oops.. backtrack.. USB mic/preamp recommendations

[Brian Link]

I originally asked this question on alt.audio.pro.live-sound, where I
got a few good leads. Then I got hollered at for getting more specific
cause I wasn't talking about "live sound".. so let me restate this
question now that I'm in the right newsgroup.

I am evolving my recording setup. Right now I have an AudioTechnica
822 stereo mike and a little minidisc that I've been using to make
archival recordings of the various chamber groups I perform with.

The minidisc is noisy - lossy from compression and also from the
analog hookup to my SBLive card. Looking at my laptop, I realized that
there was the possibility to do hard-disk recording without buying
anything. That was till I realized how noisy the mic input was on my
laptop.

So my wife suggested that somebody must have made an interface/DSP
that connects via USB or Firewire. Lo and behold, she's right.

There's a dizzying array of gear out there, and I'm stumbling on
specs, since I don't understand all the audio tech jargon regarding
noise levels, bitrates, etc.

My goal is to produce a homespun CD for general consumption. Hopefully
the AT is respectable enough to do the work, and I'm looking for a
USB/Firewire solution that will perform at least to the level of the
microphone, if not better. I'd like to spend only a few hundred
dollars, with the object of upgrading to a couple decent condensors
down the road.

I've got my sights on a MobilePre, but have been reading somewhat
disparaging things about it on this group. Any other ideas?

Thanks a lot.

BLink
Brian Link in St. Paul
----------------------
"Just because we have chiseled abs and stunning features,
doesn't mean that we too can't not die in a freak gasoline fight
accident."

[Brian Link]

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 01:20:16 -0600, Brian Link > wrote:

>So my wife suggested that somebody must have made an interface/DSP
>that connects via USB or Firewire. Lo and behold, she's right.

Er.. by DSP i actually mean A/D.

Man.. changing technical genres makes my brain hurt.

BLink
Brian Link in St. Paul
----------------------
"Just because we have chiseled abs and stunning features,
doesn't mean that we too can't not die in a freak gasoline fight
accident."

[Another Mike]

Brian Link > wrote in
:

> Then I got hollered at for getting more specific
> cause I wasn't talking about "live sound"..

That was just Mr Alinson, it's quite safe to ignore him.

[Suso Ramallo]

Hello,

USBPre 1.5

www.usbpre.com

Cheers

"Brian Link" > escribió en el mensaje
...
> I originally asked this question on alt.audio.pro.live-sound, where I
> got a few good leads. Then I got hollered at for getting more specific
> cause I wasn't talking about "live sound".. so let me restate this
> question now that I'm in the right newsgroup.
>
> I am evolving my recording setup. Right now I have an AudioTechnica
> 822 stereo mike and a little minidisc that I've been using to make
> archival recordings of the various chamber groups I perform with.
>
> The minidisc is noisy - lossy from compression and also from the
> analog hookup to my SBLive card. Looking at my laptop, I realized that
> there was the possibility to do hard-disk recording without buying
> anything. That was till I realized how noisy the mic input was on my
> laptop.
>
> So my wife suggested that somebody must have made an interface/DSP
> that connects via USB or Firewire. Lo and behold, she's right.
>
> There's a dizzying array of gear out there, and I'm stumbling on
> specs, since I don't understand all the audio tech jargon regarding
> noise levels, bitrates, etc.
>
> My goal is to produce a homespun CD for general consumption. Hopefully
> the AT is respectable enough to do the work, and I'm looking for a
> USB/Firewire solution that will perform at least to the level of the
> microphone, if not better. I'd like to spend only a few hundred
> dollars, with the object of upgrading to a couple decent condensors
> down the road.
>
> I've got my sights on a MobilePre, but have been reading somewhat
> disparaging things about it on this group. Any other ideas?
>
> Thanks a lot.
>
> BLink
> Brian Link in St. Paul
> ----------------------
> "Just because we have chiseled abs and stunning features,
> doesn't mean that we too can't not die in a freak gasoline fight
> accident."

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> I am evolving my recording setup. Right now I have an AudioTechnica
> 822 stereo mike and a little minidisc that I've been using to make
> archival recordings of the various chamber groups I perform with.
>
> The minidisc is noisy - lossy from compression and also from the
> analog hookup to my SBLive card.

The Minidisk itself isn't that noisy. Your recordings may be noisy
becuase you don't have enough level going to the recorder from the
mic, and you need to amplify the recording (with the mic noise, the
preamp noise, the recording noise, and the ambient noise) too much in
order to get to "normal" volume.

Where do you stand on this? If you can find a prerecorded Minidisk
somewhere (they must be collector's items by now - check eBay),
compare the volume when playing that with the volume when playing your
own recordings. Don't touch the volume control. If your recording is
much quieter than a commercial recording, the first thing you need to
do is record at a higher level. I'll bet that will do a lot for your
noise problems, but the trick is to do it correctly.

> Looking at my laptop, I realized that
> there was the possibility to do hard-disk recording without buying
> anything. That was till I realized how noisy the mic input was on my
> laptop.

Probably even worse than that on your Minidisk recorder.

> So my wife suggested that somebody must have made an interface/DSP
> that connects via USB or Firewire. Lo and behold, she's right.

Lots. The only one with which I have some personal experience is the
TASCAM US-122. I reviewed it for Recording Magazine in the December
2003 issue. It works quite well. One thing that just about all of
those USB interfaces have in common is a pretty good mic preamp - up
to a point. I think that it would be a significant upgrade over your
Minidisk and built-in sound card, and it's very well thought out
functionally.

Your AT 822 mic is a good match for the Minidisk, but because of its
mini plug output and battery power (which make it ideal for your
present application), you'll need to do some adapting in order to use
it with a "serious" preamp with XLR connectors. You may find that
you'll want to upgrade your mic pretty soon, even if it's to the 822's
sibling, the 825.

> I've got my sights on a MobilePre, but have been reading somewhat
> disparaging things about it on this group. Any other ideas?

Nothing's perfect.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Brian Link]

On 20 Dec 2003 09:05:54 -0500, (Mike Rivers)
wrote:

>
>In article > writes:
>
>> I am evolving my recording setup. Right now I have an AudioTechnica
>> 822 stereo mike and a little minidisc that I've been using to make
>> archival recordings of the various chamber groups I perform with.
>>
>> The minidisc is noisy - lossy from compression and also from the
>> analog hookup to my SBLive card.
>
>The Minidisk itself isn't that noisy. Your recordings may be noisy
>becuase you don't have enough level going to the recorder from the
>mic, and you need to amplify the recording (with the mic noise, the
>preamp noise, the recording noise, and the ambient noise) too much in
>order to get to "normal" volume.

Problem is that I have a pretty huge dynamic range I need to capture.
Well, maybe it's that I need sensitivity for quiet stuff. A lute
doesn't make a lot of noise when miking the whole group from single
point. In contrast, the booming transients of the gamba and my yelling
bring the levels up quite a bit.

>Where do you stand on this? If you can find a prerecorded Minidisk
>somewhere (they must be collector's items by now - check eBay),
>compare the volume when playing that with the volume when playing your
>own recordings. Don't touch the volume control. If your recording is
>much quieter than a commercial recording, the first thing you need to
>do is record at a higher level. I'll bet that will do a lot for your
>noise problems, but the trick is to do it correctly.
>
>> Looking at my laptop, I realized that
>> there was the possibility to do hard-disk recording without buying
>> anything. That was till I realized how noisy the mic input was on my
>> laptop.
>
>Probably even worse than that on your Minidisk recorder.
>
>> So my wife suggested that somebody must have made an interface/DSP
>> that connects via USB or Firewire. Lo and behold, she's right.
>
>Lots. The only one with which I have some personal experience is the
>TASCAM US-122. I reviewed it for Recording Magazine in the December
>2003 issue. It works quite well. One thing that just about all of
>those USB interfaces have in common is a pretty good mic preamp - up
>to a point. I think that it would be a significant upgrade over your
>Minidisk and built-in sound card, and it's very well thought out
>functionally.

Where do you think the weak link is in this potential line up? (at822
+ US122 or MobilePre + laptop? Where would you go next?

>Your AT 822 mic is a good match for the Minidisk, but because of its
>mini plug output and battery power (which make it ideal for your
>present application), you'll need to do some adapting in order to use
>it with a "serious" preamp with XLR connectors. You may find that
>you'll want to upgrade your mic pretty soon, even if it's to the 822's
>sibling, the 825.
>
>> I've got my sights on a MobilePre, but have been reading somewhat
>> disparaging things about it on this group. Any other ideas?
>
>Nothing's perfect.

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> Problem is that I have a pretty huge dynamic range I need to capture.
> Well, maybe it's that I need sensitivity for quiet stuff. A lute
> doesn't make a lot of noise when miking the whole group from single
> point. In contrast, the booming transients of the gamba and my yelling
> bring the levels up quite a bit.

If you're going to record with one microphone, you need to record a
group that's balanced within itself. If the lute is too quite to hear
when you're screaming your fool head off, this is not a problem with
your recording system. You may be able to find a place for the mic
that's closer to the lute and further away from your mouth.

Or you may just need multiple mics and a mixer. This is the solution
of many celtic bands that have guitars and singers and bagpipes or
bombarde.

> Where do you think the weak link is in this potential line up? (at822
> + US122 or MobilePre + laptop? Where would you go next?

From your brief description, I'd think that it's in the performance of
the group or the mic placement. I see no reason why you couldn't
record anything with that setup that you could reproduce in a
reasonable listening environment.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo