(Part 2) Best products from r/audioengineering

I'm going to disagree with a few people here. Getting an education to get a job in audio engineering is most definitely a bad idea in my opinion. Is this education worthless? No...but it's usually not worth what they're asking.

Audio engineering is a hard career to be successful in. I should know, as I've been doing it for quite some time. I've finally gotten to the point where as a free-lancer I can afford a car and house note, which is good. But there were plenty of sacrifices along the way. None of which I regret, of course. But I wouldn't have wanted to tack on extra debt going to school to get a job in a field that does not require a degree.

In all my time doing this, probably around 15 years professionally, nobody has ever asked me how to prove I know how to do this stuff. My resume speaks for itself. I've worked in studios in LA, Hawaii, Az, and now I'm a production sound mixer in Louisiana. I run sound for bands in venues around my city when I'm not on a movie. I own a recording studio for music and for foley and ADR for films. Currently, I'm on a shoot in Florida where I've been for 3 weeks. I got to shoot foley with one of the worlds greatest foley artists (Ellen Heuer). it's a great life!

My advise is do what most of my peers did. Get an internship at a studio. Or if your interested in movie work, assist a sound editor or a production sound mixer. Offer to be a sound utility for free. Or approach a local sound venue and offer to assist the live sound guy, wrapping cables and plugging in mics. Or call a local sound company that does festivals and other events, and offer to clean the snake at the end of the night.

Even if you do decide to get an education, the school will always be there, waiting for you if that's the route you decide to go. But a healthy amount of time in this field not paying for that education will both help you do better in school if you decide to go, and help guide you into a program that's right for both you and the specific set of skills you want to garnish. Or, you might find you don't need it.

The point is that yeah, just "looking things up on the internet" is not a good way to educate yourself. It's a good supplemental thing to do, to be curious and read. But hands on experience is much more valuable than any education I've ever come across in this field, and worlds ahead of just reading a book.

Now, not going to school isn't an excuse to not work. You simply have to take responsibility for your own education. Read books, talk to people who are doing the things you want to do. Learn from them. Help them, and make yourself invaluable to them. Make them wonder how they every got along without you there.

There are far too many opportunities to learn from within the industry than on the outside of it in a classroom or technical college. My career has been quite all over the map, ranging from music production to movie work. Here is a list of books that are about those various fields that I recommend.

The Daily Adventures of Mixerman - A great look at a recording session, and honestly one of the funniest books I've ever read.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Daily-Adventures-Mixerman/dp/0879309458

Zen and the Art of Mixing - mixerman

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Mixing-Mixerman-ebook/dp/B004CYE7OU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397229955&sr=1-1&keywords=zen+and+the+art+of+mixing

Zen and the art of Producing - Mixerman

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Producing-Mixerman/dp/1458402886/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397229992&sr=1-1&keywords=zen+and+the+art+of+producing

Behind the Glass vol 1 and 2 - Howard Massey - Great interviews with producers and engineers. DEF check this one out. one of the best books i've ever read about recording.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Behind%20the%20glass

The Recording Engineer's Handbook - Bobby Owniski - General information about gear, mic placement techniques, fundmentals of sound, etc...

http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Engineers-Handbook-Bobby-Owsinski/dp/1285442016/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230109&sr=1-1&keywords=recording+engineering+handbook

The Sound Reinforcment Handbook - Live sound techniques

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230178&sr=1-1&keywords=Yamaha+Live+sound+manual

The Location Sound Bible - Ric Viers - Great entry into sound for TV, Film, ENG, and EPP. Pretty much covers the bases of recording on location

http://www.amazon.com/Location-Sound-Bible-Record-Professional/dp/1615931201/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230229&sr=1-1&keywords=Location+Sound+bible

That should get you started. Whatever route you choose, good luck!

I'm going to assume you're talking about electric guitar, and you want to record on to your computer.

We'll go with the simplest/cheapest way (Note, you won't want to run an electric guitar directly into a computer, it'll generally sound like crap)

First off, you'll need a microphone. The Shure SM57 is an industry standard for recording many things, from guitar cabs to snare drums, and more. It's only $100, too! There's a knockoff of that mic, for half the price, that's supposed to be just as good (some people even prefer the sound), the GLS-57. Both of these mics are "dynamic" mics, and either of these mics will work.

You'll need to get a mic stand to place the mic in the proper position on the amp, which is a separate lesson in and of itself.

Next, you need a way to get the mic signal into your computer. The quickest, cheapest, but least featured way to do so would be something like the Blue Icicle. You would plug it into your computer, plug an XLR cable into it, and plug the mic into that cable.

For software, the most basic, and free software is Audacity. It really is pretty basic, but you can plug your stuff in, hit record, and it'll record. If you want something more powerful, check out Reaper. It's really good, and pretty cheap (and has a more or less unlimited trial period if you're that kind of person). It is somewhat complex though, and it'll take a decent amount of time to get comfortable with. If you have a Mac, Garage Band is just peachy.

inally, the last important part is hearing what you're recording. At the low-end, you're probably better off with headphones. I recommend either the Sennheiser HD280s or the less expensive Sony MDR-V6s (mostly identical to their professional MDR-7506s). If you want to get some actual monitors, check out the Behringer MS16s.

Unsurprisingly, you can spend a hell of a lot more money on any of these things. Feel free to ask any questions!

Bonus advice! If you want to record an acoustic guitar, instead of the SM57, you'd want to get a small diaphragm condenser (SDC) mic, like the MXL 603S.

I'd recommend working your way up to 7 mics. If you try to buy all seven at once, you'll end up getting cheap ones, and it'll sound worse than buying four good ones. Monoprice has a decent matched pair of condensors for $100. For the snare, you can go with an SM57. They're $100 new, but you can get them more cheaply used, and they last forever. I have the same ones I used in highschool, and they still work just as well as the day I got them. You can use it on your guitar cab, as well (or just buy two for live tracking). I also use a Beta 52 for the kick drum. That runs for a bit under $200.

As for stands, if you're not using them live, Guitar Centre sells a 10 pack for about $90. They aren't perfect, but they'll work.

So, for good equipment, you're looking at almost $600 in mics alone. You can get cheaper kits, but the sound quality won't be as good and they'll break more easily. You get what you pay for.

For bass, I just DI. You can buy a proper DI box or just plug into the interface. But, for $40, having a few DI boxes around comes in handy, especially if you want to record live. You can also mic the bass cab with something like the aforementioned Beta 52.

As I said before, you'll want an SM57 for the guitar cab. It gets the job done, and is pretty much the industry standard. You can spend more on fancier mics, but that money is best spent elsewhere.

As for vocals, you can buy a decent condenser mic from Monoprice, but to start off, just use the same 57 you've used for the guitar and drums, and just put a $14 pop filter on it.

Finally, you'll need an interface. If you really want to track seven drum mics, I'd go with a Tascam 1800 or a Focusrite 18i20. The latter is better quality, but also double the price.

Sadly, there is no good cheap method of doing things. But here in the digital age, things are a whole lot easier than going through to a 4-track cassette Portastudio when I was your age. If I was in your place, and had $1,000 to spend, I'd buy the following:

Tascam US-1800 ($250)
Two Behringer DI-100s ($80)
The Monoprice Small-Dia Matched Condensers ($100)
Shure Beta 52 ($200)
Two SM57s (or 58s) ($200)
The Guitar Centre 10 Mic Stand pack ($90)

And spend the rest on XLR and 1/4" cables from Monoprice.

After working on recording and mixing for a while, see if you want to expand your drum tracking, or if you want to invest in additional gear as needed. Nothing sucks more than blowing your budget, never using a certain thing, but having to do without something you discover you need.

And most importantly of all, have fun with it. It's a great experience.

This is a very subjective question, obviously. But in general I have discovered pre-amps can make a world of difference, all other factors taken into consideration. I have made good recordings using nothing but SM57/58s plugged straight into a Fostex VF160 DAW and have made horrible recordings using $3000 mics run through $5000 preamps into a Neve console onto tape. As always, it depends on all the usual suspects- room, mics, the talent (the players and their gear), your capture device, etc.

To try and answer your question, I have found that pre-amps sound pretty much the same (more or less) in their respective price ranges until you get into the $3K+ range.

I have been recording for many years and with the introduction of computer interfaces, I found that pre-amps most definitely help warm up the sound. At least with the older interfaces, some of the new ones are almost there regarding getting a decent, true sound.

Not to mention gain-staging; pre-amps are invaluable in getting the signal level right where you want it before even going into an input source on an interface, DAW, console, etc.

This was posted here a few days ago and while it certainly would be an amazing piece of gear to own, it is not going to automatically make your recordings sound magical.

I would look at getting something cheap(er) but not too cheap to experiment with and learn what they can do for your sound. For $150 you can get a VTB-1. They aren't the greatest pre out there, but probably the nicest sounding for under $300 in my opinion, and I've tried all the cheap stuff. If you are handy with a soldering iron, there are instructions on how to mod them for $50 and I've heard a few different modded ones that sound as good as $500 preamps.

But yeah, if you start talking spending $1,000+ on a pre-amp, you will most definitely notice how your mics wake up.

As always, you get what you pay for. It's like the old racing montage- "How fast can I go?" "Well, how much money do you have?"

That being said, I am currently saving up for this.

This could get expensive, just warning you haha.

First you'll need mics. Now, you can either buy these all seperate, or get a drum mic pack, which is what I did when I first got into recording, and still use quite a bit.

Here's a link to a really cheap drum mic pack that sounds pretty good for what it costs.
http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Pro-PDKM7-Microphone-Mounting-Accesories/dp/B003FW0IHA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388658490&sr=8-1&keywords=pyle+pro+drum+mic

Now, the mics go into an audio interface via XLR cables. The mics go into the inputs of an interface which in turn give you seperate tracks on your daw that can mix individually.

The interface I use is the Tascam US-1800. I would recommend it, but honestly I would get a Focusrite interface instead.
http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Interface-Microphone-Preamplifiers/dp/B00AZLA9VY/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1388658715&sr=8-10&keywords=focusrite

Now you'll need a DAW on your computer so you can mix everything. Audacity is free but it kinda sucks, so I would get Reaper or something. It has a free trial that never ends. I have Logic Pro 9 and love it (even more so than Logic Pro X).

Then research monitors and headphones so you can mix with them. I would recommend Yamaha HS-8's for monitors and Audio Technica m50s for headphones, I have them and love them to death.

Signal Flow:
Drums -> Mics -> Cables -> Inputs on Interface -> DAW -- Mixdown on Monitors or headphones

But please, please listen carefully to me on this: you can buy like the most expensive gear in the world and it won't do any good at all if you suck at mixing. So PLEASE do yourself a favor and IMMERSE yourself in online articles about drum mixing, mixing in general, and audio in general. research everything heavily, It will pay off I swear.

Here’s my personal recommendations:

For an interface, this is the best bang for the buck on the market right now (again, in my opinion), especially if you’re just starting out :
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00QHURLHM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520813639&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=umc404hd&dpPl=1&dpID=41q-puettzL&ref=plSrch

For a mic(s), it really depends on how extensive (and what) you’re going to be recording, and specifically if you plan on recording real drums or not. I’d recommend just getting one or two mics to start with, and getting more slowly over time, because if you use sampled drums in the beginning (which is a reality for many small home studio owners), you can do quite a lot of work with 2 mics. I’d recommend the following:

Any large diaphragm condenser in this price range will get the job done, but here’s what I use:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00D6RMFG6/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1520814113&sr=8-14&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=condenser+microphone

An SM57 is a standard in many studios, and is also versatile and good to have around:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000AQRST/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520814292&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=sm57&dpPl=1&dpID=31KR2%2BJ86GL&ref=plSrch

Now, for a monitoring situation (a.k.a. How you’re gonna actually listen to what you’re recording and mixing), it’s not the smartest idea to invest in monitors (which will eat up a substantial amount of your budget) without investing in treatment for the acoustics of your room. You could easily spend $500 on these two things alone, so I’d recommend just getting a pair of decent headphones for starting out. I know mixing on headphones is a whole can of worms on its own, but while you’re learning, it’s really not gonna make a difference, as long as you have something better than apple Earbuds (not that they aren’t useful). Just get something where you can really understand the sound of it, and reference on a lot of different systems, especially your car. (Disclaimer, I wouldn’t recommend spending more than $100 on headphones, and try to look for something with a relatively flat response, instead of something with cranked bass and hi end, so you can hear as accurately as possible)

As far as DAWs go, I know how appealing it is to buy the same program that people at the top of the industry might be using, but the truth is that most DAWs nowadays can essentially do the same thing. If you only take one of my recommendations, let it be REAPER. You can use a fully functionally demo for as long as you want, and chances, it’ll do everything you need, especially while you’re starting out. Hell, I know professionals that swear by it, and for good reason; it’s insanely flexible and useful, and for the price point (basically free, but if you end up sticking with it, you really should buy a license, it’s only like $60), you just can’t go wrong.
http://reaper.fm

Edit: Unless you’re gonna be mixing 50 track songs right out of the gate, your MacBook will probably be just fine for the time being

Hope all of this helps, good luck!

No problem I hope I helped at least a little bit.

Based on the description you gave of how the mix sounded phase was one of the first things that came to mind. But without hearing the mixes myself it’s kinda hard to say. You might want to consider posting a link to a sample mix so we can listen and try to identify the issue. I would especially try to find a mastering engineer to listen to it because when you master a track you’re specifically trying to listen for flaws that the mixing engineer missed. I’ve mastered songs that had major issues but after a lot of processing I was able to identify what the mix was lacking or needed adding to. If I could I would go back to the original mixing engineer and tell them which areas they needed to fix so I didn’t need to fix the mix as much when I mastered it.

When I mix I try to visualize all of the different frequencies and instruments in a 3 dimensional box in front of me. Basically the space from the monitors to my face. I learned that at sound recording school. The book “The Art of Mixing: A Visual Guide to Recording, Engineering, and Production” by David Gibson is a great place to start. It looks like this. A lot of people think that when you mix in stereo(as apposed to surround) that you only have left and right to work with. But if you learn how to utilize both left/right pan along with amplitude and phase etc you can creat mixes that have spacial depth as well. This effect is best experienced with headphones on but can also be heard on two speakers.

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Mixing-Recording-Engineering-Production/dp/1931140456

Edit: I found the old documentary on the Art of Mixing on YouTube. It’s kind of a cheesy presentation but definitely worth a look. He describes what I’m talking about really good:

https://youtu.be/TEjOdqZFvhY

Im looking to upgrade my audio into a xlr setup from a usb mic. I broadcast on Twitch (live streaming service) and I have some questions about what equipment would be best for my application.

For my mic, I was going to purchase the Rode NT1
Is a condensor mic best for what I'll be doing? (Disclaimer: I yell a lot)

I was going to purchase the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Is it worth it to purchase this two channel audio interface, or should I buy the single input version for a cheaper price? I'm only going to be using a single mic, but I read that the quality of the 2i2 build is a bit better.

My final question is on whether or not I should purchase a Compressor/Gate to reduce clipping when I yell, or is it possible or to compress my audio with a software program? Trying to see if dropping the money on the compressor would be worth it. This is the compressor/gate I was looking at: DBX 266xs

Thanks ahead of time! I really do appreciate your help! :)

I work as a location sound recordist, typically drama but I take what I can get when there's not much work(corporate, documentary etc.)

Started out originally doing music production but after helping out a friend on a short film I decided I'd much rather be doing sound for film. I find it alot more rewarding, sure the works harder and the days are longer sometimes 14+ (good overtime though) but you go all over the place for it and you're not stuck in a studio working 9-5 everyday.

If you're interested in it i'd recommend reading these two books:

The Location Sound Bible: How to Record Professional Dialog for Film and TV

The Sound Effects Bible: How to Create and Record Hollywood Style Sound Effects

Modern Recording Techniques for actual audio. Professor was a wealth of information, so we used a lot of handouts, but he did give us a recommended reading list:

Assistant Engineer's Handbook

Mastering Audio

Master Handbook of Acoustics

personally, i found having a copy of Practical Electronics for Inventors laying around super useful, as it explains circuits and what different diagram symbols mean and how to build basic circuits - awesome if for some reason you need to troubleshoot a piece of gear or you're just curious about what's going on under the hood

Twitch Steaming audio help!

​

I was wondering what people would recommend for a semi-professional audio setup. I don't really have a budget other than under around $800-$900. By no means am I and "audiophile" but I do know the basics and then some. All I want is crisp sounding microphone, a mixer with a good DAC and compressor, and a good pair of headphones. Here is the hardware I am currently looking at, any advice will help a lot! Also the mixer I found is kinda ugly IMO, is there any mixer with good functionality that isn't as ugly? Thanks :D

Microphone: https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002E4Z8M/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1542937982&sr=1-3&keywords=Shure+Dynamic+Microphone%2C+XLR+%28SM7B%29

Mixer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JRGHEZ2/ref=psdc_11974871_t1_B00IBIVL42

Headphones: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1542938032&sr=1-4&keywords=sennheiser+headphone

Again thank you for the help!

Hey guys! I've recently decided to invest in a solid condenser mic and an audio interface. I would be recording keyboard, acoustic guitar, (maybe electric, but not a priority) and vocals. I am on a pretty low budget as I am also attending university, but would love some feedback on the options I have narrowed it down to, or suggestions for equipment I should consider instead would be welcome too! For the AI, I thought either the PreSonus http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00154KSA2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_3&smid=ATVPDKIKXDER
or the Mackie Onyx
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VZG550?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_4&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
would suit my needs just fine. For the mic, I have narrowed it down to between the Rode NT1A
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QAUOKS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
and the Audio Technica 2035
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D6RMFG6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=A4V0ATM4SIKP4
Once again any feedback/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!Thanks again!

An easy way to get started is checking out The Art of Mixing. It seemed like I had years invested to no avail for understanding what I needed to be doing/thinking. http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Mixing-Engineering-Production/dp/1931140456

Your monitors/headphones can make or break you at first, so try and get good flat response monitors or open eared cans like Sennheiser HD600 on up. The HD600 headphones were really nice for mixing and hearing the three dimensional effects from panning and EQing.

If you're using plugin compressors, EQs, and limiters, try Fabfilter before you go too much further. Quality plugins are like quality monitors.

A good mic pre could save you a lot of headaches. I like the Daking Mic Pre One. Around $500, it's an amazing mic pre that will retain all of your sonic qualities and the hipass filter takes out the mud without losing the thickness of your higher frequencies. There's no plugins that can emulate it.

But speaking of plugins, the Waves SSL 4000 plugins are great and will tighten things up for you and give you more headroom.

The Waves GEQ plugin is really good for being able to see your frequencies in real time and make adjustments. You can make different adjustments to the left and right also if you need to.

On that...the left and right ears hear differently. You will need to hipass and boost mids on the right, whereas the left mids can stay flat and your low mids may even need boosting. It may even be hard to tell without some monitoring headphones, so always good to have those.

The ATH M40fs are really good for around $50. Not as 3D as Sennheiser, but will do the trick for getting your L/R balance.

Sorry if this question is coming in a little late. I'm looking at two audio interfaces to use for 4 mics for a podcast and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with them.

The first is the Behringer U-PHORIA UMC404HD.

The second is the Behringer Q1202USB 12-Channel Mixer.

I'm leaning towards the UMC404HD, it's got a smaller footprint and is lighter by 4 lbs (so it'll be easier to transport), but it seems to be on perpetual backorder pretty much everywhere. The Q1202USB is available and about the same price (and most importantly available), but I don't really need the mixing board aspects. I'm also seeing varying reports of whether or not it outputs via USB to a single or separate tracks. Help? Thanks!

Dynamics mics can be good with that kinda stuff because they don't pick up a lot of the other noise that's going on. The flip side is they're quiet, if you use a mic like the 58 you may find yourself wanting a hotter signal, you can remedy that with something like the Cloudlifter which is used frequently in conjecture with the Shure SM7B (probably the most popular mic for voiceover stuff).

If you're going for a top tier professional setup the Cloudlifter+SM7B is probably where you'll end up anyway so it might be worth it to just go there now. The AT2035 you linked is another Condenser mic and will be pretty much as sensitive as your Yeti, that's kinda their mo.

Thanks for the recommendation, but are you sure it would work at the distances I said above? This Q&A on amazon says has a couple of answers saying everyone would have to be bunched closely together to be heard:

Question:
Would this be good for a podcast with 4 people?
Answer:
it might work if the room has acoustic treatment (quiet) and all 4 voices speak loud, If this is an investment for something semi pro, I rather go with the Tascam DR-40, which has 2 stereo mics like this tascam but you can also plug 2 extra mics

By fm on March 31, 2014
The DR-40 would be a better choice for that. It has the capacity for two additional external mics with XLR input. So sound quality would be much better and you wont have to bunch everyone close together.
By M on November 11, 2015

http://www.amazon.com/TASCAM-DR-05-Portable-Digital-Recorder/dp/B004OU2IQG

Aha! Well, I run /r/buildastudio and spend quite a bit of time fiddling around with gear. I'm in the process of making a table to make picking an interface easy for any price point.

This is what it looks like at the moment. (Google drive is being annoying, it cuts off the bar with the amazon links but they're there if you download it and open in Excel or Numbers or Open Office).

Of those interfaces, the ones I haven't personally used are the Zoom R16, the Motu 4Pre, the Steinberg UR44 and the Akai models.

Any of the interfaces on that list other than the Behringer 302 have better preamps than the Tascam US 1800. If I were you, I would look at the Saffire Pro 40, the Roland Octacapture (really cool interface) or the not-mentioned Focusrite 18i20 if your dedicated computer will be a PC.

Sorry if this isn't the right sub for this

Reposting due to formatting issue in previous post.

So I'm currently trying to figure out how to split audio from all of my consoles.

The best setup I can think of at the moment is splitting the audio off of the second output from my HDMI splitter I use for my PS3. I could try to move the HDMI splitter after my capture card, so then I'd still hear all audio from the currently active console.
The above visualized: Current into new

My main issue is finding a cheap stereo mixer that takes single, stereo, 1/4" plugs to the Mini-mixer, as the one I recently got is exactly what I need, except that it's mono only. I've been able to find a few passive mini-mixers, this one being the most likely. The reason I can't go with that, is because it's likely the game's audio will be too quiet for me and I'd to boost it, which requires an active mixer.

Every single other alternative has been the Behringer Xenyx 502, which may work, but I'd need to buy 3.5mm/RCA to L/R 1/4" adapters, which would be an extra $20-$30 plus I want a bit more scalability for future audio inputs.

Lastly, for a bit more info, I use the VST plugins within OBS Studio, so I sadly cant just plug these into my current mixer, a Yamaha MG10XU, or else it'll come out of where my mic is, as well as likely being too loud for viewers when I boost the volume for myself.
The only alternative would be to upgrade to a Yamaha MG12XU for the extra Aux bus's, which would be an extra $130 for only the extra aux bus's I'd be using, since there's nothing else that i feel warrants the extra cost.

So in summary, has anyone found a better way to get console audio to headphones while keeping it separate from the stream audio?

Oh dear, I don't a have a great understanding of what you just mentioned but I'm sure I can look it up.

The mixer

The headphones with microphone.

Thanks for your response. I really appreciate the help.

Hi, thanks for responding :)

I figure that a couple of these would be my best bet if I don't want to use a online voice chat right?

Also, with something like this would I be able to route inputs to the headphones/control room (not 100% what ctrl room is either) but not to the output and vice versa?

Thanks again :)

Thanks for the kind words, they are appreciated.

I am a little bit confused on your response though.

So you recommended the Rode NT2-a which has an XLR output, but you said that I want a usb interface with 4 preamps. I'm not sure if I understand how to get a usb interface with XLR mics.

Something like this?: Blue Icicle XLR to USB Mic Converter/Mic Preamp

And if I use that, then my understanding is that would be 4 mics plugged into the computer via USB, and as far as I know, Audacity is only able to record from one usb source. Am I wrong about the setup or wrong about the capabilities of Audacity? Or is there another program that you would recommend?

And why would you recommend not using a mixer? Isn't it the best way to balance the audio balance between four mics to make sure that no one is too low or too high and using the mixer levels to adjust that?

Also, if we don't use a mixer, is there a way to get all four mics to output into all four headphones so that we can monitor the levels of each mic so that everyone can be heard?

Also, thank you for the mic recommendation! I found this one as well

AT2050

That seems to serve the same purpose. Would you agree? Or is there a difference in the two mics that I am not seeing?

And so what you are saying about the figure 8 pattern to get rid of the controller sound is to turn the mic 90 degrees counter-clockwise (or clockwise) as you are facing it? So the side of the mic is pointing down at the controller and up at the ceiling.

Thanks again for the response.

"That I can use anywhere..."

Eh, that's not really a thing. Microphones are space dependent.

If you're just doing Youtube, talking head style videos, you don't even need to spend that much money.

Get yourself a condenser mic. I use a Rode NT1 Kit. I like that the pop filter is right on the mount and it sounds "fine". You can get a lot of opinions, with a lot of cork sniffing. In a mix, with proper compression and filtering, there are differences, but it's real small. Diminishing returns is strong with mics. I was using a Neumann TLM104 before, and honestly, not that big of a difference. It's a sensitive mic though, so you'll want a quietish room.

https://www.amazon.ca/Rode-Large-Diaphragm-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00GGGQK56

Now you need an audio interface to hook the mic up to the computer. Really, you don't need to go that wild. You're just getting your talking voice in there.

https://www.amazon.ca/Focusrite-SCARLETT-2I2-3RD-GEN-2x2-Audio-Interface/dp/B07QR73T66/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?keywords=focusrite+scarlett+2i1&qid=1573845792&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-2-fkmr0

Real simple, and will work fine enough, and has a second input, if you ever need one.

Some people will tell you to get a compressor, to run the mic through that on the way in. It's not really necessary and at this point, hardware compressors and software are indistinguishable in a mix or outside of an AB test scenario. Just shoot your video, and record your audio. After, run your vocal through some compression and a high pass filter, and you'll be good to go, for relatively cheap.

Hey man thanks again for all the help!

1. So if the sound goes to my headphones as an analogue sound, there will be hissing, etc., right? If so, is there any way to prevent this? For example, are there audio interfaces designed for what I'm trying to do? Ones with HDMI inputs and optical inputs, that way the sound is digital, instead of analogue?
   
   
2. And say I used the Audient iD14, I'm looking at it now, and would that mean I'd need something like this, which, one end would plug into my headphone jack on my monitor, and the other 2 ends would split the left and right channel, plugging into the Audient? That would give me stereo and not mono, correct?
   
   My Monitor is a BenQ RL2755HM
   
   If possible, I'd like to avoid having all of the audio output from my controller.
   
   Again, you're the only person who has knowledge of this stuff that has replied to my post, so I appreciate all of your help!
   

Hi there thank you for your reply!

​

These monitors are SAM powered so I am currently saving up to get the GLM kit.

I got these speaker stands because they elevated the tweeters to my listening position and overall it sounded much better to me.

This is what they look like on the stand: https://ibb.co/5Ms3nNn

I didn't realise it at first but whenever heavy bass or kicks (or any of the low end) come into the music I could feel the vibrations through the 'wood tile'. When I initially put it on the desk first the only thing vibrating was the desk (which was obvious) but the floor was not. Seems to have switched around when I put it on the stands.

​

Im thinking of getting these pads from amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KNWTPRI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A22FIXQJK49KP9&psc=1

because they are the only one that fits my stand plate almost perfectly which is 9inches x 9 inches. Do you think these would be okay?

The Art of Mixing is a neat book that really goes into these sorts of spacial aspects of mixing in a very coherent and intuitive way. It has some great visual diagrams that can really help if you're a visual person working in an audio industry.

In short, depth is produced by manipulating frequencies, volume, and acoustic space.

Finally, here's my blog post on the subject:
The Stereo Bus - How to Create Depth in a Mix

edit
sorry - just realized my answer has more to do with how to create depth in a mix more so than tracking

Best best is an audio interface. This one is $40 with a $32 used option, I've never personally used it.

https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-2-Channel-Audio-Mixer-Professional/dp/B003CY6OHY/ref=mp_s_a_1_32?keywords=Audio+interface&qid=1556760667&s=gateway&sr=8-32

This one is $40 with a $35 used option. I use it as a discord audio interface so I can use my nice mic on calls.

https://www.amazon.com/BEHRINGER-Audio-Interface-1-Channel-UM2/dp/B00EK1OTZC/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=Audio+interface&qid=1556760614&s=gateway&sr=8-4

You're only spending slightly more than the adapter you're looking for.

Assuming my setup to consist of my Cloud 2 headset, the SM57, a basic audio interface, and a sound card capable of producing the 7.1 surround sound, I can get what I'm after correct? the one thing I noticed is this interface goes straight to USB, so the simulated 7.1 sound doesn't exist.

I looked round for a card/device that does ALL of this and I don't think it exists.

Sorry if I seem like I'm rambling on here, I just don't know how to achieve the desired end result... it almost feels like I cant have the cake and eat it too.

Hey people of r/audioengineering, I'm new to all this, but I've ended up with a Sterling Audio ST51 Condenser Microphone. I was thinking I would do some streaming with it, and possibly getting into amateur voice acting as well.

The only problem is, I'm a little confused on how to connect it to my PC. I know a more expensive proper set up would have both a pre-amp and audio interface, but I'm not looking to spend a whole lot of money here. I was wondering what should I buy to connect the mic to my computer fairly cheaply? I've looked into some mixers like the behringer Q802, and I found this which looks okay, but I'm not very confident about it. Thanks for any and all help with this.

Thank you, I'm very grateful (I wasn't able to wrap my head around it all)!

One last question to finish out: let's say I purchased something with a USB out (like this: https://www.amazon.com/Mackie-PROFX8V2-8-Channel-Compact-Effects/dp/B00VUU77XW), then connected all the microphones with the adapters to this mixer, and also connected the mixer to the PC. If I then opened a program like Audacity, would it show and be able to record all the streams into one file (mp3 or the like)?

You have a balanced XLR input and it's only playing the difference between the left and right channels. You're playing a track that has the instruments panned left and right, and the vocals relatively centered.

First, what you want is something more along the lines of this 1/8" to 1/4" breakout cable. If you have a free stereo channel, plug both 1/4" plugs into there, otherwise just plug it into two adjacent mono channels, pan them all the way left and right, and adjust them together.

Second, you should know that most mixers can supply 48V on their XLR inputs. Condenser microphones need that, dynamic mics don't care, but laptop audio ports can fry. 1/4" jacks are safe, though, so always prefer them above XLR for computer/phone/iPod type input.

Lots to go on.. but start with the Rod Gervais book

Go by this and you'll be OK. Walls with double drywall + green glue will do you right... take care with ANYTHING ELSE that goes through a wall. Doors, HVAC, electrical... that's the tricky part.

im looking for an interface that will

• allow me to output audio from pc to my speakers (powered micca) and control the volume on the interface
  
• allow me to plug in headphones that will take priority from the speakers
  
• input for a mic with monitoring
  
   
  
  i am looking at this Behringer to work with this mic and had a few questions i couldnt seem to figure out.
  
  
• does it output the mic audio through the usb to the pc, or does it have go through the LR outputs to the mic input on a motherboard? or are the LR outputs for speakers?
  
  
• if the mic is plugged into the interface will it always be live?
  
  
• will the phantom 48v screw with my headphones or speakers if connected, or is that just for inputs?
  
  TLDR:
  
  Basically i want an interface to control my speakers, allow me to switch to headphones, work with a mic, without having to mess with windows or speaker volume controls. Is there anytime i am missing or am not understanding? any suggestions or tips?
  
  Thanks!!

Depends on your budget. If you're just looking at doing voice work, there's not going to be a ton of difference between the Blue Yeti and the Audio-Technica. If you want a mic that sounds great and has become a standard - go with the Shure SM7B.
You would also want an audio interface to go with it like the PreSonus AudioBox.

some general thoughts from my side:

• I can recommend these two books:
  
  
  • Everest - Master Handbook of acoustics
    
    
  • Newell - Recording Studio Design
    
    
• room treatment without measuring in pointless imho, so I highly recommend renting a mesurement system for a day and figure out what the exact prolems are
  
  
• you can use some FEM model to simulate your room acoustic situation in order to find possible speaker positioning and sweep spot, BUT it doesn't make real life measures superfluent and it is not trivial to set up such a simulation, because you need to know the physikal behavior of your walls, floor and cieling. But it's absolutely possible to get a first feeling, even as an non-professional.
  
  => only AFTER you have done this, finding proper treatment options and suggestions from other users will be sucessful
  
  Cheers
  

Reddit delivers again. Thank you fuzeebear!!

Just placed my amazon order. Ended up going with the [Tascam]
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OU2IQG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) like you suggested, along with this [Sony ECMCS3] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058MJX4O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) clip on microphone ($13) and these earHero earbuds ($150).
Those are some sleek, albeit expensive as heck, earbuds by the way.

Total price with $25 rebate for the tascam comes out to $233. Couldn't thank you enough!

What kind of voiceover are you doing (radio, telephony, film)? For that price point, and since you seem to be just starting out, I'd also second a USB mic option. For quick voiceovers at home, I usually use my Blue Yeti. It is a nice quiet mic that comes with a desktop stand. Blue sells a [pop filter] (http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-The-Universal-Filter/dp/B0002H0H4A/ref=pd_sim_MI_2) for it separately, although you can do a lot to mitigate pops and such with good mic technique. The drawback to a USB mic is that you can't use it with an upgraded audio interface later on down the line. If you go with the MXL V67, you need to figure out how you want to get the audio into a computer. You'll need some kind of interface. They can be simple like a Blue Icicle, or complex with multiple inputs and outputs.

Have you considered where in your home you're going to record? This is far more important than equipment, IMO. A bad recording space will be captured by even the most expensive of microphones.

That little mixer doesn't have a USB out, so you'd have to go with this little box in stead.

The XM8500 is an alright mic for the $20 price tag, but don't expect too much. To be honest you might be a lot happier with a cheap condenser + pop filter.

I've used both mics when I was starting out. I'd only use the xm8500 in the rehearsal space where the quality doesn't matter. The condenser will sound 'nicer' (i.e. less disappointing when you're trying something for the first time)

I wouldn't call it a 'decent' setup, but should be fun to dick around with for $100.

Line Out's are typically analog 3.5mm stereo, so something like this should work.

Some newer computers actually combine analog and digital inside the Line Out. For instance on my PC motherboard, MacBook, and iMac, all of them have a Line Out combined with an Optical digital output. This looks like a red light shining inside the jack when the digital output is enabled. Normally you will see this kind of digital i/o labeled as an ADAT or Optical connection like this. To use the Optical connection from inside the Line Out you need a Toslink adapter, which adapts a standard Optical cable to insert into the LineOut jack.

I don't think the Scarlett 6i6 has an optical input, but the reason I mention it is that a digital connection would be the cleanest sounding. Analog is still great though I would have no reservations about it but if you can go digital why not.

Yeah, that will be fine. Even better would be to use the two 1/4" line outputs with a cable like this one: https://smile.amazon.com/Hosa-CMP-159-Stereo-Breakout-Cable/dp/B005HGM1D6/

Hosa cables don't tend to be the best for longevity, but you get the idea of what to look for.

Thanks /u/fuzeebear and /u/FadeIntoReal. I'm gonna try my luck with the Behringer. Even if it does turn out to be unreliable, I can always upgrade to a Scarlett later. Right now I'm on a budget and would prefer not to spend too much on a piece of equipment I didn't know I needed in the first place.

These are three books that got me started, motivated me, and gave me interesting ideas:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1932929002

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1931140456

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0879308605?pc_redir=1409981012

Reaper is no different than any other DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). You need to have some way of getting the music into the computer. This is usually done with a USB interface, and this is about the cheapest decent interface I could find in a quick search:

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UM2-Audio-Interface/dp/B00EK1OTZC/ref=sr_1_22?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1405959840&sr=1-22

M-Audio and Focusrite make better stuff, but those are typically $100 to $200 US or more. This would be a really good start.

Almost everyone here (me included) is going to suggest the Sennheiser HD280 Pros or the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pros.

Since those are kind of standards, I would lean towards them. I'm personally not a fan of KRK stuff, but really if you decide you like the KNS 8400's, that's what you should get - as long as you learn their strengths and weaknesses they'll be fine.

Dude....six bucks on Amazon: Hosa Cable CMP105 1/8 Inch TRS to 1/4 Inch TS Cable - 5 Foot https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000068O3F/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_z-Yevb0AE1WHG

I run my iPad directly into my 2i4 and it is great! However....this is a very sterile, digital approach (fine for quick demos)....now, to warm up the track, I run into a Studio Projects VTB1 - low plate voltage tube preamp: Studio Projects VTB1 Microphone Preamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002E3NQC/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_rbZevb0WZPQSP

Drop a decent tube in, and all the sudden your guitar leaves the fizzy digital realm...

That Pre isn't bad for mics, either - just remember to run a 1/4" cable, not a mic cable in between.

Your question is a bit confusing. Are you wondering how to import 4 tracks at once so you can mix in ableton? If that is the case, you want a 4x4 audio interface. Here is a cheap option: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QHURLHM/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_polAwbE9CS461

If you are wondering what mics you should use, I would say it totally depends on your budget. Get a decent kick drum microphone, an SM-57 for the snare, and XY a pair of small diaphragm condensers overhead (and make sure your interface has phantom power, which I assume most do by default).

An alternative to XY overhead, since you will have to place them pretty high up, is to put one over the hi hat / crash and one over the ride / toms (kind of pointing away from the snare). You will just have to be vigilant for phase and shift it out if necessary.

If you wanted to add a 5th channel, I like to individually mic the hi hat. A close-miked hi hat sounds so much better to me.

Alright and to make it clear a 2nd time just so I am sure it'll work. If I purchase an upgraded sound mixer in this case specifically the Yamaha MG10XU will I be able to make it so I can use my XLR microphone on both PC's AND make it so I can hear both PC's from one set of headphones without any sort of interference or will I need to get two different mixers no matter what?

Basically what I am asking is: Does the Yamaha MG10XU have the two seperate mix buss outputs as you stated in your response here to make it so I can hear both pc's in one set of headphones & use the one mic on both pc's!?!?

oh my god I found this at a used bookstore for 10 dollars so I figured I'd pick it up not thinking much of the book at the time. Thanks for calling it the bible. What an epic synchronicity.

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487605995&sr=8-1&keywords=home+studio+recording+book

My recommendation.

If you don’t build your walls on top of your floating floor you’ll still be sending lots of transmission down through the walls into the floor/ceiling below.

Best analogy is that you should try to keep your sound within a watertight bubble. Any holes or weakspots will absolutely let sound through.

I spent >50k on studio construction on the 2nd floor of my building, and I can tell you that it’ll take a lot more than that to stop it from going below unless you’re in a concrete reinforced building. I have a storage space under me so it wasn’t a big deal.

Also structural engineering blah don’t crush the person below blah

Build It Like The Pros

^pdf is out there

+1 for cans after 10p or moving

I do voice acting on hobby basis - get a condenser microphone.
I have the Røde NT1 kit, and I've used the Scarlett 2i2 (1. gen) and Scarlett Solo (2. gen) with it - it's wonderful for me.

If you go for the Scarlett series, get a 2. generation - you get 24 bit recordings with them, instead of only 16 bit.

I'm looking for a setup that can combine the audio outputs from 2 PCs into one output that goes into my headphones (AT m50X). I recently bought this which I now realize doesn't support stereo. Can anyone suggest a cheap (under $25) way to accomplish what I want with stereo?

Edit: would this and these do it?

Thanks for all the replies!! My OCD took over, and I compiled a list of every single pair mentioned by someone who uses them to sleep in. In this thread and the one I posted on r/headphones Check 'em out.

Acoustic Sheep SleepPhones - $40 for standard, $100 for wireless.

Pillow Sonic Pillow Speaker - $15

BedPhones - $54

Koss SparkPlug - $16

Senn HD280 - $100

PSC Softies Headphone Cover - $18

Beyer 770 - $230

Beyer 990 - $265

Bose QC15 - $270

Bose QC20 - $300

Shure SE215-K - $97

Shure SE315-K - $200

Shure SE535 - $440

Aurisonics Rockets - $100ish

Vsonic GR07BE - $130

Klipsch S4 - $120

HIFI Man RE-400 - $100

RHA MA750 - $120

sony 7506 - $85

Philips SHE3590GY/28 - $10

Koss KSC75 - $15

Ear Hero - $150

Sensaphonics 2max - $850

Ohhh, I see.

You need a USB audio interface, get rid of the Behringer.

https://www.amazon.com/BEHRINGER-Audio-Interface-4-Channel-UMC404HD/dp/B00QHURLHM/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=4+channel+audio+interface&qid=1554232697&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Something like that. Run your microphone and audio out from your gaming rig into the interface, into the streaming PC, and then you will have separate channels to play with in Reaper and then push that to OBS. Connect your speakers/headphones to the streaming PC.

I really like the Rode NT1A. It's a pretty versatile mic, I've used it for voice overs, vocals, drum overheads, guitars, etc. Comes with a shock mount and pop filter.

I've always use the Sennheiser HD-280 Pro's. They are relatively inexpensive and pretty flat sounding.

I'm trying to record vlogs in a wood-floored (~75% carpeted), many-windowed, relatively empty 15x17ft room, using:

1. a Giant Squid Audio Lab lav mic, and/or
   
2. a Rode VideoMic directional condenser mic,
   plugged into:
   
3. a Tascam DR-05 field recorder , recording:
   
4. a baritone voice that resonates some in the room.
   
   If I pad down some surfaces in my apartment and properly calibrate the Tascam, is it possible to get audio of comparable quality to, say, this or this with the above tools? Or will I need to invest in better equipment? Either way, what else can I do to get the clearest sound out of these conditions?

The one's you said were a staple in the industry is like $400.

I've found these two and wanted your input. The second link is bundled with a Microphone. Considering the one I have is a $5 Logitech one I was thinking of grabbing that one your thoughts?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0126HISOO/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1453428404&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=sennheiser&dpPl=1&dpID=41bMMAXlJZL&ref=plSrch

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000065BPB/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1453428404&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=sennheiser&dpPl=1&dpID=413dm8SG1nL&ref=plSrch&th=0

A couple other suggestions. Don't buy any soundproofing product unless the company selling it publishes reliable test data on transmission loss. Lots of sketchy marketing out there -- or things that seem intuitively helpful, but really aren't (like glass block - the regular kind at least).

Get this. I wouldn't expect to start designing studios once you read it. But it will at least give you a sense of the concepts & help cut through the bs that is out there.

Thank you for the reply.

Do you think these cheap Behringer MX400 and Behringer HA400 will do the job for band practice?

The only problem is that I have a very convenient record function on my drum module that records the mix in and the drums to a wav file on a SD card, by plugging everything to the mixer I lose this function so maybe I should wire like that:
Bass + Guitar -> MX400 -> Drum module -> HA400 -> headphones.
That way I can record easily while jamming, what do you think?

If you can stretch the budget a Rode NT1A is always a good choice.

Rod Gervais's Home Recording Studio build it like the pros

Philip Newell's Recording Studio Design

John Sayers' Studio Design Forum

The microphone port on your computer is a line level input. A dynamic mic runs at mic level so your computer can't pick it up through that port. Get an interface BEHRINGER Audio Interface, 1x XLR/TRS 1x 1/4" 2X RCA USB, Black, 1-Channel (UM2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EK1OTZC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xdHZCbRFCZ0VN and a xlr cable.

At that budget, I'd suggest a pair of headphones instead.

Something like these: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E

or these: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-280-Pro-Headphones/dp/B000065BPB

You should have posted a picture, link, article, something. We don't know what this is. It could be a soundcard on a cable like this: http://smile.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Icicle-Converter-Preamp/dp/B001EW5YQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417198181&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+icicle+xlr+to+usb

Otherwise it's probably for lighting controls as others have said, DMX is used to control stage lights:

http://www.amazon.com/KEDSUM%C2%AE-Interface-Converter-Computer-Controller/dp/B009B5II8G

Acoustics is a huge topic, grab a book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Sixth-Everest/dp/0071841040/

Thanks for the info. All of you, I was losing my mind trying to get this to work.

I have a question about interfaces. Firstly, will this serve well for what I need?

And about interfaces... I am reading the getting started guide, but not really understanding where the interface belongs. Does it go XLR cable from mic > power > interface > then 3.5mm from interface to sound card?

These are all listed as related items to the ECM8000 on Amazon:

• MXL-MICMATEXLR To USB Preamp for Condenser Microphones - $43.74
  
• BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UM2 - $44.95
  
• ART USB Dual Pre - $59.00
  
  Would any of them be suitable? If not, what are they lacking?

Amazon hasn't deviated from $349 since 2011. I'd just buy it. http://camelcamelcamel.com/Shure-SM7B-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/product/B0002E4Z8M

The Master Handbook of Acoustics is a solid choice.

You can apparently get the Fifth Edition for $10 used.

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Icicle-Converter-Preamp/dp/B001EW5YQS
This is a little better option.

http://www.amazon.com/HDE-feet-XLR-Female-Cable/dp/B0050CEEIW
This is really inexpensive, but will work.

Keep in mind, you get what you pay for with most things of this nature.

If you want to stick with USB THIS should do the trick.

I'd suggest starting here: http://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Sixth-Edition/dp/0071841040

read this: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like/dp/143545717X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495683568&sr=1-1&keywords=home+studio+build+pros

It's full of expert advice on how and what to do in a home space.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Location-Sound-Bible-Record-Professional/dp/1615931201/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230229&sr=1-1&keywords=Location+Sound+bibleThat

• UK: amazon.co.uk
  
• Spain: amazon.es
  
• France: amazon.fr
  
• Germany: amazon.de
  
• Japan: amazon.co.jp
  
• Canada: amazon.ca
  
• Italy: amazon.it
  
• China: amazon.cn
  
  
  This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting).

http://amzn.com/B005HGM1D6

I picked up a Behringer UMC-404HD a couple of years ago for $100 and it's exceeded my expectations in that not only is it reliable and sturdy, but also that I haven't seen anything else at that price point that has nearly as much versatility. Four inputs, and all of the outputs you'd ever need.

I think this is what I'm looking for (BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UMC404HD https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QHURLHM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_dcYSAbR7FJ3X8), but my next question is how do I incorporate headphones into this setup? I want each person wearing headphones, so we can all hear the person on Skype, and each other, without also having to hear our own voices while we're talking. If that makes sense. What's the next part I need?

BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UM2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EK1OTZC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kD1Jyb830NT87


^^^^^^Ill just leave this here^^^^^

Yeah this one is weirdly difficult to find. I actually pulled it back up on my phone cause it didn't show up right away on my computer. Anyway here you go

Hello everyone,
I've spent around $70 to create a starter microphone kit
https://www.amazon.com/BEHRINGER-Audio-Interface-1-Channel-UM2/dp/B00EK1OTZC/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=behringer&qid=1556586996&s=gateway&sr=8-5
and
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Broadcasting-Microphone-Adjustable/dp/B00XOXRTX6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=nw+700&qid=1556587015&s=gateway&sr=8-1
Although obviously it isn't top quality, I feel that it is fine for what I will do (streaming, podcasts).
I've set everything up but I have ran into a couple problems. When I download drivers for the Behringer audio interface, although I have everything plugged in I keep getting "Timeout 0x0005 error". I switch to Asio4All and I download it but I cannot access the hub as it doesn't access. Any help?

So I use an audio interface to connect my XLR microphone to my computer and have done so for a long while with no problems. I had stopped recording stuff for a bit and when I tried to come back and record something again neither of my two recording programs will detect my mic. I've been trying to figure out the problem for a week or so now and cant get it to work.

I usually use Audacity but now when I try to record something I get an error message that says "Error opening sound device, Try changing the audio host, recording device and the project sample rate". The recording device is set to my USB audio codec that its always used.

I also use the Elgato recording software to record live commentaries but when I click the record button it just turns off again instantly with no message.

I know the mic works because I can turn on the direct monitor button on and hear myself or also through the microphone properties by ticking the "Listen to this device" box.

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2020-Cardioid-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B0006H92QK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527106164&sr=8-2&keywords=at2020

This is my microphone

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UM2-BEHRINGER-U-PHORIA/dp/B00EK1OTZC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527106892&sr=8-2&keywords=behringer+u-phoria+um2

This is my interface

Anyone have an idea as to what the problem is? If you need any more info id be happy to reply