Good Audio Mic Recording Hardware?

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Member Since: Jun 14, 2009

Hi,

am using M-Audio USB FastTrack pc interface for recording electronic instruments which is cool, but am having a hard time of it when it comes to good clean vocals recording by way of external mic (use a dynamic and a condenser).

can anyone suggest an ok budget digital audio recorder that i can use for external microphones / vocals, and acoustic instruments please?

if i could find something which will let me save *wav* files i could then export them to my pc mixer software and work on them, but i need a clear interference free take to begin with.

recorders would need decent pre-amps for external mic use, or i'm going to end up with 'hiss', i have read.

advice appreciated ;)

thanks,

Ric

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Frisco's Most Underrated
Member
Since: Jan 28, 2003

Jun 11, 2011 02:49 pm

So, just so I am clear... you are plugging your mic into the FastTrack and the FastTrack into your computer, and you are not happy with the sound you are getting?

I have never used a FastTrack, but if I understand it right, I think your issue is not the FastTrack, but probably your microphones and/or your microphone technique or maybe even your recording environment.

Can you tell us what microphones you are using, and posting up a sample of something that you recorded that you are not happy with might also help.

Member
Since: Jun 14, 2009

Jun 12, 2011 05:39 am

Thanks Coolo,

Have had this issue for ages. I started out with a battery powered condenser microphone. It's an okay mic, nothing special, but it works fine. But as soon as I started using it in 'Fast Track USB Guitar', I got this horrible electro-ticking noise right at the bottom of every vocal file I recorded. M-Audio who author Fast Track said exactly more or less as what you are saying, "get a better mic". They recommended their very own M-Audio 'Soundcheck' xlr dynamic microphone which is presumably the perfect balanced accessory to M-Audio xlr port products, such as Fast Track. So I bought one. I am no expert but I'd say this is a better mic than my condenser, and it minimalised the ticking, but in those days I was not recording acoustic folk material and the electric instrument element in the music almost certainly masked the ticking which was still there.

So now I come to record just vocals and acoustic instruments, so I notice the ticking again, so I don't believe it is a microphone issue. I suspect the microphone technology within Fast Track I is not all it could be, since many musicians will be using this interface purely for guitar, and it is great for electric guitar-to-pc work.

With regard to environment, I have gone to from recording in normal rooms to working in a custom made sound-dampened booth yet the ticking is constant and my pc interface is constant: Fast Track.

Here are two examples of the ticking interference that I experience. The first was picked up on the M-Audio 'Soundcheck' microphone and the second was picked up on the condenser. Both are boosted in audio software about 300% so you hear the white noise 'hiss' you would expect, but you will also hear the ticking. The ticking only began on the condenser recording when I introduced audio into the sound booth from outside, it seemed to *trigger* the ticking. I have found this. I have done a mic test before a session and got good results but as soon as the session really gets going you notice the ticking creeping into the background on playback

M-Audio dynamic microphone:

www.4shared.com/audio/ooW...terference.html


Battery powered condenser microphone:

www.4shared.com/audio/-zq...n_test_106.html

Comments appreciated.

Thanks again,

Ric

Member
Since: Jun 14, 2009

Jun 12, 2011 06:59 am

Hi,

This is a postscript to my last post. Here is a further diagnostic example of the same condenser mic in the same studio space but this time attached to an Olympus digital recorder - no interface, just recorder and microphone. The audio file was then usb-imported to my pc. You will note plenty of white noise 'hiss' as the audio is boosted in the software, but this time no electro-ticking. My voice on this recording would have been enough to trigger the ticking as in the previous example. Could this then seem conclusive perhaps?

www.4shared.com/audio/HG8...2611_final.html

Please advise.

Many thanks,

Ric

Frisco's Most Underrated
Member
Since: Jan 28, 2003

Jun 15, 2011 12:41 am

Hey Ric,
I see, it is not just general sound quality, but a particular clicking sound which should probably not be there...

So, you said,
"as soon as I started using it in 'Fast Track USB Guitar'"
You are plugging the mic into the "guitar input" with a 1/4 inch jack or the XLR jack (three pronged jack)?

If you are plugging into the XLR jack, I'm not really sure, maybe you can check the buffer levels in your software, maybe they are too fast for your computer?

Rockstar Vatican Assassin
Member
Since: Mar 20, 2009

Jun 16, 2011 11:20 am

Not sure if applicable, but I notice a lot of interference when I have my wireless enabled. Assuming this is Windows, try to kill a few apps in process manager to see if something from Windows is causing the clicks. Perhaps even the network adapter all together (wired/wireless)

The only other suggestion is to use a "powered" phantom power block to power the condenser mic and use good XLR cables (Mogami/Monster).

www.guitarcenter.com/Behr...684-i1129177.gc


EBONY AND ACE's
Member
Since: Jan 05, 2009

Jun 16, 2011 04:34 pm

hey ric,

i own a FTU and a FTU 8R.

your problem might might be caused by the driver. make sure during installation that the former sound driver has been erased. after that install the m audio driver set.

some recording/sequencer software needs further adjustment like sonar in buffer and sample sizes or latency aspects.

it also has an effect if you use the m-audio both ways: ingoing and outgoing soundcard.

i use both FTU for recording with mics of any species, best results came with condensor mics (phantom and self powered valve mics) directly plucked in.

check if your mic needs a preamp for decent results. maybe its just a matter of phantom power. anyway, dont plug an usb mic into the converter.

hope this helps.

jp

Member
Since: Jun 14, 2009

Jun 16, 2011 05:27 pm

No Coolo,

'FT USB Guitar' has separate inputs for instruments (1/4" jack) and microphone (XLR).

Ric

Member
Since: Jun 14, 2009

Jun 16, 2011 05:37 pm

Thanks Hippie and JP,

M-Audio FastTrack I has no 'phantom select' switches on it and the dedicated mic input is XLR. I use M-Audio XLR 'Soundcheck' dynamic mic on FT-I which is more or less custom made for it. YES certainly-definitely *something* is causing this ticking interference but i may never be able to isolate the cause. In the meantime I am going to experiment with a preamp to non-pc digital recording device with usb connectivity. If I can get a decent vocal-acoustic file through the preamp then it's problem solved, because then I can just import this to my DAW and progress on from there.

Will update ;)

Thanks,

Ric

Member
Since: Jun 14, 2009

Jun 18, 2011 01:13 pm

Just bought a new XLR cable - it has stopped the interference to Fast Track from the XLR mic.

Fingers crossed! :-o

OOPS!

It wasn't the cable at all! It was bringing the mic too close to the interface! That's what caused the 'ticking'!

;)

Ric

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