I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Get that song on tape! Errr... disk?
User avatar
noisepunk
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 16807
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:55 pm
Location: glasgow, scotland
Contact:

I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by noisepunk » Wed Apr 27, 2016 2:56 pm

Went out and got a Shure SM7B today- it sounds leaps and bounds better than anything I've worked with previously (which wasn't much to speak of), but the little USB interface I've had for 12 years isn't cutting the mustard with it, which I guess is a pretty common issue for bedroom engineers that haven't worked with this mic before... basically from what I've read, and observed, it needs more gain than this thing can provide which means I need to max out the preamp, thus creating a really high noise floor.

So, I'm looking for suggestions- the cheaper the better, as I don't have much cash to play with- a couple reviews I looked at said the Fast Track C-400 works really well with this mic, and it looks like you can find them for as little as $100- I like M-Audio, they made what I'm using now and this is the first issue I've had with it, but I always like seeing what you good people have to say.

As always, thanks for the help in advance :)

User avatar
tape
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:21 am
Location: Boston, MA

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by tape » Wed Apr 27, 2016 4:38 pm

Focusrite Scarlett Solo goes for about $85 I think? I have the 18i8 which is basically a larger version with more ins/outs and it's delightful.

User avatar
jthomas
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1209
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:44 pm
Location: Downeast Maine

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by jthomas » Wed Apr 27, 2016 4:50 pm

I have a Focusrite 2i4 and it works just great and was inexpensive.

User avatar
noisepunk
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 16807
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:55 pm
Location: glasgow, scotland
Contact:

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by noisepunk » Wed Apr 27, 2016 5:04 pm

I really like those, they seem really nice, I read a couple things that said they weren't great with these mics though.

User avatar
noisepunk
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 16807
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:55 pm
Location: glasgow, scotland
Contact:

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by noisepunk » Wed Apr 27, 2016 5:13 pm

I should clarify that I'd like to avoid getting an external preamp if possible... I guess mostly because I like how simple my setup is now, if that's a fools errand I'm not going to fight it- I do have a PreSonus Tube Pre (gift, haven't really used it/had use for it, not sure if it's any good or not) that I tried running with what I have and it only marginally fixed the problem.

User avatar
mackerelmint
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 13674
Joined: Sun May 05, 2013 9:51 pm
Location: トイレ国、ウンチ市

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by mackerelmint » Wed Apr 27, 2016 5:39 pm

You can always just get a FEThead. gives you like 20 clean db and runs on phantom power, made to solve this exact problem and a lot less money than a cloudlifter.
This is an excellent rectangle

User avatar
jorri
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3036
Joined: Thu May 07, 2009 1:53 am
Location: bath, UK
Contact:

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by jorri » Thu Apr 28, 2016 4:49 am

+1 on fethead. Solved me a lot of issues and use with all my dynamics/ribbons.

I see there are cheaper versions on ebay too now http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Deluxe-In-Lin ... XQrhdTU9WL

But the interface might go further- like 2 good inputs and an upgrade to your existing A/D conversion. Be sure to check the gain spec.

User avatar
noisepunk
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 16807
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:55 pm
Location: glasgow, scotland
Contact:

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by noisepunk » Thu Apr 28, 2016 11:41 am

mackerelmint wrote:You can always just get a FEThead. gives you like 20 clean db and runs on phantom power, made to solve this exact problem and a lot less money than a cloudlifter.
I'd read a bit about those, I guess I don't totally get how they work. That also only half solves my problem- i'll still need something that supports phantom power, my current interface doesn't- I feel like I'd rather upgrade to something that stands on it's own if at all possible, though this would be easier than an external pre.

User avatar
marqueemoon
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 7343
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:37 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Jul 14, 2016 11:41 pm

Nothing wrong with an external pre other than the portability thing. Plenty of other reasons to replace a 12 year old interface though. What did you end up getting?

User avatar
mike fried
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:45 am
Location: Nashville, TN

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by mike fried » Fri Jul 15, 2016 3:28 pm

I doubt you'll find a reasonably priced USB interface that will provide enough clean gain for an SM7B on its own. I'd get a good two or four channel Scarlett and a Fethead. How they work is simple - they're a phantom-powered fixed gain Class A preamp about the size of an XLR connector, that inserts inline between your dynamic or ribbon mic and interface. (I use one with my RCA BK-5A ribbon, it's excellent.) No, it doesn't pass the phantom power, so passive ribbon mics are totally safe with it.

User avatar
noisepunk
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 16807
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 5:55 pm
Location: glasgow, scotland
Contact:

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by noisepunk » Sat Sep 17, 2016 2:02 am

marqueemoon wrote:Nothing wrong with an external pre other than the portability thing. Plenty of other reasons to replace a 12 year old interface though. What did you end up getting?
No replacement yet- too many real life things that I've had to spend real life money on. For now, I've just dealt with a little hiss- nothing I'm doing right now is so clean that a noisy mic would really be a problem.

User avatar
666stringking
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 10:23 pm

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by 666stringking » Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:12 pm

Quick suggestion, get an ultra cheap interface that takes SPDIF in, then buy an ART Digital MPA 2. I know that it's more than $100, about $400 to be exact, but it will give you an amazing stereo tube preamp with great A/D conversion, as well as some advanced preamp features. And in that sense, it's an incredible bargain.

User avatar
Grey
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2023
Joined: Fri May 20, 2011 11:58 am

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by Grey » Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:43 pm

666stringking wrote:Quick suggestion, get an ultra cheap interface that takes SPDIF in, then buy an ART Digital MPA 2. I know that it's more than $100, about $400 to be exact, but it will give you an amazing stereo tube preamp with great A/D conversion, as well as some advanced preamp features. And in that sense, it's an incredible bargain.
What's the point of having tubes in something that converts everything to digital? You might as well just use a DSP if you want the "tube effect" in that case. Plus the sound is only going to be as good as that "ultra cheap S/PDIF interface" you have to run it through.

I mean if you really decided you need that okay go for it, but that seems like a round-a-bout suggestion for someone who just wants a new mic-pre/interface.

User avatar
666stringking
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 10:23 pm

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by 666stringking » Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:53 pm

That is precisely the point of transmitting the signal through SPDIF... it's a digital signal so it is completely uncolored by the interface, it's just using it as a vessel for the digital signal. If you use a preamp in a cheap audio interface, you are going to have a lousy noise floor and the sound that you are capturing is colored by something that is sub-par. By using a high-quality preamp and A/D converter, then passing that signal digitally to a lesser interface, you are not degrading the quality at all. Regarding tube preamps: everything you record eventually becomes digital. So that's like saying that recording a guitar played through a tube amp is useless because the signal will eventually become digital, which is inaccurate. Whenever you use a microphone, the preamp stage is incredibly important and crucial to the sound. It is just as important as the mic you are connecting to it.

User avatar
Grey
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2023
Joined: Fri May 20, 2011 11:58 am

Re: I Need a New USB Interface! (New Mic Day)

Post by Grey » Sat Sep 24, 2016 12:22 am

666stringking wrote:That is precisely the point of transmitting the signal through SPDIF... it's a digital signal so it is completely uncolored by the interface, it's just using it as a vessel for the digital signal. If you use a preamp in a cheap audio interface, you are going to have a lousy noise floor and the sound that you are capturing is colored by something that is sub-par. By using a high-quality preamp and A/D converter, then passing that signal digitally to a lesser interface, you are not degrading the quality at all. Regarding tube preamps: everything you record eventually becomes digital. So that's like saying that recording a guitar played through a tube amp is useless because the signal will eventually become digital, which is inaccurate. Whenever you use a microphone, the preamp stage is incredibly important and crucial to the sound. It is just as important as the mic you are connecting to it.
I'm not going to argue about this when regardless it's not what noisepunk asked for. $400 would buy you a nice audio interface in a complete package instead of spending it on a tube-pre that he would have to run through a second digital interface.

Post Reply