Re: Recording Myself Redux


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Posted by Rick Denney on August 15, 2003 at 15:29:28:

In Reply to: Recording Myself Redux posted by Charles on August 15, 2003 at 12:43:02:

You can buy direct CD recorders, but many of them have only line-level inputs. To use one directly, you need a microphone with a line-level output, or you need a mike mixer or preamp. Or, you can get a CD recorder with a built-in preamp and mixer, but don't expect them to be cheap. Even a cheap mixer will do the job for a mike with an unbalanced input like an AT-822. Mixers and preamps with balanced inputs require a few more dollars.

A computer sound card has a mike-level input that will accept directly a mike with unbalanced inputs. But get one that has a good audio section. Many are good on the playback and rotten on the record, and most reviews only focus on the playback. I use a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz (now a couple of years old) and it is excellent. It's about as good as it gets before you go to high-end commercial stuff which will cost you more than that mixer.

If you use the computer directly, be careful about where you put it. Many newer PC's make so much fan noise that you can't have them in the same room without getting them into the recording. But there is an advantage to using a computer: You can record on cheap data CDR's rather than more expensive audio CDR's. The only difference between the two is that the price of the audio CD includes a license fee to the music industry for those copying digital music. For recording your own work, you shouldn't have to pay for that. Both versions play back equally.

Rick "whose computer sounds like a 747 on final approach" Denney


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