JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Microphone and Vocalist Forum USB Mics

Hey guys, does anyone have any experience using a USB mic? I'd like to get around having to use an interface in order to record on my computer software.

Jake

I did try it for awhile - I don't remember which mic it was (maybe an AKG, but I'm not sure). I got it for the same reason you mentioned - to get around a noisy interface I'd been using.

It worked ok, but I couldn't get the warmth I needed for singing. I used it for a few weeks on various voiceover projects, but even then it wasn't warm enough of a tone for any narration or other deep reads.

I ended up getting a better interface. Not the cheapest plan, but I couldn't be happier with my choice.

thanks Mikey
what kind of interface did you buy?

I ended up with the Tascam US122. It was the best-sounding of the non-firewire interfaces I tried - in my budget range...

http://www.tascam.com/Products/US-122.html

Since then, the US144 has come out, and I like it - but I'm resisting buying it until I really need to replace mine.

Have you tried a good mic into the stereo or line input. No need for interface or special usb mic which tend to be of a poorer quality. It works fine for me. I use a simple stereo jack-xlr adaptor for the mic connection. You have to adjust the master volume controls to suit levels etc but it does work.

I wasnt aware of an adapter. You're saying I can plug a 3-prong mike into the computer with an adaptor?

Mike, I've got the Tascam 122 but I don't think it works well with my recording software.

I mostly use Sonar, and the 122 works great for me...

I think Big Jim is just talking about a regular adapter - 3 prong (XLR) to stereo mini-jack so you could plug a real mic straight into the mic plug on your sound card...

It seems, and you can correct me, that the term USB is a type of input on a computer that has replaced the paraellel port. Can't spell. If you have software that feeds from a USB port that's all you need. I assume a Mic with a USB jack rather than a phone jack of some standard size will work the same as long as the impedeance matches. You either have a dynamic Mic or a condensor mic of which needs either a battery or a pre-amp to raise the output level. If you need an adpater, it is a passive device and contains no electronics. If you experence some noise you may need to clean the contacts.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe USB condenser mics get phantom power through USB and do not need any other power supply.

Yeah A regular mini jack to xlr adaptor will allow you to connect a standard mic to your pc. You may have to fiddle about with the master volume settings to find optimum signal strength and get a good balance but it works. The quality is usually much better than a cheap dedicated PC mic.

I am considering getting a Roland USB mic. That was a suggestion from the same clerk at the music store I bought my TASCAM Audio/MIDI interface from. A TASCAM US-122L.
Even without the MIDI and cubase software, the sound is much crisper.
Do these USB mics nowadays come with interface software?

I have just been using my computer mic.
Anything external seems to have had more power and ease of control than the internal sound devices. Adjusting the sound and getting the right devices that don't overpower my computer has been a bit of a challenge.
I had to adjust to my computers specs.

Matt

Great suggestions guys. I'm going to look for one this weekend.

jw

Hi Matt before parting with hard cash for a usb mic try a standard mic in the mic socket as per my previous suggestion. I have not used a usb mic but reports are that these can be expensive and do not produce a very good sound quality. A pc guy who fixes my stuff said that these are for ambient speech and web casts not designed for serious recording quality.

Glad you warned me Big Jim. thanks!

So far, I have been using a headphone chat mic from Radio Shack to sing in that cost me 7 dollars.
I also position it on some recordings around my keyboards built in speakers and my guitar amp.
I also have a 4 dollar standard mic I put in my acoustic for my few acoustical tracks.
I never got around to getting a clip.
And the one singers mic I tried a few years back seemed to have a lot of hum and static and overpowered the computer.
It was an old mic I bought at a church sale and thought maybe it was'nt meant for the computer, or in bad shape.
But it seemed to work on my tape devices.
But obviously the USB ones are a pain too.

Maybe some people have a use for USB mics, but all I have heard has been negative about them.

I think that might be my paranoia with all this computer based recording equipment.
I'm surprised I bought my TASCAM interface.
But it's an improvement in a hundred fold.

Even through my cheap mics there is a lot more clarity.

Matt

Hey Matt just a thought, you get what you pay for. If you use a $7 mic you get $7 sound. You are not doing yourelf any favours. The mics I use cost between £100-300. I have several for different applications and although very good are not the best by a long shot. Put into perspective $7 is less than £4. If you are serious about recording you have to buy decent gear. It is a personal investment in your talents and should reflect your commitment to your craft. Some of my stuff has been purchased second hand to save money. I would rather buy good quality used gear than waste money on brand new crap.

I for the most part agree with you Jim!
Many people tell me to raise my voice when I sing, and I have to shout even on quiet vocals.
Decreasing the music just makes the sound thin, and I like the sound to be studio heavy.
I need an actual singers mic.
The singing was secondary to me.

I have just been using the mic boost with my souncard properties. But that can't be a natural reproduction of vocals.
I'm naturally timid about singing loud by remembering my crazy youth.
Which was'nt that long ago.

I did'nt know you were talking about a standard vocals mic.
I'm looking for something of fair enough quality within the 50 to 100 dollar price range.

Since USB's are problematic and I have something of a computer interface now, I am looking for a decent mic that is'nt over 100 dollars.
Although I may be well served to save up and fork out a little.

I don't want to highjack this post, because the poster might be commited to USB.
Maybe I should PM what you think the best singing mics are for the price or open a topic for that.

You obviously know what you are talking about Jim, and I appreciate your input.

Matt

Guys, I'm most certainly not committed to USB. I'm just looking for the best way to interface with the computer and Big Jim's suggestion about the adapter is working great.

Jake

I just talked to a local sound engineer who advised me to look for a Sony mic that comes equipped with a minijack. He said I could probably find it used for around $200.

Hi Jake. Why did he suggest a Sony mic? I fail to see his point. The type and size of jack plug is irrelevant it is the mic on the other end that does the business. These Sony mics are not designed for use other than general VIDEO or cassete recorders and tend to be of a poorer quality than a good vocal dynamic mic such as a sm58. I think you would be wasting your cash. A cheaper solution would be to cut the XLR plug off a standard mic cable then put a mini jack on and connect it to your mic imput on your pc. A standard adapter as per my previous suggestion however does the same job. It's your dollars tell me how you get on.

Try Musicians Friend.
The Marshall MXL 990 can be had for $50. Used with an XLR to 1/4 inch or even 1/8 inch adapter might do the trick.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MXL-MXL-990-Condenser-Microphone-with-Shockmount?sku=273156

I have one of these Mic's and they work very well. I do not go direct in to the computer though so Phantom power might be an issue.
You already have the Tascam 122. It has phantom power so it should work for you just fine.

One of the songs on my CD were done with this Mic. I wanted Natural room reverb and this one sounded the best for that.

Hey Bill No phantom power supply in the mic imput on a pc it is just a regular mini jack connection. You would first need to put the mic through a mixer equipped with phantom power, compounding the problem.
I do not think the question of which type of mic to use is the issue here I think the best way it can be connected to the pc is the question.
The easiest way to solve the original problem is with my original suggestion and use a regular mic with an adapter. It is cheap, works well, and you can use your own favourite mic.
All other suggestions so far are proving to be too expensive, or complicated, or impractical or produce poorer quality sound.

I'll try all the various configurations and let you guys know what works best. Thanks for the input (no pun intended)

Jake

Hey Jack, just go here...
http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1810

80 bucks. Windows (SP2) will recognise it as soon as you plug it in. Works with a mac too. I use it for acoustic guitar/vocal. Quiet and hassle free.

One thing to keep in mind if you buy one. Plug it(or any usb mic) in AFTER your pc is already on. A friend of mine fried two of them before he realized that the power surge when booting the pc was doing it. So keep it unplugged when not using it.

Hey, Jake,
I picked up a USB Headset at Target for about $35. The Headset and the USB Interface are separate devices, so I can plug the phones and mic directly into jacks or I can use the USB to interface (I'm using old equipment, and the USB tends to complicate the process)

Out at singshot.com, an online karaoke site, they recommend a usb mic available at amazon.com. I wasn't that worried about sounding good for that site, so I didn't look into it further.

I'm currently looking at an inexpensive pre-amp/mixer (about $60) at the Guitar Center. It ain't real fancy, but it looks like it will suit me fine.

Hope you find this helpful.
pete

Both Tony and Peter's suggestions will work but will produce a poorer quality sound than a good quality mic plugged into the mic socket via a adapter.

I think I'm going to continue to use the Tascam 122. I bought a decent mike online. When it arrives, I'll report back.

thanks again for all the help.

Jake

Without a doubt. The USB mic's I've found are usually poor quality. The upside to the one that I found was that the USB device itself is detachable, so any 1/8" mic and/or speaker/headset could be plugged in. If you're having problems with your sound card mic jack this device could come in quite handy. Best of Luck!

Hey Peter an expensive way to buy an adapter. Ha Ha
Later JIM

Jake

USB mics? I dont know how the voltage in computer coming from usb can drive the mic. I think this is similar to USB external soundcard that is still dependent on the type of mixer your using.

Mine is a small 4 input Behringer mixer connected in the mike input of my computer. So far the sounds are good. YOu can manipulate your mic sound by using plugins in your home studio software. I think there is what they call a mic modeler.

Good luck with your home studio do it your self arranging.

Lynman

Hi Lynman You are using a mixing desk into your line or mic imput. that is a good way of recording into your pc if you only need to lay down one track or chanel recorded at a time.
A special usb mic plugs into a usb port and is either passive or gets it's power from the usb with no mixer involved. You can also just plug a mic or any other imput straight into the mic or line imput and it works just as well. All these can only record one chanel at a time.
With an interface you can record several instruments and mics simultaneously and each one is laid down on a different track or chanel on your software. Makes recording and post editing a lot easier.

Jim

Sorry I am not still buying the USB mics if theres available and affordable. Maybe the jack is kind a weird compare on what we are used to and only few muscician are going to use it IMO.

I also remember pluging my mic in the soundcard mic adaptor it also work but its hard to control. SO I bought this small mixer and this give me a lot of freedom though as you say it I record one at a time. At least I can digitalize it and manipulate it further in some plugins I have. Maybe buying a midi interface mixer will make it easier for me but still the cost is astronomical.

If jake will listen to our simple idea he will save a lot.

Lynman

Hi Lynman A midi interface is expensive and only suitable for midi imput/output instruments eg keyboards, not microphones or other instruments. To record mics or other instruments multi chanel into a pc you need an AUDIO interface or a modern mixing board enabled with a usb, firewire or similar type connection.
I have a SIMPLE ONE CHANNEL cable midi interface for my keyboard and it cost £75 about $150 US. It is just a cable with a usb one end and two midi plugs on the other end (input and output). I can produce and edit midi files easier using my Steinberg midi editing software or Cubase program.
Recording and producing music properly, even on a home PC, is not cheap.

Jim

I think I will go with your system. I find it easier and I saw one engineer who are using the midi usb interface. I will connect my keyboard so that it will lessen my effort in writing notes in the piano roll of Acid pro that im using.

I try to search for a cheap interface.

Thanks. Good for jake who started this thread that also help me to figure out my other concerns in midi.

Mabuhay!!!

Lynman


Lynman