(Part 3) Top products from r/audioengineering

I second the recommendation of reading his book, an easy, fun read for both anyone involved in audio, as well as engineering. Might be the best $15 bucks you ever spend! I am reading it slowly, as I just don't want it to end. As I stated in an earlier post, while working with the Beatles, they discovered loops. In fact each Beatle got themselves a two track recorder (Studer, I believe) and, especially paul at first, were bringing in bags of loops. During Revolution # 9, they had every tech, who wore lab coats then, using pencils as spindles with loops going around them, Now, looping is it's own music form. Geoff Emerick broke EMI's (abbey road) strict rules - he got away with it because the Beatles got anything they wanted; they brought in more money than anyone else EMI, or anyone, had. They always wanted to outdo themselves in writing and relied on Geoff (though George Martin took the credit), to make them sound different as possible on each recording. Sometimes, in outlandish ways.

He suggests that Revolver, Pepper and others of that era, where best mixed in Mono and recommended it you wanted to hear the best mixes, get the mono versions of the album. The Beatles generally attended the Mono Mixing but hardly the stereo mixing sessions, for the most part, as Stereo was new and there weren't too many Stereo Players out there. Therefore the mixing techniques you described were actually just a quick mix with not nearly as much care, not extreme for they were trying new sounds; they were just getting it over with quickly, for they didn't even know, at that time, if Stereo was a fad or not.

Geoff went as far as taking really expensive mikes, where the prescribed edict in EMI was X feet away minimum ( to protect the mic, mostly) and putting them up close and limiting them greatly, for an in your face sound. Listen to the horns on "Got He would record strings, which up until Geoff where recorded with overheads, with mics inches from their instruments. One of the stuffy orchestral musicians said to him, "You can't do that, you know!", but, yes he could, and did. The musicians were afraid that ANY slight mistake would stick out, and they would, as you can hear the bow and resin on the strings, not just the sound emanating from the F holes! Now, it's common micing practice with mics and bridges to accomplish it. Even Violins without ANY sound holes, just relying on close mixing of the strings.

Same with Brass. He stuffed mikes right into the horns. He very easily could have blown out the condensers in those really expensive mics, due to the pressure, but he did it, heavily limited the signal. First heard on "Got to Get You Into My Life" and again, that's standard Brass micing techniques we do today.

As Paul got into the practice of adding the bass lines in as the last, or almost last overdub, He would bring the amp into the middle of this huge, plain vanilla studio to take advantage of the cavern like space (as in overly large, not as in the club, The Cavern). He also figured out that, since a mic and headphone are both fundamentally transducers, he would use a large speaker in front of the Kick and an inefficient mic, but with a signature sound that a mic would have trouble reproducing. Look up a Side Kick, not a bunch of google data on it, but it's essentially a speaker being used as a mic and are really common. You've probably seen it, it looks like a snare drum slapped onto a kick. . Quality aside , basically a transducer is a transducer. You can make a recording plugging your headphones into your mic jack, without any harm, to prove it. Please don't plug your mic in to use as a speaker. Though it wold work, your mic might never be the same :"

Geoff has his biases in his book, he couldn't be more pro Paul (almost always nice, reasonable and diplomatic ), or anti John (angry young man) or paint George as stand-off-ish and suspicious of so many things, and repeatedly pointed out that George had difficultly playing his leads and they were often pieced together. I have respect to George's playing, personally. Paul and John always rolled their eyes when Geroge presented a song he wrote and generally treated him like a tag-along little brother. And Ringo was just being Ringo. Quiet, but when he had an opinion, he spoke it and they paid attention. They always wrote a song for Ringo, one brilliantly, with only five notes (help from my friends) to accommodate his vocal limits. but did Gorges songs because they had to. Fun Fact, at the end of, I believe it's Helter Skelter, it is Ringo yelling about Blisters on My Fingers - Everyone I spoke to, as well as I, always thought it was John.

Geoff is also quite frank in the book, sadly describing the implosion of the Beatles, the changes they went through, the constant fighting that got so bad, he couldn't take anymore and quit as their engineer. Even as they looked to the ground in shame, and John nicely and sincerely pleaded for him to remain, he couldn't take it anymore. Though he did help out on problematic technical issues, as a favor to not only the Beatles, but producer George Martin (who I once had the pleasure of meeting). He would later be hired by Paul for Apple and things got somewhat better.

Too, he described how Pepper was mostly Paul and the White Albume as mostly John. Fun Fact: as he was hired by Apple, he took part in the White Album. When they decided to continue recording at EMI/Abby Road, Geoff was looked at, and treated as an intruder, though he gave EMI many years of Blood, Sweat, Tears and sleepless nights. Some of the other assistants refused to work with the Beatles too (can you imagine!) so they brought in a young assistant by the name of Alan Parsons. Wiki him, amongst other things, such as the Alan Parson's Project ( Listen to I Robot), he is responsible for the sound of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

​

I could go on about Geoff Emerik forever, as you see. Geoff influenced, significantly influenced, the art of recording, the way Hendrix influenced guitar playing (Hendrix had everyone saying, "I have a guitar, but it don't do those things"). At 19, you've heard Hendrix's influences both in and out of Rock Genre, for the sounds are available at the push of a button for us now. PLEASE: listen to 'Machine Gun' on the Band of Gypsies Album, where he protests the Vietnam war by making the theater a sonic battlefield, live! Listen to Little Wing on Axis Bold As Love album, the most beautiful progression the guitar ever kissed. That along with other songs on that album: you can't find a line dividing lead and rhythm.

They both stood their art on it's head, changed it forever and did so without the equipment available, which now replicates much of their sounds, in a pedal or plugin, many which are standard stuff, without anything depicting its lineage to Geoff or Jimi.

Get the book!

Celebrate his life, as you see fit,

Get the book

Be grateful for the passed down knowledge, techniques and technology created so we may utilize his discoveries.

And, if I didn't mention it, GET THE BOOK

​

Warmly,

Mr-Mud

​

​

In the book "Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio" a good rule of thumb is to invest as much to your treatment as you will be investing to your monitors. You can have the best monitors in the world but you can't use them if your room is untreated. But this you already know since you made this thread.

Besides reddit, I would like to recommend gearslutz forum for this one if you really want to study hard. There are many experts (I mean literally experts of the field) who are happy to help you out with your questions. But since I have done some research and I feel fairly confident, I can provide some things I found important.

1. Know your room. I'm guessing your room is cubicle shaped, with around 2-4m dimensions? These types of rooms have ALWAYS have some sort of room modes. Room modes are basically the frequencies that your room resonates with. This one is super easy to try out. Measure your room dimensions and add them here. This site will calculate the theoretical room sounds AND plays them for you. Try to play some room modes and see if you can see the difference in the volume. Going deeper, you can invest in a measurement mic. Place the measurement mic to your listening position and run a spectrum sweep with REW. You will end up with a waterfall diagram (This was my room), that will show you the ringing modes as large spikes AND will tell you the decay time of these frequencies. Neat, right?
   
   
2. Treat your problem areas. Where are these areas? 99% of the time they are in your low end. And this is the area that is the hardest to treat, since low end has a lot of energy and that energy is not easy to tame. I may be wrong here, but basically you have two options: tuned bass traps or absorption. Tuned bass traps are made for specific frequency and they will only affect this area. Absorption is whole spectrum wide, and usually the "road more traveled" when it comes to bedroom producers. There are many good commercial options but these will usually cost you. I went the DIY route, and was able to tame some of that low end with just basic insulation wool. 4 huge bass traps, 6 medium sized bass traps and 6 more top end absorption panels ended up costing me around 300 euros. EASILY worth the money.
   
3. Enjoy. You did the best you can. Treating your room is not for perfectionist. Even with unlimited resources it can still be really hard to get your room to sound "correct".
   
   Here is picture of the panels I made if someone is curious. I'm more than happy to help if someone is considering going DIY route. Here is the theoretical absorbtion coefficcient curve of my biggest traps.
   

Here's a short lists of what you need to start recording:

• Computer
  
• DAW
  
• Audio interface
  
• Microphone/instrument
  
  Computer: I'm assuming you already have this, it allows you to do work.
  
  DAW: stands for Digital Audio Workstation, and this is where you'll be doing most (if not all) of your work. A popular and cheap option is Reaper, but you can also use a less powerful (and free) program like Audacity. I would recommend starting off with a "full featured" one like Reaper (which I believe has a 30 day trial period?) because if you do end up getting really into it you'll be glad that you have a bit of background knowledge. Some might argue that certain DAWs are better than other, but it really boils down to personal preference. All DAWs can allow you to have multiple tracks going on at once, for instance, overlaying lyrics over an instrumental track.
  
  Audio interface: this is the hardware that sits between your computer and your instrument/microphone. It allows the signal from the microphone to be converted from analog to digital which the computer can interpret. If you're just starting out, go with whatever you can find on eBay or Craigslist, but make sure it has what you need (correct number of input/output, USB or firewire connectivity, phantom power if you're using condenser mics).
  
  Microphone/instrument: without this, you won't get far. The microphone you linked above I think is generally used for vocals, as most condenser microphones are. A solid recommendation that a lot of people give is the SM57 dynamic microphone for micing cabinets or instruments; some people even use it for vocals (myself included, 'cause honestly, it gets the job done).
  
  The link that you gave looks like has a microphone and a DAW, but no audio interface. I think this might be because the microphone itself has some kind of hardware on the inside to be a plug-and-play, using your computer's motherboard as an interface. So for now if you wanted to use that package for recording instruments and vocals with that specific mic, you're good.
  
  My personal recommendation to start writing music without breaking the bank that will leave you a lot of flexibility going forward:
  
  Interface: some random 2-input audio interface with decent reviews Keep in mind that you would only be able to use dynamic microphones on this, as condenser require 48v phantom power.
  
  Microphone: simple dynamic mic
  
  DAW: I highly recommend trying out the 30-day trial of Reaper, but like I said, this is all your preference.
  
  
  Bottom line: the Blue Yeti All-In-One can get you started, but it has limitations (no audio interface) if you want to start getting deeper into it.
  
  Sorry if this is a bit rambly, I'm at work and kept getting distracted while writing this, let me know if you need any more info or clarification.

Seriously, it's not that difficult to do some research on your own and take your own basic measurements, or do some basic calculations.

At the very, very least, learn your room modes. Low end is probably the most troublesome area of every mix environment. Here's a helpful calculator and visualiser to show you how sound pressure is being distributed throughout your room at different frequencies.

http://www.hunecke.de/en/calculators/room-eigenmodes.html

This Behringer electret measurement microphone is just fine (in real world tests among measurement microphones, it performs quite admirably) for doing your own measurements at home, and costs 60 bucks

http://www.amazon.com/BEHRINGER-MEASUREMENT-CONDENSER-MICROPHONE-ECM8000/dp/B000HT4RSA

Which is a hell of a lot cheaper and wiser than spending 100 bucks on materials and potentially screwing up your room without knowing what you're even looking for to begin with.

Room EQ Wizard requires a few hoops to go through (signing up for the Home Theater Shack forum and waiting for account approval), and has a somewhat difficult learning curve (this is where you might want to start looking up some more in depth acoustic physics primers) but is among any number of relatively easily obtained, free software for measuring frequency response, and many many other variables with regard to how sound is being distributed through your room.

http://www.roomeqwizard.com/

Ethan Winer has some great beginning articles on acoustics to get you started with a little bit of room acoustics (and treatment) basics

http://realtraps.com/articles.htm

and the Gearslutz Studio Building/Acoustics forum has lots of in depth information and cough helpful users who can sometimes answer your quesitons and help you with problems as you learn more about the process.

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/studio-building-acoustics/

Honestly, room treatment and acoustic physics go very hand in hand with audio engineering concepts, and it would behoove all engineers of any stripe to learn more about how sound interacts in the physical realm, as it's an integral part of mixing and recording that has practical applications beyond simply understanding how it affects your listening position while mixing. The information can easily be applied to microphone technique, live audio, and also understanding how certain aspects of your mix are interplaying, even if you're mixing totally in the box, and on headphones.

Hello dear saints of the audio world,

I go by the name of TheBirdReich (you can call me Bird) and I do a lot of broadcasting on Twitch. Recently, I've been looking into upgrading my audio setup from my USB Blue Yeti microphone to a XlR microphone. I have a lot of questions because the transitional phase from the plug and play usb mics to XLR mics is pretty hefty. My budget is for the new setup is about $500.

1. Dynamic or Condensor?
   
   For my application of "in home live audio streaming", which would be most applicable? (Disclaimer: I yell a lot)
   The mic I was intending on purchasing was the NT1-A. Link is here:
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QAUOKS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
   
   
2. Necessary equipment?
   
   a. Is it a good idea to purchase a preamp to supply the phantom power, and adjust audio before it reaches my computer? Is it necessary?
   This was the one I was looking at:
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LWH79A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A25IRTXJ3Y3DFH
   
   c. Will I need an audio interface to convert the line output of my microphone to a digital output to my computer no matter the type of mic I use? Do you have any budget friendly recommendations?
   
   Overall I'm really unsure about what to even purchase, mainly because of the lack of knowledge, and I don't want to end up spending more than I have to. I know the creed for audio engineers is to spend no more on equipment that meets their requirements. :) I greatly appreciate your input and the fact that you're taking time out your day to help!
   If you have recommendations on gear or items that you know would be good for my application I'd be happy to hear from you on them!
   
   Thanks ahead of time!

Twitch Steaming audio help!

​

I was wondering what people would recommend for a semi-professional audio setup. I don't really have a budget other than under around $800-$900. By no means am I and "audiophile" but I do know the basics and then some. All I want is crisp sounding microphone, a mixer with a good DAC and compressor, and a good pair of headphones. Here is the hardware I am currently looking at, any advice will help a lot! Also the mixer I found is kinda ugly IMO, is there any mixer with good functionality that isn't as ugly? Thanks :D

Microphone: https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002E4Z8M/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1542937982&sr=1-3&keywords=Shure+Dynamic+Microphone%2C+XLR+%28SM7B%29

Mixer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JRGHEZ2/ref=psdc_11974871_t1_B00IBIVL42

Headphones: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1542938032&sr=1-4&keywords=sennheiser+headphone

Again thank you for the help!

I would reccomend reading Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio.

It's an amazing book that doesn't really focus on recipes for the perfect mix, but rather teaches you how to approach a mix,what's the right mindset when deciding the levels for each track and so on. It goes through every basic aspect to more advanced topics.

Give a look to its table of contents. This book may be what you need to find aswers to your questions.

Similarly, I found this series by Izotope very useful.



These are few of the things that helped me when facing the same issues you've mentioned and I hope they help you as well.

I have no idea if this is the right place to ask, so I waited until this thread to ask it, It's a silly question but if anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it. We will be attending a convention coming up and may need to take some relatively quick camera interviews, for a camera we use a phone to shoot in 4K which is more than capable for these interviews, however the audio is quite bad and loud in the environment. My question is: Could we use this Microphone http://amzn.com/B0002KZAKS connected to this http://amzn.com/B00FC4YR58 (Going into a Mono to Stereo converter) and record interviews directly to the phone this way? In theory it seems it would work, but I honestly am not sure which is why I am here. These interviews really aren't important enough to go the extra mile and use something like a Zoom H4N. Any help would be greatly appreciated, even though I know this is a bad question. Thank you.

Hey guys! I've recently decided to invest in a solid condenser mic and an audio interface. I would be recording keyboard, acoustic guitar, (maybe electric, but not a priority) and vocals. I am on a pretty low budget as I am also attending university, but would love some feedback on the options I have narrowed it down to, or suggestions for equipment I should consider instead would be welcome too! For the AI, I thought either the PreSonus http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154KSA2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_3&smid=ATVPDKIKXDER
or the Mackie Onyx
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VZG550?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_4&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
would suit my needs just fine. For the mic, I have narrowed it down to between the Rode NT1A
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QAUOKS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
and the Audio Technica 2035
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D6RMFG6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=A4V0ATM4SIKP4
Once again any feedback/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!Thanks again!

Dynamics mics can be good with that kinda stuff because they don't pick up a lot of the other noise that's going on. The flip side is they're quiet, if you use a mic like the 58 you may find yourself wanting a hotter signal, you can remedy that with something like the Cloudlifter which is used frequently in conjecture with the Shure SM7B (probably the most popular mic for voiceover stuff).

If you're going for a top tier professional setup the Cloudlifter+SM7B is probably where you'll end up anyway so it might be worth it to just go there now. The AT2035 you linked is another Condenser mic and will be pretty much as sensitive as your Yeti, that's kinda their mo.

Thanks for the recommendation, but are you sure it would work at the distances I said above? This Q&A on amazon says has a couple of answers saying everyone would have to be bunched closely together to be heard:

Question:
Would this be good for a podcast with 4 people?
Answer:
it might work if the room has acoustic treatment (quiet) and all 4 voices speak loud, If this is an investment for something semi pro, I rather go with the Tascam DR-40, which has 2 stereo mics like this tascam but you can also plug 2 extra mics

By fm on March 31, 2014
The DR-40 would be a better choice for that. It has the capacity for two additional external mics with XLR input. So sound quality would be much better and you wont have to bunch everyone close together.
By M on November 11, 2015

http://www.amazon.com/TASCAM-DR-05-Portable-Digital-Recorder/dp/B004OU2IQG

Creative ! I think the zoom h1 makes real nice recordings . But you just need a way to create a hand held mount that will eliminate the hand friction . Or use an external mic. The recorder is affordable.

For mixing: The Mixing Engineer's Handbook is my favourite resource for learning the mix engineer's craft. Also many people recommend Mixing With Your Mind, but I can't claim to have read it.

For tracking: The same author of the Mixing Engineer's Handbook has one on tracking which is also quite good. I learned tracking as an apprentice, so I have read very little in the way of published books on this topic, but for guitars specifically some person archived the posts of a person named Slipperman here which I've found to be a valuable resource for information and entertainment(!).

In general: Get yourself a copy of the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook, and read it cover to cover, twice. It is an absolute building block of audio engineering and probably the best single resource I can suggest for the theory and practice of audio engineering and sound reinforcement.

Wow Sweetwater has a killer deal on that Behringer amp compared to amazon. I will have to look through this website.

Anyways, I was posting on my phone before. I am home now and can be more detailed with a keyboard.

You can pretty much completely disregard the DAW comment. I was just trying to get it out there that I have some experience with audio but not a ton. I am going to livestream these podcasts so I want to use an analog mixer and a digital recorder. The reason for this is that if you do have a software or computer or software crash the digital recorder is still capturing everything and you don't lose anything.

My podcast will have up to 4 people, and I want them all to be able to have their own mic as well as headphones.

I don't know much about mixers or recorders. The biggest thing I know I need is to have 4 XLR ports. That way I can use any microphone that I wish to. These seem to be the two cheapest I have found but I need to dig more. I'd like to try to stay under $150 on the mixer and $100 on the recorder. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable will have more suggestions as well.

Yamaha MG10 10-Input Stereo Mixer

Mackie Mix Series 12FX

Digital Recorder

Zoom H1

Hey I heard someone say dynamic microphones are better for noisy enviroments because you have to have them closer to you, right? I have no experience with xlr, but would this setup work?

Mic: Shure SM 58
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AQRSU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Mic Holder:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EEHM8U/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A311BEHFUHRLQM

Mic Stand: Rode PSA1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001D7UYBO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER (I think since the mic is dynamic, I don't need it right?)

Phantom Power ?:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XUUXB8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

XLR Cable ?:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RYE5Y6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AD6O342M484G6

XLR to USB cable ?:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B6WZGHS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1155GBV4DPEXU (If I don't need phantom power, I just need this cable right?)

Generic wind screen:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002GXF8Q/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I know this isn't ideal because I need like a mixer or something, but would it work decently? I would prefer if the price stayed the same, this is pushing my budget a bit.

Oh, and do I need an adapter for my microphone to go into the stand, stuff like that.

Yeah that's a great one, this one is also full of amazing knowledge and interviews. Also, check out Pensado's place podcast!

I'm thinking about getting a Blue Snowball, for recording and also for talking with my friends while gaming.

The only concern I have is, that the microphone will stand to far away from me when i speak to my buddies.
Can you guys tell me how well it picks up my voice from about 40cm away? Here are some Pictures, where i would like to place it.
Picture 1
Picture 2

If it doesnt work, is there any other microphone for around the same price, that will work better?

I have the same setup, except that my interface is a Scarlett 2i2 instead of the Behringer. I had some white noise and an occasional pop. I did three things recently which helped tremendously:

1. I've now got my headphones plugged into the interface rather than the computer sound port
   
   2)I spent $79+tax on an Ebtech Hum X Voltage Hum Filter https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002E4YI8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which the computer is now plugged into. (The Scarlett runs on usb power from the computer--I don't know if the Behringer does or has its own power brick. If so then I'd plug that into the hum filter.)
   
   
2. I got the best results from changing the xlr cords to high quality oxygen-free ones. You have to get two, obviously, so it's another ~80 bucks, but that's what finally got rid of the occasional pops.
   
   Good luck!

I'm looking for something to record male vocals and acoustic guitar in the $100 range. I'm currently trying to decide between the Blue Microphone Snowball (which is marked down to $50) and the TASCAM DR-05, which would be twice as expensive, but portable. I really would like to save $50, but I want to know the pros and cons.

The $15 Etymotic earplugs work great for me. I wear them at rehearsals and when I play shows too. Other earplugs really bother me but I feel like the frequency balance is nice and even with these.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044DEESS/

I’ve tried other earplugs with similar design to the Vibes, and the earbud-style tips create a seal that really kills the highs. The tiered tips on the Etymotics seem to help a lot.

These two books will get you far:
[The Mixing Engineer's Handbook](The Mixing Engineer's Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/128542087X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_mSDqzbH36PSN0)
Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio

Here's a lengthy video series on mixing by Michael White: Fundamentals of Mixing

I like the way he uses graphical representations to help you visualize various aspects of mixing.

Also check out the UBK Happy Funtime Hour podcast.

For the technical stuff Douglas Self's books are great. Audio Engineering Explained, Self on Audio, The Design of Active Crossovers, Small Signal Audio Design.

What he said. Are you practicing to sing live or in the studio? If you want to practice live mic technique you really should use a dynamic mic. The great option would be an SM58, and the cheaper option would be a Behringer Mic. If you are practicing for studio work you should be using headphones.

Depends on your budget. If you're just looking at doing voice work, there's not going to be a ton of difference between the Blue Yeti and the Audio-Technica. If you want a mic that sounds great and has become a standard - go with the Shure SM7B.
You would also want an audio interface to go with it like the PreSonus AudioBox.

You are coming from the stereo output (2 channels) of your mixer. You need an interface with two inputs. You could use the Scalet 2i2, but the Scarlet interfaces are made for microphones, not line-level inputs like your mixer.

All you really need is one of these. Depending on what computer you are using, all you may need is just an RCA to 3.5mm cable like this.

Hope this helps!

Reddit delivers again. Thank you fuzeebear!!

Just placed my amazon order. Ended up going with the [Tascam]
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OU2IQG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) like you suggested, along with this [Sony ECMCS3] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058MJX4O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) clip on microphone ($13) and these earHero earbuds ($150).
Those are some sleek, albeit expensive as heck, earbuds by the way.

Total price with $25 rebate for the tascam comes out to $233. Couldn't thank you enough!

There's still time!!! Robots and 3D printing are a part of the next industrial revolution. Without CNC and laser engraving this project would not have been feasible using traditional methods. Keep up that work! Look at systems like "Flying faders" there is much robotics in audio... HUI control... EUCON.... lots of control systems.

I'm all about the human user interface. (check out a r and D project I've got on the go www.lineartravelingpotentiometer.com)

So much good stuff out there to learn and so many projects to take on. The program I'm currently taking (http://www.senecacollege.ca/fulltime/ELM.html) isn't audio based... but was the closest thing I could find. In the End it's all very simple logic, a shitload of voltage dividers and op-amp impedance matching. The rest is just tons of wire routing!

Get this book: http://www.amazon.ca/Small-Signal-Audio-Design-Douglas/dp/0240521773

it's worth just looking through it a few times to see how it all works.

There is a pretty nice book he wrote about his whole beatles experience you may want to check out..

Etymonics are pretty good: Etymotic High Fidelity Earplugs, ER20 ETY-Plugs: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044DEESS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_lVouzbKWE51SZ

I asked this sub before on one of 'gear recommendation' Monday threads about upgrading headphones, and I got recommended some ATH-M50's.

I ended up buying some recently and they should be here tomorrow... Check out their reviews online, apparently they compete with more expensive headphones ($300+) and still offer very reasonably flat / "uncoloured" sound, which of course is perfect for mixing headphones. So that's my suggestion!

Nice! These are the best for cleaning up cable mess: http://www.amazon.com/Velcro-Reusable-Self-Gripping-Inches-91140/dp/B001E1Y5O6

If you're talking about their newer set (#412) then this reddit post says it's this model. Their older set (say, #312) seems to use the rode desk clamp stand whereas even older (#280) just seems to use a generic clamp stand like this neewer.

Enough people have the blue yeti that you should be able to google around for each mic stand to see if it'll support the weight.

Hey thanks for your help man, i'm completely out my depth and suck at this stuff.

So the mic I was trying was this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0727Q5M3G

And the adaptor was this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000Y021NA

I tried with phantom power on etc etc but nothing seemed to work.

I'm thinking of just sending all the lapel stuff back and getting a proper XLR mic instead. But would be interested to hear if i'm doing something obviously wrong.

Scarlett Solo so just one input I believe for mic (XLR). THanks mans!

Check what kind of outputs your record player has, you might need something like this and some RCA cables which is what I have to use http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA202-Audio-Interface/dp/B000KW2YEI

But definitely start recording into your computer if you're getting into this, gives you way more control and you can monitor the recording in real time and not have to check it all later.

I like the SM7 too. Though, if you go that route, pick up a Cloudlifter too. The level is quite a bit lower than most other mics, unless you have fantastic preamps you'll find yourself in the top 15% of your preamp most of the time without a little boost up front from the Cloudlifter (or equivalent).

Im not sure if this is the correct sub.
I am looking to start recording live shows when i go to them, when you look at archives.org it is filled with 100s of old dead shows.

I would like to be able to take our own little bit of history to keep for the future just like they did

So my question is will something like this work https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Handy-Portable-Digital-Recorder/dp/B003QKBVYK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I want to record loud bass heavy shows, like tipper, Dubcoling, or bassnectar.

If you are at that point in treating your room you should buy a measurement mic and use some software to analyze it and try it in both positions. It's not that expensive for the mic and there is free analyzing software for Windows.

I think you might have to just jury rig something. Is your desk a family heirloom or something? Can you mess with it is what I mean. Try wood gluing a solid piece of timber on the side that the clamp can more easily attach to? I just know most of those cheap-o desk stands are very similar.

Here is a pricier one made by RODE, the PSA1. This picture looks like it might have a bigger clamp surface area. You might just be able to get the clamp part from somewhere.

I'm trying to record vlogs in a wood-floored (~75% carpeted), many-windowed, relatively empty 15x17ft room, using:

1. a Giant Squid Audio Lab lav mic, and/or
   
2. a Rode VideoMic directional condenser mic,
   plugged into:
   
3. a Tascam DR-05 field recorder , recording:
   
4. a baritone voice that resonates some in the room.
   
   If I pad down some surfaces in my apartment and properly calibrate the Tascam, is it possible to get audio of comparable quality to, say, this or this with the above tools? Or will I need to invest in better equipment? Either way, what else can I do to get the clearest sound out of these conditions?

What about something like the Cloud Filter then?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MQSV04/?coliid=I2DQHVH3448V9Kr
I just have a problem of the scarletts gain not being good enough on its own.

But seriously, if you don't even know what the term 'gain-staging' means, a single paragraph on a reddit thread is not going to help you much. That's basic fundamentals on how audio works. I'd suggest picking up some beginner books.

There's a lot of fundamentals covered in this Sound Reinforcement Handbook.
And the Mixing Engineer's Handbook is great.

If you can stretch the budget a Rode NT1A is always a good choice.

Hey there, I have a sE2200a II C condenser mic. I do not have the shock mount that comes with it as it was damaged during a recent move. I'm going to use the mic for some vocal recordings, voiceovers, and talking over Skype and such, so I think I'd be best to go with a desk stand (I can make it work for the vocal recordings).

I have no idea where to start here, so I'd be happy with some suggestions on shock mount and/or stand. My budget is a bit tight, so I wouldn't want to spend more than $100 - $150 if possible, but ideally I'd like a decent quality product.

I posted to /r/audio and got the following suggestion, but have no idea on the shock mount.

http://www.amazon.com/RODE-Swivel-Mount-Studio-Microphone/dp/B001D7UYBO

Might be a grounding issue. Try using a different outlet for the speakers and the computer.

I ended up needing to get a 'Hum X' to resolve a similar issue. http://www.amazon.com/Ebtech-Hum-Voltage-Filter/dp/B0002E4YI8

I would be willing to guess your room is not acoustically treated and that is why your getting a sibilant sound from the c214.

Also for your sm57 you could use this if you are shy on turning up the gain on your ur12.
https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Microphones-CL-1-Cloudlifter/dp/B004MQSV04/

Thanks. I was wondering about this Behringer USB/Audio Interface, but I don't think that uses the TRS connectors you mention. So are you saying I should be using the balanced outputs on my mixer? By the look of it they are 2 x 1/4" jacks; I wouldn't really know as I have never used them for anything. That would actually be kind of handy as the 2 x RCA phono 'record' outputs are currently in use by my BPM counter.

Audio is an expensive hobby. You'll have to make sacrifices. I suggest get a part-time job and use the money to buy equipment in this order:

•Mac (because music)

•DAW

•Decent monitors

•Microphone + interface

•A plugin suite

If you learn everything there is to know about each piece you obtain as you obtain it, you'll learn the entire flow of work in audio and you'll know where you'll want to specialize.

There's plenty of books you can read to get you started, I suggest Recording Tips for Engineers, The Mixing Engineer's Handbook, Assistant Engineer's Handbook, and The Music Producer's Handbook. The manual to your DAW is essential.

When I was your age, I worked at Five Guys a couple shifts a week in order to buy a Macbook. 5 years later, I work in a fine dining kitchen to pay off the student loans I took to attend a private recording arts school. So while you're in highschool, learn as much as you can and decide if you really want this. It's not an easy or simple path. It's almost entirely up to you how far you go.

Owsinski's The Mixing Engineer's Handbook is what was recommended to me for mixing... I was told "read it cover to cover twice, and then keep it handy for when you run into trouble."

Amazon hasn't deviated from $349 since 2011. I'd just buy it. http://camelcamelcamel.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/product/B0002E4Z8M

You can't really say what a room mode does or does not sound like. Every room is different and modes change drastically in every room. Normally people do not notice subtle room modes as there really is no reference. The most common room mode people notice (at the listening position) is the lack of bass in some rooms. Bass builds up in corners. No just the vertical corners either, it builds up in all 12 90 degree corners in the room. You can use online calculators which can help you find problem frequencies. You can buy something like the Behringer ECM-8000 and do room tests with Room EQ Wizard. If you wanted to take the cheapest route, and you have a good ear at identifying frequencies, then do a search on using pink noise to identify room modes. It will take some time as you'll need to stand in quite a few places in the room while the wave rises and falls to find the right frequencies. Hopefully I helped to explain a few things.

Mike Senior's Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio is solid: https://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Presents/dp/1138556378/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Rode VXLR Adapter for VideoMic Mini-Jack Female to XLR Male https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Y021NA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_D3a7xbNFGV92A you want this?

I know someone who has and likes this: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Microphone-Textured/dp/B000EOPQ7E

I admittedly know very little about such things, but I'm guessing you need a USB mic since you probably don't have a dedicated interface, so I think this is a good option for you.

-label maker

-headphone hangers

-another vote for the Fethead!

-velcro cable ties

same price on amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50x-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR86/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464285182&sr=8-1&keywords=Audio-Technica+ATH-M50X

/s

Audio Technica ATH M40x or ATH M50x are both stellar and can hang with headphones that cost hundreds more.

Thought. I found this small interface with an optical toslink out. Could I send 8 tracks via toslink out of this thing into my motu 2408??
https://www.amazon.ca/Ultra-Low-Latency-Interface-Digital-Output/dp/B000KW2YEI

Ken Caillat's Book

Glyn Johns' Book

Slyvia Massey's book

Michael Beinhorn's book

Ken Scott's Book

Geoff Emerick's Book

But you can get actual Velcro-brand cable ties for even cheaper...

Do you have a link? Or do you mean Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio?

Look at Geoff Emerick’s Here, There, and Everywhere, My Life Recording The Music of The Beatles. Emerick was the engineer on many Beatles albums.

buy this book

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1138556378/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Try looking into a Blue Snowball, maybe. http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Microphone-Textured/dp/B000EOPQ7E

Too loud. Wear earplugs.

Never heard of earplugs getting stuck in ears, even the low profile ones... And the ER20XS are also not actually that low-profile compared to some competitors.

If it's truly a concern though you could just get the standard ER20: https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Fidelity-Earplugs-ETY-Plugs-Standard/dp/B0044DEESS

An Ebtech Hum X fixed this for me. A UPS alone did not fix it for me. The Hum X sits in line on my UPS power cable. Computer is plugged into UPS obviously. The UPS doesn't draw high peak power from the wall, so it never exceeds the Hum X's power rating. They are a little pricey at $80, but it's the only thing that worked for me when every mouse movement seemed to be causing humming and buzzing.

A portable handheld recorder might work. Maybe the Tascam DR-40, Zoom H1 or the Zoom H4. Though, I'm not sure how the audio and video would sync together.

• Sound Reinforcement Handbook (Gry Davis, Ralph Jones)($19.56)
  
  
• Mastering Audio (Bob Katz)($31.74)
  
  
• Modern Recording Techniques (David Miles Huber, Robert E. Runstein)($35.35)
  
  
• Mixing Engineer's Handbook (Bobby Owinsky)($21.67)
  
  
• Studio Stories (David Simons)($12.22)
  
  
• the MIDI Manual (David Miles Huber)(19.23)
  
  EDIT: added lowest available prices on Amazon, shipping (which may or may not be free) not included

I've been using these recently. They do a good job of making things quieter, but the frequency response sure as shit is not flat.

Looking to get a mic for recording voice and for use chatting in video games.

I was looking at this but I realize I would need an audio interface which would require spending money on said interface. I might upgrade mics in the future but I'm not sure I want to spend that much and am also considering just getting a USB mic.

What should I do?

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Signal-Audio-Design-Douglas/dp/0240521773

If you're having trouble finding it, send me a PM. wink wink

Mixing engineer's handbook. covers traditional uses of effects in mixing. Not specific to digital, but the basic concepts are no different.

A little bit ubiquitous, but I'd probably suggest the three following, they're basically seen as the "basic bitch" tier that's high quality but doesn't break the bank.

• Phillips SHP9500
  
• Audio Technica ATH-M50X
  
• Sennheiser HD598
  
  Personally, I use the Phillips ones since I got them on a sale and they were the cheapest. The next thing to look into would probably be a DAC, but that's where my knowledge basically ends, since I went with the most straightforward solution possible and got a DACPort mini off Massdrop.

At worst you may need to wire up an adapter, the Rode Video mic's connector is stereo unbalanced http://www.dslrfilmnoob.com/2012/03/12/connecting-rode-videomic-xlr-input/

Edit: Rode makes an adapter too https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y021NA/

So use this for the microphone to connect to front...then use a 1/4" TRS adapter for the Left and Right Line Outs on the back for the headphone part of the headset so they can hear themselves? Finally, then I can use my m50's on the "monitor" headphone jack on the front side to hear their audio levels?

I'm sorry if these are stupid questions. Guess this is the first step to stepping up my audio game.

DO NOT USE GROUND LIFTS AS YOU COULD POTENTIALLY DIE


use one of these instead.
http://www.amazon.com/Ebtech-Hum-Voltage-Filter/dp/B0002E4YI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464034854&sr=8-1&keywords=ebtech+hum