Firewire cards and high end mics. Are they for you? That depends on several variables.
I have a question regarding mics. For studio quality do I need a class A large diaphram condenser mic? If so what do you suggest? Also am I right in saying that you can combine a preamp and sound card in one unit like the RME fireface 400, thus needing only a basic firewire card to get the signal into your PC?
To your second question about firewire interfaces. Same principle. You don't need to take out a second mortgage to have a great home studio. The RME fireface 400 is like a $1000 bucks! It has all sorts of bells and whistles. I find that to be very high end for what you need. Very true, a firewire or USB interface combines many functions like a pre-amp and 48 volt phantom power to charge up a condenser mic as well as being a direct digital input to your PC. So does a $350 Presonus Firebox, and everyones favorite, the M-Audio MobilePre USB, which retails for around $149. I think that people get excited over the idea of the multi-channel recording these high-end boxes can do. Hey! You only need ONE. TWO if you are adding stereo music to your final mix. (These boxes become your computers sound card.)
This is going to sound off subject, but it really isn't. One of the keys to great sound is having what the studio engineers refer to as "the audio chain." It's not just one, magic bullet apparatus. I have 4 steps to my audio chain. My mic, (Whichever I chose to use that particular day for whatever particular reason) A Presonus Tube Pre preamp ($99) which provides me phantom power, a 20Db pad, an analogue VU meter, and a gain control to really get the max out of any mic I plug into it. (Very important with a ribbon mic) (Don't buy one of those yet) From there, the sound goes by XLR cable to a MIXER. Mine is a Yamaha MG10/2 with 4 mic inputs. NOT EXPENSIVE! $120?)
Why a mixer?
Several reasons. the most important is ATTENUATION. When you are setting up your mic for a recording session, you need to attenuate the sensitivity of the mic input. Each read is different and you need to check your levels for each one. The mixer also gives you some equalization options if you want to emphasize or de-emphasize a certain frequency of your voice. You want your audio signal perfect BEFORE you send it to your digital interface (USB or Firewire). The mixers multiple outputs allow me the ability to send the audio signal somewhere else like another computer or ISDN or one of the other new studio to studio links. (See "A Primer On ISDN And Other Similar Technologies:The Rapidly Changing World of Studio Link-Ups") Just thinking ahead. From there my signal goes from the mixers output to my Presonus Firebox (or my ol' Mobile Pre USB) and into my PC. (or mac)
Does an RME Fireface do all that? Yeah, sort of. My audio chain gives me far more flexibility and control at a reduced cost. Around $600 as opposed to $1000, and that is Money In The Bank in more ways than one!
Bottom line? Learn each step of this process and how each affects your studios sound. Going for the all-in-one solution may sound like a quicker path to success, but in my mind ( A shabby place to be sure) knowing each individual variable and how to control it puts you in charge. More on these individual variables in future blogs...
About The Author
Buffalo, NY native Dan Lenard has been a radio personality, an insurance sales consultant, a high school Media and Social Studies teacher and a stay-at-home dad. He earned his BA in Broadcasting from Buffalo State College in 1980, a New York State teaching certificate from Buff State in 1997 and then in 2002, an MA in Creative Studies from again, his hometown Alma Mater.
Really appreciated this article in particular (although they're all very helpful) and I've just gotten a Yamaha Mg102c Mixer because of what you've written.
I want to make sure I'm hooking it up correctly before I power it up, so would you mind checking me on this ASAP?
1. My condenser Mic connects via XLR cable to Channel 1 Mic XLR input of the MG102. (that one's a no brainer)
2. My M-Audio Mobile Pre USB connects from its 1/4" Stereo Input connector via stereo cables to the 1/8" L & R Rec Out connector on the MG102. Correct?
3. My powered Monitors can either plug into the MG102, or stay connected to the Mobile Pre. Ditto for my headphones.
4. I use the phantom power on the MG102, NOT on the Mobile Pre.
5. I connect the Mobile Pre to my PC (as before) with the USB cable.
Thanks in advance for feedback on this.
Hi Ed,
Sounds like you have it figured out.
Correct on phantom power. If you bypassed the mixer, you would use the phantom power on the Mobile-Pre.
The primary reason I use a mixer is to get more control over mic levels. Also, it allows me to hook up more than one mic at a time if I’m recording something with another person or using a different type of mic.
Learn how to use the gain knob on top of the channel knobs. That is your attenuation control. For a condenser mic, set it fairly low. Then set your level. If you can’t get enough signal from the level, raise the attenuation. The attenuation essentially controls the sensitivity of the mic and the level controls the channels input into the track. Got that?
You can also use the “C-R OUT” outputs on the upper right hand corner and control the amount of output to your Mobile-Pre by using the red knob on the bottom that says level ST (Lower right corner). Set it at the triangle at the 3/4 position.
Yes, use the outputs from the Mobile-Pre for your studio monitors. When the Mobile-Pre is plugged in via USB to your PC, it essentially becomes your computers sound card. Make sure you tell your computer to use that device as your sound input and output. (in control panel under sound devices)
Good luck Ed!
MASTER VO