Are there any decent mics available to use via computer recording? Currently the only one I can find is a cheap stick one that has bad sound.

When I plug my reguar stereo mic into computer it doesn't work... any info?

there's no cheap way to record good vocals. Unless you're very lucky and very talented, technically.

Are you sure your mic is stereo? or do you say this because the plug looks like a stereo plug?

Anyways, a stereo mic is not recommended for vocals. If you want good vocals, pluggin it to your soundcard is not recommended either. get a good Mic amp.

there's no cheap way to record good vocals. Unless you're very lucky and very talented, technically.

The mic I call stereo is because it works on hi-fi/stereo, the plug is the same as the computer stick mic. The former plugged into computer doesn't register though. I assume there is such thing as a specific micrphone for computer/soundcards which is why a computer usually comes with the cheap stick ones?

MD7 said:

Not really. There's no good mic just for computers. There's good mics, and even those sound wimpy going directly into computers. The computer's input just ain't made to handle a microphone the way a mixing board is made to handle a mic.

So. your options are to buy a mixing board and run your mic into that, and run that into the computer, or buy a better sound card, or a pre-amp, or, well. Go read that other post. Ain't no sense repeating it all here.

your answer is, no, it's not the mic, it's not your computer. it's that you're trying to use a vacuum cleaner to brush your teeth. The two items are just not compatible on their own.

otan said:

Thanks, so there is a special board that links between the mic and the computer mic port, any names or costs?

P.S. On second attempt the regular mic did work on computer but it was so quiet normally and distorted once boosted.

So http://www.prince.org/msg/15/69330 you say?

MD7 said:

Yep. That's what I'm leaning towards; So http://www.prince.org/msg/15/69330 would be my suggestion. It's up to you. I'd take a look. So http://www.prince.org/msg/15/69330 - can't go wrong with that one. It's the quicker picker upper.

otan said:

Essentially the mixer amplifies the mic sound to a place it's suitable for soundcard usage then?

MD7 said:

Pretty much. Mixer, pre-amp, etc. Your computer is built to use one sort of mic, (condenser - the type that you'd use for voice-activated commands, or telephone-quality recordings). A regular mic is built to deliver higher quality, but at lower power. So you need something to boost the power up to the level that your computer is expecting. I'm over-simplifying... I guess.

Also - lastly - have you opened the VOLUME CONTROL panel to fiddle with your input volumes? It's in a crazy location. Double-click the speaker in your systray (little icon in bottom right corner of your monitor). Look under Options: Properties. Then select the Recording radio option, and then click OK. Now, you'll see a panel that resembled the previous panel, except you can only select one input source (using the checkbox). And you can adjust the sliders to increase the volume going in. SELECT THE LINE option, NOT THE MICROPHONE option. that's right, the LINE option.

Why? The mic input is built to have a level buffer - so when you get quiet, it'll turn it up automatically, if you suddenly cough, it'll turn it down automatically. Great for speaking, crappy for singing. (therefore, make sure your mic is plugged into the LINE IN input, not the mic input)

Unfortunately, what you're doing is like using water to increase the amount of wine you have... you still only have a certain amount of sound coming in, you're just cranking that volume way up - hisses, pitiful range (no bottom, no top - cool at a Mens Club, bad for a microphone).

To get better sound, you have to increase the actual input, (via a pre-amp or mixer). Just like, to increase your wine, you'd add more wine, not more water.

This whole process actually has a name. It's called "Signal To Noise Ratio". Going into your computer's input, there's signal, (your voice) and there's noise (hiss from the cable, hiss from the sound card, maybe a radio station from the cable, etc.) If your voice is too low compared to all that other stuff, then when you crank the volume, you're cranking the volume on ALL that spaghetti, not just the voice. Crank the voice going into the thing, and you're beating the cat senseless.

I'm sure I could add more metaphors, but then I'd be an old man in a shopping cart. Wearing a ham vest.
- - -

Edit:
Not that I know what I'm talking about.
[This message was edited Fri Dec 12 11:27:19 PST 2003 by otan]

Why? The mic input is built to have a level buffer - so when you get quiet, it'll turn it up automatically, if you suddenly cough, it'll turn it down automatically. Great for speaking, crappy for singing. The line input does nothing to the sound as it comes in. Therefore, make sure your mic is plugged into the LINE IN input, not the mic input

Cool, I hadn't seen the secondary recording levels but microphone plugged into "line in" doesn't seem to register at all. Why is "Line in" the better option over the mic port?

When I plug my reguar stereo mic into computer it doesn't work... any info?

MD7 said:

Of course it won't. line in is a totally different level input than mic in.
The simplest and better quality recording a microphone would be through an external mic amp, connected to the 'line in'. You'll get a much better sound than your sound card's mic input, and you can set the recording levels more accuratly and easily.

Samson now have nice sounding microphones for very reasonable prices.
Get a small mixer that will help you deal with mic amping, and routing all your inputs and outputs, instead of plugging and unplugging cables to your sound card, which will also with time start to malfunction if you plug/unplug too many times. those connection aren't meant to be abused too much.
For mixers, try behringer. they're cheap and good for home recording.