mics

[K C]

Hey everybody,

I 've been recording vocals and acoustic guitars directly into my mbox using a shure sm58. I can't get much level unless I turn the input level almost all the way up on the mbox and I't gets to noisy and there is not much headroom. Is this normal with with the mbox and these mics? Do I need to buy a powered mic to get more level?

Thanks KC

[DIGIDUDE26]

Are you setting the input to mic? or are you on line or instrument level?

[K C]

Hi, Yes I'm setting the input to mic and there isn't enough signal

[TAPKAE]

Well, the 58 isn't really the last word in studio quality vocal mics, and is dog**** on the guitar, I would think. You want to get a more sensitive condenser mic that will give a better sound and probably need only half the apparent gain. Even a Studio Projects B1 can do that. Sound great for a lot of things, and actually costs LESS than the 58.

[archtop]

Ya but why is your level too low.
there's only about a bazillion 58's being used right now all over the world. It's a standard. I would look elsewhere as the cause of your poor signal. providing your 58 is functioning properly. Bad cord.?

[fifthcircle]

And with that bazillion 58s out there, they all have a low output level. This is because it is a dynamic rather than condenser mic. You need a very quiet preamp with a lot of gain to make it work and still be noise-free.

Try a low-end condenser. You'll have gain for years and your noise floor will be much lower. I've had great luck on Acoustic Guitar with mics such as a Shure SM-81, any of the KSM's, Marshall 2003 and others... Stay away from the AKG C1000 or 3000- way too bright. If you like AKG, examine the 535 or the 460 (451/452, or 480). Of course my favorites are high-end and cost much $$, but there are plenty of good condensers out there that will work better than a 58 ont don't cost much.

--Ben

[JFrazier]

KC,

To answer your question, you're not doing anything wrong.

You DO have to crank the MBox preamps, and a condenser mic will not yield drastically better results either.

I've found that my MBox is best used along-side a mixer, like a Mackie 1202. Then set your inputs to "line" instead of "mic" to receive your, now healthy, signal via Mackie's Main Out's.

The MBox will help you out in a pinch, though. But "yes," you do have to crank it.

[JFrazier]

KC,

To answer your question, you're not doing anything wrong.

You DO have to crank the MBox preamps, and a condenser mic will not yield drastically better results either.

I've found that my MBox is best used along-side a mixer, like a Mackie 1202. Then set your inputs to "line" instead of "mic" to receive your, now healthy, signal via Mackie's Main Out's.

The MBox will help you out in a pinch, though. But "yes," you do have to crank it.

[spookster]

I tried out a dynamic mic with the M-box. It worked fine. Didn't have to crank the pre to get a good level. By the way, it was my daughters pink Hello Kitty microphone that came with her Karaoake machine. It was a 1/4" jack too. Maybe you guys have problems with your hardware. Maybe a mic cord, or the mic iteself. Or maybe even the M-box. I hope you can figure it out. Try the process of elimination to pin-point the problem. Different mics, mic cords, etc... Good luck to ya.

[Garissimo]

Originally posted by spookster:
I tried out a dynamic mic with the M-box. It worked fine. Didn't have to crank the pre to get a good level. By the way, it was my daughters pink Hello Kitty microphone that came with her Karaoake machine. It was a 1/4" jack too. Maybe you guys have problems with your hardware. Maybe a mic cord, or the mic iteself. Or maybe even the M-box. I hope you can figure it out. Try the process of elimination to pin-point the problem. Different mics, mic cords, etc... Good luck to ya.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Um, is the Hello Kitty microphone on Digidesign's list of approved hardware? I don't see it on there. hehe, whatever gets the job done.

Speaking of microphones, I'm demoing a Shure KSM32 and Audio Technica 4047 at home right now. Both very nice condensor microphones and I have plenty of headroom with my 002R. Has anyone tried the M-Audio Luna microphone that was released 2 weeks ago? It's a pretty nice looking package for $200 (full metal case, shock mount). It would definitely be worth a look if you want to switch to a condensor mic.