[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by evollove

Talking to people has been (part of) the problem. I've sought information from various sources and I've ended up with conflicting opinions and extremely expensive answers.

Man, back in the day I was a four-track cassette wizard. Now I'm a digital dope. Humbling.

talking to people is only a problem if you don't understand what you're doing.

back in the days of the reel tape there were also dynamic and condenser mics, there was mic level and line level, there were mic preamps, and balanced lines and what not.

if you don't know then maybe read this:

http://artsites.ucsc.edu/EMS/music/t...eces_20.html#V.

and this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance...#Audio_systems

http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/12238

if you already knew that then what you're missing i suppose is how to translate the analog signal to digital-- audio resolution, formats and what not. 22 or 44 or 48 or 96khz, 16 or 24 bit, wav/aiff, etc. then read wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio

to record your audio signal digitally: you can do that with a computer or you can do that with a dedicated recorder. i personally prefer the recorder because a) it's cheap, b) it's fan-free and silent, c) it's lightweight, d) it doesn't go to sleep, launch alarms, get spammed, etc. e) it's already got decent microphones for simple recording. i also use protools+computer+hard drives for some things every now and then but it's a more complicated situation and not everybody likes protools and it's fucking expensive anyway and i hate that.

in your case, think of the portable recorder as you cassette recorder-- same shit, different medium. except that you get only 2 tracks at this price point instead of 4, and you get a couple of onboard mics.

btw, those tascam recorders hypertonic posted look great. they start at $99.

now you gotta do your homework and pick one ffks8x

[tesla69]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

budget noise reduction makes audio sound like shit

I've done it very sparingly and carefully and it worked ok.

No one is going to listen to your stuff (not just your stuff personally, but most stuff in general not celebrity-linked) for more than 5 seconds anyway and it will be on MP3 so why even get so concerned about your home work?

[Glice]

Originally Posted by tesla69

I've done it very sparingly and carefully and it worked ok.

No one is going to listen to your stuff (not just your stuff personally, but most stuff in general not celebrity-linked) for more than 5 seconds anyway and it will be on MP3 so why even get so concerned about your home work?

The same reason complete strangers rarely sniff your bollocks, yet you still shower every now and then.

[terminal pharmacy]

is it a hiss or is it a hum? these are very different things.

hypertonic was 100% correct. the sm58 and sm57 micrphone capsules are exactly the same, the only difference in the two mics is the shape of the body and the popshield. except for the whole 58 is a stage mic etc. everymic is a stage or studio mic, they are what the are and you can use them how you please.

Your hiss may just be speaker hiss which is slightly accentuated by the mic hiss, it may not be as bad as you think. have you tried playing you stuff back on different speaker systems.

what software are you using? software can be noisy.

if you have any behringer gear in your signal chain that won't help either, some of their gear is usuable for for recording but alot isnt.

usb microphones can be very noisy too and i understand your budget considerations, but in my experience saving that little bit longer for the better gear is very very well worth the wait and you don't end up buying the cheap thing twice.

the usb microphones can be noisy because they have to fit the analog to digital converter inside of the microphone as well as all of the regular microphone circuitry.

a little known brand of microphones mostly because they are russian are octava. they make some great microphones and the housings are beautifully machined and they are generally solid mics. ive recently been out far northern australia recording wildlife with a combination of sennheiser and octava mircophones. octava do a usb mic too

http://recordinghacks.com/microphones/Oktava/MK-012-USB

i would tend to stick away from the likes of behringer, samson etc but if you are in a hurry to record then there is no harm in buying these microphones.

people will always tell you to buy the best and i am one of those people too but with budgets in mind, maybe extend your $100 to $150-200 dollars.

your computer maybe part of the reason for the noise too. depending on where the usb is running on the circuit board in relation to the other things such as fan, power etc this is get inductive noise from the board. so it isn't necessarily the quality of the mic you are currently using.



when all else fails go for the known brands even if they are a little more expensive and in some cases not so expensive.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Condenser.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ro phone.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...icrophone.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2u_XLR_to.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2u_XLR_to.html

if you have any questions feel free to message me and ill try my best to answer within your budget.

good to see some of the old boys are still here

yes im talking about you glice and #$%&^%$#

[evollove]

The problem is hiss, a gentle ocean of it which is particularly noticable on vocal tracks. I'm no audiophile, but the sound is unacceptable. If I can't stand it, I shouldn't push the generosity of anyone generous enough to give my stuff a listen (or to give my ass a sniff).

Well, last night I got to toy around with a ZOOM H1. The playback sounded great to my ears, so I returned the mic I just bought and put in an order for the ZOOM. I have such fond memories of using the TASCAM 424 cassette four-track, but I decided to forgo brand loyalty in getting a tascam digital recorder and instead get something I had just witnessed working fine.

I guess I'll record track by track, dumping and synching the results. ? Pain in the ass, but as convinient as I'll get for the results I want.

This thread has ended up containing some good info, though, and should come in handy for when I have more $$.

[Derek]

I use a £5 computer mic to record all of my music and never get a hiss or hum. Perhaps it may be due to using adobe audition though.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by terminal pharmacy

#$%&^%$#

what did you just call me?!?

ha ha-- great to see you back here man. i hope everything is great.

i should PM you about some noise reduction nightmares i'm having. when you have time.

[terminal pharmacy]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

what did you just call me?!?

ha ha-- great to see you back here man. i hope everything is great.

i should PM you about some noise reduction nightmares i'm having. when you have time.

i have plenty of time at the moment it is season of the dead until the summer festivals start hitting in january

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by terminal pharmacy

i have plenty of time at the moment it is season of the dead until the summer festivals start hitting in january

OH HELL YES.

thanks man. PM to follow.

[terminal pharmacy]

Originally Posted by Derek

I use a £5 computer mic to record all of my music and never get a hiss or hum. Perhaps it may be due to using adobe audition though.

its not because you use audition. i listened to some of your tracks, really nice stuff i like. you have a good signal to noise ratio to any hiss hum will be masked because you have a good solid signal going in. this is generally referred to as noise floor and you are way above the noise floor with your signal so the noise is at a level that is very very minimal.

[!@#$%!]

got this in an email from b&h today

i know it's not for everyone but looks like a cool portable setup for podcasts etc.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/indepth/...icrophone-ipad

[terminal pharmacy]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

got this in an email from b&h today

i know it's not for everyone but looks like a cool portable setup for podcasts etc.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/indepth/...icrophone-ipad

i have this http://www.ikmultimedia.com/irig/features/ and it works great. i used it quite alot on tour.