Hi there,

I am no pro, and quite ignorant, so I'm sorry if this is the wrong group.
I need to record some classical guitar and lute from home directly to a
Creative Audigy external sound card (it has small jacks inputs). I am
thinking of the Shure KSM44, with an MX1BP plus a A96F cable. Would this do?
Is it all I need? Do you know any other mics/combinations with less s/n
ratio for the same range of price?

Thanks a lot for any suggestion, Gabriele

Gabriele Azzaro wrote:
Hi there,

I am no pro, and quite ignorant, so I'm sorry if this is the wrong group.
I need to record some classical guitar and lute from home directly to a
Creative Audigy external sound card (it has small jacks inputs). I am
thinking of the Shure KSM44, with an MX1BP plus a A96F cable. Would this do?
Is it all I need? Do you know any other mics/combinations with less s/n
ratio for the same range of price?

Thanks a lot for any suggestion, Gabriele

Forget the Audigy and get (at least) an M-Audio FW410 (if you can
afford it, get an RME Fireface 400, when it ships). Won't break the
bank (under $300) and is good enough for what you want to do. That
gets rid of the MX1BP and the A96F, thus offseting some of the extra
cost of the 410. You can then later get an FMR RNP or a Grace 101 (or
whatever else) to upgrade.

The KSM44 is a good mic. Others, in ascending price order, that have
worked for me: Rode NT5, AKG C451, Neumann KM184, Neumann TLM103,
Schoeps CMC641, Neumann U87, 2xCMC 641 (my fave). For solo recordings,
you may want stereo - this demands more of your room though.

Peace,
--Vas

Look impressive, will look into the financial side. Thanks for this gorgeous
list of mics. I guessed that quality-wise the best for quiet, plucked
intruments (lute-like) would be the KSM44 for its outstanding s/n ratio,
but maybe I'm wrong...

I see people are selling M-Audio FW410 + Pro Tools M-Powered 7 at less than
$600. The M-Audio FW410 on its own is less than $300 as you say, on an
Italian site. Would you recommend the M-Audio FW410 + Pro Tools M-Powered 7
combo instead?

Thanks a lot.

Gabriele

"vas" ha scritto nel messaggio
oups.com...

Gabriele Azzaro wrote:
Hi there,

I am no pro, and quite ignorant, so I'm sorry if this is the wrong group.
I need to record some classical guitar and lute from home directly to a
Creative Audigy external sound card (it has small jacks inputs). I am
thinking of the Shure KSM44, with an MX1BP plus a A96F cable. Would this
do?
Is it all I need? Do you know any other mics/combinations with less s/n
ratio for the same range of price?

Thanks a lot for any suggestion, Gabriele

Forget the Audigy and get (at least) an M-Audio FW410 (if you can
afford it, get an RME Fireface 400, when it ships). Won't break the
bank (under $300) and is good enough for what you want to do. That
gets rid of the MX1BP and the A96F, thus offseting some of the extra
cost of the 410. You can then later get an FMR RNP or a Grace 101 (or
whatever else) to upgrade.

The KSM44 is a good mic. Others, in ascending price order, that have
worked for me: Rode NT5, AKG C451, Neumann KM184, Neumann TLM103,
Schoeps CMC641, Neumann U87, 2xCMC 641 (my fave). For solo recordings,
you may want stereo - this demands more of your room though.

Peace,
--Vas

I see people are selling M-Audio FW410 + Pro Tools M-Powered 7 at less than
$600. The M-Audio FW410 on its own is less than $300 as you say, on an
Italian site. Would you recommend the M-Audio FW410

I'm using M-Audio FW410 for classical guitar, orchester and big band.
With a notebook it's a very nice equipment to easy record live concerts.

I record with two BPM CR-10 in ORTF.

Csaba

Gabriele Azzaro wrote:

I need to record some classical guitar and lute from home directly to a
Creative Audigy external sound card (it has small jacks inputs). I am
thinking of the Shure KSM44, with an MX1BP plus a A96F cable. Would this do?

That's a pretty good mic. The MX1BP won't work with it, however you're
on the right track - you will need a preamp with phantom power.

Since you're a beginner, I'd suggest that you work with a less
sophisticated mic, and one that's more compatible with what you already
have. The Audio Technica AT-822 and Rode NT4 are both single point
stereo microphones, both can be operated from batteries (the AT is
battery-only) so you don't need a phantom power supply, and both are
equipped with a mini plug that will connect directly to your Audigy
card. The AT is a little more expensive but is also more flexible and
you might find it easier to sell if you get tired of it or want to
upgrade in the future. They're both fairly respectable mics, and with
some experimentation, you should be able to get a decent recording of
your guitar.

Of course there's always room for improvement, but at this stage in
your development, I wouldn't suggest over-buying on the mic and using
it with your mediocre quality sound card. Better to get something that
will get you to work quickly and with the least haywire. You need to
learn about recording before you spend too much money on things that
you don't understand yet.

Thanks Mike,

sound advice... I am also investigating into an MAudio FW410 + ProTools,
which would then enable me to use a better mic, like the Shure or Neumann
TLM103. 87bd s/n ratio sounds so impressive to me...

Cheers, Gabriele

"Mike Rivers" ha scritto nel messaggio
oups.com...

Gabriele Azzaro wrote:

I need to record some classical guitar and lute from home directly to a
Creative Audigy external sound card (it has small jacks inputs). I am
thinking of the Shure KSM44, with an MX1BP plus a A96F cable. Would this
do?

That's a pretty good mic. The MX1BP won't work with it, however you're
on the right track - you will need a preamp with phantom power.

Since you're a beginner, I'd suggest that you work with a less
sophisticated mic, and one that's more compatible with what you already
have. The Audio Technica AT-822 and Rode NT4 are both single point
stereo microphones, both can be operated from batteries (the AT is
battery-only) so you don't need a phantom power supply, and both are
equipped with a mini plug that will connect directly to your Audigy
card. The AT is a little more expensive but is also more flexible and
you might find it easier to sell if you get tired of it or want to
upgrade in the future. They're both fairly respectable mics, and with
some experimentation, you should be able to get a decent recording of
your guitar.

Of course there's always room for improvement, but at this stage in
your development, I wouldn't suggest over-buying on the mic and using
it with your mediocre quality sound card. Better to get something that
will get you to work quickly and with the least haywire. You need to
learn about recording before you spend too much money on things that
you don't understand yet.

Gabriele Azzaro wrote:

sound advice... I am also investigating into an MAudio FW410 + ProTools,
which would then enable me to use a better mic, like the Shure or Neumann
TLM103. 87bd s/n ratio sounds so impressive to me...

The FW410 doesn't have a really find mic preamp, but it's probalby
better than your Audigy, and it will allow you to use a greater range
of microphoens. However, I still suggest that you start slow and simple
and take advantage of what you own now.

Gabriele Azzaro wrote:
Look impressive, will look into the financial side. Thanks for this gorgeous
list of mics. I guessed that quality-wise the best for quiet, plucked
intruments (lute-like) would be the KSM44 for its outstanding s/n ratio,
but maybe I'm wrong...

You're right to pay attention to the S/N (and yes, classical
guitar/lute are quiet instruments), but it's your room/environment
that's going to play a MUCH bigger part in the S/N of the recording,
especially if you don't close mic (and in classical applications you
probably shouldn't). Most decent condensers nowadays will have a good
enough S/N for you. The most important thing, though, is to listen
before you buy - I know this can be a problem for a lot of people. Is
there a good pro audio dealer or a studio near you?


I see people are selling M-Audio FW410 + Pro Tools M-Powered 7 at less than
$600. The M-Audio FW410 on its own is less than $300 as you say, on an
Italian site. Would you recommend the M-Audio FW410 + Pro Tools M-Powered 7
combo instead?

Well, Pro Tools is cool, but do you already have some sort of software
to do your editing on? If you already have something else, like
wavelab or sound forge or audition or cubase or samplitude or sonar
or...you don't need another piece of software. If you need software,
in your application, PT LE is as good as any other. If you already
have software and have extra money, put it toward a better mic or
pre/converter, and don't worry about buying redundant software.

Peace,
--Vas


Thanks a lot.

Gabriele

"vas" ha scritto nel messaggio
oups.com...

Gabriele Azzaro wrote:
Hi there,

I am no pro, and quite ignorant, so I'm sorry if this is the wrong group.
I need to record some classical guitar and lute from home directly to a
Creative Audigy external sound card (it has small jacks inputs). I am
thinking of the Shure KSM44, with an MX1BP plus a A96F cable. Would this
do?
Is it all I need? Do you know any other mics/combinations with less s/n
ratio for the same range of price?

Thanks a lot for any suggestion, Gabriele

Forget the Audigy and get (at least) an M-Audio FW410 (if you can
afford it, get an RME Fireface 400, when it ships). Won't break the
bank (under $300) and is good enough for what you want to do. That
gets rid of the MX1BP and the A96F, thus offseting some of the extra
cost of the 410. You can then later get an FMR RNP or a Grace 101 (or
whatever else) to upgrade.

The KSM44 is a good mic. Others, in ascending price order, that have
worked for me: Rode NT5, AKG C451, Neumann KM184, Neumann TLM103,
Schoeps CMC641, Neumann U87, 2xCMC 641 (my fave). For solo recordings,
you may want stereo - this demands more of your room though.

Peace,
--Vas