Hello, I’m a newbie here and trying to connect my microphone and start recording. I’m not getting any waveform or sound when I play back. I’ve checked extensively that the microphone is enabled , the drivers up to date and I can see it in Audacity. I’ve also done an online mic check to verify the hardware works and it does. I’m kind of at my wits’ end here, What may I be missing? Recording volume is at 100%. My mic is a Marantz MPM-1000. Edited to add that if I put the mic in contact with my lips I get a tiny amount of sound but the green bars don’t go over .-30dB. I’m using a jack plug with 2 black bands and nothing in-between. Could that be it? I also have an older SHure SM58 mic I used when I was singing years ago, this one works but I’m not sure the sound quality is good enough.
Is a condenser mic which requires phantom power to work.
Is a dynamic mic which does not require phantom power to work.
Ah ok, thanks. Any advice on what type of phantom power to look for? And will an almost 40 years old SM58 be good enough?
Of the two mics only the Marantz needs phantom power. Can usually get the phantom power from a mixer, or from a stand alone power supply. (other cheaper devices are available)
The mic socket in typical computers has cheap-noisy A/D converter designed for VOIP calls, not music.
I’d be tempted to buy a mixer which connects to the computer via a USB socket which has better A/D electronics.
Thanks. I’m looking into phantom power and finding two kinds. What’s best between Behringer U-Phoriam UM2 and Behringer Ps400? I understand the first is usb and the second jack but am not sure if one’s recommended vs the other.
The standard is 48 volt, but 9 volt will do …
If the mic cable is very long (>100m) more volts are better.
PS400 is just a phantom power supply. That’s all it does.
UM2 is a budget USB audio interface. It delivers phantom power, it has a mic pre-amp, it has a 16-bit A/D converter, and a headphone out so you can monitor in realtime.
UM2 will get the audio from your Marantz condenser mic into your computer via the USB for the lowest possible price.
[ UM2 gets its power from the computer USB. PS400 needs its own power supply via the included 12v adapter ]