I ran out of toilet paper. Should I use my finger?

I think the above comment is uncalled for? (an excerpt taken from RemyRAD's amateur open mike night standup comedy routine)

Your USB microphone has no interaction with your sound card. You cannot hurt your sound card with a USB microphone! You merely monitor your microphone, through your software and then to your sound card, usually.

There is nothing a microphone can do to harm a sound card.

A cheap soundcard only costs $15. A good cheap soundcard might run you $99? Professional sound cards with multitrack input capability start at around $200. Either way, you are good to go.

Good and going!
Ms. Remy Ann David

How do you spell "mizzy"? As in "Well, Missy, I don't know about that..?"(Without the anti-fem connotations?) -- Like Ms. - eee? Best to remain politically correct even during condemnation. --- The 'TP' part I just close my eyes and ears to - Ick!

Anyway.

Yes, your mic could break your cheap soundcard! You betcha'! And, in this case, just plain ol' not work.

OK, not actually the mic itself, but the "genuine" mic cable, with it's 1/8" to XLR connector adapter hanging off the back of the cheap soundcard's 1/8" jack with no support! Can you spell 'busted PC board?'(Hey, I guess I can!)...

Two ideas - well 3, I almost Ms'ed one..

1. A condenser mic, that needs phantom power, will not work with your cheap soundcard. You might try an "electret condenser"(Like the AKG C1000s - don't laugh I use one!), which you can put a battery into and it provides it's own "condenser power" Also, when you no longer need it - when you buy that "good" card or mixer or whatever, you can remove the battery and use the 48v PP provided elsewhere!

2. When you buy your mic cable, get a mic cable that fits the mic on one end(XLR female?) and the mic input of your soundcard(1/8" male TRS/TS?) on the other end. At least you won't need a heavy adapter. I have one. Worked great with my old SB cards - 'scuse the cards themselves...

3. In any event, MAKE SURE to support the cable at the soundcard -- with tape or something - "hang it", or a loop of it(The cable), above the card so the connector on the card feels no weight or pull.

4. DON'T trip over the mic cable and rip the soundcard(Or parts of it) out of the back of your computer!

5. A bit better mic can make even a poor sound card OK, for lots of things...

6. I would suggest a "good" dynamic mic, like a Shure SM57. No phantom power, plugs right into the card and works(With the same caveats for the mic cable!), and, when you get a better system you'll still find lots of uses for it, as opposed to the cheap condenser, which, once you actually are able to hear it, you'll just want to throw away...

TG

Teddy, I think his problem is based somewhat upon his USB microphone interface which would also indicate that his microphone is not in fact plugged into his sound card but plugged into one of the many USB ports on the front/back of the computer? So all his sound card is doing is monitoring the software output which passes through the sound card for monitoring.

But yes, I certainly agree with Teddy and I really hate those little 1/8" mini phone plugs, the imitation phantom supply of the Mike connector and the totally stupid looking bundled mixer interfaces with the cheap sound cards that offer horrendously bad sounding " 3-D effects".

His suggestion of a SM57/58 along with an inexpensive standalone microphone preamplifier would be a much better idea. Of course I speak here from inexperience for a change as I have never tried nor have any desire to try a USB interface microphone. My computer only has 4 USB 2.0 sockets..... I want 48!

A woman who likes my inputs big
Ms. Remy Ann David

Well... his first statement was that his "USB mic broke" and he wanted to try something else. I think the best thing for USB mics to be is "broke" and that cheap condensers come "broke" right from the store, but, what do I know.....? Come to think of it, I'm always "broke"! I am an expert on being "broke"(But never USB!)......

TG