Beagle


if you're going to get a USB mic, get one with a headphone output on it and don't use any other soundcard with it.

the usb mic is considered a "soundcard" even the ones without outputs.  when you try to use a usb mic with another soundcard you will have sync problems because they don't have the same clock and you can't use them as one soundcard.

if you get a usb mic with a heaphone output, you can use the headphone output to monitor while recording with the mic so you won't have sync problems that way.  if you use a separate soundcard for monitoring - you WILL have sync problems.

Electronic Musician

 
That's what turned me off about USB mics.  They become the "audio device".  Then you have to worry about monitoring (that is if you want to hear your voice as you record it).  If the Mic has a headphone output I would want it to have Reverb too so I can monitor my voice with reverb.  If USB mic's have reverb, that would be good.  But I think it would start to narrow down Mic choices.  Now you have to worry about the best mic - for your voice - that has headphone monitoring - with reverb.  There probably aren't too many to choose from.  How a mic fits your voice is a very individual thing because all voices are different and all mics are different.  Normally you want the widest choices possible to match your voice to the mic.

Thanks, guys, for the replies. Will keep all suggestions in mind. Still mulling it over. I'm happy with the NT1-A but thought I might get better results if I could get in a quieter place. I'm lazy (or impatient) so the easiest, fastest way to accomplish something is my ideal. This way with my laptop (I'm thinking) I could get in a closet or something of that nature to cut down on the noise coming back through the mic. With a desktop, for me, rearranging things for that is just too much trouble. 

Charlie, thanks a lot for those compliments. Very nice.

For only $80 you could get the Alesis MultiMix 4, and have two phantom-powered mic inputs plus two line inputs plus a headphone output. I don't know if it's bus powered or requires a wall wart power supply, though.

bitflipper, you just may have solved the problem. Plug my NT1-A into this and away we go. Thanks. Going to do some digging.

The alesis looks great - however it does need a wall wart for power.  I use a Line6 UX2 - it's powered by my laptop USB, and has phantom power for my mic.  It is very lightweight. You have lot's of choices on reverb, compressors, etc. for monitoring, while you record dry (or wet) into Sonar.

also, the alesis multimix usb uses the USB CODEC for drivers, they do not have dedicated drivers.  that's the biggest thing that turns me off about it.

plus it's 2 in/ 2 out only.   that might not matter much for just a "travelling" set up, but it's more info on the system.

Called Sweetwater about the Alesis, then read guitartek's post and realized that I have a USB M-Audio Fast Track Pro that has been sitting up for 2 years probably. Bought it, used it for a week or so and went back to my PCI M-Audio Audiophile 192. Put the Fast Track Pro up and it's just been sitting.

DUH! So that's how I will proceed. Thanks for all your feedback on the matter.

IMO the Fast Track would be much better than the Alesis or a USB mic!  that's the best option, IMO!

A real nice 120' mic cable would solve most of the problems.

A handful of 25' stereo headphone extension cables would solve most of the rest of them.

A wireless keyboard and some key commands in your head would finish the deal.



I am an enthusiastic proponent of using the bigger, better sounding, spaces in your home when the opportunity is available. Go for it!

:-)



best regards,
mike

Sweet, I had a Fasttrack Pro, great interface.