Re: cheap mics, sound cards and taxes

[Joel Fritz <jfritz666@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ned Kraft wrote:

>I've helped a few folks set up their computers for demo-type recording
>and found tremendous variations in quality. Several laptops have had
>30-40 dB of noise from the sound card with no microphone even plugged
>in, but a few can get a high quality sound (not studio quality, but good
>enough for a pretty good demo, or for a track or two if you're recording
>and adding files at someone elses studio). I've heard a couple of CD's
>done on cheap computers with cheap sound cards that sound decent (this
>was with a mixer feeding the mic input). The cheap condensers that come
>with the computers are the same. Some sound "acceptable" and some like
>crap.
>
>Taxes - 1099 your guys and keep good records.
>
>have fun!
>
>Ned
>
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>
>.
>
>  
>
There's a great piece of freeware called RightMark Audio Analyzer that 
will test your sound card for you.  All you need to buy is a 1/8" stereo 
male to male cable to set up a loopback on your card.
http://audio.rightmark.org

 There are some relatively inexpensive sound cards with decent signal to 
noise ratios.  I'm using a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, which goes for as 
little as $40 and is better than any tape recorder I could ever afford.  
At just below $200, you can get very good quality cards with bells and 
whistles like XLR inputs. 

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