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RE: Audio - Mic & FetHead & Audio Interface

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#1

You’re welcome. Audio quality is something I’m personally very picky about, and it bugs the hell out of me that I still can’t get it right in all my videos. I do have a new mic now, though, so that helps.

Best solution for both of us would be an actual recording studio. Doesn’t need to be expensive, like a small soundproof room or even soundproof cabinet would do. Only problem I have is this: I have no space. :sweat_smile:

You can start with the Equalizer, then follow with a better quality mic setup, foam sound breakers and finally something workable as a studio. Small steps first. I’m now at my 4th or 5th mic, each one progressively more expensive, but also higher quality.

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Mean potential buyer
#2

Did you invest in an acoustic foam (the foldable kind that only surrounds your mic)? I assume that’s what you meant by foam sound breakers. If yes, do you think it’s a good investment?

I’m thinking of getting one, but still unsure if it’s necessary or if I should just record in the middle of the night and be more diligent in post-processing my voice, hahaha. For now, I’m happy with just getting a mic stand, but if it makes a huge difference maybe I’ll get it too.

(Also, sorry for hijacking your thread, english_voice)

#3

Nope, not yet. And I meant the big foam sheets/plates that you alternate on your walls. With the new mic I don’t find it really necessary. I can currently edit out most of the minor background noise, and I do often record late at night (I live in the city next to a busy road). It’s definitely a long-term goal for me, but first I’d need a bigger apartment. I have no spare room, at all.

It does make a huge difference, but it’s only worth it if you are doing bigger projects/are into serious business. Otherwise it’s not really affordable, I think.

What I strongly recommend, however, is a good audio interface (I have a Focusrite Scarlett) and a mic pre-amp such as FetHead. Makes a world of difference in sound quality.

Edit: I used to do things via USB, but I prefer XLR direct feed now. I’m no audio expert, but I couldn’t get rid of the weird static until I went XLR with the pre-amp.

To clarify: My current setup consists of:

Mic connected to FetHead which is connected to Scarlett which is connected to my PC. USB connection, but all the audio is fed directly via XLR.

Edit 3: And if you are curious, I use a Rode NT1-A mic. Very pleased with it so far.
Edit 4: Typo fix

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#4

Hello, thanks for your lightning fast reply, haha.

Unfortunately, I use a USB mic (I did hear that XLR is way better in overall, but some also said Blue Yeti wasn’t a terrible mic even when it’s a USB). I don’t think I will upgrade it anytime soon, but noted on your suggestions on the interface and pre-amp if I decided to get an XLR one day. I do have a problem with the laptop fan keeps getting into the recording, haha.

P.S. I can definitely relate on the space issue. My own room is like, a single bed’s length and around 3.5x single bed’s width. :joy:

#5

It’s not that USB is bad, it’s just that XLR is much clearer in quality, at least in my own experience.

I heard that about Blue Yeti and was even offered one for testing at some point, but I was not satisfied with it. Though I’m also rather picky when it comes to audio and I’m striving closer towards professional studio quality.

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#6

An expensive mic will still sound like a cheap mic without any room treatment, you’re better off getting a £150 mic and spending the rest of your budget in some treatment, or at least audio repairing plugins. There are ways to get rid of room noise and to improve the overall sound.

#7

That’s roughly what the new mic cost me. FetHead seemed expensive for such a small package, but it was worth every cent.

#8

Hadn’t seen the post where you mentioned your gear, but you realize the Scarlett 2i2 comes with a built-in pre-amp? Using another pre-amp is just starving your mic of voltage, you should experiment with removing the added pre-amp since it isn’t totally necessary, that added 20 dB can be replicated with a compressor.

#9

What do you mean? I have a Scarlett Solo and the mic itself needs phantom power. The FetHead is also phantom power version. It certainly made a difference in how much I need to crank up the gain.

#10

I assumed you were using the Scarlett 2i2 since you didn’t specify, regardless, the Solo has its own mic
pre-amp so there isn’t any need for a second pre-amp, you’re saying you don’t need to crank up the gain but that’s only because the FetHead is adding a 20 dB boost, which won’t leave much room to correct any audio issues. I’m saying it would be better to use a compressor, or automated gain, in post to raise the volume instead of a second pre-amp.

Since both the mic and the pre-amp are using phantom power from the Scarlett, which is coming via USB, by the time it reaches the mic, the pre-amp would’ve already used much of the voltage. A solution to that would be to use a dedicated phantom power supply, but as I mentioned before that FetHead isn’t doing much to improve the sound.

Anyway, do whatever works best for you.

#11

What? I’m raising the volume in post anyway as I’m editing the waveforms and bumps. I decided to go for a phantom powered FetHead Phantom combination because I’m a very soft speaker, and cranking up the gain in post has the downside that you are amping up static and background noise. The point of the FetHead is literally to reduce the static noise and amp up the base signal. You can watch this video to understand what I mean. I did my research before ordering.

Edit: Tagging ignareint because I want you to watch that video, too. It helped me understand my setup better before I ordered it. Maybe it can help you out as well.

Edit 2: We should probably stop hijacking this thread with off-topic stuff. If you need to inquire further, shoot me a DM.

#12

Hi peoples, I just split off-topic replies, it’s a new thread now, feel free to continue the discussions . and also you may like to edit the post title.

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#13

Also, if it helps anyone, this is how my audio setup progressed as far as I can remember:

  • Simple headset mic (~ €5). directly plugged into the mic jack in the PC.

    Result: Terrible, terrible quality. Lots of clipping, scratching and noise. DO NOT recommend.

  • USB tabletop Condenser mic (~ €50-60). Plugged directly into PC’s USB port. No amplifier or audio interface.

    Result: Decent quality. Very low dB range, needed to be amped up a lot. Editing out the static noise took hours and was super frustrating to the point where my audio would often sound a bit distorted.

  • Head mic (~ €70). Small condenser mic that you wear around your ears. Needed a separate transmitter setup that cost another ~ €170. Comfortable to wear. Bought audio interface as well.

    Result: Not quite what I was looking for, but it has good sound quality for what it is.

    I slightly regret this purchase because, at the time, I still didn’t understand much about audio. However, I can always use it for interviews or as backup. That’s about the time where I started working for a local TV station where I learned a lot, even though I barely got to work with audio.

  • XLR Tabletop Condenser mic (~ €180) with a FetHead (~ €80).

    Result: Clean, no static noise. I’m already a soft-spoken person and I can whisper and record in clean quality. As someone else put it in a review: You could hear the fleas cough (german saying).

    Best purchase I ever made as far as “great budget sound” is concerned. Very happy with it and I treat it like a baby. Am very careful with it. :stuck_out_tongue:

My setup and cost broken down (roughly, may vary for your country/currency):

  • Microphone: Rode NT1-A set (~ €180)

  • Audio Interface: Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen (~ €100)

  • Pre-Amp: Triton FetHead Phantom (~ €80)

  • Mic Stand: Millenium MS-2002 (~ €15)

  • XLR cable: sssnake SK233-1,5 XLR Patch (~ €4) (this one is shorter than the one included in the mic package)

    Total: ~ €379

You can get fairly professional audio quality with this kind of setup as far as I can tell. I’m enjoying it so far.

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