I am wanting to record on a computer using a SM57 (Blowsmeaway version). For those of you that do this using a USB sound card, what models and/or features should I be looking at in a USB sound card? Is this a job where most USB sound cards would work?
I would like quality, but I do not want to overly break the bank. I am just not sure what I should be looking for. Or even if I should get a small mixing board that has a USB out?
I don't know if this would be of any use to you but I have got on well with a Zoom H2n Hand/tripod held recorder. You can use it primarily for recording say a live performance of a band or yourself onto its SD card in mp3 or Wav format.
It does also have the facility which may be of interest to you to record directly into Audacity on PC via its USB interface.
To do this you don't need to turn the H2N on as it turns itself on when connected up via usb and you can then either read from the sd and transfer recorded files onto your PC or for live recording select Audio interface and then hit connect.
Plug your SM57 into an amp
Next fire up Audacity and select H2N from the drop down tab alongside the mic symbol and you're ready to record. One thing, make sure to select the recording frequency on the H2N to match the sampling i.e. 44.1khz or 48khz Frequency on audacity.
Not sure if this is what you're looking for but it is an option.
Here is a random video on the item I found on the net.
I've got an SM57 and an SM58 plugged into a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. I muck around with Audacity, but not often enough to be sure what I'm doing. I've heard good and bad things about Zooms. They sound good, but they don't play other brands of mp3, and their mp3s are not very flexible? dunno. I have a short memory.
Last time I tried, the Scarlett (or was it Audacity?) could only be used in stereo - I couldn't find out how to use a single input and make it mono.
Nowadays even a tablet or a smartphone can be a viable option. It's a changing subject that needs to be read about in detail.
Last Edited by Andrew on Jul 22, 2018 11:44 PM
Some good suggestions here. I will just give you a little advice from my own experience that you can take or leave. I bought a full fledged 8 channel USB mixer. It has phantom power, and effects loop, dual line outs, etc. It's great. It's also sitting in a box in the garage right now. Not because I don't like it, not because I don't want to use it, not because I've stopped recording. It's because it's too big, needs to be plugged into mains with a big power brick, and takes too long to get all the mics plugged in and recording. It was great when I had the time and the space to leave it mostly set up in a small home studio, but if you don't have that, look for a smaller self contained option. Honestly, I'm recording mostly demos and song ideas, and I don't need a huge mixer for that. I do it all on my phone at the moment. I wish I had bought one of those Zoom recorders that Grey Owl mentioned. You can record directly on it, even plug mics in. Sound quality is excellent, and you can easily transfer the files to your computer for editing. BUT, you are not tethered to your computer, which is huge! I would be recording a lot more if I had one of those... ----------
Thanks for the advice everyone. I took Grey Owls advice, because I wanted the option of it being portable also. I picked up a H6, which has 4 XlR inputs and XY and/or Mid Side mic, depending on which module you want to use. It is a crazy useful piece of gear and I am recording it all in the RAW for use with a DAW later. I have also hooked it up directly to a laptop via the USB and it seems to be fairly seamless.
