Microphone & Computer

[Johanna728]

I'm looking for a studio microphone, under $500, to use with Digital Performer 4-- ideally one I'd be able to just plug into my eMac's audio input jack and record away. In the past, I've used a Sony condenser with a pretty old iMac and Digital Performer 3 [no pre-amp or anything!] to record acoustic guitar and vocals, and ended up with surprisingly professional-sounding results. I'm still a bit confused as to why this actually worked without a pre-amp. . .can anyone explain it to me? ; )

Are there any specifications I should look for when buying a microphone that will tell me whether I'll get adequate sound levels when connecting it to my computer? Can anyone recommend a particular mike?

 

[mungo]

From memory the macs have proper mic sockets not like all the PC's, so you can plug in any mic that doesnt need phantom power.