Re: [linux-audio-user] recording guitar interfacing

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Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] recording guitar interfacing
From: Paul Winkler (slinkp23_AT_yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Nov 28 2001 - 22:38:51 EET


Newbies to computer recording, eh?
OK, I guess I'll give this a go...

First of all, the alt.music.4-track newsgroup is a great place for
beginning recordists. Despite the name, there's a lot of people on
there who use computers, although they're mostly Windows users running
N-track or Cubase or something.

> On Wed, 28 Nov 2001, author wrote:
>
> > How do you get the guitar connected to the sound card?

Those soundcard jacks are annoying, aren't they? At the very least,
you need some adapters. Which adapters you need depends on what you're
plugging in. In the USA, Radio Shack is a good place to find
adapters... I don't know about other countries. Anywhere that sells
home or pro audio equipment should have at least some common types of
adapters around.

"Line in" on a consumer soundcard is usually a 1/8" stereo
"mini-phone" jack. Guitar is a 1/4" mono "phone jack". (So named
because the 1/4" plugs were originally used in the telephone
industry.) So you need an adapter that has two 1/4" mono inputs and
one 1/8" stereo output. Plug the little plug into the soundcard, and
plug your guitar cable into one of the 1/4" jacks. If you can't find
one adaptor that does the job, you can connect a couple together to
get the right result... but then it's more likely that you'll have a
bad connection somewhere.

That's the cheapest solution.

I'm going to recommend that if you record often, you should get a
small mixer. You could do with something as simple as a Soundcraft
Spirit Notepad for under $200 US. Another good choice is the Mackie
1202 (possibly second-hand). There are several reasons:

1) Microphones. If you use microphones, a small mixer is the best
solution for those on a budget. Why? Your soundcard probably has a "mic
input", and it's probably no good at all. Most soundcard mic inputs:

 * are very noisy

 * distort too easily with loud signals

 * have no phantom power so you can't use condenser mics unless they
   have built-in battery power.

 So you can only use the soundcard mic input if you have dynamic
 microphones (like the Shure SM-57, SM-58 and most other stage vocal
 mics), and if it sounds good enough to you. Even then, you need a way
 to connect the mic's XLR output to the soundcard, which means that if
 you don't have a mixer or a stand-alone mic preamp (expensive!), you'll
 need

2) Convenience. You'll quickly find that it's annoying to have to go
behind the computer every time you want to plug something in. It's a
lot easier to get two sets of adaptors & cables, connect your mixer
outputs to the soundcard inputs, connect your soundcard outputs to
your mixer's "aux" input, and just leave it plugged in all the
time. Then you don't have to go behind the computer, and you can get
any combination of mic or line signals into the computer easily.

Note that it might not sound very good to plug the guitar straight
into the line input, for two reasons.

1) Guitar output is not really line level, and the impedance is wrong
too. This is a fancy way of saying that guitars are really only meant
to be plugged in to guitar amps or direct boxes. You might have a hard
time getting a good level from the guitar into the soundcard. It might
work OK, try it and see if you like it.

2) We are used to hearing electric guitar through full-range 10" or
12" speakers with no tweeters. By comparison, playing guitar through a
home stereo or a studio monitor speaker will sound bright, shrill,
tinny, and annoying. Sometimes it's a cool effect, but it's not a
traditional electric guitar sound.

There are two solutions to both of these problems:

1) use a "speaker emulator" or "amp emulator" like a SansAmp or a POD
or something similar,

2) do it the nice old-fashioned way and play guitar through your
guitar amp, and record with a microphone pointing at the amp.

Most professional electric guitar recording is still done with
microphones, but the POD-type devices are becoming more common. An
amp emulator will have 1/4" outputs which you can connect directly to
the soundcard line input using the 1/4" to 1/8" adaptor I suggested
above. Or connect the POD to a mixer and use the adaptor to connect
the mixer to the soundcard.

But if you want to use a microphone, how do you do that? Now we're on
to Tobias' question:

On Wed, Nov 28, 2001 at 05:11:54PM +0100, Tobias Ulbricht wrote:
> Could the one who explains the possibilities please explain me how to
> connect microphones best ? (i mean since there are condensated? and
> others) - like which needs what pre-amplifier..

Here comes my crash course in microphones!

There are 3 main categories:

1) Dynamic. These are the familiar stage vocal mics like Shure SM-58
   and so many others. Dynamic mics can be plugged in to
   any mic preamp. Phantom power is not necessary, but doesn't hurt
   anything. Most use 3-pin XLR cables; some of the real cheap ones
   use 1/4" or even 1/8" plugs.

   To connect a dynamic mic: either connect via a mixer using an XLR
   cable, or if you absolutely must use the "mic input" of the
   soundcard, get an XLR to 1/4" adapter with an impedance-matching
   transformer. These are $20 or less at radio shack. You can then
   connect to the soundcard using a 1/4" to 1/8" mono adapter.

   Decent dynamic mics cost as little as $50 secondhand for an SM-57,
   or as much as $650 for the very nice-sounding Sennheiser MD-441.
   The SM-57 is probably the most commonly used mic for electric
   guitar. I'm not sure why, it's not my favorite mic. But it sounds
   decent, it is very reliable, and they're cheap and easy to find.
   It's also often used for drums and even occasionally for recording
   vocals. I've been told by professional engineers that the SM-57 is
   very sensitive to the quality of the preamp you plug it into;
   apparently, it dramatically improves if you plug it into something
   like a $1000 Neve clone. Personally if I had $1000 to spend on my
   setup I'd probably get a better mic. :)

2) Condenser, also sometimes called "capacitor" mics. These are more
   common in studios, as they can have better fidelity than most
   dynamic mics, but also tend to be less rugged. Condenser mics need
   power.

   Some cheaper ones run on internal batteries. If it has a
   battery, it's a condenser. These can, if necessary, connect
   directly to the soundcard by using an XLR to 1/4" adapter, as
   described for dynamic mics.

   But most of the better condenser mics require power to be provided
   by the preamp. If the mic requires phantom power, it's probably
   marked on the mic somewhere. This is called "phantom power" and
   it's usually 48V DC. These mics cannot be connected directly to
   your soundcard. You'll need a mixer or a standalone mic preamp
   (which usually costs as much or more than a simple mixer).

   Decent condenser mics start around $100 for the Marshall MXL-603,
   which is probably the cheapest condenser that's actually pretty
   good-sounding (though I doubt it will live as long as my MD-421).
   World-class condenser mics cost *thousands* of dollars. A Neumann
   M149, for example, is about $3400.

   The market is currently flooded with "cheap" ($100 to $1000)
   condenser mics aimed at the home / project studio market. Some are
   not bad, some are good, some are awful. The usual problems are poor
   build quality and a harsh, "spitty" treble. Some manufacturers sell
   both good and awful mics, so you can't just go by manufacturer.
   Search the google archives of rec.audio.pro to see what the big
   boys think of the cheap mics. That's a good way to find out which
   ones are not bad. I will save you some time by saying that in the
   long run you'll be better off if you avoid the AKG C-1000 or AKG
   C-3000. These aren't completely useless, but they have a sound that
   seems more harsh and annoying the longer you listen to it. The
   C-1000 might have the dubious distinction of being the most
   despised microphone on rec.audio.pro, probably because a lot of
   people bought them and grew to be disappointed with them. It makes
   a good first impression, but trust me, you can do much better.

   Some mics worth checking out in the under-$500 range: AKG C-535,
   Marshall MXL-603 and MXL-V67G, , Rode NT-1000 and NTK, Audio
   Technica AT4033 / 4035 / 4050 / 4051, Shure KSM-32 or SM-81, Studio
   Projects CL-1.
   
3) Ribbon mics. These are not so common anymore. They are often *very*
   fragile and tend to have low output. Beyer still makes some. Some
   old brands such as RCA are highly prized because of their unique
   sound, and because it's hard to find working ones. They tend to
   have a smooth, dark, nice "old fashioned" sound. Ribbon mics don't
   need phantom power, and in fact can be destroyed by phantom power.
   Never use ribbon mics with phantom power turned on!!! But you
   probably won't come across any unless you specifically go looking
   for ribbon mics. If you happen to have a ribbon mic, you will need
   a mixer or mic preamp to get a strong enough signal into the
   computer.

If I had to buy one microphone to do everything, and had less than
$500 to spend, I wouldn't even bother with condenser mics: I'd get a
used Sennheiser MD-421 (actually I already have one!) for $200-$300,
or an EV RE-20 for $350. Why? Because they're versatile, sound good,
reliable and sturdy. I know I will have a use for it as long as I'm
alive and recording.

-- 

paul winkler home: http://www.slinkp.com music: http://www.reacharms.com calendars: http://www.calendargalaxy.com


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