i’m wanting to switch my ‘onboard’ sound card to the sb - zx pci-e card. i’ve read some post about issues with the mic and that got me to wondering if you all have heard anythibg from people using audacity and not being able to record with this soundcard. i’m also curious . you all have advised that i get a usb mic – which i did. creative labs tells me that if i plug my usb mic into my pc in one of the usb ports, it won’t work using their soundcard. (it works now with the onboard i have currently). i’m not sure i understand the why. do you all know? it also means i will have to use a converter - usb → 3.5mm – is THIS going to cause a problem with audacity? my last mic that had a 3.5mm jack didn’t work. (though it was a somewhat cheaper mic)
i’ve read some post about issues with the mic and that got me to wondering if you all have heard anythibg from people using audacity and not being able to record with this soundcard.
As long as it has the correct drivers for your version of Windows, it should work. Audacity gets the digital audio stream from Windows.
i’m also curious . you all have advised that i get a usb mic – which i did. creative labs tells me that if i plug my usb mic into my pc in one of the usb ports, it won’t work using their soundcard. (it works now with the onboard i have currently). i’m not sure i understand the why
A USB mic essentially has its own soundcard built-in (at least the input/recording half of a soundcard).
it also means i will have to use a converter - usb → 3.5mm –
That wouldn’t make sense. The microphone element puts-out an analog signal. It gets amplified and goes into an analog-to-digital converter and that digital data is formatted for USB. It doesn’t make sense to convert it back to analog (for the 3.5mm analog input) and then have the soundcard convert it to digital again.
you all have advised that i get a usb mic – which i did.
A USB mic isn’t necessarily better than an analog mic, but a [u]“Studio Style” USB mic[/u] (AKA “podcast mic”) will be better than a regular “computer mic” (USB or analog) and better than the mic built into a laptop.
An alternative is a stage/studio mic with an appropriate [u]USB Interface[/u] (which will also bypass your soundcard). Stage/studio mics do not interface properly with a regular consumer soundcard.
ok - i’m almost back to square one again. i have installed my soundblaster zx sound card. 1) yes the good news it -the mic still works via computer usb. it actually will NOT work if i use the 3.5mm jack on the soundcard. maybe because it’s getting its power from usb?? anyway…the bad part of this is that while i can sort of hear my voice - it is very muffled. the mic i have is an audio technica dynamic cardioid. i’m really afraid to ask this question - but do i need to get yet another dynamic cardioid mic that supplies its own power - or is there a solution w/n audacity? my setting in audacity for the mic is either microphone atr usb or primary sound capture device - i’ve tried both and get the same muffled results.
secondly - when i was using my onboard sound - when i jacked my headphones - i still had sound coming out of my speakers. so when i did a playback - all i had to do was slip the headphones off and i could listen to the output through the speakes. now with the new soundcard - i have to keep unplugging my headphones and changing the output setting in audacity to listen to the playback through the speakers. very much a PITA! is there a remedy for this?
byw - since i’ve installed the soundcard - i disabled the onboard sound in device manager (win 7).
yes the good news it -the mic still works via computer usb. it actually will NOT work if i use the 3.5mm jack on the soundcard.
How are you connecting a USB mic to a 3.5mm jack?
the mic i have is an audio technica dynamic cardioid. i’m really afraid to ask this question - but do i need to get yet another dynamic cardioid mic that supplies its own power
Model number? Condenser mics need power, dynamic mics do not. Of course, all USB mics need power for the preamp & ADC, which they get from the USB port. I’ve never seen a dynamic USB mic.
secondly - when i was using my onboard sound - when i jacked my headphones - i still had sound coming out of my speakers. so when i did a playback - all i had to do was slip the headphones off and i could listen to the output through the speakes. now with the new soundcard - i have to keep unplugging my headphones and changing the output setting in audacity to listen to the playback through the speakers. very much a PITA! is there a remedy for this?
That’s normal for a laptop or most stereo systems. I assume it’s also normal with your soundcard (which apparently has a separate headphone jack). Most regular soundcards have one stereo output jack so you have to unplug the speakers if you want to plug in headphones.
You can use a [u]Y-Adapter[/u] to connect both at the same time.
i’ve tried both and get the same muffled results.
If it’s a side-address mic, make sure you are talking/singing onto the front side (not the back side or the end).