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Mic, Mac & distance

seb_sirseb_sir Member Posts: 3
in Recording Techniques and Gear
Hello everyone,
I have a Sure SM48 connected to a mixer and the mixer to a MacBook Pro. I've been told I need an audio interface. Is that correct? Will this make any difference? Sometimes, I have issues listening to myself when recording because in some cases, when I listen to my voice in a respectable level, then the recording gets too loud and even saturates. And when I make it to avoid that and record in -20 or -22 in order to be within the boundaries of a clean recording, I can't listen to myself. I am a newbie in this art of recording and the pandemic made me launch this technical aspect so I am learning and any advice will be much helpful and appreciated
On the other hand, I like singind with my Shure SM48 almost touching my lips and some teachers say that is not correct. But sometimes when we see great and famous performers, they do that on stage with these cardioid mics. So, what would be the technical correct way to manage this?
Thank you all, have a great day no matter when you read this, and be safe!
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Comments

  • Klaus_TKlaus_T Moderator, 2.0 PRO Posts: 2,445
    edited August 2020
    hi, I already saw your question under Ken's latest video on YT, glad you followed Ken's advice to ask this on the forum :)

    how do you have the mixer connected to your mac? and which type of mixer is this? some mixers have built-in interfaces, so you would not need an additional one. once you answered the question about the connection, the leveling question will be easier to answer. are you using headphones or speakers for the monitoring? and which type? and how are they hooked up to your gear, i.e. from which device are they fed?

    as for touching the mic, with these dynamic stage microphones, it is quite normal to "eat them", i.e. be very close or even touch them. you might want to use one of these foam windscreens, they can be hard on your teeth if you knock them (it happened to me quite a bit, and i got the tip with the foam thingy on this forum. you can also use a (clean) sock for this if you are on a a very stretched budget. with a condesner mic, it is a different story, you would normally not want to be that close.
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  • seb_sirseb_sir Member Posts: 3
    Thank you Klaus!
    My mixer is a Phonic AM55. And it is connected to the MacBook Pro through the minijack and with an adapter, I connect both the mixer and the headphones I use to monitor.
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  • Klaus_TKlaus_T Moderator, 2.0 PRO Posts: 2,445
    so unfortunately they were right, you need an interface. that mixer doesn't have it built-in

    because you said you were recording, i am not even entirely sure what exactly you were recording there. how does the mic even go into the computer? is it possible you recorded with the built -in mic instead? maybe that's why it sounds bad? just a guess
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  • FurryMurryFurryMurry 2.0 PRO Posts: 56
    Hello @seb_sir! I looked up this mic and it is a dynamic microphone, so being closer to the mic might not make that amplified bass response that you get from condenser microphones. The problem is I personally wouldn't use this microphone for my vocal recordings (technically I do a cappella so it's ALL vocals lol :tongue: ) because dynamic microphones are usually less sensitive. This is due to the fact the coil inside requires more air to vibrate, which means the microphone is not going to pick up all the gentle nuances of your breathiness in light, quiet vocals.

    With regards to an audio interface, you don't actually need it to use a program like Pro Tools, as long as you have a method of plugging the mic into your computer. I use a Blue Yeti USB microphone plugged directly into my computer. It sounds just as good as any other mic setup. (For reference, check out my latest track in the "Demos For The Bold" section of the forum :smile:) The only difference is I have a PC, not a Mac, so I need to use software called ASIO4ALL (which is available for free) in order for Pro Tools to recognize my microphone. I've read that Macs don't need ASIO4ALL because they already have software that can interface with Pro Tools. The only downside to ASIO4ALL is that, while it's running, it completely hijacks your computer's sound card, and doesn't allow any other windows sounds (like games, youtube videos, etc) to get to your speakers other than the sounds from Pro Tools.

    Hope this helps! Thanks!
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  • seb_sirseb_sir Member Posts: 3
    It certainly does!

    I am using GarageBand. For some reason Pro Tools freezes on my mac. I don't know if it's a OS compatibility issue and will try in a while. Maybe they'll release an update.

    My Mic is not USB so, I guess like Klaus said before, maybe I will need the interface.

    The mic is connected to the Mixer and the mixer to the computer. And the issue I have is with the monitoring since the entrance volume is managed in part for the output of the mixer and the input in Garageband. I guess (hope so because I will buy one) the interface will solve this problem.

    Thank you both very much!
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