Microphone and Headphones sound WEAK..* PLEASE SEE PIC *

[yummyph0916]

Hi Everyone! Im new to the home studio set up and I am having a few issues.

I have a Mbox 2 interface, Pro tools 8 LE
and I have a Audio Technica AT-4040 Microphone.

It seems like I have to stand up very close to the mic to get a strong loud sound which is odd, because I know in most studios that i've been into I am usually a few steps back from the microphone and it sounds very clear and crispy. I was wondering if this could be my microphone problem?

Also when I am recording, the vocal sounds that are coming into my headphones are not loud either. I think this has to do with my mic not picking up the sounds like it is suppose to. my vocals just sound really dull...

Im starting to wonder if its the microphone, or the fact that I dont have a expensive preamp, or my settings are just wrong? I have a picture below of what my settings are at on the mbox at the moment...not sure if i have the settings on right or not..

If anyone could help me out I would appreciate it so much! Thanks you guys!!

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...10616-1934.jpg

[jbasil]

Hi yummyph0916, welcome to the wacky world of recording : )

There are so many variables connected to this that it's hard to say. First off, your mic is a decent one, should sound pretty good, but there are many things to consider: It's possible you need to max out the Mbox headphones to get the right volume, so keep that in mind. When you move closer to the mic you are changing your vocal sound, and it's possible that you are getting too close for a crisp sound, and of course this also depends on your singing style and volume of your voice. But first concentrate on being the distance from the mic where it sounds right. If you liked the sound when standing back, do that. (Though you risk it sounding a little *roomy*, so you may have to compromise) Then bring the input on the box up so that you get a healthy reading on the PTools track but never going near the red/top. Then adjust your headphone volume so that it seems right.

All of the things you mention *might* have an effect on what you are experiencing, but it's also probable that *none* of them (different microphone, different preamp) are needed.

I don't know that mBox personally, and it is possible that the headphone volume is a little lower than optimal. But work on the voice-mic-input-track chain first and then see if your headphone monitoring improves.

J

[Ben Jenssen]

Isn't the mic gain on the pic just half way up?

[The Dougfather]

It's not uncommon with lower end mic pre's, i wouldn't be surprised with your Mbox 2 if you were using about 75-85% of available preamp gain to get a nice strong signal.

I have to do this with my Mbox 2, 003 and Digimax FS. It's only with my TC Konnekt 24D i only have to use around 55% for a strong signal. It also varies from interface to interface and mic to mic so there are many variables.

Regarding your cans, well your at the mercy of the mix knob depending on how much signal you want directly monitored relevant to pro tools playback.

[Park Seward]

Your mic has a cardioid pattern. As you get closer, bass frequencies will increase in volume, making your mic sound muddy.

You may have been hearing a processed feed to your headphones in that other studio. It is fairly common to send an equalized, compressed feed with a little 'verb to the singer.

After processing your vocal track, how does it sound?

[yummyph0916]

Thanks for the answers you guys! So on my as long as my levels are in the halfway mark and not touching the red it should be okay right?

Then i would use Eq and compressors to boost the gain on them to make them sound right?

Im just more worried that my mic was not good. The vocals does not sound crisp and clean. It sounds like a cheap mic, so I was wondering if not having a external pre-amp could be the cause of this?

[yummyph0916]

in the picture, the gain on the mic knob has a little dot area that shows it as halfway, im wondering is that where it should be so the sound wont sound distorted?

[jbasil]

One can't really say how much you should be turning a knob because it depends on the input. Turn the mBox input knob up as you are singing until the red light comes on, then back it off a tiny bit. Preamps are all different. Some would be at 30% for a loud singer, some would sound best at 80%. The dot is just as a marker where the halfway point is for reference, it's not related to a place it needs to be.

That's really all the control going in to the track that you have. If it looks to clip the PT track back it off a bit more. Make sure the pad is not engaged, as this is to put a pad in front of especially loud sources (more like drums and guitar amps).

It's a decent mic. It's possible that you are recording in a poor sounding environment. Pick the quietest, deadest room you have, which the least hard surfaces (furniture, walls) and the most soft. Maybe even just set up on the other end of the room you're in. A bad sounding room will make any mic sound cheap. Google that topic a bit for ways to record an optimal vocal sound.

[Park Seward]

If you are singing softly and away from the mic, you will need to turn up the knob. Adjust the levels with the input gain and then add compressors or EQ for playback. But don't make them adjust a low level. Get your level right in the first place. You can trim with them but don't make large corrections. If necessary, normalize the track. Record at 24 bits.

A closet filed with clothes is probably the deadest place in your house.