Recording to CD

[JazzAt52ndStreet]

Is there a simple way for me to record from a mic to a cdr without costing me a fortune?
....just a one mic thing will do.
...Maybe a jack to plug in a mixer in the future. (It's the same place as the mic jack right?..the input?)

Thanks-
52nd

[Deke]

Are we talking about home recording or somewhere outside the confines of the home?

[JazzAt52ndStreet]

home
-52nd

[Dennis Gonzalez]

Let me get this straight...you want to (for example) be able to sing into a microphone and record it directly onto a CD-R without any "machinery" between the microphone and the CD-R recorder, right?

[JazzAt52ndStreet]

Originally Posted by Dennis Gonzalez

Let me get this straight...you want to (for example) be able to sing into a microphone and record it directly onto a CD-R without any "machinery" between the microphone and the CD-R recorder, right?

Yup.

But the option of plugging in a mixer in the future would be good.

-52nd

[Dennis Gonzalez]

Somebody may know better than me what kind of setup you would need, but the main question is how much power does the microphone have, and will it need phantom power to be able to send a signal directly into the CD-R recorder?

The next thing that factors in is the connection from the microphone to the CD-R itself. Since this will be (almost) necessarily analog, you will have to connect your microphone to the RCA inputs in the back of the CD-R, which means that you should take the microphone and the cable to a Radio Shack and have the sales assistant find an adapter to connect your cable to the RCA inputs in the back of your CD-R recorder.

Then, see if you get a signal into your recorder, but you will have to select the "analog" input, and slowly turn your record volume control in case the signal is so loud that it'll blow out your CD-R recorder.

Any better ideas, anyone?

[Mark Kleinhaut]

You need a preamp between the microphone and the CDR recorder. Microphones put out a low level signal that must be boosted (amplifed) to line level. You don't need a mixer, though they do the job because they have the preamps you need built in. The best preamps are found in outboard rack mounted units starting as low as a couple of hundred dollars and going well up into the thousands for stereo (two channel) units.

Originally Posted by JazzAt52ndStreet

Yup.

But the option of plugging in a mixer in the future would be good.

-52nd

Hey jazz, mucho recording experience here!

Typically microphones don't put out the "upmph" needed. Your Mic jack might work (if you have the right connectors/adapters).

There's many a small and CHEAP mixer out there. Behringer and others offer cute little 4 channel suckers for about $50!!!!!! They'll certainly jack up the mic signal to acceptable levels for recording, without imparting alot of noise.

There's also some "cute" little tube preamps out there that sell for about $100, like Presonus.

Check out the websites of musiciansfriend.com and zzounds.com

[Mark of Cenla]

I have a small Behringer mixer that I bought from Musicians Friend. I usually use it with one mic to record our band practices. It sounds great. Good luck.

[JazzAt52ndStreet]

Thanks for the replies guys....so what CD-R Recorder to you think I should get....how much are the usually? Thanks-

52nd

[graypencil]

Another option ( depending on your computer, your wallet, and your anticipated needs ) is to get a software recording program that will allow you to record on your PC ( or Mac) ..like a simpler version of ProTools without all the bells and whistles ..from which you can then burn CDs

Dennis is correct though ..you will need some sort of preamp to boost the mike signal ..

[groover]

I use a Roland UA-30 to input the audio signal into a USB port. The UA-30 is no longer made, but you can get a similar device, the Edirol UA-1X, for about $80 retail. This unit accepts line-level RCA inputs, so you'll probably still need a mixing board to convert the mic signal.

The Terratec Aureon 5.1 is another option, and it accepts a 3.5mm mini-jack mic input. Might work with just an adapter, and save you the expense of a mixing board, if you don't already have one.

I use an older version of Steinberg WaveLab for recording, which currently costs $550 for the full version, but you could get by with Cakewalk Home Studio for about $70. I use Ahead Nero for CD burning, though any CD burner will come with a version of Nero or some other program that can get the job done.