Freesound Forums

I've been searching around articles (the board's search engine only seems to understand one term instead of 2+, unless I"m using it wrong), and most of the links in the Microphone FAQ are dead. So here are my questions, in no particular order.

Also, I'm using Linux, so for questions that revolve around computer interfaces like USB please let me know what OS you're using.

1. There are quite a few USB mics out there now, including several that are 24 bit and 96 KHz sampling that (hopefully!) solve some of the problems of earlier USB mics. Those of you that have one, can you comment on them?

2. What about the USB preamps? (That is, combined preamp and A/D in one package, with some controls--the above mics have them built-in.)

3. Ok, *MUCH* tougher question: I'm on a budget (aren't we all, or else Freesound wouldn't exist, right?) and want the seemingly impossible: a decent all-around microphone for use in most situations. In this case, I'm thinking of podcasting, making my own audio comedy/drama (formerly called "radio show", and want to be able to record both voices (voice acting), foley, and maybe even a little singing; if not live, we may record some stuff outside since I don't have room for a foley pit.

A. Would any "general" mic with a cardioid pattern (most of the USB mics; the rest are omni) be any good, or would extraneous noise just drown out anything?

B.1. Would using a shotgun like a NT-2, AT8035, etc work ok both in-studio (vocals and other loud sounds) as well as capturing foley, or is that too ridiculous to ask?

B.2. Are cheaper shotguns like this quiet enough (low self-noise + decent sensitivity) for foley work? And no, I can't afford the NT-3 or Sennheiser 416.

C. Since I'm using a laptop or quiet desktop to record and not some dedicated unit, it's going to end up USB one way or the other. So which do you prefer: USB mic or conventional mic(s) to USB preamp and A/D?

D. Related to what I said at the beginning: if any of you are using these USB mics or preamps with Linux, how well are they working?

Thanks again! Hopefully I can contribute some sounds of my own soon.

Mike

Mike,

Poisonally, I wouldn't record directly into the PC. My latest Dell Vostro dual-core laptop emits too much electrical noise, I can't even have it switched on in the room when recording. My earlier Inspiron is OK, and I have recorded speech directly into it via an Edirol USB interface.

There's a good choice of dedicated hand-held recorders around now that will record CD quality or better WAV files, or in some cases MP3 as well, directly onto flash memory cards - e.g. units by Zoom and Edirol. These can use their in-built stereo mics, or external mics.

Some thoughts:

actually, if you get a zoom H2 (I think H4 as well, but I'm not sure) you can use it both as USB microphone and field-recorder (as acclivity suggests). I.e. when you plug it into your computer via USB, it automatically can be used as a microphone! If it's not plugged in you can use it as a high quality standalone recorder. so, you get best of both worlds!

that said, I think that if you are looking for a dedicated recording system for your computer, you should go with a sound card + regular microphones. For example the UA25 ( http://www.roland.com/products/en/UA-25/ ) isn't too expensive and has direct XLR inputs with phantom power, so you could plug in any microphone. If you buy a USB microphone now, you won't be able to buy an XLR microphone in the future. THink about connectivity.

I think in general it's a bad idea to go with USB microphones, and I'm not too sure if any of them will even be supported under linux.

- Bram