Help with recording music...

[blankedboy]

So I just got myself a hearty new recording mic, it's a Leem DM-302 if you need to know... but when I record myself playing guitar, after a couple seconds the sound gets drowned out and murky. I recorded an MP3 that shows what I mean [http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UBMBLG3C]... also, if I stop playing for a bit, then the next time I play it'll sound fine again. If anyone knows how to fix this, then chuck me any ideas you come up with. :/

(the amazing camel toe in the closet isn't my actual band name, just so people don't go crazy over that xD)

 

[BonsaiK]

Damn I sure hate the site that you used to host your mp3.

Doesn't sound like a mic problem, it sounds as if the signal is decreasing in sample resolution so that'd be a A/D convertor problem. Have you recorded sound into your computer before? If so, with what? Are you using a mixing desk to adjust the gain of your levels or are you just going straight in? I think your mic is overloading your computer's A/D convertor with ultra-high gain, which is then in turn shitting itself. That's also why when you stop, the problem fixes itself. A mini mixing desk to attenuate your input levels between your mic and the computer might be the solution to your problem.

 

[blankedboy]

Damn I sure hate the site that you used to host your mp3.

Doesn't sound like a mic problem, it sounds as if the signal is decreasing in sample resolution so that'd be a A/D convertor problem. Have you recorded sound into your computer before? If so, with what? Are you using a mixing desk to adjust the gain of your levels or are you just going straight in? I think your mic is overloading your computer's A/D convertor with ultra-high gain, which is then in turn shitting itself. That's also why when you stop, the problem fixes itself. A mini mixing desk to attenuate your input levels between your mic and the computer might be the solution to your problem.

To be honest, I don't actually know what an A/D converter is xD
I probably should've put this in the OP, but it was working fine earlier today, but it was reeaally quiet, as some people in Mumble pointed out. I fixed that by turning on the boost gain in Windows's Volume Control panel, under 'advanced' on the Front Mic and Mic Volume. Could that have caused the problem somehow? oO

 

[Hashime]

Get a MIDI mixing board, my roommate spent 300 on one and he gets studio quality recording (though on one input only) Either that or a much more expensive sound card.

 

[viranimus]

Ok, the audio sounds pretty much what I would expect from a recording based on a vocal mic.

My best suggestion that would be cheap would be to pick up a 1/4th to 1/8th stereo converter plug
http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Male-18-Mono-To-Female-14-Stereo-Adapter?sku=335216
Not the cheapest example but the first i came up with.

Then run your cable from your amp output to your computers Line in input (or I think you can also plug it into your mic input, but I perfer line in personally)

This will give you a vastly more accurate signal, This will also help if you start utilizing programs like cakewalk/frootyloops/sonic foundry to start layering your music.

As for improvement on the mic? I dont have anything to offer because really, your trying to use it for something it wasnt really designed to do.

 

[blankedboy]

Ok, the audio sounds pretty much what I would expect from a recording based on a vocal mic.

My best suggestion that would be cheap would be to pick up a 1/4th to 1/8th stereo converter plug
http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Male-18-Mono-To-Female-14-Stereo-Adapter?sku=335216
Not the cheapest example but the first i came up with.

Then run your cable from your amp output to your computers Line in input (or I think you can also plug it into your mic input, but I perfer line in personally)

This will give you a vastly more accurate signal, This will also help if you start utilizing programs like cakewalk/frootyloops/sonic foundry to start layering your music.

As for improvement on the mic? I dont have anything to offer because really, your trying to use it for something it wasnt really designed to do.

Uh, that's actually what I'm using. Mine isn't a cable, it's just a lump of converter, but still.

 

[BonsaiK]

To be honest, I don't actually know what an A/D converter is xD
I probably should've put this in the OP, but it was working fine earlier today, but it was reeaally quiet, as some people in Mumble pointed out. I fixed that by turning on the boost gain in Windows's Volume Control panel, under 'advanced' on the Front Mic and Mic Volume. Could that have caused the problem somehow? oO

Yes. You're boosting the gain beyond what the thing can handle. A/D stands for "analog/digital" and it's the thing on your soundcard that converts the incoming audio signal into a digital one that your computer can understand. This thing isn't coping with the high gain. My recommendations are to either:

1. Keep your boost on but turn your volume slider right down looooooow and see if that helps
2. Take the boost off, buy a mini mixing desk and use that to boost your gain

As for improvement on the mic? I dont have anything to offer because really, your trying to use it for something it wasnt really designed to do.

Dynamic mics record guitar amps just fine. What the OP is using is an SM58 clone, and you can stick one of those on a guitar amp in a pro studio and get an acceptable sound. Sure, it's not ideal but it won't typically come up with the problem the OP is experiencing. The problem definitely isn't the mic. However, I don't recommend plugging the guitar straight in as you suggest.

 

[viranimus]

Ok, the audio sounds pretty much what I would expect from a recording based on a vocal mic.

My best suggestion that would be cheap would be to pick up a 1/4th to 1/8th stereo converter plug
http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Male-18-Mono-To-Female-14-Stereo-Adapter?sku=335216
Not the cheapest example but the first i came up with.

Then run your cable from your amp output to your computers Line in input (or I think you can also plug it into your mic input, but I perfer line in personally)

This will give you a vastly more accurate signal, This will also help if you start utilizing programs like cakewalk/frootyloops/sonic foundry to start layering your music.

As for improvement on the mic? I dont have anything to offer because really, your trying to use it for something it wasnt really designed to do.

Uh, that's actually what I'm using. Mine isn't a cable, it's just a lump of converter, but still.

YES! that is exactly what im talking about. Now.. instead of plugging a mic up into it, use a normal patch cable and run a cable from your amp to your PC.

Even piddly little "First act" amps have some sort of an output port. I think on some amps they are considered headphone ports, which some have both output and headphone. If you have a true and traditional headphone port on your amp its preferable as output ports are traditionally powered and will have more gain than the headphone port because those are ideally for running to an amp stack.

EDIT: OT" Side thought. Ive had at least a dozen of those adapter jacks, and my exp has shown me that they can become warped with use over time and have a degree of a shorting effect. So if its an older adapter, that might be the problem.

RE:

Dynamic mics record guitar amps just fine. What the OP is using is an SM58 clone, and you can stick one of those on a guitar amp in a pro studio and get an acceptable sound. Sure, it's not ideal but it won't typically come up with the problem the OP is experiencing. The problem definitely isn't the mic. However, I don't recommend plugging the guitar straight in as you suggest.

Fair enough. I am a stickler for ambient noise, which Is why I prefer the direct method. Hate having a mic pic up something extra like the sound of a fan, physical noise, etc up and adding it into the sound.

Ive had 2 different studios set up, although I was utilizing a dedicated soundcard with multiple inputs such as RCA & MIDI, Ive done MANY line in recordings that way and have never had trouble with it. Its a matter of personal preference either way because neither is really a wrong answer, but considering there does seem to be some sort of issue with the sound, I figure try eliminating sound leaks by doing a direct line plug. Cause honestly in listening to the MP3, the effect reminded me of how speaker phones sometimes cant always decide what is the right sound to be picking up on.

 

[AlphonseRomano]

Alternatively, it could be due to the buffer speed of your computer. That would also explain the coming back ok.

An A/D converter is what changes the electrical signal sent from the mic into a digital signal playable by your computer.

but again to reiterate, not a mic problem.

YES! that is exactly what im talking about. Now.. instead of plugging a mic up into it, use a normal patch cable and run a cable from your amp to your PC.

Even piddly little "First act" amps have some sort of an output port. I think on some amps they are considered headphone ports, which some have both output and headphone. If you have a true and traditional headphone port on your amp its preferable as output ports are traditionally powered and will have more gain than the headphone port because those are ideally for running to an amp stack.

I got worried there for a bit thinking you were recommending plugging the mic directly into the line input.

 

[blankedboy]

Ok, the audio sounds pretty much what I would expect from a recording based on a vocal mic.

My best suggestion that would be cheap would be to pick up a 1/4th to 1/8th stereo converter plug
http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Male-18-Mono-To-Female-14-Stereo-Adapter?sku=335216
Not the cheapest example but the first i came up with.

Then run your cable from your amp output to your computers Line in input (or I think you can also plug it into your mic input, but I perfer line in personally)

This will give you a vastly more accurate signal, This will also help if you start utilizing programs like cakewalk/frootyloops/sonic foundry to start layering your music.

As for improvement on the mic? I dont have anything to offer because really, your trying to use it for something it wasnt really designed to do.

Uh, that's actually what I'm using. Mine isn't a cable, it's just a lump of converter, but still.

YES! that is exactly what im talking about. Now.. instead of plugging a mic up into it, use a normal patch cable and run a cable from your amp to your PC.

But then where do I fit the guitar in? My amp only has one input :/

And I got both the mic and the converter today, so they won't be warped from age either.

 

[viranimus]

Well.. if you dont have both an input and output port.. then my method is moot.

Sorry, Didnt realize. I just cant remember the last time I saw an amp without some sort of output port, so it was a failed presumption on my part.

 

[BonsaiK]

Ive had at least a dozen of those adapter jacks, and my exp has shown me that they can become warped with use over time and have a degree of a shorting effect. So if its an older adapter, that might be the problem.

It isn't. Although I do agree with you about those adapter things getting ratty.

I am a stickler for ambient noise, which Is why I prefer the direct method. Hate having a mic pic up something extra like the sound of a fan, physical noise, etc up and adding it into the sound.

The problem with direct input is it's completely dry so you get no ambience, so then you have to add it. I guess it depends a lot on the sort of music you're doing. Some stuff can be recorded dry and sound okay, some stuff can't. However electric guitars usually benefit from the colouration of the speaker and you lose that by directly inputting the signal, which is why it's very rarely done in practice. (That, and artificially adding ambience to a dry signal tends to sound very 80s pop, as that's what they almost excusively did back in those days on commercial recordings.)