Actually Bob I would wager the ADC chip in the Icicle is better than the hot ADC in 1989. We have come a very long way in that department.
The Circuit the chip is in however may not be...

This and the other thread referenced in here truly blow my mind.

Mannyr -
You state:
"what I'm making is a demo CD that will probably maybe go on iTunes."

First, that's a lofty goal - getting on to iTunes can be difficult. Second, if that is indeed your goal, then you are headed down a dangerous and expensive path.

If, however, your goal is just to get a CD demo out and about, then the next question is:
For what purpose?

Do you hope to land some playing gigs by giving it to venue scouts? Do you hope to get it into the hands of A&R guys for songwriting purposes or maybe a songwriting competition? Or is this so mom can hear it and be proud?

If it's anything but the last one, than you again are headed down a dangerous and expensive path.

I have played around with the Icicle (thanks to the kind folks at Guitar Center). I used both a TLM 103 and an SM58 into a PC running Cubase. In both cases, I was less-than-impressed. That's saying a lot because of my already lowered expectations for this piece. I was expecting to get a noisy preamp with no headroom and a less-than-stellar overall sound. What I got was a noisy preamp with 0 headroom and a boring, sizzly sound.

The funny thing is, I've played around with a LOT of preamps in a LOT of interfaces over the past few years and while none have blown me away, quite a few have surprised me at just how good they were considering what they were in! The PreSonus stuff actually impressed me as did the Mackie Onyx stuff. The TC and the RME stuff fared even better. What gets me is that the preamp in my TC Konnekt 24D and the preamp in my RME Fireface actually are quite usable on legitimate sources. I could quite easily track on a professional recording with these.

The problem that I see is that you're wanting a quick and cheap fix. This tells me that you're either dirt broke or you're impatient. (or both) Your SM58 plus a good preamp and interface will do wonders. Don't believe me? Read the interview with Counting Crows guitarist in this months Recording magazine. They use the 57s on all of their guitar tracks - period.

The Rode is a great mic. In fact, it's one of my favorite "cheap" mics out there. However, if you're after "demo worthy" tracks, this mic will not cure your woes. What will is a good basic mic (SM58 is great), a GOOD interface (damn the ADCs, I could care less about them - the preamp is the ticket here) and MOST importantly, a good space in which to record. Do a little to the room and any difference in your preamp will be readily obvious.

I would strongly recommend the TC line of interfaces (firewire - I don't recall, is this an option for you? If not, M-Audio makes a few good ones as does PreSonus that are USB. Of course, if it's a desktop, you can always add a cheap SiiG Firewire card too...) I know you say "they're expensive," but $349 for 2 great preamps, more analog inputs, digital inputs, great sounding ADCs and some damn fine effects is absurdly cheap.

For now, your best bet is to NOT spend the extra money on the extra mic. Save it and when you can get enough money together, buy a proper interface. Then and only then will you be satisfied.

Oh...and of course, you need to work on the room too. If it's an unfinished basement, a few blankets and the proper placement of you in the room will do wonders (not as well as a well-designed studio, but better than a cinder-block closet!)

Cheers-
J

To answer the original question, I just bought this mic and love the way it sounds on acoustic guitars and vocals (all I've used it for so far). Yes, you will get some room noise/outside noise if you're not careful. If you want quality results, turn the AC off, don't run any other electronics, stand away from the fridge and find the most quiet room you can.

With respect to the above poster, it's not very difficult to get on iTunes. You go to tunecore.com, give them your money and tracks, and you get thrown up there. These days, almost anyone can be on there if they want to pay for it.

If you're being offered this mic at a good price, I'd take it. You can update your interface later or you could update your mics later. If you're getting a great deal on the mic now, take it now. Money is still money and unless you're rolling in it, saving is saving.

Love, Peace and Chicken Grease

don't spend a dime. don't buy the mic or a new preamp.

never used the icicle so i won't comment on that (why do people comment on gear they haven't used??). but a 58 and NT1A are very different sounding microphones. your problem is not the 58, 58's are good sounding mics. it's probably a combo of different factors.

your number 1 problem is your room. reflectivity is a huge issue with vocal recordings. many studios opt for acoustically treated rooms (iso-booths) that minimize reverberations, the reason being that you get a fairly accurate vocal and can add ambience (reverb) later. this is your first consideration. there are ways of dampening a room without breaking bread on expensive foam treatments. packing blankets hung on mic stands are a classic solution to the problem.

your second problem is technique. you will benefit from proper mic placement, gain structure (setting levels), vocal dynamics and pitch accuracy.

i'm willing to bet you can get a good sounding recording with what you have as long as you treat your room and record your stuff well.

a lot can be done in the mix stage with right tools (up to a reasonable point). you CAN fix timing, pitch, tone (quality of vocal sound) and dynamics. what you can't do is remove distortion or room reverb.

i have to amend my post if what cucco says is true. if the icicle really is that bad, i would say opt for a new interface.

if you send me your dry (no effects) vocal tracks i can offer you more direct advice

This thread died last May.