Quote:
Originally Posted by bobtasco  I went to my local sam ash store and told the guy I wanted to start recording my acoustic guitar vocals and do mixing via a computer. I had done some simple reading up on it and I knew I needed a condenser mic, an interface, and a monitor eventually. The guy told me "no no, you don't need all that." He set me up with a mic from blue called "the snowball" It is a fantastic mic, but I was unhappy with my recordings because there were no preamp possibilities.
I basically want to take my recording to the next level and am looking to spend 500$. dfegad
I am asking what would be a good entry level setup for that price range with regards to recording vocals and acoustic guitar.
I was thinking of this mike in particular. The reviews seemed pretty good for it. Amazon.com: MXL MXL 990 Condenser Microphone with Shockmount: Musical Instruments
Besides an interface, will I need anything else to input USB into my laptop?
The program I am use is cool edit pro. I am told to try out audacity.
any input is appreciated. |
To make the leap to the next level, you really need to make two purchases (maybe three). The issue I have is your price point; IMHO $500 is just a little short to get you to the "next level".
First, as you suspected, you need to buy an interface. There are lots out there. There are lots of people on this board with differing opinions about which low level interface is best. Listen to all of them with a grain of salt. I am a strong proponent of getting at least a stereo interface. It gives you more recording options that you WILL want if you only spring for a mono unit. The good news is that the converters that come stock with these units are much better than those on the market from ten years ago. However, the preamps in these units vary in quality from "decent" to "not so good". I can only tell you about the interface I'm using (the MBox) as I have not had any personal experience with others (probably the case with 99% of the people out here, which is why you should take their opinions with a grain of salt!).
The MXL 990 you mention isn't terrible, but it has some significant shortcomings. When I was first starting out I bought an the MXL 990/991 package. With a little EQ you can get some decent recordings out of them. But be forewarned: the 990 is inherently boomy - you will NEED to use EQ with this mic. Lately, I've been using a pair of Rode NT5's through my MBox2 Pro. Many people diss the MBox, but I have found it very usable (yes even the preamps).
Here is a clip of my acoustic guitar sound (stereo pair of Rode NT5's --> MBox2 Pro).