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What kind of microphone should I buy to record music? i have an imac and it has garageband on it. i dont really know how to use it that well, but i have a simple method of recording songs over instrumentals, but i dont have a microphone. i just rap aloud and the mac picks up the sound, but the quality is not good. what kind of microphone or headset should i buy that will produce clear vocal quality that is compatible with garageband or the mac?
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microphone
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jumeetha
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microphone
Last edited by jumeetha on Sat Sep 10, 2011 3:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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deleted-71588
- Former Expert
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Re: microphone
Science Buddies ask the expert forum's mission is to assist student investigators doing Science Fair Projects so your questions fall outside the scope of what the experts here signed up to help with.
That said, I went to the online Apple store and looked at the technical specifications for the iMac. It has a built in microphone which isn't providing the sound quality you want. It also has an "audio line input" jack which isn't very technically descriptive.
Typically an "audio line input" has a 10 to 100 Kohm input impedance and can be either mono (single channel) or stereo (independent "left" and "right" channels. Simple microphones don't generate enough of a signal to adequately drive a typical audio line input. You need a pre-amp as well as a microphone. There maybe some "powered microphones" that hava a built-in battery operated pre-amp in them that have an audio line output that will work for you.
Alternatively, you need to find a microphone and a pre-amp that work together. Microphones will either have a 150 ohm low impedance output or a high impedance output and some expensive ones even have a means of switching between low and high impedance output. You need to choose your pre-amp so that its input impedance matches the microphone you choose.
Besides the impedance property, microphones are designed for various purposes. Some are highly directional and others are omni-directional. You are on your own to find one that suites your needs and price range.
That said, I went to the online Apple store and looked at the technical specifications for the iMac. It has a built in microphone which isn't providing the sound quality you want. It also has an "audio line input" jack which isn't very technically descriptive.
Typically an "audio line input" has a 10 to 100 Kohm input impedance and can be either mono (single channel) or stereo (independent "left" and "right" channels. Simple microphones don't generate enough of a signal to adequately drive a typical audio line input. You need a pre-amp as well as a microphone. There maybe some "powered microphones" that hava a built-in battery operated pre-amp in them that have an audio line output that will work for you.
Alternatively, you need to find a microphone and a pre-amp that work together. Microphones will either have a 150 ohm low impedance output or a high impedance output and some expensive ones even have a means of switching between low and high impedance output. You need to choose your pre-amp so that its input impedance matches the microphone you choose.
Besides the impedance property, microphones are designed for various purposes. Some are highly directional and others are omni-directional. You are on your own to find one that suites your needs and price range.
-Craig