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Post by xyrn on Dec 26, 2017 22:51:43 GMT -5
I have a guitar. Pedals, check. Amp, check. 6-channel mixer, check. Computer with DAW software, check. Skill, working on that one... For Xmas my dear wife bought me a short mic stand that was on my Amazon list. I didn't yet have a mic. But since she got me the mic-stand.... 😉 I used some of the gift cash my Father in law gave me and bought a Shure SM-57 from a local store. Paid more than the Amazon price, but it was negligible and I like to shop local if I can.  I strung it all together and I can hear the mic'd amp through headphones coming out of the laptop, but the signal is pretty weak. There are ten LED's showing level, I'm lighting up 2 with the amp at 3, which is medium-loud in my guitar room, and mixer line gain is at 80% of its radial throw. So, do I need a preamp between the mic and the mixer? I see some on Amazon, with a 12AX7 tube, for around $50. |
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Post by xyrn on Dec 26, 2017 23:00:38 GMT -5
I also put that particular stand on my list as its height range is conducive to both mic'ing an amp and recording a seated acoustic guitar player.
Almost bought the GLS 'clone' of the Shure, for $30, but I'm small time, this is likely the only mic I'll ever buy (unless I need a second to record drum machine out of a 2nd amp) so I figured the investment is a Shure thing. 😉
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Post by TKennedy on Dec 26, 2017 23:31:44 GMT -5
Might try getting the mic right on the screen of the amp.
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Post by Marty on Dec 26, 2017 23:38:38 GMT -5
Can you get more level/gain out of the mixer, maybe you have the mic too well padded at the mixer input.
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Post by Marshall on Dec 27, 2017 9:56:36 GMT -5
Take it to 11.
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Post by xyrn on Dec 27, 2017 12:24:54 GMT -5
The knobs on my Blues Junior actually go to twelve! Which, is one more than eleven...  |
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Post by xyrn on Dec 27, 2017 12:28:08 GMT -5
Can you get more level/gain out of the mixer, maybe you have the mic too well padded at the mixer input. Padded? I don't know that term. The mixer does have a mic gain knob; in the middle range it sounds ok, cranked up it imparts some overdrive and signal clipping. I want the signal going out of the mixer to truly represent the sound hitting the mic from the amp. Also, is there trickery in aiming the mic at the cone? Distance? |
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Post by Marty on Dec 27, 2017 13:56:57 GMT -5
Proper adjustment of the mic gain is to raise it until the signal starts to clip at the input, then back it off a bit.
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Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2017 14:56:56 GMT -5
I'm missing what the mic is plugged into. Could it be an impedance problem? Maybe need an impedance adaptor.
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Post by TKennedy on Dec 27, 2017 17:10:29 GMT -5
His mic looks like it is 4" away from the amp. In my limited experience you need to get a 57 right on the screen. Those dynamic mics loose a lot of signal at 4". When I mic my amp at a Patsy gig I usually put it right on the screen or hang it from the amp handle because when we have had pro sound guys that what I saw them doing. Is that right Marty?
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Post by TKennedy on Dec 27, 2017 17:11:57 GMT -5
Proper adjustment of the mic gain is to raise it until the signal starts to clip at the input, then back it off a bit. Someone asked Earl Scruggs how tight to make a skin banjo head. He said "Tighten it until it breaks then back off a bit." |
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Post by Marty on Dec 27, 2017 17:47:45 GMT -5
His mic looks like it is 4" away from the amp. In my limited experience you need to get a 57 right on the screen. Those dynamic mics loose a lot of signal at 4". When I mic my amp at a Patsy gig I usually put it right on the screen or hang it from the amp handle because when we have had pro sound guys that what I saw them doing. Is that right Marty? Up close and off center of the speaker. If the amp is at a good volume backing off a bit will make the tone a little fuller. What level of signal are you getting at the computer? |
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Post by xyrn on Dec 27, 2017 22:54:27 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies! Right now I've got the mic going by XLR into the mixer, and then 1/4 inch output from mixer into the 1/8inch mic input on the laptop. My mixers are cheap, I have a 4 channel Ammoon F4 and a 6-channel Nady Audio MXE-612.   The laptop is a Toshiba 550 and I'm using Audacity software. I didn't have a lot of time to tinker with this today, but I did a little and your posts have me on the right track, I think. First I found a PDF of the Nady manual online and have been studying it, and also reading again the manual for the Ammoon. It's clear the Ammoon is a cheap device, it has a lot of hiss that comes thru, at least with "starter" knob settings - and, the brochure (can't really call it a manual) is in Chinglish with misspellings and obvious errors. I did start to understand the Nady more and how the signal routing works. The various controls and outputs for Main, Aux, Stereo Out, Phones and Control Room are confusing. Between that and moving the mic closer to the amp I am getting a decent signal to my laptop. In fact, I flipped the mic around and to within 8 inches of an acoustic guitar and it picked that up pretty well, too. |
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Post by Doug on Dec 28, 2017 8:14:51 GMT -5
I think that is your problem. If you have a USB mixer use that to get signal to laptop or get one of these or something similar.  link
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Post by brucemacneill on Dec 28, 2017 8:47:43 GMT -5
Does the mic require phantom power and does the mixer provide it at the right voltage?
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Post by Marty on Dec 28, 2017 8:53:40 GMT -5
Does the mic require phantom power and does the mixer provide it at the right voltage? Kris has a Shure SM-57 and it is a dynamic cardioid, a real workhorse of a mic. |
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Post by xyrn on Dec 28, 2017 10:13:11 GMT -5
Does the mic require phantom power and does the mixer provide it at the right voltage? As Marty stated, it's a dynamic mic and does not use phantom power. Both mixers can supply +48v so they can run condenser mics but my impression is that those are more for vocals so that's why I bought the Shure dynamic. |
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Post by xyrn on Dec 28, 2017 10:15:37 GMT -5
I think that is your problem. If you have a USB mixer use that to get signal to laptop or get one of these or something similar. link I don't have USB output from the mixer. The blue one has a USB jack but that's to input something like a backing track from an iPod, etc. Why is USB into the computer better than using the 1/8" mic jack? |
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Post by Doug on Dec 28, 2017 10:18:02 GMT -5
I think that is your problem. If you have a USB mixer use that to get signal to laptop or get one of these or something similar. link I don't have USB output from the mixer. The blue one has a USB jack but that's to input something like a backing track from an iPod, etc. Why is USB into the computer better than using the 1/8" mic jack? I'm not sure but it sure made a difference. |
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Post by RickW on Dec 28, 2017 19:04:58 GMT -5
One thing I will say, the SM57 is not going to give you a super great acoustic guitar sound, though it may suffice for playing live. It’s a great electric guitar mic, for sure. But for acoustic recording one and often two condenser mics are really what you need.
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