Reddit mentions of ART USB Dual Pre 2-Channel Audio Interface Preamplifier

Sorry about the huge ugly title text! I've used Ardour to mix things in the past, and I've been using Linux pretty heavily since around 2010. But this is my first completely 100% F(L)OSS album.

Here's a link to more details on the album's lyrical content.

http://rpmchallenge.com/index.php?option=com_lyftenbloggie&view=entry&year=2016&month=03&day=02&id=8884:the-deed-is-done

And a summary of some more technical details (that I had posted elsewhere):

> I used one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Art-USB-Dual-Pre-PS/dp/B002KEAT78
plus a Rode NT1A, AKG C3000B, AKG C1000S, Fender Telecaster '74 thinline reissue guitar, Seagull acoustic 6-string, Old solid state Kay amp with a Peavey bass cabinet, Mexican Squier Fender Jazz Bass, Yamaha MO6 keyboard, drummer's drums, Hydrogen drum machine (for Lippity Lippity and temporary drums during recording)... and probably some other things.

oh yeah, and I used Ubuntu 12.04.5 on a Lenovo L412.

I've had a board go out in the past. For me it was the usb output port. Sometimes those things are built pretty wimpy.

For a new option, if he needs less 2 or less mic inputs and can bump up his budget a little more, i've used the ART USB Dual Pre with some success.

Yes, there are recorders that can record multiple tracks. Like the Tascam DR-40 has XLR inputs. I'm not necessarily endorsing the Tascam. I have the DR-05 and find it acceptable quality. Something like the Zoom H4N has XLR connectors built in, so you could record a mic into those and use the built in condenser mics to record your guitar.

You left out some relevant information: Budget, can your guitar be plugged in or will you mic it? Do you have a pretty sound free workspace?

I think budget is the most important part here. I interpret 'nothing flashy' as being a cheap as it can get without being poor quality.

I'm gonna link to listings on Amazon because it's easiest, but B&H or if you live near a Guitar Center might be a better place to buy.

A possible setup:

• ART Dual USB Preamp - $80 - This will allow you to plug in one mic and your guitar and output the track to your computer via USB. Depending on the software, I believe you can have the tracks separate for editing, but they would separate into left and right channels that you'd then combine into a stereo track after editing.
  
  
  
• Shure SM58 - $100 - A dynamic vocal mic that will play well in a not so perfect recording space. Check out Regina Spektor using one during a concert. This mic is so popular I would make sure to only get it from a reputable dealer i.e. not used on ebay, because there are fakes floating around.
  
  If you need/want to mic your guitar then consider the SM-57. It is nearly identical to the SM58. Here is a guy demonstrating using one to record his guitar.
  
  
• If $100 is insanely out of your budget, then consider the Behringer XM8500 - $20 - Not as high quality as the SM58, but still a decent sound. Here is a guy comparing the SM57 to the XM8500 and is using just one mic for voice and guitar, without using a preamp, so keep that in mind when comparing the audio (I hear some noise in the audio, probably noise from the line to the camera, which I presume has some sort of automatic gain happening).
  
  This guy's video makes me wonder if just an SM57 with a decent preamp (i.e. one with clean gain) might be all you'd need... but that isn't ideal. You could go with two XM8500s, one for guitar and one for vocals ($40). Or one SM58 for vocals and one XM8500 for guitar($120). That all comes down to budget and preferences.
  
  
• You'll need a mic stand, or two. The On-Stage MS7701B is a best seller on Amazon. I own one of these and it isn't going to impress anyone. I've never had it tip over or seem unsteady. If you extend the boom arm too far it can sometimes slowly droop over time (I may be guilty of not tightening it enough due to not wanting to strip the threads) It does the job of holding a mic in place. If you go with two mics, you could get two of them. You could also get a desk stand for the mic that is recording your guitar and find a suitable place to set it, but I think the boom arm of the MS7701B will be useful for keeping the stand out of your way.
  
  
• And you will need cables. I recommend the cables from Monoprice, their Pro Audio series. It is not as user friendly to find the exact cables you'll need as a site like B&H, but I have had several of their cables and only had one die on me. All their cables have a lifetime warranty and the prices are shockingly low.
  
  
• And a windscreen or pop filter for the mics is nice. There is a decent windscreen on Amazon for 3 bucks, sometimes 2 bucks.
  
  Potential Changes & other thoughts -
  
  A more expensive preamp - ART Tube Dual Mic Preamp With USB - $190- this has some compression and a limiter. It's debatable whether in this range it would be better to get a decent mixer, a preamp for your vocals, and let the preamp on the mixer handle the guitar, or if something like this would be better. Like a Behringer mixer - Q802USB ($80) + ART single channel Preamp for vocals ($40/$50) would be less money than the Dual USB preamp.
  
  Or maybe just the Q802USB would suffice for your needs. It has preamps already built in. They are not the best preamps in the world. I mean... after all I wrote above, the more I think about it the more I think you should try a Q802USB and see if the sound is what you're wanting.
  
  Headphones - Add in some headphones to monitor your audio. ATH-M40x ($100) would be my recommendation, but this is where a lot of personal preference comes into the mix, no pun intended.
  
  Different mics - Rode has some mics that compare the the Shure SM57/58 that might be better. And the options for mic are virtually limitless, when you consider not just the mics can vary, but the audio interfaces and processing options. I really think a dynamic mic will be most user friendly for a one off home recording.
  
  I hope I haven't confused more than I helped. I think the essentials are this: good mics, clean gain, easy to use. Whether you get the dual channel ART preamp or the Q802USB, either will be easy to use. I would bet the gain on the ART preamp is cleaner, meaning less background hiss at higher levels, than the Q802USB, but perhaps that is just an unreasonable bias. In either case, the mic is going to be important and where your budget plays a big role. The SM58 and SM57 are superb for vocals and recording guitar. A condenser might be better if the acoustics of your recording space allow for it, but I hope you saw from the video I linked of the guy recording his guitar with the SM57 that a great sound can be achieved with a $100 mic. If that is out of your budget, keep in mind the XM8500, but the sound is not as clear as the Shure mics it tries to emulate.

I'm not Brett, but I do host my own show that sounds pretty fantastic and I didn't have to break the bank for it.

For microphones, I'm using the Ultravoice 1800s dynamic mics.] (https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Ultravoice-Xm1800s-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B000NJ2TIE) They come in a 3-pack, which is $40 right now but I waited until they went on sale for $25. Really decent microphones that don't pick up a lot of background noise.

For a mixer, I'm using the [Behringer Q1202] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008O517IW/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1474221402&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=behringer+mixer+xenyx+1202&dpPl=1&dpID=5153d6epzTL&ref=plSrch). It's about $100 bucks, but again, it'll go on sale if you wait awhile.

I'm only using a mixer because I often have guests in person, though. If you're doing the show alone and don't want to bother with fine-tuning your sound, you can just use a pre-amp [like this one] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002KEAT78/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1474221560&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=xlr+preamp&dpPl=1&dpID=41fdibotlHL&ref=plSrch). I can't recommend any specific one, but just search amazon for "xlr pre-amp" and look for models with good reviews.

The other stuff you'll need is pretty cheap. Some xlr cables (5 for $20) foam mic covers (6 for $3 on ebay) and a mic stand (around $20).

You won't be able to get earwolf quality sound out of this stuff, but [I use it all on my show and it sounds great.] (http://www.futurehorsepod.com/ghostbusters/) I'm the only one using this setup in the episode though. Jackson is in Australia so he used his own stuff.

If you want to throw money at this thing and get the exact sound they have at Earwolf, they're using the Shure sm7b microphone, which usually runs $300-400 bucks and requires much more expensive equipment to run it through.

Hope this helps!

Yes I believe so. It has Phantom power as well whatever that is. The link is below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KEAT78/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I used to have the mxl 990, and it's all right for a beginners mic. Don't know about the 991. That monoprice looks like it has a lot of features for $80. Having said that, if I were you I would try these: Audio Technica at2020 with either the monoprice or this. I have the art pre and it works very well. I used to have a pair of 2020s, and they were great at that price.


EDIT: should add that use asio4all with any interface you get.

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?

Looking at the responses you've gotten so far and your need for good recording equipment over and above the need for the PC itself, I've put together another build for you.

This uses a fanless Intel Bay Trail quad-core chip. It's not a barnstormer in terms of performance, but you can't get any quieter than fanless. It includes a fanless power supply and a 5400RPM laptop hard drive (I'm still not convinced that recording to an SSD is a good idea -- mine introduces an unacceptable amount of jitter into the recording, even with low bitrates) to keep it as quiet as possible.

Size is also reduced. This is about the smallest you can make a build-it-yourself PC. 8.5" on a side, 2.5" tall.

I've included a USB ADC (analog-to-digital converter) with XLR inputs, phantom power and hardware gain control alongside your previous selection of the Shure SM94 instrument mic. I have an SM94 and it should work well for your application (it tends to be a bit bright for guitar or winds, but strings should work nicely with it).

I also included a mic stand with boom arm, as proper mic position is essential to capturing the correct character of the instrument.

The only thing I didn't include was an optical drive, but you mentioned looking for an external USB drive. That'll be your best bet here as well.

Let me know if you have any questions.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
Memory | *Team 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | $56.98 @ OutletPC
Storage | Samsung Spinpoint M9T 2TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive | $108.65 @ Amazon
Other| ASRock Q1900B-ITX Celeron J1900 quad-core CPU + Motherboard (Bay Trail) | $72.00
Other| Mini-Box M-350 Universal Mini-ITX Case w/ 80W PicoPSU | $70.00
Other| Shure SM94 Instrument Mic | $180.00
Other| ART USB Dual Pre XLR ADC | $80.00
Other| Samson Mic Stand w/ Boom | $20.00
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $587.63
| *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-16 10:21 EST-0500 |

This has been bullet proof to me in the field and I have used it for plenty of other things. I am not hot on the pre amps, but they get the job done. I have never had it fail on me and bought one for personal use to do on the fly tracking.

here is a box that is pretty cheap. I've heard people that like it for what it is.

Thanks for the info, really appreciate it! I'd previously looked at the ART USB Dual Pre but at the time passed it by as I needed more inputs... I'll look into this further :)

The 58 and 57 are dynamic mics. You want condenser mics that can capture the finest details. Even a cheap condenser mic would be much better than a super expensive dynamic one.

Do you already have the zoom?

Because if you don't, I'm sure you'd get better quality preamps and DA converters with something like the ART Dual pre connected to a smartphone (or a tablet) which you probably already have. It works with iOS devices using a converter and some Android devices with Lollipop and up using a super cheap OTG cable.

For your application (you don't have to use input monitoring because you can monitor the output instead) I say get the ART USB Dual Pre. Cheap, class-compliant, durable, small.

Edit: link https://www.amazon.com/Art-USB-Dual-Pre-PS/dp/B002KEAT78