Issues with equipment. Can anyone help?

KiraDarling

New member
Hey, everyone! My name is Kira Darling. My stage name is DARL!NG. I'm new to the forum. Thanks for having me!

I am trying to get my home studio set up, and I've been at it for months. It's not going very well. After a LOT of trial and error, I no longer have any ideas to fix my issues. I'll try to explain without taking too much time.

I am using a computer. I can't get my microphone to pick up much sound at all. I bought several different microphones types, each with different connections, from cheap as hell to more "expensive" but that didn't fix anything.

My favorite is a QFX M-158 with an XLR connection. I used the computer setting to amplify the sound, but it barely made a difference, and the level boost option made it have a horrible static sound. I decided to buy a InnoGear power box but that literally did nothing at all.

I've used different adapters to convert the XLR into USB but that didn't help. I converted to AUX but that didn't help.

I literally don't know what to do! I'm running out of the few funds I can allocate into this project. If someone could give me some cheap options, I would be eternally grateful!!! Thanks you!!


~ DARL!NG
 
use a compressor on the microphone. Assign it to a mixer track and boost the dB with the gain on the compressor. microphones do tend to be quieter than when recording other instruments.
 
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They should come with your software. What DAW are you using? (Pro tools/ FL Studio/ logic)

Look in the plug-ins folder of your software. it should have a compressor. Just assign the microphone to a mixer track, and attach the compressor to that mixer (vocal) track. And raise the dB of it.

If what you're using doesn't come with a compressor, you can download a free one here: Best Free Compressor VST/AU Plugins!

but you have to look online on how to install it within your software. I can help more though if ya need anything.
 
You probably want to get an audio interface with mic preamplifiers for this - they provide clean gain for your mics to get a decent level without too much noise. If you can spare about $100, you'll get a decent starter unit like Focusrite's Scarlett Solo or Steinberg's UR12 (there are cheaper alternatives, but those are very popular and well-supported).

A compressor would kind of work, but as I'm guessing you're using the computer's built in sound chip & its mic input, it's probably fairly noisy to begin with, and using a comp to pull up the levels will probably make this even more evident.
 
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