Computer mike question..

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 16 Jul 2005 6:47 am

Are "better" quality computer mikes available?? i have a cheap piece of junk that makes any thing you record distorted and awful.. I know I am not going to getr "studio quality" by recording my steel into a computer with $.99 plastic mike, but I used to get reasonably acceptable sound doing so. Not with the mike I have now!! Any suggestions?/ bob

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 16 Jul 2005 7:57 am

Why use a mike at all? I use the output of a Digitech Genesis 3, which is an amp emulator with effects. Or you could just run the guitar directly into the computer, and then tweak the tone using a software amp emulator.

To record rehearsals, I mike the room with two Shure SM57's into a little mixing board, and run the stereo line output of the mixer to the computer or to a CD recorder. That works really well.

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Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 16 Jul 2005 11:11 am

All "computer" mics are only designed for the "spoken" voice frequency range. They are not "hi fi" and a computer mic is not stereo, even tho it has a stereo jack. The "ring" on the jack has 5VDC to power the (computer) condenser mic.

However, a P.A. mic will not work without a preamp, as the PC requires a minimum of approx 10 mv minimum (and more like a line level input) and a P.A. mic has approx 1 mv output.

If you want to use a P.A. type mic, then run it through a mixer board as the board has line level output.

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 16 Jul 2005 6:54 pm

I do mine like b0b said. I plug either direct into a little Behringer mixer or plug my sm-57 into it, then the mixer output is plugged into my computer soundcard line-in. Works great.

Ron Bryson · Post by **Ron Bryson** » 17 Jul 2005 5:27 am

Bobby,
If you have time, could you expand a little on just how you run your guitar into the computer directly? I have an Audigy v2 SoundBlaster sound card, & I have wondered about the possibilities of this..
Thanks, Ron

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 18 Jul 2005 2:43 pm

I just run from the output of the Genesis 3 into the microphone input of the computer. I tried do do it digitally with an S/PDIF USB interface but I had sample rate problems.