(Typical soundcard’s Microphone input)These tips should help to get better sounding recordings!
If your recordings are getting out of synch, there are a few things you can do. First, make sure that you have the latest drivers for your soundcard. Visit your soundcard’s website for driver updates! Second, make sure to shut down other programs. In some cases, it may be necessary to turn off your anti-virus software. (Of course, if you turn off your anti-virus software, don’t forget to turn it on again when you need to visit the Internet or check email.) Hard drive speed is also important. It is widely recommended to record to a secondary hard drive not in use by Windows.
Line Input vs Microphone Input
On the soundcard, you’ll usually find 2 important input jacks: Line-In and Microphone. Line-In is a stereo input, which means it expects a left and right channel. The microphone input is a mono input and is not compatible with stereo input.
(Typical soundcard’s Microphone input)
(Typical soundcard’s Line In input)
According to many experts, line in is the only jack you should record from, which means that it is recommended to attach a hardware mixer. You can purchase a good hardware mixer for under $100 via some online sites. I’ve seen them for $40. This will make a world of a difference. Once you get a hardware mixer, you’ll need to plug it into your soundcard’s Line-In jack. Check out http://www.zzounds.com/ or http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ Of course, make sure it has the right jacks such as an XLR microphone input.
If you have to crank up the volume to hear the recording or if you have tons of distortion, you’ll need to adjust your various volumes in order to get a better recording. This would include adjusting volumes on external mixers, external audio devices, record players and the Windows sound mixer. Set all your volume inputs to the midway point. Start with the first device and raise the volume until it distorts, then lower it. Go to the next device in the chain and do the same. Repeat this process to get the best signal.
Generally, the microphone that comes with your computer is not going to get a good recording. Even the cheap $20 microphones that they sell at computer stores are probably not going to cut it. For some purposes, you can get okay recordings with the soundcard’s Mic input. However, it is recommended that you get a condenser or dynamic microphone to plug into a hardware mixer. There are some good dynamic microphones for $20 on the Internet. You may need to get an ‘impedance matching transformer’ if your hardware mixer does not have XLR input. For more information about microphones and other recording tips, we highly recommend home-recording.com. Check out http://www.zzounds.com/ or http://www.musiciansfriend.com/
A Do It Yourself Pop Shield For Vocals
Recording vocals can be a pain, especially if you don’t have a pop shield. A pop shield is used to reduce the ‘popping’ sounds that come from consonants like P & B. This type of pop sounds like wind blowing on a microphone and its very unprofessional. You can either go buy a pop shield or you can simply make one! Just get a pair of nylon tights/panty hose and a wire coat hanger. Bend the coat hanger into a circle of around 20 cm or 8 inches in diameter. Stretch the nylon tights around the hole. Secure the other end of the wire on the microphone or to another surface so that it is in front of the microphone. Happy non-plosive recording! J