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2 newbie questions-- preamps, computer freezing...

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Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Hello,

I have 2 questions...

1) I'm using a m-audio 410 firewire as an audio interface to my
computer.. The unit comes with built-in preamps. I want to get a
better quality sound and I am planning to get a better microphone and
was also wondering if its necessary to get a separate mike preamp unit
(i.e. RNP, vtd1, m-audio dmp3) to link to this unit?

2) When I use a j-station (guitar amp simulator) and connect in into
the 410firewire unit via spdif, my computer often freezes (crashes)..
is this due to insufficient RAM?

Jesse

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Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

<jessepenn@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1103161261.423160.133540@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Hello,
>
> I have 2 questions...
>
> 1) I'm using a m-audio 410 firewire as an audio interface to my
> computer.. The unit comes with built-in preamps. I want to get a
> better quality sound and I am planning to get a better microphone and
> was also wondering if its necessary to get a separate mike preamp unit
> (i.e. RNP, vtd1, m-audio dmp3) to link to this unit?
>

The DMP3 probably isn't going to be much better than what is on the
interface you have. I have a M-Audio Omni i/O and the little pres on it are
not that bad considering the price. It actually makes a really nice
front-end for recording bass direct. What mic are you using now?

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Hi,
I've tried using my sennheiser 835 with is and it didnt sound very
good... I'm about to place the order for a studio projects c1.. maybe i
should save my money and by a RNC instead?

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <1103165322.754223.239590@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
<jessepenn@gmail.com> wrote:
>Hi,
>I've tried using my sennheiser 835 with is and it didnt sound very
>good... I'm about to place the order for a studio projects c1.. maybe i
>should save my money and by a RNC instead?

You tried your 835 with WHAT and it didn't sound very good? How did it
sound, if not good?

The RNC is a good compressor if you need a good compressor. But if you
need a good preamp, a good mike, or a good room, it is not any of those.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <1103165322.754223.239590@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> jessepenn@gmail.com writes:

> I've tried using my sennheiser 835 with is and it didnt sound very
> good...

OK, calm down. What did you try to use it with, and to record what,
where and how?

> I'm about to place the order for a studio projects c1..

What do you hope to improve with that. I don't know the Sennheiser 835
but I've never heard a Sennheiser that I didn't like at least some.

> maybe i should save my money and by a RNC instead?

What do you hope to improve with that?

--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

ok heres what happened in the past...

Before I got the the m-audio 410 firewire, I simply plugged in this
decent quality sony minidisk recorder mike straight into my laptop
(that people use to make bootlegs at concerts and also for recording
business meetings).. I would use that tiny mike to record both guitars
(electric and acoustic), vocals, and an occassional bass line.
I actually got surprisingly good success with this "setup" and some of
the stuff I laid down sounded way decent. Then I got the firewire 410
and plugged my sennheiser 835 mike (which is similar in class to sm58)
and would use that for guitars and vocals.. the recordings were a wee
bit better of course, but then my computer would start freezing up (as
i stated before in the initial post) epecially when i plugged in a
j-station. so i went back to the sony minidisc set up until i could
find alleviate the freezing problem.. I figured it was pointless at
that point to keep using the firewire 410/sennheiser set up if i
couldnt even plug in my j-station because the simplicity of the sony
minidisk mike produced a sound that was decent enough for just rough
song sketching.

This all happened quite awhile ago.. I've since then decided that I
want to produce a decent-quality demo to that i can network with... so
i want to buy a better vocal mike (c3) and like i said before i was
using only the preamps built in on the firewire 410 so i thought i
should maybe invest in a preamp.... I have only been using
compression on the cakewalk sonar software that i use... thats why i
mentioned possibly getting a rnc if my firewire 410 preamps are
sufficient...

hope that detailed explanation gives you more context.

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

<jessepenn@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1103161261.423160.133540@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com
> Hello,
>
> I have 2 questions...
>
> 1) I'm using a m-audio 410 firewire as an audio interface to my
> computer.. The unit comes with built-in preamps. I want to get a
> better quality sound and I am planning to get a better microphone and
> was also wondering if its necessary to get a separate mike preamp unit
> (i.e. RNP, vtd1, m-audio dmp3) to link to this unit?

You don't have to get a better mic preamp to benefit from a better mic.

> 2) When I use a j-station (guitar amp simulator) and connect in into
> the 410firewire unit via spdif, my computer often freezes (crashes)..

Usually due to drivers or problems with the firewire port on your PC

> is this due to insufficient RAM?

Almost certainly not.

One approach is to pick up an add-in firewire port that uses a different
chipset than the one in your PC.

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

I'm not sure you'll get much improvement by going to a better preamp, then
feeding it into the line inputs on the 410. The reason is that I'm fairly
certain the 410 simply pads down the line inputs, then runs them through the
unit's built-in preamps. So you'll be getting whatever imperfections the
410's preamps add overlaid on the incoming signal anyway.

I do think a better microphone and probably some room treatment would get
you the best bang for the buck at this stage.

Peace,
Paul

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <1103211596.029424.268300@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> jessepenn@gmail.com writes:

> I got the firewire 410
> and plugged my sennheiser 835 mike (which is similar in class to sm58)
> and would use that for guitars and vocals.. the recordings were a wee
> bit better of course, but then my computer would start freezing up (as
> i stated before in the initial post) epecially when i plugged in a
> j-station.

This of course has nothing to do with the microphone. Did you ever get
the problem withe the J-Station solved?

> i want to buy a better vocal mike (c3) and like i said before i was
> using only the preamps built in on the firewire 410 so i thought i
> should maybe invest in a preamp....

Well, maybe eventually, but get something working first. Then you'll
know where the weaknesses are. Right now you don't seem to know
anything but that that you can't get your J-Station working correctly.

> I have only been using
> compression on the cakewalk sonar software that i use... thats why i
> mentioned possibly getting a rnc if my firewire 410 preamps are
> sufficient...

You're looking for a purchase solution when you don't even know what
your problem is yet, or even if you have a problem with your recording
chain.

Will someone who knows what a J-Staion is please help this guy out so
he can record something and start listening to what he's got?

--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
in article <znr1103215309k@trad> wrote:
> Will someone who knows what a J-Staion is please help this guy out so
> he can record something and start listening to what he's got?

I don't have one, but I know that, besides s/pDIF, it has analog output
-- he might just use that for now, and not worry about the DIF...

-Brian

Reply to Anonymous

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