FREEMAN'S MIND: EPISODE 43

[crashtech]

Lord Sinister has been helpful on the mic issue, but I'd like to add some detail.

 

The Asus sound card has a built-in mic preamp that is designed for a condenser mic, and the Samson mic in use is a dynamic mic. The Samson mic might introduce some dynamic range compression by virtue of its design, since it is built for live performances in loud environments.

 

So the suggestion to use an outboard preamp is one that might prove useful and enable a wider choice of mics and settings, just don't forget to use "Line In" instead of "Mic" on the soundcard for your preamp connection.

 

OR, you might want to check out Electro-Voice, they make mics for just about every purpose. You may find that they make a suitable replacement that will plug right into your soundcard.

[Lord Sinister]

The Asus sound card's alleged preamp was nowhere near sufficient for my microphone, so I had to get a separate one.

[PinkyWithoutBrain]

MICROPHONE ADVICE

 

Hi there, here's my two cents about your mic issues.

 

First things first: there are basically three kinds of microphones - dynamic mics, condenser mics and ribbon mics (which are not interesting for your purposes at all).

 

From what it seems, the cheap clip-on microphones you used are built for more silent environments/input signal, thus making louder signals appear louder due to slight distortion that might not be audible directly, but that gives a "natural" screaming feel. The newer mic you got there is a dynamic microphone that is usually used for live bands/musicians, they do not distort (at least not at low Sonic Pressure Levels, aka SPL) and give great isolation, because the signal that they pick up has to come from very close. That's where the problem for your use comes in; you would want a mic that actually distorts easier and is more similiar to the human ear, which can easily distinct between loud and silent signals.

In a studio, for a more warm and natural sound you would use a condenser mic. Problem is; these mics need a 48 Volts powering, and PCI cards usually don't deliver them. So these are out of the question too, as I assume you would not want to spent extra money for a new recording card/mixing console or whatever.

In conclusion, I would think of the following possibilites:

 

1) get another cheap-ass mic you worked with before. I am not quite sure how they work as it seems that there membranes are more sensitive than these of the industry-standard dynamic mics. They are also omni-directional, which means they pick up sound from every direction, as the mic you have has a cardioid pickup pattern, which means they pick up sound only directy from what is in front of them. Long story short; if cheap mics work you, just use them!

2) If you want to keep working with a dynamic mic because of the better isolation and frequency coverage, you should get into post-processing a bit more. With the right amount of compression and EQing, you can bring out the screaming stuff better. That being said, you can kind of work around the frequency issue with the clip-on mics the same way; the human voice is especially present in relatively(!) low frequencies, and from what I've read so far the cheap clip mics usually pick up frequencies up to 15khz which is sufficient enough for vocal recordings.

3) you could get an external cheap-ass mixing console and get a cheap-ass condenser. The Mixing console can be connected to your Asus-card the same way you would plug a mic into. You would need the console for the 48Volts powering only. This is probably the most expensive way and NOT necessarily the best way, as condensers do NOT have the same isolation abilities as dynamic mics. They surely have the best frequency coverage and they will also make your screams sound more natural, but once again, it's not necessarily the best solution.

 

That's it. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them (or at least try to).

 

I hope that was helpful in way.

[LETMEKILL]

YES! The working Progress Bar is back!

[The Giant Napkin]

I got into the bad habit of waiting until a downloadable copy becomes available before I watch the actual episode... so I still haven't watched this episode. The waiting has almost driven me mad to the point of going 'if it's on the internet, and it hasn't been updated in a month, it must be dead."

 

Now, there are two ways of solving that problem: one is for me not to be stupid and just watch the dam episode. The other would be... well, I'll just hope for a bit longer.

[Deathbob]

I am also waiting for the episode because I mirror it for my friends.

[Kinomaks]

Hey there! Any chance we get a downloadable copy any time soon? Thanks.

[iAmaNoob]

"We're being fingered by Godzilla!"

 

Okay, I just finished typing the subtitles (have to time them and put them into SRT format still) but I don't recall this line being said. Where was it?

The line was said in Blast Pit, weren't you listening?

[danielsangeo]

Blast Pit wasn't in Episode 43.