I'm having trouble with my mic...

[Cell 2Dee]

Having trouble recording on Cool Edit with my Mic. It's a Marshall MXL DRK mic, and I just recently formatted my laptop, the mic was working fine before. Now when I record in Cool Edit, it records above the 0 Sample Rate in the waveform view, and there is barely any sound recorded. (See pic below)



I don't know what the hell is going on, any ideas?

 

[Shonsteez]

1st - what are u recording into? I thought u still needed an interface?
If your just plugging straight into the laptop thats no good man - your gonna render horrible results that way. U just gotta wait it out and cop the MBox like ur planning on.

From what it sounds like, your gain structure is getting fucked up because u don't have a proper way to set up your recording chain....

Also, the mic u have is really intended for podcasts rather then professional music recording. I would look into a good large diaphragm condenser mic, trust me it will make a world of a difference once u combine that with your MBox.

Lastly, i couldnt find any specs on what that mic requires in regards to power but just about all condenser mics are Phantom Powered (+48v), so if your trying to plug straight into your computer and not using the little preamp that came with the podcast kit your going to run into problems as well...

Since your on a budget and it sounds like your trying to get into vocal recording too, i would consider maybe holding off on copping the turntable and turntable pre and use that money to get a good mic, some cables, and that Mbox instead....
Then u can just use Reason for time being to make your beats and record your vocals in ProTools with good results...

 

[Cell 2Dee]

Before I formatted, I could record vocals fine just through my laptop, I don't understand what's changed with it. The mic I've got isn't phantom powered, I made sure to get one that wasn't. But it is 2 or 3 years old now, so I might be 'forced' to get a new one haha. So you think I'm better off leaving the turntable for now then? I guess there's the expense of records too to think about.

 

[Shonsteez]

Ok well first, if you were able to record into your computer before you formatted, you may be missing a driver necessary for the sound to work properly then possibly? I would check the instal/boot discs that came with your laptop for system drivers and install any that u haven't yet.

But yeah, i would suggest spending money on a good mic first along with an interface and some cables since u do still have Reason already to make beats with.

Unfortunately u gotta crawl before u walk in this game and weve all gone through it...When i first started I wasnt able to get studio monitors for the longest time and used computer speakers instead since I was only able to invest in a good interface and a cheap mic at the time.

Speaking from experience tho, what ever decision u make - make sure that u dont skimp too much and get the cheapest solution possible because u will regret it in the end if your really serious about professional results.