What materials do i need in order to plug a mic into my macbook?

[keymo]

I have been recording on my macbook using only the built-in microphone for some time now, and i'm finding it to be not up to par with what i feel im trying to accomplish. i am looking into buying a condenser microphone in order to make my music recordings, but was wondering if there were other materials needed in order to successfully hook it up to my mac, and if so where could i find them?

thanks,

 

[GoCubsGo]

Is it a MacBook or do you have a separate line in / line out?
On my MacPro I use a Behringer XENYX 802 mixer. I plug my guitar and mic right into that and it works well. It's mono though.

 

[getz76]

What program (DAW) are you using?

What is your budget?

Would you prefer simplicity to quality?

What are you recording, specifically?

 

[keymo]

What program (DAW) are you using?

What is your budget?

Would you prefer simplicity to quality?

What are you recording, specifically?

Im only using garageband,
my budget is tight but not ridiculous,
i need it pretty simplistic but quality is also important to me,
and specifically recording my voice alone, no instruments.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I still think that mixer is for you. It's not expensive by any means. A simple mic would be fine. You could also get a USB mic but I prefer the mixer/mic combo. I have voice & instrument into garage band with no issue. I can wear headphones and monitor my instrument as well.

 

[gofightlose]

A simple USB condenser mic was perfect for me while starting out. It's literally plug and play, latency isn't an issue, and the quality is satisfactory. Plus they're pretty inexpensive these days.

I think this was the first one I bought: http://www.amazon.com/Technica-AT2020-Condenser-Studio-Microphone/dp/B005EYWUIC

but a mixer will also fit your needs well.

 

[keymo]

@jessica, thanks, will look into it, at what price for the mixer/mic combo are we talking?

 

[GoCubsGo]

@jessica, thanks, will look into it, at what price for the mixer/mic combo are we talking?

Shop around for deals but I do a lot of my shopping on Amazon, Musician's Friend, and American Musical Supply.

Right now I see my mixer is $50. I paid about that and got a free mic. I didn't use the Mic, but it turns out it is a decent mic.

Really you just just a mic cable, mixer, mic and mic stand. You should be able to get all of that for under $150 tops

I have this mic but it was not $100 when I bought it. Check around for that or something in that range (feature wise):
http://www.amazon.com/MXL-V63M-Condenser-Studio-Microphone/dp/B000GSIY54
I also got this one for free: audio-technica M4000S
A standard mic cable and a table top mic stand because I also had a floor mic stand. With everything I bought I spent under $150.

 

[getz76]

My suggestion would be to skip the mixer for what you want to do. The equalizer in Garage Band is going to sound a lot better than any mixer under $1,000.

Keep it simple; buy a USB to microphone adapter with phantom power. Of all of the ones available, the MXL seems to be the best value. The nice thing is you can swap out the microphone later on if you would like.

Assuming the vocals are typical singing voice (as opposed to spoken word or rap), the Audio-Technica AT2020 is pretty ubiquitous with budget condensers. You could do worse. As you can see, it can be had on the cheap.

If you have the funds, buy some sort of treatment like THIS from MXL. There are plenty of others available ranging from $99 to over $1,000. Assuming you are recording in an acoustically untreated room, spending $150 on this sort of treatment will be, BY FAR, the best money you can spend to improve the quality of your recorded vocals.