Microphone help ($50 mic, soundcard?)

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XxMX26xX

XxMX26xX

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Apr 12, 2013
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So, i recently got a zalman zm-mic 1 as a lot of people said it was great. This turned out to be false, in my case at least, as from my experience it's way too quiet (max boost in windows for it to be halfway usable in TS, which causes lots of white noise) and has really mediocre quality, even for the price.

I've been looking at the Modmic 4 as i don't exactly have much desk space, but i'm open for suggestions.

Now to my other question:

I have an ASRock z77 Extreme 4 MOBO, and so far i had no real issues with audio on it, but with all the white noise on my current mic and me getting what to me seems like better audio quality on my phone then on my PC, i've been thinking about possibly getting a soundcard, or at the very least a cheap usb soundcard for my microphone. Quite a few reviews said that there was some hissing with he modmic when using the on-board audio as well, so that's another reason. Do you think a USB souncard would help with the hissing, or am i just being silly here?
 
Solution
Lutfij
Got it. From the sound of it, it looks like you're one of those folks who have a system whereby the OS has reduced the soundcards efficiency. I won't go into much details but if after a driver update (or if you're on the latest already) then there's nothing much to do with your hardware since the connections are going through the Realtek interface+the chip itself is the victim.

You could look into Asus's Xonar range of soundcards but if you're looking at only stero audio output for both your headset and the speakers, then you're good with only a 50USD budget.

If you were looking for a more audiophile-ic experience and had much more beefier audio setup then you'd be in need of a little more oomph.
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Lutfij

Lutfij

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Oct 7, 2009
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If you're wondering how audio on a Realtek powered system with Windows 10 running happens to be, it's anywhere between, messed up audio channels, white noise, crackling, faded audio quality, no audio at all and a sound card that isn't recognizable. That being said, can you list your full system's specs as:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
OS:
Chassis:
Audio equipment:

USB sound cards aren't always good at removing the hiss in an audio environment but in retrospect, you should first scope out your electrical wiring and grounding of your system via the assistance of a certified electrician. I'm also curious to ask, is your system powered off a power strip...?

USB driven headsets have also shown to exhibit white noise on a laptop or even a desktop environment. You could invest in a dedicated soundcard like the HT|Omega striker 7.1 but if the wiring in your house is faulty then the money spent s moot. Best go from the ground up and try employing cheaper tactics to remove this hiss.
 
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XxMX26xX

XxMX26xX

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Apr 12, 2013
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Well, i kind of forgot about this topic... I still have issues with microphone quality tho, so better late then never i guess :/

In the meanwhile i got myself a ModMic 5, but the onboard soundcard simply fails to run it.

Here are my specs:
CPU: Intel i7 3770k
MOBO: ASRock Extreme4 z77
RAM: 2X8GB GSkill sniper
HDD: 2X WD 500GB HDD, 1X usb 3.0 1Tb
GPU: Radeon Rx480
PSU: Corsair CX750M
OS: Windows 10
Chassis: Zalman Za11
Audio Equipment:
Headset: Audiotechnica M40X
Microphone: Antlion Modmic 5

My system is powered off a power strip which is plugged into another power strip. For sure not ideal, but it's my only option sadly...

A dedicated soundcard is an option, but i'd like to avoid it if possible as i currently have a low budget, and i'd rather get a good soundcard later on then rush a budget option now.
 
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Lutfij

Lutfij

Titan
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Oct 7, 2009
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Nah, don't worry we're almost around all the time ;)

The new ModMic, I've seen is actually one of the best mic's out there but it does beg to ask if the magnet that you stick to the side of your cans actually hamper the diaphragm of the right/left driver...?

Is there any reason why you can't eliminate one of those power strips? As per your system, I'm assuming your motherboard BIOS is up to date? While you're on the latest driver revision for your Realtek audio chip with R2.81? Prior to installing the drivers, uninstall the existing version from Windows Device Manager and then reinstall using an elevated command.
Right click installer>Run as Administrator
See if that helps.

As per the connections, make sure that all the connections going into you sound card is properly made, that is, fully inserted all the way.

Speaking of budget, what sort of a budget are we looking at?
 
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XxMX26xX

XxMX26xX

Honorable
Apr 12, 2013
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I haven't noticed any issues caused by the magnet, but i did also mount it way off to the side just to be safe.

I have a 4 socket power strip which my PC, monitors and speakers are plugged into which is connected to a 3 socket with my desk lamp and one socket i use for everything else (chargers, PS2, etc. not at the same time, of course) The only other socket in the room is quite far and hardly accessible, sadly.

I do believe that my drivers are up to date, but i'll try re-installing them tomorrow.

As for budget, i'd say somewhere up to $50.
 
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XxMX26xX

XxMX26xX

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Apr 12, 2013
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Sorry, it doesn't fail to run it, but there is a lot of relatively loud static, and the mic itself is rather quiet (need almost full boost in voice meeter banana for normal sound levels)..




1 PCI and 1 PCI-e x1
 
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Lutfij

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Oct 7, 2009
54,000
4,724
173,390
Got it. From the sound of it, it looks like you're one of those folks who have a system whereby the OS has reduced the soundcards efficiency. I won't go into much details but if after a driver update (or if you're on the latest already) then there's nothing much to do with your hardware since the connections are going through the Realtek interface+the chip itself is the victim.

You could look into Asus's Xonar range of soundcards but if you're looking at only stero audio output for both your headset and the speakers, then you're good with only a 50USD budget.

If you were looking for a more audiophile-ic experience and had much more beefier audio setup then you'd be in need of a little more oomph.
 
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Solution
ssddx

ssddx

Titan
May 27, 2009
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5
74,965
moved to peripherals... as it fits.

the zm1 is not a good mic. its actually a very poor quality mic although many people buy it because it is dirt cheap. you get what you pay for. it can be adequate for communication but if you want something clear then look elsewhere.

the modmic is one of the better options for add-on style microphones. yes, technically you have lavalier style mics available to use as well but most require a power adapter as they arent meant for direct connection.

onboard audio varies quite a bit in quality, even on boards with the same chipset for audio. it can be anywhere from poor to great. getting poor quality off onboard however is not odd. often a soundcard or external can fix that.

i cant really say how windows 10 affects the mix with drivers.

bear in mind, if you have electrical interference which affects usb, you could still have issues. sometimes grounding the usb port (using usb hub with power to wall) can solve that. sometimes interference is caused by unshielded cables going to your front jacks (case cable), bad front jacks on the case or other such trouble. at times the reason for trouble can take a bit of work and testing to figure out the root cause.
 
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XxMX26xX

XxMX26xX

Honorable
Apr 12, 2013
48
0
10,530
Well, after some thought i decided to order a Xonar DGX which arrived today, and i'm happy to say it solved all my microphone issues, and i also ended up with better sound on my headphones which i won't complaint about :)

Thanks for all the help.
 
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