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!

[FastEddy]

" ... curious to know if anyone knows anything about Blue's Snowball USB mic ..."

Serious? Professional? Forget about it. ....

Amateur and just planning a podcast? ... OK, but these USB connected microphones are all 16 bit conversions to digital = not professional quality ...

That said, I like 'em. And they are a great idea for a VoIP telephone mic or for just recording answering machine messages or YouTube sound tracks ...

" ... I've always been bothered by the trend of USB mics, they spare you of the joys of preamps, ..."

Ditto that, brother. Wanna record that Billy Holiday sound alike? Get a vacuum tube pre-amp and one of those really cool looking old style mics that look like the Buick hood ornament ... A good vacuum tube pre-amp will give you that mellow sound, smooth as glass ... ... Now pipe the output from the Tube Pre-amp through a good 24bit / 96k ADC to your Mac / PC ... ' sounds jus' like her ... no kidding!

This post has been edited by FastEddy: Thu 7 Aug 2008, 23:52