Oh Master VO!
I'm new to VO (studying for one year, auditioning for about a month) and new to this site, but I have a question. First, my equipment: I run a modest PC (1 MHz clock, 512k memory, SoundBlaster "Audigy" sound card, lots of HD storage), and Audacity DAW software. I have an M-Audio Firewire 410 DI (which I am not using at present) and a new SE Electronics USB2200A microphone. I'm only using the sound card for playback, as both the mic and the preamp interface through USB and Firewire ports, respectively. My problem is that I can't seem to get enough gain in the mic. I run the mic volume in the DAW flat out, have adjusted the Windows mic record volumes to the max, including the +20dB boost, and have to run Audacity's "amplify" utility after recording to get enough gain to see to edit. This doesn't seem right, but I don't know what is wrong. Also, I get some crackle and pop in the recording, which may or may not be related. What would you suggest to correct these problems? Thanks for your thoughts.
Rick
Good questions Rick!
Well for starters, your modest computer is, well....modest. 1 mhz is pretty stone wheel slow compared to today's Intel Duel Core processors. If your running new hardware, like your SE 2200A USB mic, you may have some compatibility concerns. Those of us who have been building our VO businesses over the past 5 or so years have upgraded to the latest technology. MY old Mac PowerBook G4 wasn't hacking it anymore and new software required more computing power. You may have upgraded to a very nice USB condenser mic, but you may have left yourself with a computer that will only go so fast and most likely can't keep up. That's #1.
#2, We did a column on USB mics back in December of 2006.
Master VO 12/06
Back then, (an eternity by today's technology standards) we reported that there may have been compatibility issues with USB mics, specifically BLUE's "Snowball" USB mic, and Audacity. I don't know if this is still an issue, but it may be worth looking into. A quick solution to that is to bite the bullet and try another recording software. Last week we did an experts Podcast on this very subject. Check it out!
Master VO EXPERTS Podcast 1/08
#3. Generally, with USB mics, the manufacturer, in this case SE Electronics, release the mic with proprietary software to run the mic and interface with your recording software. Usually, that software has a gain control tab. The rule of thumb for audio processing is to get as much gain up front in your audio chain to avoid amplifying noise further down. You say you're running the audio through Windows sound utilities. That tells me you are probably not utilizing the companies software. If you are bypassing SE's software, your are not making full use of the features SE has provided you. My dad always said, especially to me.."When all else fails, read the instructions!" Your overloading of your Windows audio software may be causing your crackles and pops too.
USB mics are really cool for making your business portable. Also, as a beginner, they are a less costly alternative to the recommended audio chain of Mic-Preamp-mixer- Digital Interface. I would consider the SE 2200A to be a very top end (and 4 times as expensive!) USB studio condenser mic, as blogs I've been reading say that some big studios are using them for vocals and other purposes. Using your SE 2200A as your primary mic in your studio though, especially if you are having problems, seems unwise until you figure it out. Once you do however, you should have very clean audio.
My Samson C01U USB condenser mic that I bought in 2006 works great when I'm on the road. Its no comparison to my Neumann TLM 103 however. At home, I use the traditional studio set-up and audio chain I mentioned above, using a quality, Class A Pre-amp with my 103. That gives me tremendous control over my input signal as far as initial gain is is concerned. Perhaps I have to do a column on Preamps. That's a whole nother ball o' wax that is even more confusing!
Just remember to try and get as much gain as you can on the front end!
Try that solution Rick, and report back to the Master VO Dojo.
Master VO... out
(((((GONG))))))
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