Improving Audio Quality

Discussion in 'Soundgear' started by Tayh, Aug 2, 2024.

  1. Tayh

    Tayh Kapellmeister

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    Hi everyone,

    I'm currently using a Warm Audio WA 47jr microphone and an EVO 8 interface for my music production. For the most part, these gears have met my needs well. However, I've been considering upgrading my setup to enhance the overall audio quality.

    Given the kind of work I do, I'm wondering what would be the most impactful upgrade. Should I invest in a better interface, or would a new microphone make a more significant difference? Any recommendations or advice based on your experiences would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance.
     
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  3. lafman

    lafman Noisemaker

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    What kind of work do you do? Sounds to me like a decent setup. But if you are looking to get some serious sound quality look into a better interface, cables, and room treatment.
     
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  4. omiac

    omiac Moderator Staff Member

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    Budget?
     
  5. ADiSH

    ADiSH Kapellmeister

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    The gear is fine, if you want "better sound' improve the acoustic treatment for your room
     
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  6. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

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    What are you doing?
     
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  7. Katze

    Katze Kapellmeister

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    Do you have a dedicated microphone preamp?
     
  8. canbi

    canbi Kapellmeister

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    dxrevive
     
  9. Will Kweks

    Will Kweks Rock Star

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    Your audio quality is probably fine, no need for magic tricks.

    You can improve your mic placement, room acoustics, and your monitoring setup really for better results. Then you probably can look into better mics if needed and so on.

    *edit* By "mic placement" I mean things like distance from amp or the mouth, the positioning and axis of the mic, and use of pop shields if necessary.

    For positioning, understanding the "proximity effect" is fairly key in my opinion, this page has a decent explanation: https://www.soundguys.com/proximity-effect-explained-51333/
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2024
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  10. Tayh

    Tayh Kapellmeister

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    1000€
     
  11. Tayh

    Tayh Kapellmeister

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    Usually I record some hiphop/rnb artists
     
  12. Tayh

    Tayh Kapellmeister

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    I don't
     
  13. Tayh

    Tayh Kapellmeister

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    I record hip-hop/R&B artists most of the time. I play guitar as well, so sometimes I record videos playing it
     
  14. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

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    A relatively inexpensive textual change if you're recording with an amp is to buy an Shure SM57 mic to have a slight different thing going on from that semi-47 tone.
     
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  15. Will Kweks

    Will Kweks Rock Star

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    Oh yeah, that's a good one. The 57 and 58 are true studio workhorses, 57 for anything and 58 mostly for vocals. But both are ridiculously versatile.
     
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  16. Tayh

    Tayh Kapellmeister

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    Thanks for the info, mate :wink:
     
  17. Smeghead

    Smeghead Rock Star

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    Agreed. I like my own voice on a 57 more than I do on a reasonably expensive condenser. BTW I have a WA-47 Jr. myself and it's a good mic but a weee bit harsh... if you can find, say, a used Audio Technica AT 4033 that would be a worthy all around mic to add to an arsenal imho. They're out there at good prices.
     
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  18. Katze

    Katze Kapellmeister

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    get your room acoustics to an acceptable degree and get a mic preamp then, that'd be the best bang for your buck investment
     
  19. Tayh

    Tayh Kapellmeister

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    Thanks, mate. I'll be checking out some preamps :wink:
     
  20. omiac

    omiac Moderator Staff Member

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    As far as advice goes.. personally, I put my money into gear in this order of priority - monitoring, ad/da, room treatment, outboard processing, mic(s) etc.... figure out your weak spots and start there. Do the research and then demo as much as possible.

    If you're approaching this from a professional studio/engineer standpoint, and can swing a low/no % monthly payment, I'd be more inclined to use that budget as a down payment to invest in tried and true high quality pieces as opposed to buying anything low to middle ground "maybe". How much exactly depends upon your average income from studio work (or other outside income obviously - i.e., don't get yourself into a major debt hole!).

    After years and years of starting fully hardware, then going fully ITB, back to OTB, then hybrid, rinse and repeat, I learned the hard way - rarely if ever do budget shortcuts workout in the long run (*always good for creative experimentation and sound design though). My point is, buy the good stuff from the start and never really worry about it again :winker:
     
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  21. Tayh

    Tayh Kapellmeister

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    Thank you so much for sharing your experience and wisdom @omiac I think investing in good equipment from the start saves a lot of hassle and ensures a smoother workflow. Thanks again for the great advice :wink:
     
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