I went ahead and bought an interface and tested it out. I went for a lower end interface just to try and test this mic out. Boy was that a mistake... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EK1OTZC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I was able to get it connected, installed the driver for it from the manufacturer website (ASIO4ALL). I started recording in audacity, and could only really hear the instrument if I cranked the gain up on the interface and maxed out the mic volume in windows. The sound was terrible and there was all sorts of white noise, but I could hear it which was an improvement over no interface.
I thought a software like cakewalk was needed to to control this noise, but I think the interface simply isn't using the correct drivers in cakewalk or audacity. There is some sort of incompatibility issue going on with ASIO drivers so I'll likely return this interface and mic so i can save up a little more to get recommended equipment from that master the handpan link.
maybe it's the fatigue setting in but recording seems way more complicated than I thought!
there is no XLR input on the UM-2
when i look at it online on Amazon (link) I see Mic/Line 1 is a combo jack that takes either a 1/4 jack or an XLR
I am a big sound guy, and as such I've currently got an xlr microphone.
(Sorry about the xlr portion there is more to it then USB)
As you may already know, there are 2 types of microphones, USB and XLR. USB are all in one devices with everything built in, including an interface. XLR microphones on the other hand are just that, a microphone, and any other parts you'd need to purchase. Both can have varying features like how wide of an angle they will pick up noise with optimal sound and what not.
USB as stated are very easy to use and for the most part are a good bang for the buck. Think Blue, microphones like that are exactly what USBs are. Here is a reputable microphone in this category under 100.00 bucks
Blue Snowball - very clean microphone and very reputable in the $50 range. I've gotten to use it at a friend's of mine and was very surprised by the quality in sound
XLR microphones are fun to get set up but can be confusing. The setup is made of 3 parts, the microphone, an xlr cable, and an audio interface / mixer. I say it can be confusing because you're plugging everything into one another, but it's pretty easy to setup. The most complex thing is the interface, which can have gain, equalizers, all that mumbo jumbo. Despite that, XLR is generally considered to be better because the parts used are much better in quality and thus create nicer sounds.
If you're curious, I use a NEAT king bee and Yamaha XG10XU, but for starting here is an easy setup (both dynamic and condenser)
Shure PGA58-XLR (dynamic - close to face) - my first dynamic, Shure is a reputable brand with microphones such as SM7b, and these smaller mics are no different. This is a great mic for the price
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TTQM94Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_QJB99KQBPBQXG9SYQF8Z
Marantz Pro MPM1000 (Condenser - far from face) this was my first condenser microphone, and it is very nice in it's sound quality.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C05AL4C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_XMS711VSFVV1D9NC597V
BEHRINGER UM2 Interface - my first interface. It only has a gain knob so it's stress free and simple, so you won't need to worry about equilization and compression and all this other stuff with it
Xlr cable - these are required, I use the Amazon brand because it's cheap and works great
As an example as to why I prefer XLR and why it can produce nicer sounds, here is a video from Linustechtips who showcases mics for under $50 and highlights an xlr for the final microphone. Listen to how it sounds! Crazy just how much cleaner it is, and that is exactly what sold me on xlr, it can be better bang for the buck
Let me know if anything needs more explaining of course
Gave it a quick edit to just include the blue snowball since it is a great mic and added descriptions as they are required
thanks for the response. i forgot to mention i have a subwoofer -- what kind of interfaces would support that as well? i am pretty sure the ones i've looked at (e.g. this one) do not support a subwoofer.
Interface: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EK1OTZC
then
Condenser Mic: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094C7NKXR
or
Dynamic Mic: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BC3XB26X
I used this little guy with my AT2020 for ages and it worked just fine. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EK1OTZC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It doesn't have all the bells and whistles more expensive interfaces have, but a lot of that can easily be replicated via software rather than hardware.
Like the one that I linked? And I just realized that I fucked up the formatting, let me fix that
Btw this is what I was talking about... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EK1OTZC?psc=1 should I order this instead of just the phantom power supply?
Bare minimum: you need an audio interface, such as the Behringer UM2, an XLR cable, and a DAW, like Audacity. There are more expensive and higher quality options for all of the above, of course.
I was once broke and wanted good audio so have bought things incrementally. Now I have a mess of a system 🤔
I want to streamline/simplify/improve my current setup:
Receiver: https://www.amazon.com/Sony-STRDH550-5-2-Channel-Receiver/dp/B00J30GXW2 connected to both my laptop and my PC via HDMI
Bookshelf speakers: https://www.amazon.com/Sony-SSCS5-3-Driver-Bookshelf-Speaker/dp/B00O8YLMVA/r
Headphones: https://www.schiit.com/products/fulla-2 to power a pair of HD 6xxs headphones
Mic: https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM48S-LC-Microphone-off-switch/dp/B0002D0HY4/ connected to https://www.amazon.com/BEHRINGER-Audio-Interface-1-Channel-UM2/dp/B00EK1OTZC
The desired state is a single/unified tech stack to power my mic, headphones, and speakers. Work seamlessly between both computers, and ideally lead to less desk clutter. Maybe move away from HDMI to send over an audio signal if there’s a better alternative. I would be willing to spend at most $500.
This would be the best option. A phantom would work. That's literally the point of it. The link above would probably be more helpful though, in the long run.
oh thanks! i purchased this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EK1OTZC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 the phantom charger, ill look into that Shure x2u, i won't need the phantom power with the adapter? i saw a video on an XLR to USB wire that did not work at all so skeptical a bit xD but that phantom power should be fine right?
Okay, thank you. I feel like I understand this stuff a bit more.
I thought about getting this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EK1OTZC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1OVCI1DNKMOSQ&coliid=I28ZGQLHE0OVAC because it provides power from what I was looking at and is also a preamp. Would just need an adapter for my mic to fit in the first line / XLR line, correct?