Indeed don’t be afraid of the Peavey. It’s got a lot of knobs because they try to make these things a flexible as possible. One “gotcha” to be aware of is that not all of the channels are the same (that’s part of the “flexible as possible” bit.) There is a block diagram on page 13 of the user manual (which can be downloaded from the Peavey website), spend some time studying it and it will probably start to make some sense as to how it all works.
Here’s what a one microphone mixer looks like (illustration). Click the picture.
The controls that are blacked out are turned off, turned to neutral or switched off. You may need an adapter if your headphones have a 1/8" plug instead of the 1/4" plug called for here.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062465
The connection to the computer is on the rear. It’s either USB or standard HiFi RCAs like this.
http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/peaveyRear.jpg
The analog mixer takes that Behringer UCA202 (or equivalent) to connect to the computer, assuming the normal ratty sound connections on a Windows laptop.
http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/peaveyUCA202Lenovo.jpg
The USB mixer version plugs straight into the computer.
I should go back and see which preamplifier Bruno (bgravato) used with his microphone and guitar. That was simple and worked very well. He started cranking out top quality work at the end of the discussion thread.
Koz
Here it is. Yes, it’s still available.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/USBDualPrePS
Two “problems” with this one. It has the left/right thing. Anything you plug into the LEFT microphone connection appears as a left voice in a stereo show. It’s easily fixed, but you have to fix it every time. That and because of the limited controls, the volume may be on the restrained (quiet) side, although Bruno didn’t seem to have any problem with it. We know he was doing post-production with his work, so he could have just folded volume correction into the process.
He was playing classic guitar between two and three feet away from the mic, so he wasn’t blowing anybody over with high volume.
It does one thing that I like very much. You can run the unit from its own batteries sidestepping the USB battery noise problem we’ve been having with some posters.
Oh, and it claims to be able to do that fancy headphone monitoring thing where you can listen to yourself when you do overdubbing. That’s where the singing “group” is one guy. First he records the tenor, then he goes back and records the bass…etc. We had a recent post where a country and western singer produced multiple songs where he did everything including harmony lead and background singers.
“OK, it’s Thursday. Today I sing tenor backup with accompaniment guitar. Friday is one of the two drum tracks.”
This is the configuration I used when I wrote pieces of the overdubbing tutorial. That’s why the headphone (earbud) is plugged into the USB adapter instead of the computer or the mixer. That provides Perfect Overdubbing where you can hear yourself live in the mix. You should consider that if you plan on getting fancier later.
http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/peaveyUCA202Lenovo.jpg
Koz
Thanks everyone for all the help and info surrounding the peavey. I’ll most certainly keep it in mind when I finally decide on something.
But for now I’d still like to get some more information on the alternatives, like the other one you suggested in your last post, Koz.
What would the easy fix be for this problem? I’m guessing it’s better for me to know that before buying anything with such a “problem”.
My main focus is still to up the output volume of my microphone, and since it’s a Dynamic, it’s already pretty low.
From what I’ve read from Steve, the guy who bought this used a condenser mic alongside this preamp, which is probably what allowed him to play from such a distance. I, myself, wouldn’t be using my mic from so far, but do you still think this preamp will do the trick for me then?
Is this a problem I should expect from a unit that gets its power from the wall too (Like the peavey), or is it something that only occurs when the preamp gets his power from the USB?
Cheers,
Deomew
I frequently reference “Sweetwater” in my posts. They’re not the cheapest supplier, but they do very well, have good support and their web page has terrific magnifiers on the illustrations. It’s next best thing to walking into the store and holding a product. That and they put jujubes and gummy bears in the bottom of the shipping container.
I bring this up because I’m talking to them about how the headphones work on their USB mixer. That’s the reason I have not been able to recommend the USB version of the mixer. Overdubbing takes very specific headphone connections.
I’ll post back when I find out. Right now I’m getting shuffled between support people until they find one that can answer the question. That and I want to talk to the guy who does the gummy bears.
After Bruno’s ‘Arts Preamp’, I’m afraid I’m going to run out. You have comments on everything I have, know about or have used successfully.
The smaller, less complicated amplifiers tend to get that way with shortcuts and the need to compensate for newbie operators. That’s what usually gives you quiet volume. Again, you can usually make up for Quiet. Overload is fatal.
It does occur to me to ask about your soundcard. The two soundcards I have feature an option that offers “20dB boost” in the microphone channel. Does yours? Root around in the Sound Control Panels. You may not need a fancy preamplifier at all if your soundcard can get louder.
– If you have a stereo show with the voice only on one side –
Import the track if it isn’t there already.
Open the menu list from the little black arrow on the left > Split Stereo Track.
[x] delete the empty track.
Menu again > Mono.
That mono track will play on both left and right in most if not all players even though it’s only one track.
I have occasional need to deliver a stereo show with the same voice on both sides. In that case:
Starting with your mono track from above > Control-D (duplicate).
Menu again > Make Stereo Track.
Export.
Koz
Sorry. Missed one. We have been getting complaints of people with USB-powered sound equipment getting “frying mosquitos” noise in their performances. We know what that is. That’s the noise a normal computer makes when it’s working, but it doesn’t normally get into the show. Our guess is the computer makers have been creating less and less well-built USB connections and the sound makers have been paying less and less attention to ignoring interference. The combination of those two is not good. You can’t filter out that background screeching whine in post production and it’s possible you just can’t use that computer in that way for sound.
Koz
I’m sorry I’m giving you such a hard time by being such a difficult customer.
You’ve been really helpful, and you’ve gave me a loads of awesome advise and suggestions. So I’d really want to thank you for that.
The sweetwater site is indeed quite well established, but I’m afraid it’s a bit hard for me to buy from them, since I live in Europe, and the import costs would be pretty high.
So I think I might have to make do with (web)shops that are more from my area so that I can keep the import taxes at a minimum.
As for my soundcard. It’s got a boost for my microphone that goes up by a maximum of 30dB, but whenever I do this, I get an overabundance of noise in everything I record, which is exactly what I’d love to get rid off.
I’ve also tried canceling out the noise, using the Audacity noise removal tool, but even though the noise is mostly gone, the recording just doesn’t sound right anymore.
Thanks again for all the help. I really appreciate it.
Cheers,
Deomew
I’m sorry I’m giving you such a hard time by being such a difficult customer.
No. You’ve been a model of cooperation and cheerfulness. Difficult customers are spare with information, oblique (crazy) and argumentative.
You do, however have a difficult problem which is why I though it was worth spending time. Remember in an early post that bgravato is the author of the longest post on the forum, 18 dense chapters, and all he was doing was recording his acoustic guitar!
I would kill if someone took a sharp knife and split my mixer down to one microphone channel and eliminated all the parts I blacked out in that illustration. But alas, I’ve never found one which does that. So it comes down to a single-channel Shure X2U which I don’t like because it’s too quiet (I’ve never used it on an actual production) and the PV6 which works perfectly but is too complicated – it’s a full-on sound mixer.
I hope you came away with enough clues what to look for; that Phantom Power thing can be an interesting surprise.
People assume that the forum is swarming with all different manner of users and all they have to do is post a request and somebody with the answer is bound to be available. It doesn’t work like that. Almost all users arrive, fire a question, get an answer and we never see them again – unless it doesn’t work. That leaves the forum elves and the equipment we have actually used or personally known about, so the range of people available is probably down to the number of people in a Tesco/7-Eleven at any one time – if that.
Not the crowd everyone thinks.
If you do find something you’re happy with, post back and describe how it went.
Koz
This is one of Bruno’s takes. It’s a raw capture. No corrections, effects or filters.
http://www.gravato.eu/recordings/mi_favorita-take1.flac
And this is his thread:
https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/budget-usb-mic-for-classical-guitar-recording-needed/12367/1
Koz
Thanks!
I kinda felt like I was a bit too demanding of your knowledge, so I’m happy to hear that this was not the case. ^^
I came here because I’ve been using Audacity for a while now, and I thought that the people here might have some advise for me. It is true that I originally thought that there would be more people on here, like you said, but I’ve been very glad with the help I’ve gotten from the few that have stuck around like you did.
You’re also right about taking my time. Picking something that suits me is very difficult, and I’ve learned a lot from all that’s been said in this tread. I’ll be sure to take everything into account, and make a decision accordingly.
Thanks again for all your time and shared expertise. I’ll make sure to let you know what I’ve finally settled on, when I do.
Cheers,
Deomew
Here I am again with a small update and yet another question.
I’ve been looking around for a bit, and I’ve stumbled upon 2 products that seem fairly decent, and are easy enough for me to buy from a site that delivers here where I live.
But before I buy anything I’d love to get your opinions about them, since they haven’t been mentioned here yet.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/USBMix
This is the first one. It’s a fairly basic device which is USB powered and only has a handful of options, but it is from ART, which I know is the brand that bgravato ended up with.
And the second one is this:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MultiMix4USB/
It’s not exactly that one, since the one I’d be able to buy, would be a multimix 6 (with 6 channels instead of 4) but I couldn’t find that one on sweetwater.
It looks a bit like the peavey that Koz suggested, but I have no clue whether or not this is a quality brand.
This one does have an AC adaptor, so there shouldn’t be a problem with noise coming from the USB-port like what was mentioned that could be the case with some usb powered devices.
It would be very much appreciated if anyone could give some opinions on these.
Cheers,
Deomew
My vote is for the MultiMix4, but keep the receipts. I have no actual experience with it, but the ad shows it has all the requirements for a good, small USB mixer, and it’s powered from the wall.
There’s no way to tell if it’s going to get loud enough without actually plugging it all together, but I expect it to.
I read the specs carefully and as near as I can tell, it does not allow overdubbing and Sound-On-Sound recording. So straight musical recording and listening on headphones is where it stops.
Make sure the Phantom Power is off before you plug your SM58 in.
Koz
It’s possible the Arts unit does allow Overdubbing, but it’s almost impossible to get the instructions to come right out and say so. The Arts unit has a number of other shortcomings (according to me), so my vote is still with the Multi-Mix.
You would be looking for the right volume from your performance and at the same time, relatively low hiss/noise level. If you turn all three volume controls all the way up, I would expect the hiss level to increase, but I don’t expect you will need that kind of volume boost. That’s the setting you would need if you were required to get a recording and the performer is across the room.
Koz
If you do get the Multi-Mix, post back and I’ll give you starting-out settings and what some of the odder controls do.
Koz
Hi again!
Yesterday I have finally gotten my hands on my alesis multimix 6.
It’s second hand, but it hasn’t been used much according to the person I’ve bought it from.
I’ve been trying the mixer out since yesterday, but I haven’t had a lot of success at the moment.
Audacity’s been giving me random results. Sometimes I get no sound, sometimes I get a strange whistling noise, sometimes it doesn’t find the connection at all, and other times it records (but with flaws in the recording). It’s all very random, and i’m pretty sure that I’m probably doing something wrong here.
Another problem that I have found out is that the USB audio codec gets recognized by other programs (skype, dxtory, …) but either doesn’t actually record anything, or gives the sames odd whistling noise as it does in audacity.
So I could really use some help getting things set up. If your offer still stands that is.
Cheers,
Deomew
Yes, against the idea you think I’m going to wave a magic wand. We are working probably thousands of miles apart and using equipment I’ve never actually touched. So all I can do is work from the Alesis info page, which is very well done, if sparse and personal experiences with other mixers.
Did you buy it from a person you could actually reach over and touch?
Disconnect the computer, leave the Alesis working, plug your headphones into the Alesis and turn the headphone volume up. Leave everything else turned down. Hear anything? I’m expecting flat silence. Now plug your microphone and cable into mixer channel 1. Make sure Phantom Power is OFF.
Turn up the GAIN for that microphone, LEVEL 1 and MAIN VOL up about half-way. All three. Can you hear your voice? Now turn all three up, (one-o’clock, two-o’clock) until your voice registers on the flashing light sound meter. Your voice should sound clear and crisp with no funny noises and not much if any hiss in the background.
We should insure that the wall power where you are matches the Alesis wall power supply you got. If you’re in the US, it’s 120VAC, 60Hz. Britain is, I think, 220VAC, 50Hz. You just have to know yours — or Google.
Koz
I certainly don’t expect you to magically know everything I’m asking and to fix all my problems.
I’m already glad you’ve helped me get so far and are still prepared to help me out the best you can with the problems I’m encountering.
I did in fact buy it from someone that I met in person.
So if anything’s the matter with the mixer, I’m sure I could ask the person in question for more help or info, and maybe even return it if it’s not working properly.
Normally the plugs here should be exactly right for the mixer, as it is designed for use within Europe, and the voltage should be ideal here.
As for the rest of your suggestions, I’m afraid that I’m gonna have to wait till tomorrow until I can do the things you asked me to do, since the only headphones I have that are able to be plugged into the mixer aren’t here at the moment.
I’ll go get them tomorrow and report back to you with the results when I did everything you told me to do.
Cheers,
Deomew
The 10,000 foot view is we’re making sure the basic mixer works.
Koz
I have absolutely no idea how I did it, but after some testing and toying with the mixer I somehow managed to get the desired results on all the programs I mentioned earlier.
So as I suspected, the problems I encountered were mostly the product of my incompetence with the mixer.
The results are already pretty decent, but I’m still gonna have to figure out how the extra (EQ) configurations work, since they’re all in neutral position at the moment.
You recon I should just leave them like that?
Cheers,
Deomew
I have absolutely no idea how I did it, but after some testing and toying with the mixer I somehow managed to get the desired results on all the programs I mentioned earlier.
If you disconnected the USB cable and reconnected it, that may have done it. Nothing like a little dust in the connection to mess things up. Remember when you disconnect a USB service, Audacity can “Forget” how to use it when you put it back. Restart Audacity or Transport > Rescan.
I encountered were mostly the product of my incompetence with the mixer.
I prefer “Inexperience.”
You recon I should just leave them like that?
We’re the last people to tell you not to experiment with Audacity to see how it works. You can take screen shots of what you have now so you can get back if you need to, and you can always post back if you sink into it over your knees.
I don’t remember what the front part of this thread was, but most people start out cold with a microphone and discover all the house noises and problems that their ears have been automatically “tuning out” for decades.
“I don’t remember the refrigerator being that loud…”
Koz