JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Microphone and Vocalist Forum Mic advice please!

Hey all I have been writing/recording music in my own little project studio for a couple of years. Recently I have started working a little more seriously with a friend of mine and I would like to upgrade my microphone setup.

Right now I am using a Nady sp-1 which is a basic cardioid dynamic mic. I would say that it is very comparable to the sennhieser, shure, audio technica, and behringer mics that I have used in various studio and live environments.

I am actually pretty happy with the way it has preformed for me, but it is time to upgrade. Right now my chain is mic (SP1)-- (ART) tube pre amp--computer interface (usb)--Cakewalk Sonar 8 (studio edition).

I am looking for something to help smooth out some harshness out of the top end and possibly some sybilance. Here are some examples of my voice. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=753054

I have been thinking about the Marshall MXL V69 Mogami edition tube microphone, I have also been interested in the Nady RSM series of ribbon mics. Does anyone have experience with any of these. What else would you recommend? I would like to keep the price down on the low end of the spectrum.

This will only be used in my studio. Thanx

Bater,

To me it sounds like your mic is just fine, and that the harshness probably comes from your tube preamp. Art's have that characteristic colored sound, and you probably would want something more transparent for your voice. So, I think you need an alternative preamp for your voice, unless the Art has an option for switching off the tubes.

Perhaps you would probably benefit from just having a good soundcard like TC Electronics Desktop Konnekt 6 (just to show it to you: http://www.thomann.de/dk/tc_electronic_desktop_konnekt_6.htm ). It is very transparent, has great preamps for the price, and comes with great A/D converters also (be aware, you need 1394 firewire slots on your computer).

Of course you could also get a compressor or a better preamp (yeah, always suggestions for new gear...) working with the sibliances on the way in, but Sonar should have a plug-in compressor to take care of that (de-esser), doesn't it? But it won't help you if the Art is coloring.

Try to turn down the settings on the Art, and listen at high volume to the top end of your voice. If you like that better, you should bypass the art for your vocals and plug into a good soundcard instead IMO.

If you don't, just try to put a de-esser on your vocal track, and EQ your voice with a lowpass filter to your preferences. If that works you won't need new gear for the moment.

To my ears, what you have sound pretty good, except for the tube coloring from the Art, that is anything but 'smooth'. I would not go with a ribbon mic for vocals in your situation, as you would need to max out the Art to get the required volume from it, resulting in your voice sounding even more like you don't want.

Therefore I would not go with the tube mic, either, as I suspect the tube coloring of your voice is what you describe as 'harshness' and 'sibliance'.

Hi Bater,

I have a setup similar to yours including an ART tube pre-amp which I have discovered are not loved by those on the Home Recording forum as well as Songcabinet. I also have a couple of Nady mics that I use for live performance that sound pretty good. I listened to your voice and noticed that you had some digital clipping on All I Ask, which is a result of recording too hot, not the equipment.

I am using two MXL mics for recording - an older V57M large diaphragm condenser and a newer 603S small diaphragm. Both sound good to me but the people on that other forum are not crazy about the V57m. This recording of a song I have been co-writing is the V57M through the ART so you can be the judge.

Country Rendezvous

I am no microphone expert but I have also got a couple of Shure dynamic mics, am borrowing a friend's Shure Beta58a, and have A/B'd another friend's condenser mic that looks similar to the MXL. Frankly, they don't sound all that much different on my voice. Maybe using something other than the ART is the key!

Thanx for the replies guys. I am not attempting to make my recordings professional quality, but there is certainly room for improvement. I just assumed that my $10 mic and $20 preamp was the logical place to start.

Songcabinet- The interface that I use (m-audio mobile pre) has a built in preamp and 48v phantom power, but I do not like it. I dont know if sterile is the right word, but it doesnt catch the subtle nuances that I can when I run through the ART. With that being said, if I could I would remove the ART, or run the new mic straight into the interface and record with both mics. Maybe you are right and I should look into a new preamp, I have seen quite a few on ebay that "should" be better than the ART.

Colin- I definitely need to work on my recording skills. I am still trying to find the balance that will sound good on the high and low end of the spectrum.

By the way, I have not opened up my ART preamp to look at the tube but chances are it is not the best. I think it is a 12AX7 and it might be worth trying a better or different 12AX7 (or a 5751 for a little smoother sound and less gain). That assumes that the tube actually does something and is not just there for the glow!

I'd get a better preamp first.
Of the two mikes mentioned I'd suggest the MXL V69 is going to be the better of the two.
However, if you're not dead set on a tube mic, have a look at the V67i., with dual diaphragms it give you several different colorings depending on need.
They also have some pretty good reviews.

Hey Bater!

If you're talking about an ART MPA, then you've got one of the nicest preamps you're likely to find under a thousand dollars. FMR RNP is another good one.

But you want to avoid upper frequency distortion, if I understand you right. Where esses become eshes. That MXLv69 has mixed reviews...but mostly good ones, especially if you replace the tube with something like a NOS Mullard or Telefunken. Not a bad mic at all. But you may still catch some harshness due to the nature of Chinese condenser mic design. Since you've been using a dynamic, you might want to check out the Shure SM7b, an excellent choice for a less than perfect room...that mic, as well as the Electro-Voice RE20, is designed to have a very narrow field to sing in, and very effectively eliminates most everything else. And both mics are very smooth and silky on the top end.

Another mic worth checking out is an Oktava 319, usually found used for $100 or so...these Russian mics are very good at smoothing out the high end, no Chinese hash.

If you do get one of the millions of Chinese manufactured condensers, maybe consider getting one modded by Michael Joly at oktavamod.com. I'm getting a Gauge ECM-87 modified by them, and I fully expect my "pretty good" mic to graduate into Neumannesque splendor.

Colin- I have entertained the thought of changing out the tube in my preamp, but have yet to do any kind of research on it. I am sure a quick web search would turn something up as these are fairly popular.

Daklander- I will put some time into researching what different preamps may help me. Thanks for the advice on the V67i I will look into them.

Mark- My preamp is the ART Tube MP (professional processor series). It is basically the cheapest preamp I could find that had any kind of good reviews. I'll look into the mics you mentioned and see which ones pique my interest. Thanx

Have any of you used the MXL9090 mics? They claim to be similar to the V67i.

That, I think, is a fairly recent addition to their stable, at least it wasn't on their site the last time I visited, and I have not used it.
If it's like the rest of the 900 series mics it has a 5/8" diaphragm so is really a medium, not large, diaphragm mic.
The V67i is a true large diaphragm mic with a 1 1/2" diaphragm. It also has a -10dB pad switch to reduce low end noise and that can be helpful in some situations. Other than that the charts look very close.
I own the MXL990 and it's pretty harsh compared to the other MXL mics I have so I seldom use it. I too need to look into better pre-amps.

I dont think I will modding my preamp. Apparently there is an opamp that does most of the work. The tube might add a little bit of color, but it is so undervolted that there is really no point in replacing it.

Hi Bater. I have listened to your stuff and the quality of the recording is really not that bad for a home recording. Maybe recorded a bit harsh with some distortion, vocals ar a bit dry and flat sounding. That can be cured by adjusting record levels and post record adding a touch of reverb, air and warmth with some plugins. My advice is to keep it simple. I would look at using a good simple audio interface with phantom power and a good studio valve condenser mic to record a good clean natural sound. You need a mic that does not add anything or take anything away from the record source. Use post record plugins to adjust and edit the sound to your liking. Many preamps add tones, colour etc that create a false unnatural sound. There are some very good chinese studio valve amps about available at around $100 and a good interface is relatively cheap. I have seen many suitable for your use on ebay. I am afraid I have never used Sonar or cakewalk I use Cubase but I am sure the principals are the same. I have just bought a few mics etc myself including a Neumann but also have a SE electronics condenser that does a great job it cost well under $100 on ebay.
There are also a lot of valve plugins etc that will give the same results as preamp hardware.

JIM

Jim- Thanx for the reply. What you described is my basic plan. I think the m-audio interface that I have is good enough for what I am doing. It has built in preamps and 48v phantom power, but I dont like the way my mic saounds when I run straight into it. It is missing something that the ART pre helps to fill in. I dont know if it is the added gain that I can get by running the seperate pre or if it is the tube, but it does help. My theory is that with a better mic I will be able to run directly into the interface preamp. It would also give me the option to record with both mics as there are 2 channels on the interface. I dont know exactly what I need, but I think a mic with a nice mid range boost and smooth top end would help.

With a decent condenser mic you wont need a preamp. You should get a clean clear signal nothing added nothing taken away sent straight through. The secret is the post record editing. I would concentrate on the quality of the mic and look at post record plugins rather than using hardware to boost a mic not quite up to the job. I have another thread where there is a link to a tutorial on plugins and how to use them.
http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/740938#Post740938

Hey Bater, you have great voice, expressive and full of dynamics, and worth trying to get the best configuration for it. Seems to me, your weak link at the moment is your m-audio interface, as isn't everything going through the in built preamps? And internal preamps on low end interfaces tend to be, as you describe, sterile. Unless you're able to bypass those internal preamps, you're probably not hearing the your current mic how it sounds through the art pre amp alone.

The search for your ideal mic/preamps can be $$$ one, so try and do a lot of research before buying anything.

Lucian

Lucian- Thanx for the reply and the compliment. I was afraid that someone would make that argument and I guess I dont really have a good rebuttal for you other than the fact that I have to start somewhere. I know that cost isnt necessarily a determining factor in how something will sound, but my mic setup is the cheapest part of my chain right now. If I get a new mic and it doesnt improve anything then Ill be in the market for a new interface.

I have been doing some research and I think that the Oktava 319 that Mark metioned might be the mic for me. It has all good reviews from what I have been reading.

Any experience with the MXL2001? It has a good price, good reviews and it sound like it might work well with my voice.

Bater, I know better than anyone that we all have to start somewhere and I'm just moving slowly and painfully to a more pro set up. Going from a Br-900 digital recorder, Rode NT1a, Presonus tubepre set up to a computer based one, and I couldn't get the sound I wanted from my NT1A, tubepre set up through a Saffire interface, even when I upgraded my mics, and then it dawned on me that the internal pre-amps in my Boss Br-900 were pretty darn good ones and the ones in my Saffire LE were pretty darn average, and entire chain is only as good as its weakest link.

The Octava 319 seems one worth trying out for the price. I'd stay away from cheap tube mics though, as a good tube mic that doesn't need to have its tube upgraded is hard to find for under £800.

Lucian

I agree with you. Im sure that after I get a new mic that I still wont be happy. Then Ill "have" to upgrade my interface. All in the name of progress, right?

Here is a link to a mic I think might suit your voice. I have been using the SE2200A for a while and am quite happy with the results. It is a great mic with super specs for the price. I use it with a Tascam US122 Audio/Midi interface which is also pretty good.

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Microphone/product/SE+Electronics/SE2200a/10/1

Bater, I was not saying that the Art is bad at all, just that the tubes in it might color your voice in a way you might not like. If you are sure you like the coloring, don't get another pre.

Soundcard wise, M-audio actually makes decent A/D converters, so it might be the very essence of A/D conversion that don't work for you sound wise. Then you could start working with recording on outboard gear, in stead. Oldschool in a homestudio, perhaps, as most go the opposite route, but it might prove rewarding for you, sound wise.

To me the mic you use sounds great for your voice. And if you want to have more nuances, you might consider running it through a DI box before running it into the Art. It could get you just the few more nuances you'd want.

I still think what you call 'harshness' comes from the tubes in the Art, but I suggest you deal with it by using a good EQ plug-in as well as compress the sibliances away you don't like with another plug-in. If you can't afford good plug-ins, you are better off with some midrange hardware to take care of that, though IMO

With low-end gear, I think you can only do marginally better that you already do with the recording of your voice, though, so in stead of wasting too much time and energy in the eternal gear hunt, save some bucks and just try to tweak what you have. I think all of the suggested mics (the Octava, MXL's, the 2200 ect.) are all good ones. But the one you work with, also sound really good for your voice.

.. I did say it sounds pretty good to me as is?

Good luck, Bater.

One thing that has helped me to improve my miced sound is to install an in-line compressor right after my ART preamp. Mine is a Presonus Bluemax and I use the presets for vocals, acoustic guitar and bass, and occasionally electric guitar. I was very surprised at the degree of improvement it made.

There are some great plugins that you can use post record to add colour to your recordings. Here is a useful link to a tutorial to help decide how and what plugins to use. A lot of these plugins are available free and compatable with most music production software.

http://www.tweakheadz.com/plugins_for_audio.html

Thanx for all the help guys.

Songcabinet- Thanx for the reply and the compliments. the problem is that youve never heard my voice in real life. It gets much better. Seriously though, I do EQ and compress the crap out of it. In the end it still sounds like me, but not like my regular voice sounds. If that makes any sense.

Colin- I think I am going to try some things with my setup to really find out what the weakest link is, but I will look at those as an option.

Jim- thanx for the suggestions I will check out that mic and the plugins.

I am going to jam with a friend of mine tonight. He has a much nicer setup than I do as well as a condenser mic of some kind. I think Ill record something with him through his setup then borrow his condenser and record something on my setup so that I can A B them. That should give me some idea of how bad my interface preamp is degrading the sound. He also has a tascam us122 interface that he is no longer using. Ill see if I can borrow it and A B C them all against one another.

Well Ive come to some kind of decision. Today I listed my interface on ebay. I found that (for the moment) I can record by plugging the ART directly into the mic input on my laptop. It sounds about as good as the interface did. This fall I am planning on bulding a new desktop to replace the one that quit this summer. At that time I will get a new interface as well. Should I go with a firewire, USB, or PCI interface? Portability is not an issue for me. Everything I have stays in my studio. In the mean time I am still keeping my eyes open for a good mic. I guess I will be updating a lot more that I had planned on.

I would have a custom dedicated music PC built. There are a selection of pre built suitable music PCs on the market specific for music production and most PC builders could build one to your specs. There will be no need to worry about external interfaces etc as these would be built in with your sound card. The benefits of such a system far outway the extra cash outlay and hassles of trying to multi task a conventional multi purpose PC. The biggest probs with home recording are latency and extraneous noise. These probs are all but eliminated with a custom built PC.

This will be a custom built PC dedicated to recording. As was the last one, but for whatever reason it decided to take a crap this summer. So you are suggesting an onboard (pci) soundcard? Which ones are good? I know that latency can be an issue, but doesnt firewire do a good job with that as well? As far as noise goes you would be hard pressed to tell me if the last computer I built was on or off if you couldnt see the lights. Thanx for the ideas, keep em coming.

Hi Bater These links might help....As you already had a custom made PC you will know what to look for. I know a guy who builds these he even has a stripped down version of XP pro that he installs to cut out even more none essential O/S crap. The type of sound card you need will depend very much on your budget and exact applications. No point in buying 32 I/Os if you only use 2.

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=music_production_pc

http://www.echoaudio.com/Products/PCI/

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct05/articles/emu1616m.htm

Thanx for the links to that info. I like the first link as it gives me quite a bit of info on the construction and hardware used. Right now I have an Antec 500watt power supply, 2gb DDR2 800mhz memory (firestix), xylence 120mm cooling fans, Titan case modified for low noise, WD 250gb hard drive with 16mb buffer, C2D e6300 processor, and other misc stuff. All I really need at the moment is a new motherboard and audio interface. I think I will go with a second hard drive for recording to. I have read in a few places that you shouldnt record to the same HD that you are running the operating system from. I originally built this system for gaming and recording because a number of my friends are into pc gaming, but I quickly lost interst in the whole gaming thing.

With a pci card such as the audiophile listed in the first link I am assuming that I would then need an outboard preamp? Does that card have breakout cable to plug an XLR cable directly into the card?

Have a look at these pre-builts. There others from different distributors as well.
http://www.sweetwater.com/c859--PC_Desktops
http://www.sweetwater.com/c844--Macintosh_Desktops

I agree with using externals to store your stuff. Wav files take up a heck of a lot of storage and just a few multi track recordings will soon slow down your PC. I have several externals of various sizes including a tera....they have come down in price over last few months..... handy for backup snd transporting stuff to and from different studios..... I also store some of the larger plugins and programs I seldom use to spare the O/S unnecessary work.

Some cards have a breakout box with a rack mount, and include preamps, XLR connectors, plus other balanced and unbalanced connections and phantom power. This is not really my area of expertise BUT I know a few guys who could give great advice if you need it.
A pal of mine who is also a studio engineer builds computers and has just made a custom studio PC from scratch for his home studio. It cost a fraction of the price and has the best parts and specs. I will ask him for a list of what is required.

I wonder if anyone has any insight into computer cooling fans? My desktop works great but the cooling fan is noisy and it speeds up and slows down by magic. I can't find any software that controls it.

There are quieter more efficient fans available and they are usually easy to replace, usually just plug in and forget. It is generally a trade off between silence and efficiency. Some of the more modern PCs have advanced water cooling systems that are noiseless. These top end systems are not cheap.....but are a must for a studio where silence is golden.
try this link.
http://www.quietpcusa.com/

Bater,
I looked up your Mic, the NADY SP-1. It is a dynamic Microphone and doesn't need a Preamp for you to use it. Any place you can plug the cable into should be OK.

If you buy a Condenser Microphone your ART Preamp should work just fine. This Preamp uses a 12ax7 tube. The 12ax7 has been used for years and is a perfectly acceptable tube for low noise audio circuts. It was probably used in Pro Tape Recorders before Solid State became the norm.

A Preamp is a very basic circut that (In this case) is a two stage circut, the 12ax7 is actually two tubes in one envelope ans is cascaded in series as so it will amplify the signal twice.
Many years ago the EIA, Electronics Standards Industry Association set the standards so one peice of gear would be compatiable with another peice of gear. So when you plug a Microphone into a computer a dynamic mic will work as designed.

Your ART Preamp will work with any Condenser Mic because of the Industry Standards set many years ago.

Your Nady is a low end dynamic mic and a better mic, even another dynamic such as a Shure SM-57 may eliminate the harshness you are experencing.

Wow, thanx for all the great feedback.

Colin- The brand I used is called silenX. You could go with a water cooled syatem, but it would be totally unnecessary and pretty expensive. Not to metion that it takes quite a bit of know how just to get it set up right. Check out this link. http://www.silenx.com/index.asp. Otherwise just google "silent computer fans" and it will give you a whole host of options.

EDIT:I should add that I have been lucky with mine, but a lot of people say they have had trouble with them getting noisy or freezing up. Another brand to check out would be noctua, they are a bit more expensive, but everyone who has them loves them.

Daklander-Thanx for the info. It appears I have the makings of a pretty good entry level studio computer. Now I just gotta get some wheat harvested so that I can afford to start buying parts.

Big Jim- I would be interested to see what your friend put together, but from reading the specs on a few different studio recording systems it looks like I have a pretty good start. If I was pushing it really hard I would probably upgrade my processor and add some more RAM, but the hardest I ever push it is importing an instrumental track and recording a vocal and some harmonies over the top of it. Ive never had an issue where I didnt have enough computing power. I am interested to see if people prefer inboard or outboard recording interfaces though.

Ray- Yes this mic is scratching the bottom of the barrel, but when I was starting out I really had no idea what I was doing or what I should look for. It came as part of a bundle when I bought a mic boom. Surprisingly though it has fairly good sound. I have AB'd it against some sennheisers and some shures just to see if it was worth the extra money to upgrade, and at that point it was not. I think that had more to do with my setup than the mics though. I am keeping my preamp around because at some point I do plan on getting a condenser.

The setup that I had up to the point of starting this thread was as entry level as it could get (except for the computer itself). Now that I have a feel for it I want to upgrade. Hopefully (with your help) this will lead to a better end product.

Before going down the route of spending lots of cash on interface, new PC, sound card, preamp etc. I would concentrate on getting a good studio mic. This will probably resolve most of the issues and at least give you a ref point for further improvement. The recording chain is only as good as its weakest link and with a crappy mic as a starting point no amount of editing or preamps etc will fix the problem. There are some pretty good condensers at around $100 and some pro mics can cost thousands....I suggest looking on ebay for a good second hand valve or tube studio mic.

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?LH_Site...one&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m283

Something like AKG, CAD, Studio projects, SE, Rode, or Bluebottle (great mics if you can afford one)
I would stay away from Samson and Beheringer and similar cheaper makes.

I think I need to clarify. I am using an older laptop at the moment because my desktop broke down this summer. I have most of the components needed in order to put it back together. I am going to fix my computer. As I said before all I really need at this point is a motherboard and I am back in business. I have already listed my current interface on ebay, so I will be replacing it as well. I am keeping my eyes open for a new mic and I fully expect to find one as soon as I get the new components set up. Thanx for the advice on the mics.

Check your bios settings.

Bater, it really depends what exactly you want to do, and to what level you want to do it, and how much dosh you're able/willing to put towards this end. I sold a mic the other day, a mic that I'd intended as my main vocal mic, but it didn't work for me. The guy who bought it just wanted it to record the bass drum in his studio for a his 9 piece band. A whole different level to my humble set up. (PS. to the Karma God, I know I should have told him he counted out six twenties in the first hundred, so I gave away my leather recliner to a homeless hostel in penance - that's you and me square, right? Good.)

Anyway, Bater, you're a vocalist but don't play any instruments. Right? So where is the music coming from? Your buddy? Is he gonna do the mixing or are you?

I could give tell you a great interface to buy for a $1000 but it maybe be overkill for what you wanna do/and your budget.

Lucian

Lucian- You are correct. I am a vocalist (trying to play guitar and piano), but my friend does most of the instrumentation. Ususally what happens is that he will record a guitar/bass/drum track and give it to me. Then I will do a vocal on it. Lately we have been doing a most of our recording at his place because his studio is of much better quality than mine. I would like to be able to do more at home because it seems like our schedules rarely work together and I would like to do more recording. All I want is something with two mic channels and possibly a 1/4 line in so that I can record directly from my amp if I ever become so inclined. I want the best interface I can get for under or around $200. It seems that with my low requirement I should be able to find something good. Did you sell the Rode you mentioned in your first post? What about it didnt suit you?

Colin- Daklander is correct about looking in your bios for the magic fan controller. There may actually be a few things controlling it, but I would start by looking for something called Q-fan. There might also be a way to set a profile to quiet mode. These are intended to turn the fans down or off when they are not needed. The problem is that the fans have to run sometimes and if they are noisey then there isnt much you can do about it, besides replace them.

Look for bios when you start up your computer. It will tell you press something like del or f10 (or other) to enter bios or setup.

Used Echo Audiofire 4. Great pres and converters, cheap price, great reviews.

Looks like a good product. Ill keep my eyes open for one. Thanx Mark!

Bater, the mic I sold was a Rode K2 Tube mic, I sold it because it was outperformed by a AKG C414 in a shoot out through my Great River preamp. Finding the right mic is kind of like finding the right women. Try one you like, stick with it till you find a better one, unless you can get away with having a couple on the go at the same time. Helps if you can try them out before splashing any cash on them, if not, you have to go by what they look like on the Internet... And they often don't look or sound so good close up in the flesh. But one day, hopefully, you'll find the perfect one for you.

I'd say probably it best to make the main studio your buddy's place, and let him learn the art of mixing, acoustically treat his room, get decent monitors etc, and you concentrate on getting good vocal recordings in your place. If you're gonna use your mic just for vocals, you really just need a cardioid large diaphragm condenser mic. You don't need a mic with switchable polar patters and all that stuff. And getting a good acoustic environment helps a lot, especially when using a condenser mic. Here's a youtube vid with a few low budget suggestions on how to do that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4de0Hmn3Wg

The best thing for you to do is just to keep writing songs with your buddy and improving that before you start splashing the cash, as it's important to never lose sight that the main objective is write great songs, not professionally record average ones - that market is saturated enough as it is.

Right, hopefully that glue's dry now on the Lamborghini style door of my vocal booth - The Sanctum - that's nearing completion, and I can stick another tile on it.

Lucian

Lucian- Nice analogy. A women that likes to be sung to. Thats what I need. lol Yeah, my buddies place is definitely the main studio. He actually has a proper studio specifically built in part of his garage. Its not quite finished, but its already pretty nice. He is the lead gutar and vox in a local rock band. They dont do much recording together though. You have basically decribed what I am looking to do. I just want to be able to do some halfway good vocals at home so that when he and I get together we have something to work with. Thanx for the link to the youtube suggestions.

I have a similar setup. I have my own little studio setup.....used mainly for practice and rough demos. When I want something done properly I go into the proper studio. I have not the time, money or expertise to consider producing anything serious at home. I leave that to the pros.

Just an update for you all. I have my main computer up and running again. I ened up needing a new motherboard and new RAM. I also finished up harvesting wheat today so I think a new recording interface will be in the mail sometime soon. Right now I am leaning toward the Mackie Onyx Satellite. It has firewire connectivity, two channels, outsanding reviews, and its in my price range. Soon after that I will be looking for an Oktava MK319. I have seen quite a few go for under $100 on ebay. Thanx for all the help!

You might find some of these links on the Mics & Vocalist forum helpful:

http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/788610/page/1#Post827144