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anonymous 25 March 2005

I'm working on a school project where I need recordings of speech of both males and females. I can't invest more than $50 on a new mic, so I have been looking at Shure PG48-QTR.

My question is if this mic looks any good, and whether it will be a significant improvement over generic computer mics.

Also, are there other cheap mics that might get the job done? I've only looked at Shure mics so far.

Thanks for your help.

Comments

anonymous Sun, 03/27/2005 - 23:42

poprocks wrote: If at all possible, don't go any lower than the SM57/58.

hey there...

i just bought a sm58 for vocals, along with a Mogami Gold Cable (XLR female to TRS) and finally a Hosa Stereo adaptor (1/4" stereo to 3.5mm stereo). I put this in my AWESOME :roll: soundcard that came with my computer (line in).

the vocal quality is DEFINITELY upgraded from the mike that comes with the computer... however it is SOO noisy. I have no problems when i plug my keys into the line in (with noise that is)... why is my shure so noisy? is this inevitable?

anonymous Mon, 03/28/2005 - 12:00

Well, there is inevitably going to be some noise associated with the dynamic mic. Condensers generally have less self noise. However, looking at your signal path ... Adaptor-ing down to 1/8" jack isn't going to afford you the highest level of signal integrity. You probably don't have variable gain on your input so you can't adjust that to an appropriate level. These will contribute to a higher noise floor. Once you can upgrade your signal path, you will see better performance all around.

anonymous Mon, 03/28/2005 - 13:44

poprocks wrote: Once you can upgrade your signal path, you will see better performance all around.

thanks for the reply. so the problem isn't my soundcard? What are some cheap ways to "upgrade my signal path"? without replacing my soundcard. (tight budget) i've heard of small digital mixers with firewire or usb connections. Would this be a good option?

sorry for the totally beginner questions... i just have no idea where to begin.

anonymous Tue, 03/29/2005 - 21:56

I think this is your cheapest solution:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDOAP2496

plus

http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHUB802

Get a normal XLR cable and plug the mic into one of the two preamps on the mixer. Then, get two 1/4" to RCA cords to connect the 'main outs' of the mixer into the analog inputs on the 24/96.

Unfortunately, this is the cheapest way to really see an improvement in your recording, IMO. The sound card will give you 24-bit recording and up to 96k sample rate, but you'll be fine with 48 or even 44.1. Sounds cards that come with computers are 16 or even (gasp) 8-bit. When it comes to actually recording live sound, that just doesn't cut it.

When it comes to digital recording, you have to have a legitimate sound card which will give you decent D/A (dig to analog) conversion, and vice versa.

Reggie Wed, 03/30/2005 - 09:56

The noise you are probably hearing isn't so much your 58 as it is the "preamp" in your soundcard. It really isn't meant to amplify a real mic to acceptable levels. You need a dedicated preamp to plug the mic into to get a decent & quiet level, and then plug from the preamp into the line in on the soundcard.

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