Any recordists/ producers here?

Any recordists/ producers here?

thinking of getting a pair of Studio Projects CS5's as a personal pair of mid/entry level mics. Anyone have any thoughts or experiences?

Also general recording gear/ audio thread
Pic related.

I'm gonna throw a general question out there.

If I don't have headphones that need "driven" with a lot of power (i.e., low ohm rating), would I still benefit from an external DAC or amplifier?

Asking because I like Sony MDRs, and wondering if I can improve the sound despite it already being at adequate level from the computer

lol

depends on how shitty your source DAC/amp is. The one on my thinkpad t430 is total shit so I always use an external amp/dac. If you have a macbook, or another computer that happens to have a good built in dac/amp you're probably fine. you're also probably fine if you're asking this question as this means you can't really tell (It only matters if it bothers you)

I'm looking into a pair of Rode NT5 for recording piano and stuff.

What do you need microphones for? Which instruments?

Headphones with impedance over 80 ohms will need more power than a standard PC or cellphone can provide, so you'll probably need an amp. You can use MDR-7506 or MDR-V6 fine without an amp, though.

>Studio Projects CS5
I own 4 plus 2 of the cardiod only versions that I think are out of production.
They're great mics. Mine get used more than either of my neumanns or the manley reference my boss got and they're literally 10 times the price.
Great vocal mics, great overheads, and pretty damn good brass mics when ribbons aren't available.

>You can use MDR-7506 or MDR-V6 fine without an amp

I realize this as that is what I've been doing. I guess my question more specifically would be if a high quality external DAC would alter the sound quality to be better, regardless of adequate powering.

A headphone amp is easy to understand, because you want sufficient volume, but given two DAC's with equal power output, I wonder what difference it'd make it a lower ohm headphone. The answer is probably much more simple to just buy a DAC and find out myself Lol, like said it can be subjective/subtle

what are you monitoring? just music off your peecee or are you mixing or tracking stuff?

Not really. Only a really, really, really good DAC would make a difference, and it'd be very difficult to notice unless your actual DAC is shit.

Amps only give more power to the headphones. A good amp shouldn't color the signal (unless you're a basshead, but then why the fuck are you using studio headphones for casual listening).

here. I mean, you could get a good DAC to make sure your computer isn't muddying the output, but if you're doing it for recording purposes then whatever audio interface you're using should already have a good DAC built in.

If you're only gonna listen to music casually, then you could get one of those tiny, cheap FiiO DACs.

1. it's not only impedance that matters. impedance affects how many milliwatts get to the headphone driver, but the driver's loudness is then determined by the driver's efficiency. many high impedance headphones also have high efficiency drivers so in general, the importance of headphone impedance is overstated

2. DACs are an unimportant part of the audio chain and only make a big difference when the DAC is fucked, which is sometimes the case in laptops. you are very unlikely to perceive a difference between a cheap external DAC and a more expensive one

3. a really shitty amp, on the other hand, can appreciably distort a signal. but all amps are at least trying to be flat, so usually the headphones matter a lot more, as does the mastering quality of the audio (this is why SACDs sound better; they're mastered for real playback instead of ipods)

You are getting meme'd, a DAC isn't magic, it only converts digital to analog. Biggest benefit is reducing noise from shit shielding.
A 10usd DAC from AliExpress Is all you will ever need.

is an XLR mic worth it?
I heard usb mics have lots of static
How true is it?
Is it worth the 150+ dollar difference? (interface, cord, and mic difference)

for yelling at children on COD or WoW, no.
for recording music, yes.

What are you using it for? Talking to your friends while gaming, podcasting, or actually recording instruments?

For gaming, you're better off using those cheap clip-on headphones. For podcasting, some USB mics are decent enough but they'll never beat a decent XLR mic connected to a decent pre-amp and positioned/EQ correctly. Of course, most people record with a Blue Yeti, so they won't really give a shit.

For actual instruments and music, microphones are a HUGE investment that will last you 20+ years if you take care of them correctly.

If it were up to me, I'd shittalk online with a U87, but that's a bit overkill for the standard person.

small podcast/online chat
I was pricing out what the inital price for mic + interface + cord + mic stand and it was more than I was willing to part with

>pic related mfw I saw the several hundred dollar cost

Consider that games or Skype will probably downsample your audio to 16/22 or 32kHz so it probably wouldn't be worth it to get a good mic for that.

I guess it'd be worth it for podcasting, but yeah you'll need a decent interface, cable, mic stand, pop filter, etc. You'll see if you want to make the investment.

NT5's are great mics. I'm looking for LDC though. I'm looking to record a whole bunch of stuff. I working on making instruments out of garbage, but will be doing some piano, guitar, strings, ect. really whatever i can get my hands on. The CS5's have all of the polar patters, which is their main appeal. If you're ok with cardioid and looking for a LDC, i'd reccommend looking into the Lewitt TCL 440 pure. Really nice mic for not much money. its new though.

if you're doing anything moderately serious your mic takes XLR

fucking kek. if I had the money I'd be spending ~2k on mics alone and then would still be getting preamps and A/D converters

For a podcast?
Dude just get an SM58 and a pop filter.
>inb4 dynamic fags
You could get an entry level condensor like a Rode NT1, but you're probably not using a decent pre-amp with phantom power in a insulated room. A half decent mic will pick up ambience, cars, stuff you don't hear until you play it back. Just get a half decent dynamic mic and thank me later

STOP RECOMMENDING THE MDR7506 ITS THE BIGGEST PIECE OF SHIT EVER.

IT HAS A 10DB PEAK IN THE HIGHS AND IT DISTORTS ANY SERIOUS BASS FREQUENCY

ITS SHIT AND IS MADE ONLY FOR LIVE MIXING AT FESTIVALS ONLY BECAUSE ITS SO SHIT

OK?

Dude they're an industry standard. You never want to base your mix off of one sound system anywho.
Sm58 is really only good For live applications you could get a different dynamic, or any Cardioid condenser (directional so no room noise) you'll need phantom power, but not a nice interface