Topic: Recording Your Sound (Read 11450 times)

Lester · « **Reply #40 on:** May 08, 2011, 11:19:32 AM »

What you really want is a Zoom H2

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h2/

It has two sets of x/y configured mics at 90 and 120 degrees or both sets at the same time. Plus will work directly as a USB mic. And not much more money

Alan Morley · « **Reply #41 on:** May 08, 2011, 11:44:32 AM »

Quote from: Lester on May 08, 2011, 11:19:32 AM

What you really want is a Zoom H2

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h2/

It has two sets of x/y configured mics at 90 and 120 degrees or both sets at the same time. Plus will work directly as a USB mic. And not much more money

Lester - I'm confused enough mate.... $:-\$

Alan

Anahata · « **Reply #42 on:** May 08, 2011, 12:12:56 PM »

Quote from: Almo2504 on May 08, 2011, 11:44:32 AM

Quote from: Lester on May 08, 2011, 11:19:32 AM
a Zoom H2 ... will work directly as a USB mic.
Lester - I'm confused enough mate.... $:-\$

It seems you can't use the H1 as a USB mic which is a slight disadvantage.
You can't have everything at that price, but recording and then transferring the files isn't much harder.
Not like the bad old days of Minidisc where you could only transfer the recording to a computer in real time...

IanD · « **Reply #43 on:** May 08, 2011, 03:27:07 PM »

Quote from: Chris Brimley on May 07, 2011, 02:30:31 PM

Quote
it's easier to have them on the PC (or laptop) straight away

Yes, I can see that's a real advantage, though to be honest I find it takes me only perhaps 30 seconds to download a track from my H2 to GoldWave.

Quote
and played back through hi-fi to hear what it really sounds like. Or with studio monitor headphones plugged into the laptop you also get excellent sound quality for one listener.

My PC and laptop are both very noisy in audio playback it seems, far more so than the Zoom in playback mode - is this typical in your experience Ian?

Neither of mine are, the PC has an Audigy Platinum sound card with an external audio breakout box but the laptop is just a decent HP. So some PCs and laptops obviously have decent audio, equally others don't...

Ian

Chris Brimley · « **Reply #44 on:** May 09, 2011, 12:14:48 PM »

Quote

What you really want is a Zoom H2

Oops, I feel pretty sheepish, here, Almo! I suggested the H1 to you rather than the H2 (which is the one I have), on the basis of its cheaper price, because I thought you'd find 2-channel stereo quite adequate, and because I guessed that the internal gubbins were pretty much the same, but with only two channels.

I didn't know it didn't have a USB link, so how do you download stuff from it? Or is it just that it won't allow direct throughput?

Alan Morley · « **Reply #45 on:** May 09, 2011, 12:27:20 PM »

Quote from: Chris Brimley on May 09, 2011, 12:14:48 PM

Quote
What you really want is a Zoom H2

Oops, I feel pretty sheepish, here, Almo! I suggested the H1 to you rather than the H2 (which is the one I have), on the basis of its cheaper price, because I thought you'd find 2-channel stereo quite adequate, and because I guessed that the internal gubbins were pretty much the same, but with only two channels.

I didn't know it didn't have a USB link, so how do you download stuff from it?

The Zoom H1 is great - easy to use - all press button and no on screen menus to step through.
The sound is recorded to a removeable memory card that you can pop into your laptop card reader, or use the USB connection on it to download to the laptop.

It can be used as a USB mic - I already have a guitar / USB lead - all you need is a 1/4" to mini jack adapter to plug into the H1's headphone socket. You would normally just use the headphone socket for headphones - however the mics is live through there too for monitoriong I suppose.

Having tried a recording test with the H1 and my normal USB condenser mic - I still think the larger mic produced a better result due to the bigger diaphram possibly.

I tried it as a normal mic too, through my Sound Blaster external card which records at 24 bit - but I still prefer the big condenser mic...

The big plus for me is that I can carry it around and record anwhere easily, it will be a lot of use with recording the band. Also you can attatch it to a video camera to give you brillient sound for your video recordings.

Very pleased with it for £80

Chris Brimley · « **Reply #46 on:** May 09, 2011, 01:28:14 PM »

Phew, that's a relief!

zubz · « **Reply #47 on:** May 10, 2011, 02:55:12 PM »

Quote from: Lester on May 08, 2011, 11:19:32 AM

What you really want is a Zoom H2

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h2/

It has two sets of x/y configured mics at 90 and 120 degrees or both sets at the same time. Plus will work directly as a USB mic. And not much more money

Just ordered one ... finally fed up with tinny quality of the phone recording capability.
The reviews look good, so I'm hopeful it'll make a big difference.
It's good to know that others here use it too.

Alan Morley · « **Reply #48 on:** May 17, 2011, 02:17:25 PM »

I'm still messing with the condenser microphone and recording software Mixcraft 5..Just recorded a 'jingle' for a website I'm working on at the moment.

There are nine tracks recorded and still no signs of the latency problems Clive has had ....

http://www.myspace.com/alanmorleys/music/songs/Cactus-County-Website-jingle-81909149 There is a melodeon in there somewhere, lol Country melodeon..

Alan - yieeharrr

Dundas_SJ · « **Reply #49 on:** March 02, 2018, 12:50:36 PM »

Hi Anahata, huge thanks for your contributions to the world of melodeons generally. What mikes do you use when recording melodeon in the studio? I haven't started recording in earnest since getting cubase 8.5 but have rode N2 large cap cardiod and rode M5 matched pair small cap that I'm going to try. One person said a small cap may be best to focus the bass end but I was thinking maybe N2s for both ends.

Whistles/mandolins - anyone anysuggestions for miking low and high D whsitles and also mandolin? One of the replies above mentioned these. Maybe I should make a seperate post

thanks.

Tone Dumb Greg · « **Reply #50 on:** March 02, 2018, 01:28:02 PM »

... Maybe I should make a seperate post

thanks.
[/quote]

Definitely

Anahata · « **Reply #51 on:** March 02, 2018, 01:35:55 PM »

Quote from: Dundas_SJ on March 02, 2018, 12:50:36 PM

Anahata... What mikes do you use when recording melodeon in the studio? I haven't started recording in earnest since getting cubase 8.5 but have rode N2 large cap cardiod and rode M5 matched pair small cap that I'm going to try.

I like small diaphragm condensers. I have used Schoeps MK41 (massive overkill in price and quality) Neumann KM184 (ditto, though half the price) AKG Blueline C391B (mid range, used a lot for film work for some reason) and Behringer C2 (super budget mic but still fit for purpose). I haven't made a note of what I used for which recording and quite honestly can't tell which is which from listening now. I should try a pair of SM57s some time too...

Of the mics you list, I'd try the M5 as coincident pair first or if I had to do a recording in a hurry, but you should try everything you've got and experiment with mic positions. The sound of a recording is a complex function of mic type and pattern, mic position and the room you are recording in, and what suits your instrument best. Sometimes the coloration of a cheap mic does wonders for a particular voice or instrument - it's really a black art.

Having a DAW like Cubase or (in my case) Ardour is a real luxury, because you can balance treble and bass sides, get the stereo image you want and equalise out some frequency response anomalies, (not to mention editing out mistakes by copy & paste

)

Québécois · « **Reply #52 on:** March 22, 2020, 04:49:08 PM »

I use either a Zoom H1, or mics like that plug to a small mixing board (they need phantom power) which is then plugged to the recording device or computer. I just clipped them to the last fold of the bellows, no permanent mod to your squeezebox! I also used those mics for gigs for a long time until I switched to digital.

https://www.long-mcquade.com/12953/Pro_Audio_Recording/Microphones/Apex_Electronics/Compact_Clip-on_Instrument_Condenser_Microphone.htm

Tone Dumb Greg · « **Reply #53 on:** March 22, 2020, 05:42:14 PM »

has anyone tried these?

http://www.jts.com.tw/english/products/detail.php?fid=4&subid=20&pid=441

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #54 on:** March 22, 2020, 06:24:15 PM »

Quote from: Tone Dumb Greg on March 22, 2020, 05:42:14 PM

has anyone tried these?

http://www.jts.com.tw/english/products/detail.php?fid=4&subid=20&pid=441

Greg: please check the link - it's givng me a 'page not found' error.

Pete Dunk · « **Reply #55 on:** March 22, 2020, 07:15:12 PM »

Different site Steve but try this link, it also gives the price.

Tone Dumb Greg · « **Reply #56 on:** March 22, 2020, 08:33:33 PM »

Quote from: Pete Dunk on March 22, 2020, 07:15:12 PM

Different site Steve but try this link, it also gives the price.

That's it, thanks Pete.

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #57 on:** March 23, 2020, 01:01:36 AM »

It looks like a clone of the excellent AKG C516 goose-neck mics when they were made with the clothes-peg type clip fixings. The power adapter is pretty much the same as the AKG version too.

Tone Dumb Greg · « **Reply #58 on:** March 23, 2020, 08:43:50 AM »

Quote from: Steve_freereeder on March 23, 2020, 01:01:36 AM

It looks like a clone of the excellent AKG C516 goose-neck mics when they were made with the clothes-peg type clip fixings. The power adapter is pretty much the same as the AKG version too.

Thanks Steve, that sounds useful, but the moments passed. I was considering one going cheap, box opened but never used. It's no longer available.

Alan Morley · « **Reply #59 on:** March 23, 2020, 08:59:30 AM »

I can't believe it was nine years ago when I first posted this....things have moved on,

Over the years I have tried with various microphones - mainly USB condenser mics like the Blue Yeti which is essentially a podcasting microphone. It always produced a clear sound but no body to it - just what you would want for for spoken voice I suppose. No so good for guitar, melodeon or vocals. This led to loads of frustration and tweaking that didn't improve things.

Also as I first mentioned, it still picked up the sound of my desktop PC's processor fan and power supply fan and case fan and whirling hard drives.

After asking a couple of pro folkies what they used, they both said Focusrite interface with dynamic mics - like the Sure SM 58. So I tried that and still wasn't happy..

In January this year (2020) I invested in a Rode NT1-A Vocal Recording Pack - Condenser Mic with phantom power and normal XLR leads. Turned out to be the best mic I have found yet.
Rich tone and depth, sounds great with acoustic guitar. Plugged into the Focusrite then into the PC.

Still got the problem with computer fan noise though...but solved it.

I trawled the web and discovered that you can now get fanless laptops which run totally silently. I found one made by LincPlus and available on Amazon.

I ordered one and took delivery a couple of days ago. Along with some extra SSD memory for it.

It came with the latest version of Windows 10 too.

I installed my DAW programme ( Acoustica Mixcraft ) and away I went.

Finally a great sound and no background noise. :)

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Author Topic: Recording Your Sound (Read 11450 times)