OK.............SO i want to start recording..BUT I need help?!?!

[RaGe.]

Im the new guy here AND new to home recording!

Lets start this off. I have a £100 pound budget ($142).

I have a mic, a Samson C01.

But to power this I need a Mic Pre-Amp which I have already chose, ART Tube MP - The Original. ART Tube MP - The Original | Dolphin Music



Now I need an interface, this is the part where I get stuck. I need an Interface below £30 ($42) which can have Mic & headphones plugged in and then into the PC.

Can somebody recommend an Audio Interface?

So it will a little something like this: Mic--> Pre-Amp--> Audio Interface--> PC


Cables



I hate this part, I really do.

I have 2 of these XLR cables



BUT what other cables do I need to connect from Mic to Pre-Amp to Audio Interface to PC?



I would GREATLY appreciate any helpful feedback.



Thanks a lot in advance people.

[richiebee]

I don't think you'll get an interface for $42.

If you haven't already bought the pre-amp, you might be able to get an interface with one built in for less than two separate bits of gear... and maybe not. Most come with pre-amps built in. You'll need one with phantom power - again, most do, but not all.

IF you already have the pre-amp, then you can get an interface that doesn't have phantom power becase your mic will get it from the pre-amp.

I don't know whether the picture you included was exactly the cables you have... if so, then it won't work with your microphone. Your mic needs phantom power which it gets through the cable. Therefore, it needs to be a true XLR using all three pins. Yours has a simple TS connection on the "non-microphone" end. A TS connection will not push phantom power. Most interfaces wouldn't put phantom power through a 1/4" connection anyway. So, if that is the exact cable you have, change it for a proper XLR - male on one end and female on the other.

If you're keeping the separate preamp/phantom power, you'll need...

MICROPHONE > XLR > PREAMP > 1/4"TRS > INTERFACE

If you get an interface with built in preamp it will be...

MICROPHONE > XLR > INTERFACE

[Renegade Studios]

Phonic firefly 302 should be around that price range... I dont recommend it but if thats all you got then that will get you to where you need to be,...


Try scrap up a little bit more, youll regret it in the future when you cant sell it to anybody for like $5.

lol

[RaGe.]

Originally Posted by richiebee

I don't think you'll get an interface for $42.

If you haven't already bought the pre-amp, you might be able to get an interface with one built in for less than two separate bits of gear... and maybe not. Most come with pre-amps built in. You'll need one with phantom power - again, most do, but not all.

IF you already have the pre-amp, then you can get an interface that doesn't have phantom power becase your mic will get it from the pre-amp.

I don't know whether the picture you included was exactly the cables you have... if so, then it won't work with your microphone. Your mic needs phantom power which it gets through the cable. Therefore, it needs to be a true XLR using all three pins. Yours has a simple TS connection on the "non-microphone" end. A TS connection will not push phantom power. Most interfaces wouldn't put phantom power through a 1/4" connection anyway. So, if that is the exact cable you have, change it for a proper XLR - male on one end and female on the other.

If you're keeping the separate preamp/phantom power, you'll need...

MICROPHONE > XLR > PREAMP > 1/4"TRS > INTERFACE

If you get an interface with built in preamp it will be...

MICROPHONE > XLR > INTERFACE

I see...............so say I already have a decent Pre-Amp, does it matter if the interface is crap?

EDIT: Is the blue icicle xlr to usb converter any good for recording clean vocals for beginners?

[EnSkorSang]

hello, tight budget, but I picked got myself started on less, and am still using pretty much the same.

When I started i got a phonic MM1002 off ebay for £18 and then my interface was the nifty little behringer U-control, for about £20. The mic went into the phonic with xlr, and the phonic went to the behringer via two RCA cables.

The behringer has a sample rate of 44.1 khz which is fine enough, but only 16 bits. (but this isnt really a problem).

The problems start if you want to record more than one track/one instrument at once. You cant.

For a start, the phonic doesnt have a seperate output for each channel, just a recording output (RCA) and return (RCA) then a control room and main audio output.

And the behringer only has one input and output, then connects to the pc via usb.

However for your purposes/budget I think this would be a fine start. The phonic has 2 inputs for xlr or jack, a further 3 stereo aux inputs (or 6 mono), phantom power, eq for the two mic inputs and pan/volume for all.

this is more than good enough if you are recording things track by track, one instrument at a time (no good for drums though).