Usb Mics And Pre-amps And A Budget, usb mics and pre-amps Options

[Mr. Jason E. Lec...]

can anyone tell me if usb condensor mics record with good quality? i've heard only a small bit about usb mics with mixed reviews, but one thing that worries me is noise. is that a big problem with usb mics and if so is that easily remedied with software? this is for recording vocals.

i was wondering if it's better to maybe use a regular condensor mic and a usb audio interface. if that's the case do i need some sort of pre-amp or something with phantom power? what would you suggest?

anyone who responds to this, please keep in mind that i have a small budget and only a G4 1.07 GHz iBook with 512MB ram running Ableton Live 5. i obviously won't be able to do as well as a pro studio, but i want to be able to make a strong sounding demo. ANY tips would be fabulous!

[lepetitmartien]

I've still to meet them in person

Now, the first investment I think you should really make is some RAM! really, with 512 MB you starve OS X.

On the mic, Blue has one, Samson too, there may be a third one (what's this dragon you talk about Mac Daddy?). I'd see that this way, either you plan to work with a minimal set up for now, and you can use a USB mic so you can record with now. If you have a middle term plan to add for example an audio interface, it may be better to wait a little and have the interface with a decent pre and a decent mic.

I will never trust the result of an integrated mic/interface will be better than separated mic and interface/pre costing more.

As I said, I have not touched them already, I'd be dubious of the Blue, as the blue ball already was more a mic for speech than singing, the level issue was already there on the blue ball (their middle/higher end is wayyy better). I'd give a try to the Samson at least it's dirt cheap, SOS did a review too (no time now to look if it's available to the public), I've seen it at $79 on the net…

(did I tell you I just hate USB?)