How to Set Up Your New Microphone (Beginners Tutorial)

[@sibidb]

I just wanna say as a complete noob to audio gear and setting things up, you've helped me greatly in improving my shitty set up for streaming and my audio quality has been insanely improved because of it even with cheap gear!

[@AudioHaze]

Aw thank you so much!! Thats always been the goal, you made my day thank you :)

[@johnheiser2604]

Friday afternoon, finished work and watching your vids back to back over a few beers. Heaven. Good work.

[@TC_Conner]

I didn't come from a USB mic. I'm a guitarist in a couple of bands and when the pandemic hit, gigs were cancelled. And that's why I set up my own home recording studio. My first interface was the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen, and then I had to choose a few mics, studio monitor speakers, and a myriad mix of cables. I wanted some good mics for vocals and recording acoustic guitar, that's what led me to start researching all the various mics. I'm pretty pleased with my current mic collection: AKG P420, SM57/58, Shure SM81, PreSonus PM2 stereo pair, Sennheiser e835, and lastly, a super budget friendly Blue Encore 100. Thanks for all your great videos Rick!

[@AudioHaze]

Nice collection! And of course I'm always happy to help in any way I can :)

[@TC_Conner]

Forgot to mention my current audio interface - SSL 2, and will be trying out the PreSonus 68c as soon it’s delivered today. 😎

[@alisongaze]

now we need a "how to set up a cure for your gear acquisition syndrome"

[@AudioHaze]

Honestly not a bad idea lol

[@guthhalf5484]

Just realise that it gear doesn't make you better practise does.

[@theoutsiderjess1869]

I just got a minifuse 1 and I absolutely enjoy it and I'm having so much fun learning the ins and outs of my audio interface and I love it

[@AudioHaze]

I need to check one of those out!

[@theoutsiderjess1869]

@@AudioHaze the minifuse is actually strong enough to drive the shure sm7b

[@isaacsalas2110]

you’re a god send LOL. love learning this deep stuff that makes our audio instruments work so well.

[@AudioHaze]

Thanks dude! Glad I could help :)

[@apache6111]

Even if it's one year later, thank you! I'm 2 days away from getting my sm57 (which I decided to get thanks to you!) and this is so, so helpful, I had no idea of many things you mentioned. I'm a voice over and planning to become a content creator soon, I have been using an AT2020 usb+ for almost two years now, and felt it was moment to increase the quality of my work and start this new project, I'm really excited to give the next step!

[@PamelaRubyRussell]

Bravo! Really helpful. Will watch more of your videos. Am setting up a home studio and just FINALLY got a great mic stand and microphone, a P-67 with a MC-125 stand + boom... and I have lots to learn. But you make it all sound do-able... demystified. Thank you.

[@AudioHaze]

Thanks Pamela! Glad I could help demystify the world of audio :)

[@PeterTroutman]

Love the content; I bet there a ton of people who spend huge money on a setup but don't understand at all how to properly use it, I won't be one of them, thanks!

[@AudioHaze]

Haha thanks Peter! Glad I could help a little :)

[@hosmapl]

I think the way the xlr cable is explained makes you question how the signal is getting to the other end if it's being canceled. The flipped signal it's only being flipped during it's way through the cable, so if there's noise affecting the signal when traveling, when you flip it again at the end and add them together now you don't cancel your original signal, you cancel the noise.

[@AudioHaze]

So you're correct, I did mention that sort of at the end of that section but you explain it better here :)

[@hosmapl]

@@AudioHaze ty

[@bustercherry8734]

I've been using a Mackie 402 for the last few years. The only mic i've used for the last 15 years or so is the CAD C195. Sounds decent for recording. I just ordered a Lewitt LCT 440 Pure though so hopefully i'll notice a difference.

[@pb5598]

I love your videos. Very informational and real. Keep it up.

[@theoutsiderjess1869]

My air nose I'm glad I'm not the only person who struggles to say the word words in videos 😁

[@AudioHaze]

Oh yeah you should see the amount of outtakes I have in some vids lol

[@jimbrausky]

Thanks for the information. Otherwise some of us would be more lost than debris in the Mariana Trench

[@mypal1990]

Thanks for the refresher. I wonder how condenser mics are gonna be dealt with on xlr setups. Especially with everything that gets picked up from room noise to noisy neighbors.

[@guthhalf5484]

Gates and or noise suppression like Ns1.

[@AudioHaze]

Yeah I mean if they're especially noisy and gate would help a lot, proper room treatment will mitigate it too, but as we know most people won't be using this :/

[@MadGalMusic]

Dear friend i need your help. For recording vocals, should I get the AKG C414 XLII or Neumann TLM 102 for my home studio which is not a well-acoustic quiet environment? I have watched all your videos on these mics and still can't decide. also, the price difference after getting the shock mount for the 102 would only be 300 CAD because there is a discount on the AKG. I'm desperate please help nlol

[@AudioHaze]

Hey! Sure happy to help, is this for recording your youtube videos or to record vocals for music? Based on your videos on your channel, room reflections don't seem to be an issue with the mic you're using now. Is that an AT2020 USB by chance? Or do you have an audio interface? If you're just planning to use them for your youtube videos, I don't see either of them being an issue (although yes please get the shock mount for the 102, it desperately needs it). If however you are planning to use these in an untreated room to sing, the c414 does a better job at rejecting the room around it, the 102 is famously sensitive to room noise. That being said, if you just get some room treatment, both of these mics will do great. We're talking about two extremely good mics, both will sound great. If you want to talk about it in more detail you can DM me on instagram! @realaudiohaze

[@ghouling1111]

if you ever need an example to say for Plosive- 'Peter Pipper, picked a pickle'. Also- what is the gain requirement listed as in mic details? I cant understand how the specs are listed to know if the Audio interface i just brought is going to work with the microphone I planned to purchuse soon.

[@aether962]

I’m looking for a DAW to get to process vocals and am primarily looking at Reaper or FL Studio. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks and keep up the amazing work!

[@AudioHaze]

I'm very biased but I LOVE Ableton for any audio work, its super intuitive and very very capable. But I think Reaper would be a great choice and so much cheaper too!

[@aether962]

@@AudioHaze Thank you so much!

[@svipull5816]

Ok so im a complete noob when it comes to audio, i watched a few of your videos and learned that SM57 is pretty much good for a lot of things. I just struggle with one thing, what if the only thing you are using the microphone for is gaming, talking to friends (discord, teamspeak,...) and ZOOM calls? Would a XLR-Mic be overkill here and should I just settle with an USB-Mic like the RODE NT-USB or is the better quality of a XLR-Mic still noticeable when using it for gaming and such. Thanks :)

[@AudioHaze]

I think a thing to keep in mind is that (especially when it comes to discord and online chat), the difference in fidelity isn't going to be that different. A USB mic will be fine, but buy an XLR mic if you want! Sometimes I use the RE20 for zoom calls and steam, but its complete and udder overkill. No one would hear a difference between my RE20 and a yeti over wifi, but it makes me happier, so I use it. I guess buy an XLR knowing you're doing it to build a system in the future, or because it makes you happy. When it comes to casual online chats and such though, the fidelity really won't be noticeably different.

[@audiovid.]

Apreciate your knowledge very much! Great content as always... Beatboxers are the only group that cannot leave without plosives :D

[@AudioHaze]

Hahaha glad I could help! I need to get another beat boxer on lol, I did once upon a time

[@snakeisekans]

Instructions unclear, mic stuck in toaster

[@AudioHaze]

another one bites the dust :(

[@milesbuss4856]

How dare you call me out on my Scarlett.

[@princekjtheartist]

😂😂😂

[@MichaelW.1980]

Thanks!

[@MichaelW.1980]

1:03 - It's actually my third XLR microphone by now - but you're right, I came from a USB microphone - and funny enough the very well known Blue Yeti, which I bought in 2010 and used until early 2019. Since then, I did a lot of learning and in fact, I feel, I still learn. 2:22 Kitten! 🤩 - Alright, concentrate, Michael! 😆 I loved when you actually mentioned the concept of transparent vs colored preamplification, without any bias. I am not sure, I could do that, because I am gravitating heavily towards transparency. I prefer to add any alteration of the sound in post. So while there is no right or wrong here, I have my bias. As for the actual process of setting up - well - ANY microphone for that matter and the gain on the audio interface, I was at first like: Wait... that's it? But then you drove home the point yourself, when you mentioned post processing as something to do later. Great approach actually. After all, you already did hit 14 Minutes of content here. And anything one could do in post, can differ greatly, depending on what the gear is used for. Overall , a great video - once more. Thank you!

[@AudioHaze]

Thank you as always Michael! Yeah colored preamps aren't really something we discuss a lot in contemporary recording, if not just because their price point is often just ridiculous. I actually tend to prefer the color over transparency because I think it informs my playing a little, like a little subtle bit of saturation at the end of my guitar signal, but with that said, I still can't justify standalone preamps when a free plugin from analog obsession pretty much emulates that same tone for my scarlett lol. And yes, post processing is a whole other vid! If I included that this video would be SO long haha

[@taeisundercover]

I love you.

[@arjots]

so, how to set it up?

[@coffeehigh420]

damn dude, are you okay ?!

[@pilfered1685]

You should reach out to GoPro for a Cat Cam sponsorship!

[@AudioHaze]

HAHA you know maybe I will :)

[@johnRivs]

I never really know the gain target after watching videos like these. I hear "-18dbFS" all the time but some say as a peak and some say as an average. Which is it? I have a recording where it peaks around -6 and the RMS is -25. Is that a good spot? Is RMS a good way to tell an average? Does -18 average mean -18 RMS? Context: I have an AT2020 + AudioBox iOne. The first half of the gain knob is more or less useless. Once I get to ~70% it starts being relevant but there seems to be a point where the gain gets boosted. If I stay just below it, the recording is a bit low when the mic is ~25cm away from my mouth or classical guitar. If I stay just above it, the boost makes everything clip. I'm moving the knob the tiniest bit up and down to make these changes.

[@AudioHaze]

Yeah those are some awesome points! The reason there is some varying answers is because there really ISN'T a good answer. I say -18 to -12dBFS PEAKING (not RMS) because I assume you will want to do further processing in the program, things like compression, EQ, harmonic modulation that will eventually bring the signal up to -6dBFS through the signal chain. This provides plenty of headroom to prevent clipping when further processing is added. If you AREN'T adding any processing, you can get closer the that -6dBFS target without worries of running out of headroom. RMS is a good way to monitor, but to me makes more sense once the signal has already entered the daw, not upon the initial recording. The peaks will be the parts that clip, so RMS may lead to you to more volume confidence, and thus more clipping. Once the signal is in the DAW, and you can normalize everything through compression and limiting, RMS signals start to become more of a priority. Suddenly rather than worrying about clipping your incoming signal, you're more worried about the average loudness of your mix, and thus RMS becomes the meter to follow. Thats my thought process anyways.

[@johnRivs]

@@AudioHaze Thank you very much for your thorough response. This takes a weight off my shoulders cause I was having doubts about both the mic (which I just bought) and interface. -6 after processing or when no processing, also refers to -6 peaks? And a bit off topic but for an electric guitar's DI signal, I've also heard about plugins expecting -18db as well. Is that peaking too? Great channel. Binged on a bunch of your videos.

[@AudioHaze]

@@johnRivs Yes -6dB peaking but honestly -6dB RMS is fine too as long as its not clipping, depends on how much you've compressed the signal. and yeah that should work for guitar! As long you're not introducing a bunch of noise, I don't think guitar is that picky.

[@jimwally6121]

Does akg p420 which is 52v works in focusrite solo 3rd gen which is 48 v ???......

[@AudioHaze]

Its listed as 42v TO 52v, so you'll be fine with a 48v :)

[@jimwally6121]

@@AudioHaze thank you so much

[@Vexies]

So um, is an SM7B for discord overkill? tehe

[@Vexies]

Then you realize everyone says ur quiet now.

[@AudioHaze]

Hahahah I mean nothings overkill if you're enjoying the experience :)

[@Ricardo_ReyesN]

Jajajaka the transformers joke

[@AudioHaze]

:)))

[@seanwebb605]

We are in the era of vanity media with plug and play technology, intuitive interfaces and readily available free platforms. Why would anyone care about message, purpose, process or trades?

[@AudioHaze]

Dang Sean gettin nihilistic up in here, I dig it tho

[@seanwebb605]

@@AudioHaze Wasn't that Frasier's brother?

[@AudioHaze]

​@@seanwebb605 if it was it was unintentional

[@seanwebb605]

If your intended audience is as you described then they don't want an engineering lesson. They want an easy button. "What device do I need to flip to have perfect video/audio so that I can present to the world my content?" The content being of course "Me". Often without much message, purpose or value to the world. Everyone gets their own TV channel. Vanity media. Room tours, morning routines, how to do something that may they don't actually know how to do very well. lol

[@AudioHaze]

Well, I guess my goal is really to be the gateway into audio engineering. So if an individual thinks this video is too much info, well thats fine! There are tons of videos out there that are a bit simpler, but it would be awesome to catch the handful of people who want to go deeper, and suddenly they get invested in this topic, and who knows maybe they want to pursue audio engineering more and more. Thats the goal, I really just want to convert people into audio engineers lol

[@seanwebb605]

@@AudioHaze It's a nice goal.

[@midsoulmusic]

halp