Transducer for converting sound pressure waves into an electrical signal
12
votes
3answers
805 views
What specifications should I look for when buying a budget microphone?
For amateur purposes I might consider buying a budget microphone to record my vocals, as I have the thoughts that my current cheap home headset microphone won't suffice to get some quality.
What ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
XLR vs USB Microphone
I have a Fast Track Pro (which as an XLR pre-amp) mostly used for DJing tasks. Now, I am in the process of creating a small (really cheap) recording studio in my home. I was looking for cheap Mics, ...
11
votes
3answers
3k views
Microphone windscreens — how effective / necessary are they?
I've done a fair bit of podcast recording using a headset that has a small integrated foam windscreen over the mic. I never thought much about it, until we recently purchased some wireless headsets ...
10
votes
2answers
282 views
What is impedance and why do I care when buying a microphone?
I've been researching some mics and aside from reviews I've been looking at the specs. I'm not sure I understand what impedance is and why I care about it when purchasing a mic.
10
votes
3answers
556 views
Does it hurt to send phantom power to a mic with its own power supply?
And if not, why is there a switch on the preamp? Why not just send phantom power all the time?
10
votes
4answers
2k views
Two microphone setup to record voice and acoustic guitar
what are some good microphone setups for recording a single singer/guitar player with two microphones? Position, types, levels, etc. Thanks!
9
votes
4answers
288 views
All-round vocal mic
What should I be looking for when purchasing a good all-rounder vocal mic?
We've dealt in Shure SM58's for years. Are there other alternatives? What qualities should I be looking for when shopping ...
9
votes
3answers
107 views
What should I look for in microphones for home audio monitoring “nanny audio cam” system
When building a home monitoring "nanny audio cam" system, the main component seems to be microphones/sound pickups.
The qualities that I think I need for such microphones for this system seem to be:
...
7
votes
2answers
830 views
How should I mic a classical guitar?
I’d like to record some classical guitar. I have Garage Band and a couple of generic USB mics. I also have a two-channel M-Audio preamp/audio interface, so recommendations for better mics for the ...
7
votes
3answers
219 views
What to look for in a vocal mic for a small home studio
I'm just getting started with recording at home. I've done some recording in a band in a real studio in the past, but never really learned anything about the equipment and how to use it. I'm wanting ...
6
votes
5answers
943 views
Voiceover drowns in music. How do I make it more dominant?
Total newbie here, not sure if this is the right place to post this. I'm trying to record some station IDs for an online radio station thingamajig I'm doing. I'm using a Samson C03U. My voiceovers ...
6
votes
1answer
648 views
Why does your voice sound different when you record it?
Is it just yourself, or can other people hear it too?
6
votes
2answers
360 views
What are the most used types of microphones and what are they best used for?
I've seen many different types of microphones, and I feel like I should know some of most important ones before getting any farther. What are the most commonly mic types and how does one decide which ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views
How to reduce wind noise / audio overload on built-in microphones?
I have 2 cameras with on-board microphones (Nikon D5100, Canon Powershot G7), and I'm predictably having problems with high wind noise, and when recording short clips at gigs (with permission) with ...
6
votes
4answers
3k views
Monitoring multiple USB microphones
I am in the planning stages of producing a podcast consisting 2 or more people in the same room. I have a large diaphragm USB condenser mic, and another non-USB mic. At this point, I need to decide ...
6
votes
3answers
3k views
Best way to mic up a group discussion
I'd like to record some round-table type discussions for a podcasting project I have in mind, but although I've done some recording of music I don't really know how to start with this.
Should I be ...
6
votes
2answers
596 views
Setting up a home 'vocal booth'
I'm looking at recording some vocals and looking for tips on how to get good results on a budget.
My set-up is based around a Zoom H4 on a tripod with a pop filter. As this is hooked up to the PC I ...
6
votes
2answers
473 views
Lavalier for video production
Looking for a Lavalier microphone for video production. The Rode Lavalier Mic looks like the best bang for buck in regards to quality for price. But really for my current budget the many times cheaper ...
5
votes
2answers
106 views
Is there a significant difference in sound quality between 1/4" jacks and three pronged XLR inputs for microphones?
I have a mixer that has 4 microphone channels. Each one has both a 1/4" jack input, and a three pronged input (XLR). I can choose one or the other for connecting my microphone.
I am about to buy ...
5
votes
1answer
374 views
What are those switches on my microphone, having something to do with directions?
My microphone (M-audio Solaris) has this switch with 3 different pictures/diagrams (it's not volume, neither lowcut). I think it has something to do with directions from where the microphone records ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
What do I need to make reasonable quality amateur recordings of vocals/piano to put on Youtube?
I have been recording myself playing piano and posting to Youtube, just so friends can take a look at how my progress is with the instrument for the most part, but also to post tutorials for some ...
5
votes
6answers
516 views
What key features should I look for when purchasing a mic for podcasting?
I'm looking to set up a podcast, and want to get started with the right equipment. My problem is I have no idea what I'm looking for in a mic, and what other things I need to record good quality ...
5
votes
2answers
341 views
Podcast recording tips
What would be the best affordable setup for recording a 3-4 person podcast all in one room?
I think my main problems are with the hardware...
I've tried a few things: using a condenser (Samson C01U ...
5
votes
3answers
247 views
What's the difference between dynamic and condensor microphones?
When someone talks about a dynamic or condenser microphone, what do they mean?
How do these classes microphones differ, and are they used for different things?
Are there any more subdivisions of ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
Bluetooth headset as a microphone
Edit: For those of you who mentioned this -- I will use a separate system to record environmental sounds using a high quality mic. The bluetooth idea is ONLY for recording the speech of many subjects ...
5
votes
1answer
125 views
How can I reduce interference with two radio microphones?
(Hopefully not off-topic noob question)
We have a hearing loop set up which uses a Sennheiser collar radio mic and receiver which works pretty well. We recently bought a handheld Sennheiser mic for ...
5
votes
1answer
296 views
Recording acoustic guitar with Zoom H4
I've been trying some recording of my acoustic with the H4. I was playing fingerstyle, so not as loud as when using a pick/plectrum. This recording was with the H4 on a tripod just next to my hand ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Voiceover workflow tips? (Specifcally, workflow and processing…)
Does anyone have any good tips as to how I might record good quality voiceover for a short video series I'm editing?
I'm currently in the middle of editing together a short video project that needs ...
4
votes
3answers
505 views
Microphone for recording sounds on the Mac?
I've bought Logic Studio and want to record some sounds in a very quiet environment. Those sounds are the basis for sound effects used in movies and software. It's so much fun to create them.
What I ...
4
votes
3answers
732 views
Record a video without static noise
I bought a cheap handycam some time back, one from Sony, for about $410 to record videos to put on YouTube. The recording picks up a lot of audio static even if I have the fan switched off.
I want to ...
4
votes
5answers
8k views
How can I get rid of the annoying background hum on a new Yeti Microphone
I recently purchased a Blue Yeti USB microphone for use in recording screencasts.
I am using Screenflow to record with and while the sound is excellent in quality there is a nasty hum in the ...
4
votes
5answers
674 views
How to amplify mans voice in a noisy recording?
There is a party and as usual people are grouped. We have 2 groups - in first there is a woman who is telling a story at the moment. In second, there is a man, telling interesting anecdote. We have 7 ...
4
votes
4answers
883 views
How do I mic a drum set for live recording a rock band?
I just got an 8-track (a Zoom R16) to start recording band rehearsals, work on original material, and get some quality versions of some of our tunes. At the moment, we're all in the same room, doing ...
4
votes
2answers
213 views
Using both dynamic and condenser microphone to record vocal?
I just finished listening to the DVD off the new Korn album (Korn III). The DVD is "studio/videoclip" and we see real footage of the recording of the album. On most of the song, we see the singer ...
4
votes
1answer
71 views
Shotgun on boom or handheld?
What's the benefits of using your shotgun on a boom pole instead of just holding it in your hands? As I see many people use the boom from above, why isn't it better to position the microphone at mouth ...
4
votes
1answer
135 views
Second Microphone for Stereo Recordings: Identical or Different?
In search for a more spatial and natural sounding recording, I thought perhaps I would add a second microphone to my existing setup (1 Rode NT1-A attached to a Marantz PMD-661 recorder) which records ...
4
votes
1answer
597 views
How can I clean vocal microphone grill?
Every stage vocalist knows that excessive using of microphones leads to grill corrosion and clogging.
What is a fast and effective way of the microphone grill cleaning? Let it be Shure SM58 grill, ...
4
votes
2answers
292 views
Single-mic close-miked solution for acoustic guitar?
My current setup for recording acoustic guitar is to use an SM-57 and, depending on the music, either mix in the input from my condenser mic for room sound (a Studio Projects C-1) or mix in the input ...
4
votes
2answers
486 views
How do I use a microphone on my PC sound card to automatically create a “sweet spot” with excellent frequency response?
Are there any PC sound cards I can buy which support "digital room correction", a feature found on high-end amplifiers, namely the ability to use a microphone to automatically calibrate your sound ...
4
votes
2answers
573 views
How do I match a microphone to a preamp
How can I tell if a microphone with work with a given preamp?
Some preamps don't have the power for dynamic or ribbon mics. How can I tell if a certain mic is extra needy in the gain department? ...
4
votes
1answer
357 views
Gang Vocal Recording Techniques
Up until recently, I've recorded all gang vocals with multiple passes with varying positions around a single omnidirectional microphone (Avantone CV12)... this has worked well, and with varying ...
4
votes
2answers
250 views
Does constant phantom power (24/7) to a microphone wear it out faster?
I'm currently using a nicer microphone (Studio Project C1, a large diaphragm condenser mic) as my main microphone on my PC. It's running through an M-Audio FireWire Solo. I use it for gaming, ...
4
votes
2answers
482 views
Power supply noise in cheap condenser mic: is this normal?
Wanting a microphone that picked up less noise and was more sensitive to soft sounds than the mic built into my laptop, I picked up the cheapest condenser mic I could find on Amazon, the Nady SPC-15 — ...
4
votes
1answer
115 views
Wireless mic problem: Amplitude sounds like it is “jittering” up and down by a few db
We are having a strange problem with our set of Audio Technica 1800 series wireless lavs.
It seems as though the amplitude of the sound is jittering up and down by a few db. It throws the dynamic of ...
3
votes
5answers
460 views
All Around Workhorse Studio Mics
I'm starting a small project studio & I need a couple of relatively inexpensive versatile workhorse mics that can do it all (at least to start). I've looked at the AKG C2000B & C1000S to start ...
3
votes
3answers
105 views
How can I quiet a noisy computer in my home studio?
I have a basic home studio setup with a Macbook, Apogee Duet, Logic, and a few microphones. Most times while recording, the fan on my laptop is spinning furiously; this is a problem when I record ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
External Mic/Sound Recorder recommendations
The Nikon d3100 does not have an external microphone port, which is normally not a problem (built in mic is great) unless your doing AF-A, then you get lens noises. For a shot that requires zooming ...
3
votes
2answers
720 views
Basics of micing drumset cymbals?
I always watch when they're miking the drum-sets at shows I go to. Most of the time the bass, snare, and all of the toms are have their own mic. But what about cymbals? They tend to be a lot louder ...
3
votes
1answer
113 views
Waterproof microphone
I want to shoot the following scene in amateur video: man jumps into the waterpool, swims under the water a couple of meters, and then floats back. The scene should be shot on head-mounted camera ...
3
votes
2answers
188 views
Voice narration mastering?
I'm a web developer who wants to start making screencasts, with emphasis on quality. One of the things that I have to take care of is the voice quality - I want it to be as good as possible for a ...
