The Royal Black Watch Forums
Public Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Starfire on April 03, 2014, 04:31:12 am
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So, as I'm sure any of you who've listened to the Watchcast know, I've had major issues where my microphone drops some of my audio at random. The only explanation I have for it is a crappy microphone on my headset.
Now, I'm more than willing to spend money when it's necessary and not too much. My eventual goal is to get a studio-quality condenser mic, but I don't have the money for that right now, and I certainly don't have the money for a proper arm and shock mount for it! It turns out that the USB microphone from Rock Band works great on PCs. It's actually a pretty solid condenser mic. It's not quite studio quality, but for what I do, it's good enough for now!
So problem solved, right? Not exactly...
I have to hold the microphone in my hand.
To give you an example of how much that hurt, Flessas and I spent about 2 hours on Tuesday recording. I had to hold the microphone for 2 hours. My arm cramped so bad from that.
So Starfire needs a mic stand. $100 from Amazon for a nice adjustable arm stand, $20 or so for a "universal" shock mount (keeps the microphone from picking up vibrations on the desk it's mounted to), and $10 for a pop filter. No, I don't think I'm going to throw down the cost of 2 AAA titles for that, thank you very much!
Walmart has an adjustable desk lamp on clearance for $6. I ordered it tonight for store pickup. There's a hardware store right next to Walmart around here. I'm going to get a 2" PVC coupler, remove the lamp portion from the arm, cut notches in the coupler for rubber bands, and DIY my own arm and shock mount. I could DIY the pop filter too, but $10 is cheap enough I can justify buying one instead of making one for nearly the same price.
Total price for my audio upgrade will be around $20. I really can't wait to get started!
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*impish* ball of twine, a stick from outside, and some playdough would have worked as well.
Channel your inner MacGyver!
*or at least your inner Red Green = P
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We have a cat. There is no twine left in this house.
I have young nieces. There's also no playdoh.
I also question the structural integrity of playdoh swivels. Maybe with an intricate pulley system the twine could handle the joints, but pulleys aren't in the spec, and if I'm going to get empty thread spools...
I have put way too much thought into this! Begone! :)
At some point, I'll post a picture of the completed recording rig.