Need a little hardware advice...

Alan Simmons

Hey guys (and girls),

Let me apologize up front for the long post! I'm looking at upgrading my studio in a month or so, and I'm shopping around for a new mic, a preamp (so I can record directly into my pc), and maybe even some new monitors. Here's what I'm considering as of now:

Mic: Shure KSM27 or Rode NT2?
Preamp: Lexicon Lambda or M-Audio MobilePre?
Monitors: KRK RP-5's or Yamaha HS50M's?

Also, a dumb question... I've never used a USB preamp. Currently I record into a Korg D3200 digital recorder, burn a CD, take it to my pc (in a different room), and edit in Sound Forge. What does the USB preamp do? Is the audio passed to the pc via USB? Sorry for my ignorance! Embarassed

Thanks all!

~Alan

J.S. Gilbert

The best and simplest answer to this is to go visit your nearest quality reseller of audio products. For some people it might be a bit of a drive, but there is absolutely no substitution for going in and auditioning the gear.

As for the question about USB preamps. Yes, your audio is digitized and sent to your computer via the USB connection. Alternaitives include firewire mic pre's, and seperate solutions, such as Lynx or Apogee who make high end analog to digital/ digital to analog convertors.

I would suggest you browse the posts here because there is a ton of advice from lots of people, including links to helpful articles and other sites that focus on home studios.. Of course, much of the advice here doesn't come from trained engineers, but from other voice actors (of all experience levels) who may or may not have a clue as to what they are doing. Visit a music store and learn first hand from personal experience and from individuals who know sound.

Chuck Douglas · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007, 20:26 (GMT) Post subject:

My only comment is KRK beats Yamaha....any day.

Brad Venable · Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007, 21:14 (GMT) Post subject:

Alan, I will certainly vouch for the KRK Rokit 5s.

I think they sound incredible, and the response is going to be as flat as anything around...and a very nice set of plugs on the back - two balanced inputs (XLR & TRS), and one unbalanced (RCA).

As for the Shure KSM27 or Rode NT2...J.S.'s advice about going to a brick-and-mortar store is just the ticket. I never buy a mic on reputation alone. I want to hear that mic lay down tracks before I decide. Find a Guitar Center or other place where you know you can try them out or demo the mics. These are *major* purchases, and if the folks at the store are doing their job, then they want to make you happy and make sure you buy the right thing.

As for USB preamps, I use a seperate pre for the mic and run another 1/4" TRS cable from the pre to the USB interface. For example, Run a standard mic cable from the mic to your pre-of-choice. Then come out of the pre and into, say the MobilepreUSB. The reason I do this is that most people I've talked to agree that the line-level pre on a USB interface are much better than the mic-level pres.

Drop me a PM if you want any more info.