On live right now! TUNE IN! http://www.ustream.tv/channel/92-9-fm-free-pirate-radio-in-studio-cam
I got an MXK V63M Condenser mic up and running so I want you all to hear how we sound with the new mic. To me, I sound super pro, like a friendly and less annoying Glenn Beck or Rush
I thought the audio from the mic was too hot.
Live, it probably sounds great in your headphones but there was some distortion. The level sent to the sound card was probably too high.
Listening to the UStream file you can hear the distortion and some buzz.
Do you have a level indicator for the sound card input? If not there are VU meter apps free for download. I like this one but I'm partial to the analog look...
It can be calibrated by choosing the appropriate level setting to match the input to your soundcard. After you intall and open the app, right click on the meters to open the settings window.
Downloaded the app, and now I am sure I am not over-modulated.
The UStream is Live and I am hearing a song...
When I hear the mic here is what I am expecting to find...
Condenser mics typically have much higher output than other mics, and I suspect you might be overloading the input to the mic pre-amp, and watching the VU at the sound card input would appear to be normal.
There was voice just now but it was very short, so I need to listen longer.
What I heard did sound "clipped" or distorted.
Perhaps the input to your mic pre-amp has a selectable input pad.
If it does, reduce the mic input about 10 dB.
Good. The next song ended and you talked long enough for me to make a good judgement...
The new mic sounds very very good. I think it is only slightly overloading the input to the mic pre-amp. If you can pad it down by 5 dB it should be perfect.
Wow! I had 18-seconds left on the timer and just got back to say more...
Even if the microphone input goes directly to the sound card, the VU app will probably not give any indication about the relationship between the microphone input and the mic-pre-amp stage, which is the critical place we are concerned about.
The VU meter might read at line level, which would be after the mic pre-amp, so the reading would not be useful for measuring excess mic level at the critical input stage.
The spec sheet for the microphone will tell what its output is, and the literature for the sound card will tell what mic level the card is designed for. These need to be matched.
Hey, and I almost forgot, some condenser mics have built in level pads so you might look there for a solution.
Here is my situation. I got a small radio going in to the mic jack of my laptop. I am using mram's VU meter to measure my input volume. It's not going to sound perfect ever, because of the low buzz due to either RF or whatever. But, I am always working to get it as good as possible.
How does your microphone get to the small radio?
Free Think's microphone is apparantly an MXL V63M Mogami
SPECIFICATIONS
V63M Condenser Studio Microphone
- Tube Type: Pressure gradient 32mm capsule
- Diaphragm: 6 micron gold-sputtered
- Frequency Response: 30Hz - 20kHz
- Polar pattern: Cardioid
- Output Impedance: 200ohms
- Sensitivity: 15mV/Pa
- Equivalent noise: 20dB (A-weighted IEC 268-4)
- S/N Ratio: 74dB (Ref. 1Pa A-weighted)
- Max SPL for .5% THD: 130dB
- Power Requirements: Phantom Power 48V (+- 4V)
- Current Consumption: <3.0mA
- Size: 55mm x 190 mm/1.85" x 7.48"
- Weight: 470g/1lb.
- Metal Finish: Black
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/condenser-microphones/mxl-v63m-condenser-studio-microphone
I have the two turntables and microhpones and CD player going into a Gemini mixer board. That mixer board goes into the transmitter. The small radio is tuned to 92.9 so I get audio from my station on to Ustream.TV
Love to think about audio hookups... thanks for sharing the info Atrain Free Thinker.
Tell me the Model Number of the Gemini Mixer so I can look it up and read about it.
I will have more suggestions once I get familiar with the mixer.
Your Ustream audio and your program sounds very good, but we need to get rid of the hum and slight mic distortion.
The Gemini MM1 2-channel Mixer appears to be the only mixer made by Gemini.
I found no specification list describing the mixer, only pictures, upon which I base my comments.
It appears the Mic Input is unbalanced, whereas the output of the microphone is balanced. There are special methods for compensating for this, but I'll skip it for now.
On the panel we see two controls of interest: 1.) Gain; and 2.) Mic.
I will make educated guesses about how to use these controls.
Based on the theory that the microphone output is over-driving the input to the mixer, which has nothing to do whatsoever with the input to the soundcard being driven by a radio, the "Gain" control needs to be turned counter-clockwise from where it is now and set PERMANENTLY at the spot where loud sounds do not clip the microphone input stage.
Once the "Gain" is permanently set, use only the "Mic" control to set the level of the microphone going to the mixer's output.
This should solve the clipping/distortion problem that three of us have heard.
Oh no that is not the mixer at all! Lemme look at the exact model number.
Okay, it is the MX-8200 by Gemini.
Thanks in advance for you help here Carl!
P.S- It appears the 8200 is very rare mixer board btw.
Even the Gemini website doesn't show the MX8200, not even with their Legacy equipment.
E-bay doesn't have it, the closest thing is a Pyramid PR-8200, but that's not it.
Probably the same rules will apply as I gave above for the MM1 mixer.
Here is a link to the Goodwill website listing for a Gemini MX8200. Is this the unit? There appears to be a 1/4" mic jack at the upper right rear of the unit.
That looks like the right mixer MRAM.
My earlier suggestions about matching the output of the mic to the input of the mixer can be applied to this mixer.
To get rid of the hum in your Ustream audio, take the output from the mixer and send it to the computer soundcard input to Ustream and also send the mixer output to the transmitter.
Glad to help.