachers have the beginning students use black and white film.
I used to read up on audio gear and worry about what I'd buy but then I found that every minute I spend worrying about gear means one less minute of practice. As far as overall sound is concerned practice minutes have the most payoff.
I found these mics. They are intended to be SM58 clones but they have a more directional pattern and are not quite as mechanically strong. But they are well made and more than worth the money at $25 each. They are NOT "fakes" because they are clearly labelled "ES58" and don't say "Shure" on the mic or packaging. The cable is good quality too. I took these apart and looked inside. The seller has been in bossiness here in So. Calif for decades and is reputable. If I were starting out and needed 4 to 6 mics I'd buy a set of these and then upgrade slowly as you see fit
http://www.speakerrepair.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=microphones&cables
If you buy a "Shure SM58" on eBay there is a very good chance you will get this mic only with different lablel applied.
We have to wory about slipping down the path taken by audiophools (or is it spelled "auidophile"?) Those guys send their time listening the stereo equipment, not music. If they do buy music the selection criteria is "what will best show off the equipment".
You know what the best complement anyone could give me? I'd by way happy if someone said "That guitar of yours sucks big time." I'd have to be a lot better before the brand of equipment mattered.
