Recording High Quality Sound on PC

[evil nemesis]

Hi,
I've bought this mic from market yesterday :
https://forum.videohelp.com/images/imgfiles/dXrvu.jpg
https://forum.videohelp.com/images/imgfiles/lVjHH.jpg

plugged it into my builtin Realtek soundcard but it doesn't playback , I can only record via sound recorder and playback the audio which has very low volume,

I also have an external creative soundblaster sound card but that has only four pins at back (Yellow,Black,Green,Blue) No Pink !

I tried inserting it into all four but I couldn't record anything at all, why ?

here's another pic of my system sound properties :





now my question is why isn't it playing back when I talk directly into the mic ?

I know builtin soundcards aren't good enough, so should I buy another external soundcard with 5 pins ?

waiting for replies from experts thanks, and yeah should I also buy a mic pre-amp ? I want to record my voice to make video training on the web.

[Baldrick]

Please don't use the img tags for HUGE images. I changed them to links.

[evil nemesis]

sorry I thought this forum had this option to auto resize images.

[Cauptain]

Hi evil nemesis,

Update audio drivers, disable all other mic input, check in Realtek Tools (systray) if REAR MIC is enable or volume up, change FRONT/REAR MIC input, test your MIC in other PC or HOME SOUND.


PS: check in Properties MIC if volume is enable.



Claudio

[evil nemesis]

I have updated drivers
all other mic inputs are disable
rear mic is enabled and have full volume in utility
I think realtek is a pretty damn bad card , it will do the same if I plug it into front
and I don't have a sound system in Home, but the Mic works well as I've tested it with realtek rear, but it has much low sound and I have to talk very loudly near the microphone.
should I buy another 5 channel soundcard as the current soundblaster doesn't have any pink input ?

[bigass]

If you're serious about recording "high quality sound" on a PC, simply don't use the internal onboard sound.

For a forum that's so obsessed with technical specifications and the minutae of quality video, many are lax when it comes to getting the best out of sound.

What makes the sound good: A good mic ... a stable mic cable ... a good pre-amp ... a good analog-to-digital converter. And don't forget the environment -- if your room sounds bad, your recording will sound bad. That's a subject better handled elsewhere.

If you're out to record music or other high-quality material, invest in an external audio interface that connects by USB or FireWire. It will have an XLR input for your microphone, a decent preamp, and good ADC. It will also come with a mixing panel that'll make it so much easier to manage your inputs and outputs.

Happy recording!

[budwzr]

For a forum that's so obsessed with technical specifications and the minutae of quality video, many are lax when it comes to getting the best out of sound.

I'm with you, bigass!

First off, that mic is a hunk-o-junk.

Secondly, you need a Zoom H2n.

Third, you need to learn a little more about how audio is captured. Initial capture should be the highest gain possible, and that's tricky, but doable with some practice. That means the mic needs a compressor and limiter, either built-in, like the H2n, or on a mixer.

[jagabo]

the Mic works well as I've tested it with realtek rear, but it has much low sound and I have to talk very loudly near the microphone.

Go to the properties of that input and look for levels or boost settings. For example, with Win7:

[budwzr]

That example is exactly what the OP wanted to know, and answers the OP's question, but that setup will NOT produce acceptable audio.

The controls on the mic have to be ahead of the recording.

[jagabo]

The microphone boost happens in an analog op amp before the A/D conversion and recording. The original poster can decide for himself if the sound is acceptable.

[budwzr]

The original poster can decide for himself if the sound is acceptable.

Yes, absolutely, but he did use the phrase "High Quality" in the title. And FatAss got me going. Hahaha.

[evil nemesis]

thanks jagabo, your settings did the trick for me, Thanks alot, well to tell the truth i'm no a hifi recorder, neither I know nothing about special equipments and hardware, im' almost 0 in this field, so I just wanted to record for video trainings of flash and photoshop etc. and I think this setup will do that good for me only if I have a silent place, as well if you need to edit it later you have audtion and soundbooth etc. right, i'm more of a software guy ,

cheers to all.