OT: USB mics for overdubbing?

[Richard Rupert]

Is it doable?

I see some USB mics have a mix control so you can mix the source signal with the DAW playback signal. Does this work as one would expect?

Anything to watch out for when choosing a USB mic for adding a vocal to an existing mix? Asking for a friend. No, really.

Having bought a PreSonus Studio Live Series III two years ago, I occasionally receive e-mail advertisements when a new product is released. Recently one came through for a USB mic bundled with software that should easily enable your "friend" to do what she wants. I'm not endorsing this mic as I haven't used it, but it looks pretty nifty. There's a demo on this link: PreSonus Revelator USB-C Microphone with StudioLive Voice Effects Processing | Sweetwater

[Dave Labrecque]

Thanks, Richard; I haven't seen this one.

[Angie]

Ditto what Ian said.

But... Recently, I had to look at USB mics for a tech bundle that needed to be shipped to instructors. My fear is always that it will end up in a closet when the project is finished because it is limited to single use with a computer.
Then along comes Shure and their new MV7. It can be used through USB, through a mic pre via an XLR connector or both at the same time. It sounds good either way and the DSP app is not necessary.

[Dave Labrecque]

Ditto what Ian said.

But... Recently, I had to look at USB mics for a tech bundle that needed to be shipped to instructors. My fear is always that it will end up in a closet when the project is finished because it is limited to single use with a computer.
Then along comes Shure and their new MV7. It can be used through USB, through a mic pre via an XLR connector or both at the same time. It sounds good either way and the DSP app is not necessary.

Interesting. Not sure how this one got by me.

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I realize how un-pro a USB mic is if only because you can't set levels in the analogue realm to optimize gain staging. Kudos to Ian for thinking out of the box on that.

[Ian Alexander]

Interesting. Not sure how this one got by me.

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I realize how un-pro a USB mic is if only because you can't set levels in the analogue realm to optimize gain staging. Kudos to Ian for thinking out of the box on that.

I may have missed it, but I can't tell from Shure.com whether the MV7 level is adjusted in the analog preamp or in the digital realm after AD conversion. They promote the Auto Level feature, which MIGHT use measurements of the digital level to adjust the analog preamp, but that would be pretty sophisticated for a $249 device. That said, while Shure mics might not be everybody's Go To, they are always decent at a decent price.

The ONLY reason I raised the question about the inability to adjust the analog level on USB mics is that, a few years ago, a VO friend sent me a file she'd recorded with one (not the MV7). I noted that the level was low and when I boosted it, there was a fair bit of noise that came up, too. She said the manual for the mic recommended fine-tuning level in software after the recording was finished. I remembered my disappointment in the abandonment of gain-staging in the design. So it wasn't so much thinking outside the box - more just remembering that experience.

I guess the other side of this discussion is that if someone is making demos or recording podcasts, maybe this sort of gear really is good enough. It's not professional audio, but maybe it doesn't need to be. That's not a nice thing to realize as an audio pro trying to convince potential clients that what they pay us really is worth more than Uncle Bob's iPhone to record their once-in-a-lifetime performance.

If someone comes to us for suggestions, I think it's still a good thing to explain, gently, where they will be on the quality spectrum at a proposed level of investment in gear and environment. Dave tried to do that and sparked an interesting thread.

[Angie]

I may have missed it, but I can't tell from Shure.com whether the MV7 level is adjusted in the analog preamp or in the digital realm after AD conversion. They promote the Auto Level feature, which MIGHT use measurements of the digital level to adjust the analog preamp, but that would be pretty sophisticated for a $249 device. That said, while Shure mics might not be everybody's Go To, they are always decent at a decent price.

I can't answer that as I wasn't thinking about it while we were testing. I can tell you that the gain adjustment on the mic itself was very quiet when turned up all the way.