DAngerer09 Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I've read mixed reviews about the "Blue Snowball Microphone." It is billed as a professional USB mic for under 100 dollars. I want to use it for recording acoustic guitar and vocals. Wondering if anyone here has used one or has one and could give me their impression of it. And, if no one has one of these, what would be a good mic for recording acoustic guitar and vocals in GarageBand? Preferrably something on the cheaper end of the spectrum. I've also heard some good things about the Samson C01U USB Condenser Mic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I've read mixed reviews about the "Blue Snowball Microphone." It is billed as a professional USB mic for under 100 dollars. I want to use it for recording acoustic guitar and vocals. Wondering if anyone here has used one or has one and could give me their impression of it. And, if no one has one of these, what would be a good mic for recording acoustic guitar and vocals in GarageBand? Preferrably something on the cheaper end of the spectrum. I've also heard some good things about the Samson C01U USB Condenser Mic.I would just go out and get a Shure SM-57. They're robust, produce good sound and only cost about $100. You can then, via a 1/4" to 3.4mm adapter, go into your computer via the line-in jack. A good thing to remember is that there are 3 important components to recording sounds well: The source (you), the microphone and the preamp. Given what you want to do, I don't think a usb powered condenser mic will afford you better sound over just going direct. Just my $.02 cents. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigWheeledWagon Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I don't own one, but I have tried one out and wouldn't recommend it. Even in a budget studio, I've discovered (unfortunately through trial and error) that one shouldn't skimp on microphones. I'm not saying you need to spend $300 on one, but having a solid microphone is very important. If you need to save money in equipping your studio, I would skimp elsewhere. You can fix a lot in the mix, but you can't cover up a bad microphone. If you already have some form of USB or fire-wire pre-amp or mixer (or sound card with mic inputs), you can still get what you want for not much more than the blue snowball. If you're interested in that mic because you don't have another way to get your signal into the computer, I'd recommend just biting the bullet and buying a solid input device and a good mic. You'll be glad you did in the long term. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DAngerer09 Posted August 3, 2007 Author Share Posted August 3, 2007 I would just go out and get a Shure SM-57. They're robust, produce good sound and only cost about $100. You can then, via a 1/4" to 3.4mm adapter, go into your computer via the line-in jack. A good thing to remember is that there are 3 important components to recording sounds well: The source (you), the microphone and the preamp. Given what you want to do, I don't think a usb powered condenser mic will afford you better sound over just going direct. Just my $.02 cents If I went out and bought something like a Shure 57, would I be able to plug it directly into the back of my computer. I do have a little 1/4 to 1/8 connector. What is all this talk about pre-amps and things like that? I'm new to recording, so I don't know much. I guess my basic question is: if I bought a mic like a Shure 57, would I be able to just plug and play, or would I need extra stuff? I am using an iMac that has a line-in input in the back. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigWheeledWagon Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I don't know a great deal about Macs or what kind of sound cards they come equipped with, but I would consider looking into a firewire input device of some sort with an XLR input or two. A good microphone will connect via an XLR connection, so the quarter-inch input won't be of much use to you (though there are convertors, they will probably hurt your signal). This website may be of some help to you: http://www.wikirecording.org/index.php/Main_Page Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oceanman Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 My mbox2 can turn some tricks,for the price it beats any stand alone recorder out of the water. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anodyne Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 i'm crazy about my presonus firebox. it's firewire and sounds so warm and nice. i use a cheaper condenser mic. i might have to buy a carvin tube mic sometime in the future. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 I agree that, if you can afford it, an external box like an Mbox or Presonus is the way to go. Aside from that, if you got an SM-57 you could use an adapter and go right into your sound card. I have a powerbook and before I got the Mbox, I went this route. My only gripe was that if you passed too loud of a signal through the line-in jack, it got crackly really fast -- this really limited how loud of a signal could go in there. In the end, I found that I got a lot worse signal-to-noise ratio than I would have liked. Enter the Mbox into the equation. The short answer: With an adapter you will be able to plug the SM-57 right into your iMac. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.