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Am I on the right path for budget recording?

#24
Most of the stuff on your list will work.

Boom762 said:
- Audio-Technica AT2035 Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Microphone
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What are you going to be recording with the microphone?

One problem that I have with LDC microphones is that they pick up everything. If you're in a room that doesn't have good acoustic treatment (for either reverberation within the room or sound coming in from outside, HVAC, computer fans, etc.), the microphone will pick up all the oddities. If you don't have a real studio to record in, you may want to consider a dynamic microphone (e.g. SM57/SM58 or similar), depending on what you want to use it for. They also need a lot of gain, however.

I've had good luck with shotgun microphone as well for voice narration (also use it for video). The AT 875R is in the same price range.

You should budget for a quality microphone cable. I make my own with Canare star quad cable, but before that I used some xlr cables that my band had been using. While the cheap cables were fine for live PA use, they introduced a lot of noise when recording. I also have a Mogami cable which is pricey but a definite improvement.

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FWIW, I found Audacity to be very frustrating. I use REAPER instead. There's a free trial that is full function and when you decide to register it, it's quite a bargain. I don't think that is your problem with level, but I have to mention it.
 
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#25
INTP said:
Most of the stuff on your list will work.


What are you going to be recording with the microphone?.
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My voice in narration. It's all leading towards YouTube video and a large diaphragm condenser mic is what all the suggestions online quoted. I would be using the mic for ear reviews and such. I keep getting referrals to have an off camera mic and to not rely on the video camera's mic. Learned mostly from the Specter Sounds Angry Guy. :)
 
#26
Boom762 said:
My voice in narration. It's all leading towards YouTube video and a large diaphragm condenser mic is what all the suggestions online quoted. I would be using the mic for ear reviews and such. I keep getting referrals to have an off camera mic and to not rely on the video camera's mic. Learned mostly from the Specter Sounds Angry Guy. :)
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If you mean that you'll be recording your voice separately from video, a LDC in a voice booth will work. The voice booth can be a dedicated soundproof room, or a closet if you're on a budget. You could use one of those portable ones, but while they will help with room reverberations, you'll still be fighting things like your computer fan, HVAC, etc. I've recorded in the closet, but it really works best when reading a script since you're isolated.

If you're going to be looking into the camera while you talk, a shotgun mic can be out of camera, pick up the voice well, and still reject outside noise. I've used it close up for voiceovers and it works for that, too, but doesn't have the proximity effect of a LDC. Some people will use an omidirectional lavalier microphone for this, but I haven't tried this due to noise problems.

If I ever made any money from this, I'd get a high quality dynamic like a Shure SM7b or Heil PR40. Not crazy expensive, but everything adds up. Since they're dynamic, they work well close up and don't pick up every little sound. On a budget, SM58/SM57 will work, and have many other uses as well.

I'm only going on about this because I read the same advice and was only frustrated, before figuring it out on my own.
 
#30
Boom762 said:
I would think making a fort out of blankets would keep the sound out :)

What king of microphone does this guy have in this video? Is THIS a shotgun mic? Microphone is at 5:50

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He's using a small diaphragm condenser, not a shotgun. I don't know the pattern for his mic, but it's probably a cardoid, which means it gets mostly his voice, but will still pick up ambient noise. A shotgun is much narrower, beyond supercardoid, so it really rejects noise coming from the sides.

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#31
Big Hoss said:
Check youtube for DIY recording booth. There are a LOT of podcasters / voice over folks doing this...
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This is certainly a solution, but it doesn't work in all cases. If you want to capture audio while talking into the camera, unless the booth is part of the story, it isn't appropriate. It also requires a certain kind of commitment.

FWIW, I am not saying a shotgun microphone is for everyone. There is no single microphone that will work in all situations, I just find that a good shotgun microphone solves the problem of ambient noise without extensive room treatments or having to set up a booth, while allowing mobility and also working well for video. YMMV, etc.

I do think that people should consider sound treatment before purchasing a LDC, because the noise problem is really annoying.
 
#34
Oh, then you sir need a different approach from a sound booth, you need something along the lines of a Lavalier mic and good digital recorder. If you have chosen your camera with audio in mind, you will have an external mic input on the camera, that helps a LOT... Get a decent wireless lavalier mic (Not cheap, not super expensive), and make sure you control the noise in your environment as best you can.

I am taking the cheapskate approach to talking recordings, just using my smart phone as a recorder, and the headset mic as a lavalier. It works, but is far from ideal... I use some open cell foam insulation material as a windscreen for the mic as a LOT of my recording is done in less than perfectly set environments. (Think Wood Shop, Camp Grounds, Beaches etc...) where I can't really control anything but my own noises... It's work, but I am getting fair results. That is why I do so much voice over narration...
 
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#35
Boom762 said:
I would think making a fort out of blankets would keep the sound out :)

What king of microphone does this guy have in this video? Is THIS a shotgun mic? Microphone is at 5:50

Click to expand...


I don't usually advocate this, but that dude needs to go to Colorado or Washington and spark up a J... Something, he needs to chill the heck out.
 
#39
Just FYI, I recently had the same issue with the Behringer U-Control UCA202 interface: just no gain on tap. I spent a lot of time with the system audio settings and concluded that I had everything set where it should have been. I'm going to give the Tascam US-2x2 USB interface a try.
 
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#40
FerruleCat said:
Just FYI, I recently had the same issue with the Behringer U-Control UCA202 interface: just no gain on tap. I spent a lot of time with the system audio settings and concluded that I had everything set where it should have been. I'm going to give the Tascam US-2x2 USB interface a try.
Click to expand...

I'm going to give the Behringer USB mixer a go. If it doesn't work well either It'll be the last time I buy one of their products. Once upon a time I wanted one of their sweet 4x10BB
 

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