Rude? Maybe.

To the point? Yes.

Correct? Definately.

Again, understand that your original question was about noise induced by plugging a mic directly into a device which has zero chance of properly boosting the signal to acceptable, quiet, usable levels to record a source with.

Does this say to a recording group that you KNOW something about recording?
No and no.

And then you try and tell us all that you think its the mic thats causing this problem when we ALL know this to be operator error and every post has been about this part of the subject.

But you still arent hearing us.

Remy's style might not be what you wan to hear but shes right on with the content of the message.

Again, if you wan to buy that mic, then please do. When it doesnt work at all...phantom power etc etc...then send it to me and I'll give you HALF of your money back on it.

Thats about the going rate these days for unknowledgeable purchases on ebay.

You came here for advice and then you try and tell us our business.

Heres the reality. ANY MIC OTHER than a dynamic would not even have passed sound with your setup.

So take the solid advice you've already been given Buy the interface and learn what you've been missing.

Ok, one last time. When I say things that people jump on, I'm really saying, "Here's what I think, now tell me why I am wrong" I know I'm wrong, but I can't be right until you tell me why it is right. Get it? If I thought I knew everything then why would I be posting on this site in the first place? For a forum of adults the maturity level here is surprisingly low compared to many other forums.

Then go to the other forums.

Thanks for all the help. Not to mention all the assumptions, all the preconceptions, and all the judging and being rude. I still can't see what I said that made all of you so angry in the first place.

Man, this got dirty quick...

-N

Guitarfreak wrote: I still can't see what I said that made all of you so angry in the first place.

I think it was this post:

Guitarfreak wrote: about the SM58, I heard it today in comparison to the previously mentioned condenser and wow, I'm not going to get the 58 lol. A cheap condenser is better than any dynamic for studio vocals.

Half the thread is telling him to do something, and I personally recall explaining the whole reason behind needing a preamp...

Read the first 8 posts on page 1 - (or skip to the 8th post, which was by me).
Seems like a pretty reasonable description of why you need a preamp, I hope?

Then it all went to hell as guitarfreak suggested that an SM58 was worse than a cheap condenser in a studio setting.

An SM58 is a virtually indestructible, fully versatile, entirely dependable tool that has sold over 1 MILLION units, so I heard, and I'd suggest that less than 5,000 of those have broken, and less than 10,000 of those have ever been labelled as "awful sounding" by anyone who has spent more than 5 seconds pointing it at something.
The entire repertoire of recording and live sound engineers are probably not wrong. Yes, there's better mics but NOTHING is as versatile across every sound source in this price range.

Now, as for a preamp, get an interface with them built in. Probably works out cheaper and will do you much better than a cheap preamp going into an onboard soundcard.

"I still can't see what I said that made all of you so angry in the first place."

If you really want to know I'll be happy to tell you in a private message, if you are open minded enough.

Post it Jg!

Let the flames begin. :P

The first mic I ever used was a SM58 I loaned from a friend and then ended up buying if from him. Somehow I lost it over the years and I dearly missed that mic. The older the 58 the better. You can find them used for cheap, really cheap.

When used properly the SM58 is a fantastic vocal mic. Pro to the max! So many great sounds with just a little practice with one.

Of course a decent pre will only make it better, much better!

Do yourself a favor and let people say it the way it is, you would be much better off not to take it personally, after all it just a forum.

Stick with it and you'll learn a whole bunch of new stuff you could never come up with on your own.

Cheers,
Bret

Guitarfreak, it's just that you aren't actually responding to the things people are saying. YOU NEED AN INTERFACE. That is how your mic levels are going to be where you want them to be. Plugging directly into a computer is going to only yield crappy and quiet results.

Now, about the condenser... Condensers require PHANTOM POWER. You pretty much need an interace for this. I suppose you could buy a phantom power strip, but considering how cheap interfaces are going for, and considering you WILL NEED ONE anyway, you might as well get a nice, solid state interface. And, cheap and tube just don't work. If you want a tube product that is on par with a solid state product, you'll need to shell out the big bucks.

Guitarfreak wrote: Thank you Dave, I can tell you are being helpful. I actually do have studio experience, a good amount of recording experience and a lifetime of music experience. And I know the difference between a good tube preamp and a cheap knockoff preamp (basic preamp as you referred), because I have recorded with both. The tube pre breathes life into whatever you plug in, and the other one's just don't really do much of anything as far as quality goes.

Naw, it was this one. THIS is the reason there is so much misinformation on the net.

I'm not angry. I'm appalled at the info thats being shared.

It's because you're not using those two devices God placed on both sides of your cranium. Much less anything in between. Sorry if my sharp tongue upset you but I had some wonderful teachers that would ream me a new opinion when my ass had different ideas. Try some "Preparation-A" for your audio pains. I mean, I can hardly believe this thread is 4 pages and you still don't get it?

You were asking what you did wrong & why. Everybody has responded every which way possible to explain what you did wrong & why. We made recommendations & explained it clearly. Read my lips because you certainly can't hear them properly. That means your deaf, which doesn't go well with audio engineering. Maybe you should consider mixing drinks instead? I like my single malt Scoth, neat. That doesn't mean it's cool, groovy, sick or on the rocks. That means "up", as in, without any ice, plain, undiluted, no extra ingredients. Good recording techniques, equipment selection, gain & level settings are similar in that respect. If somebody asks you for a " my tie"? You're not supposed to respond "it looks great" without also doing something. Believe us when we tell you, an SM58 & a computer audio interface is what you need to make a quality recording. Not some Chinese condenser microphone plugged into your computers on board crappy sound card. For heaven's sake, watch some musical groups on television. What microphone do you see the lead singer always singing in 99% of the time? 99% of the time it is an SM58. We all know the condenser microphones have their place. And it's not in the application in which you are trying to use it. Yeah, they pick up a lot more background noise. So get with the program. And then you'll know how to do it right.

Your mother
Ms. Remy Ann David

Ok, your argument is good, what preamp would you recommend?

I'm sorry for being thick headed, but from this post on I realized that the mic would be a waste of money and I started looking at preamps/interfaces, why it went on for three more pages about how I'm stupid for wanting a condenser is beyond me.

I'll start a new thread for my preamp/interface questions.

OK, now you're talking. Maybe I'm talking?

Even lower cost, budget oriented computer audio interfaces with at least a microphone input that features XLR connector with 48 volt phantom power will provide you with a startling difference in quality. Your choice from about $150US up by numerous manufacturers. Most all budget oriented interfaces use a limited amount of manufacturers chips, specifically capable as microphone preamps. I have used microphone preamps that were made from a single Signetics 5534AN chip that cost under $5 each, from the mid-1980s. One would think, as you did, as a lot of folks do, that a computers on board sound card should have something as capable. Unfortunately, most are generally designed for unfortunately awful multimedia microphones, for dictation purposes & Internet voice chat with tailored sound & gain structure for those purposes. That's why we employ certain types of equipment designed for professional purposes. For instance, here's an old recording I recorded live utilizing the $5 each 5534 IC chip microphone preamps. The saxophonist's microphone was rather high in quality. But most of the other instruments you hear utilized Shure dynamic microphones with the exception of drum overheads. That's where the condenser microphones are which are also Shure & are the SM 81's.

http://www.box.net/shared/ckmeoz5ovx

While these microphone preamps are not what we would call stellar, they were obviously quite adequate for my purposes in 1987 which is the date of this recording. Some equalization was utilized on this inexpensive console along with some Lexicon PCM 60 reverb. No other special processing or mixing tricks were utilized. Mixed through a pair of KOSS headphones, which actually is more difficult to accomplish than utilizing speakers.

Modern inexpensive computer audio interfaces can actually provide for quality sound superior to this. And with the excellent bundled software you'll find with most any inexpensive computer audio interface, you'll be truly delighted. But remember, LESS IS MORE, when it comes to the sophisticated processing available from even Limited Edition software. No software was harmed or used in this old recording.

You're on your way.
Ms. Remy Ann David