I think I may have discovered a way to get clean sound out of this microphone preamp. After doing a little research, I learned that after successfully hooking up the preamp into the audio interface, you need to learn something called, “gain staging”. I’ve been doing some reading on that. There is no ground loop issue through the preamp, it has something to do with “gain staging”. Fooling around with the controls and knobs. For example, I think I would need the gain turned all the way down on the mic pre. Then you would have to mess around with your volume controls on your recording software. Something like that. Gonna be researching “gain staging” today. I think I’m still able to get clean microphone sound, just gotta figure out the gain staging stuff. I’ll work on it.

Kev

The best way to get rid of the nasty Ground Loop hum in this room is that I think I would need one of these, the Ebtech HumX. If I get one of those things, that would eliminate all the hum sounds for good, I think. I’ve been reading customer reviews of this thing and it’s been getting mostly positive reviews so it must really work well. I’ll have to think about ordering one of those sometime in the future. Instead of messing around with all this electrical work, I think this is the best idea. A lot of musicians use the EBtech HumX, it’s a pretty popular item.

Kev

… still having hissing and humming issues. Got the right 1/4 to XLR balanced male cable that I was supposed to get, hooked up the M-Audio Fast Track to Behringer Preamp successfully. Got the preamp to pick up successfully and can hear it pretty damn good through the headphones but still having noise issues. I’m thinking it definitely have to be a grounding issue in this room ’cause I’m probably gonna keep getting noise issues no matter what kind of preamp I get. This preamp I got is a microphone preamp, not really a guitar preamp.

In order to fix the grounding issue in this room, I would either have to do some major electrical work. I don’t know anything about electricity or wiring and I would have to hire someone to do that stuff for me in this room. Either that or I would have to get some kind of ground isolator or transformer that would be more affordable. That’s the only option that I have.

The microphone on the preamp sounds pretty good amped up and a little louder but I have to get rid of the electrical buzzing sound. I know someone who is an expert and professional at home recording stuff so maybe I’ll have him help me out with this stuff.

I’ll still try to figure things out myself, though.

Kev

I think the correct words I’m looking for

when writing poetry with no rhyme

is called free verse poetry.

Here is an example poem I’m doing

now that is free verse poetry.

In free verse poetry you can

write poems however you want to

but you must do it in vertical form

like this.

With my new upcoming songs, that’s

the style of lyrics I’m planning on writing

my songs.

I’m planning on writing the lyrics in

free verse form like this.

This is just a preview of how my lyrics

may look with my next batch of songs.

Writing and reading poetry is awesome.

I find free verse poetry the best.

I think people are really going to like my new

direction in songwriting.

There you go, this is the first blog post

written in poetry form.

Hope you like it!

Kev

I won’t be able to use this Behringer pre-amp until I get the right cable for it, “the balance 1/4 to XLR male” which I just ordered and I should get that cable delivered here in a few days. I wished I learned about the cable before I ordered the pre-amp and that way I could have ordered both at the same time. I’m sure this pre-amp would work great, I just need the right cable for it. I’m dying to use this, though. This is probably exactly what I need to get a good sound in recording.

You don’t only have to use this pre-amp for home recording, you can use it for your live gigs too. I don’t think I’ll use it for live performances. I’ll just use it for home recording. I probably won’t be able to use this pre-amp until next week, need to get that cable. It’s interesting how pre-amps only accepts certain kind of hook-ups. I guess that’s the way they were built. They’re built in a special kind of way. Pre-amps are different than guitar amplifiers.

I just want a good sound with my music. Trying all I can. I hope I’ll be successful with this Behringer pre-amp.

Kev

Well, I went to Radioshack today and picked up a 1/4 to XLR female cable and male to male adapter for the Behringer preamp. I took the cable and adapter home… tried to hook those up to the preamp and M-Audio interface…. hearing all kinds of buzzing and noises. I assumed the preamp didn’t accept that kind of hookup. I posted the photo of the preamp I got in facebook and then a musician writes a comment telling me that I needed a “balance 1/4 to xlr male” cable in order for it to work. Yep, this Behringer preamp didn’t accept that kind of hookup that I gave it. So I’m gonna need the “balance 1/4 to xlr male” cable. If I get that cable then it will work for sure.

Like I said before, I don’t know much about all of this technology stuff with home recording and I’m learning. I guess there is a difference between “balance” and “unbalance”.

That’s okay, though. I feel that I didn’t waste any money on the xlr to female and male to male adapter, I’ll still keep those ’cause they might be useful for other things.

I’m still gonna get the “balance 1/4 to xlr male” that’s gonna work on the preamp. The thing is, a preamp accepts certain kinds of hookups. You can’t hook them up with random stuff.

Like I said, I don’t know much about technology and it’s interesting stuff to learn.

Kev

Look like the Behringer preamp did come today after all and here is the proof! All I need left is the correct cable so I can connect this baby to the M-Audio Interface (which you can see in the background) and then I’m good to go. Pretty psyched to have phantom power finally. I’ll be able to use the Shure SM86 mic.

I’m hoping I’ll be happy with this and hope this is worth the purchase. I probably will be happy with it.

I’m off to Radioshack now to see if they have that cable that I need, the 1/4 to XLR.

Kev

EDIT TO ADD: Btw, once again thanks to Mike for the suggestion of getting the preamp.

After doing a little googling, I just found out that you are able to hook up the preamp into the M-Audio interface. What I would need is a Female XLR to Male XLR microphone cable to hook them both together and it would definitely be able to work. Today, I’m planning to go to radioshack to find a short XLR female/male cable — I would think it would cost around $10 or so.

I’m hoping to get that preamp dropped off today. If not, then definitely tomorrow! I’m excited for this thing.

Kev

I was looking at photos of the back of the Behringer mic preamp that I ordered today figuring out how I’m going to hook that up to the M-Audio Fast Track interface when I get the preamp here. I’m sure there is a way to hook them both up together… I’m sure I’m gonna need some kind of special connector that I would need to get from Radioshack which shouldn’t cost much. I’ll have to find out what kind of connector I’m gonna need. I just found out that the M-Audio Fast Track is a preamp but that one doesn’t have phantom power. I needed one that has phantom power but you can hook two preamps together, I believe. I’ll have to figure everything out when I get it. I wished I learned about the preamp thing a long time ago.

Yeah, I’ll admit it… I don’t know much about gear and home recording equipment, lol. I am learning as you can see. I’m just trying to find ways to get a perfectly clean studio sound at home ’cause I refuse to spend so much by the hour at some shitty local studio. I believe I’m getting closer to my goal.

The reason I want a perfectly clean sound of these new songs is ’cause I’m hoping for an internet exclusive album release. My first album will be an internet only album. I want you to be able to enjoy these songs on your Ipods or whatever MP3 players you have. I’ll design a cover for it and everything. The album cover will probably be nothing special. It’ll be just a photo of me on it… probably holding my guitar.

Really can’t wait to get the preamp! Psyched! I might get it tomorrow or Friday. American Musical Supply is fast with order deliveries. I know ’cause I ordered from them many times before. That’s the company where I got my two guitars and amplifier from.

Kev

As recommended by a reader, I took his advice by getting the affordable Behringer Microphone Preamp that costs about $69.99. I just ordered this baby today, and I should be getting this either this weekend or early next week. AMS orders are usually quick. The Behringer preamp has phantom power and when I get this, I’ll be able to use the Shure SM86 mic. This Behringer Preamp has been getting great reviews too so it looks like it would be pretty good! I think I’ll definitely be able to play perfectly clean without any background hiss or humming sounds with this thing so I can’t wait to get it and try this out!

I just finished completing a song in Cakewalk Music Creator today both vocals and the guitar. When I get that preamp… I’ll re-record the song over again with that so it can sound a lot better. Can’t wait to get that preamp and to that reader who gave me that suggestion, thanks. I hope this piece of gear is what I’m looking for and hope it’ll work successfully — I’m sure I won’t be disappointed!

I really want to be recording songs again ’cause I got tons of ideas in my head and I really want perfectly clean studio sound with them. I might even get this tomorrow.

I’m beginning to see that maybe people really do see something special with my music after all. In facebook, I keep talking about how I’m writing songs again, and people has been giving the posts thumbs up and telling me they’re looking forward to them. It’s hard to tell whether if you’re liked or not. Again, I can be my own worst critic!

Kev