recording "good" sound?

[graff]

I want to record my girlfriend singing over some music I have downloaded. Her uncle wants to hear her, so I figured I could put her voice on top of a music file. How do I get her into the computer without sounding like static. I have a Soundblaster Live Value card. I wasn't sure if the type of sound card determines how well you can record. If I get a good mic, can I record near cd quality on my PC? What programs should I use? Anything better than Microsoft Sound Recorder????

Thanks

 

[goshdarnindie]

Your not going to get CD quality on a SB card. You'll get the specs. of CD quality, but it won't be as good. You would have to spend thousands of dollars on analog to digital equipment (I have) to be able to get that type of quality, because the A/D converters on a consumer soundcard aren't that great.

That being said,
Get Soundforge. It is better then anything that comes OEM from MS. Basically any mic will do, preferably one that came with a modem or something, because I have found that they are less likely to have background noise. There is a recording option in SF and you can use the Line-In balance on your windows volume control to set the mics bias (i don't think that is the right word, I'm getting old). Have her sing a little into the mic (which should be no closer then 6&quot while you set the bias so as to make sure that you set the level low enough that she doesn't clip. Then record her voice making sure that you are recording in stereo. You will probably want her to listen to the song through earphones so that the music doesn't bleed through onto your recording of her. In SF, you will have to sync the two .wav files up, which will be tricky, but after that you can drop the files on each other and save. Then burn to CD, and your done. If you have any questions, just PM me.

 

[graff]

Thanks, I'll try it tonight.

 

[MADCAP]

Actually I belive goshdarnindie has it completely backwards. The soundcard should be more than enough quality to record "cd" quality. The thing that will determine the sound quality is the mic and the pre-amp.

I don't know your budget but you can still get decent quality stuff rather cheaply. But trying to use a cheap pc mic into the "mic in" on the sound card is of course going to sound like sh*t, and it's not the soundcard's fault. It's the mic and the crappy mic pre. PC mics and soundcard mic pre-amps are made just for speaking voice(think telephone quality).

You should buy(or rent, from a local music store) a decent quality mic(determined by your budget), and a mic pre-amp or small mixer(which will have the pre-amp built into the channel). You then run the signal into the "line in" on your soundcard. Voila! that's it. The line in has quite good enough conversion to satisfy almost any purpose. And the quality of the other components will show long before the converter's quality.

Trying it the other way is only a recipe for disappointment, as it will only sound terrible.

Please post a budget you have planned for this project and I will try to give a more concrete suggestion.

 

[rover825lover]

I don't think soundforge is the right tool for the job. At least the versions i tried had just one stereo track. Find a multitrack hd recording program, and rent a decent microphone/preamp from a music store, like madcap said (tell them it's for singing). Also do not try to record in one peace, just let her sing one part at the time, and try to sync that on the music. Add some nice effects mix down the result and your'e done.

You will get near cd quality working like that, just be carefull and don't overdo the effects.

Marco

 

[PliotronX]

I've a KOSS Electret mic, and it sounds pretty good. It's rated to record 100-16,000 Hz. It's pretty sensitive, I can leave it on my desk, and sit across the room (about 15ft/5m) and it records loud and clear. Plus it was only $15

 

[mackstann]

get free version of pro tools

 

[goshdarnindie]

Yea, if you have the money, MADCAP is right, except that your A/D converter is still going to be subpar. It will sample at 44.1 KHz, but that doesn't mean it will trace the wave at that point with the accuracy of a D/A converter in your home CD player. To do it his way requires a full pro audio setup with the computer acting as the HD recorder. If you don't have money to blow on equipment rentals, then the way I suggested should do it.

The mic could be a problem. I suggested modem mics because the one I have is quite good. But you'll have to test it before you do anything. Before she sound checks the mic, check the Line-In balance in a "silent" room. If it is louder the -60 to -50dBs (depending on your area, and whether or not the AC is on) then try a different mic. SoundForge will record in stereo, you just have to set the option. Protools is a professional grade program, and probably not worth the learning curve unless you plan on doing this more then once. IMHumbleO. Good luck again.

 

[graff]

The mic I have worked ok for me speaking into it but I could hear hiss/noise in the background. it was completely silent in the room, so is that just the mic? I'd rather not spend anything on this. We have friends in the music department at school and lots of equipment at church I can borrow, so thats not really a problem. Thanks for all of the advice!

 

[MADCAP]

If you can borrow the equipment then DO IT! You must have the hook up. That will solve your main hurdle..