Audio Recording Advice

[Kip Allen]

I do some voiceover work recording on my Mac Mini with GarageBand 8 software. My old headset/mic combo died and I replaced it with a Logitech ClearChat. The problem is that I get a terrible line noise hum when I record voice. Logitech support told me that their hardware doesn't work that well with Mac and that basically, I was SOL.

Any recommendations there as to what USB mic I can use with my Mac/GarageBand system.

[Douglas E. Welch]

I have found that hums like you describe can be caused by grounding issues in your system.

If you computer is not plugged into a grounded (three prong) outlet, try doing that and see if the hum remains. If it is already plugged in to a grounded outlet, try adding a two-prong adapter to see if that changes things.

In the Macbook, you may want to try attaching the three prong chord instead to the power brick instead of using the two-prong adapter which attaches directly to the power brick.

Finally, if you are doing voice over work, i would suggest a USB condernsor mic instead of a headset. I think the sound quality is much better with a mic like the Samson C01U or Blue Snowball than most headsets. You can find links to both of these mics in the NMI Store. Click the "Store" menu tab at the top of this page.

Douglas

[Mitch Krayton]

Lousy answer from Logitech. Apple uses standards based USB. Douglas is right. Be certain your AC outlet is properly grounded. Sometimes, in older building, the plugs do not have a ground wire attached. Bad but true.

There are lots of other USB mics to try. Blue, Behringer, Samson, Shure, MXL are have them for $100 or less. There are several higher end USB mics in the $200-500 ranges, too. Quality is important among a host of other characteristics and a steady phantom power system is also important for condenser mics. One note, be certain to find a mic that allows you to audition directly from the mic (or you will need an interface that) will let you hear you record in phones without an echo.

[Michael Lawshe]

YUP! Great advice - you may be able to look around also for a usb cord with a resistor built into it. This will possibly take care of the problem.
I like the Rode Podcaster for Voice over - isolated in a shock mount with a pop filter. It has a headphone output with no "latency" built right in. Pricey but worth it.