Having a lot of trouble getting my microphone + audio interface + computer to work correctly

[dinosaurman]

Hey everyone,

This is my first time using a microphone with my current setup so it could be that the issue I'm running into is an easy fix and I'm just clueless. Also potentially important to note is that the piano I'm testing the mic with is a baby grand piano located in the corner of a big room with a high ceiling.

I understand that to get the most out of your piano recording you should be using at least two mics etc., but I'm just trying to see what I can do with one. There are also YouTube videos of people recording pianos with single SM57's and it seems to do the job for them.

I will attach a video as well as two .wav files so that you can better understand my issue.

My Shure SM57 Mic Setup video: https://youtube.com/shorts/nSxbCaEgDMI?feature=share

Shure SM57 Voice Check Audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qJepKw ... share_link

Shure SM57 Piano Check Audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IIbFbu ... share_link
(Maybe don't listen to this with headphones in, the volume is pretty erratic)

My setup: Shure SM57 microphone, Tascam US-2x2 audio interface, Garageband (MacBook Pro), Amazon Basics XLR cable.

In Garageband I have my input device set to my audio interface and my output device set to my MacBook speakers.

The microphone works when I'm speaking directly into it. If I turn the gain on the interface all the way down then no sound is recorded from the microphone, and when it's turned all the way up I can hear my voice very clearly and everything is working. The .wav file titled "Shure SM57 Voice Test" above is me testing the mic while fiddling with the Gain knob on the interface. During this recording I'm holding the mic about two inches from my face. As can be heard, everything is working correctly.

However, when I try to record me playing the baby grand piano, all of a sudden the mic is having a hard time picking up the sound. I tried the mic in a couple of different locations: near the hammers, and near the middle of the piano where the strings cross each other. Garageband was able to record more sound when the mic was by the hammers, but as can be heard in the other .wav file titled "Shure SM57 Piano Check" something still isn't working, and for that audio I'm playing the piano extremely loud, much louder than you should need to play, and it's still barely audible on the recording. In that recording the mic is also about an inch from the strings. I tried recording with the mic about 12 inches from the strings and that wasn't picking up any sound at all.

In the video you can see that the audio interface is indeed picking up a signal from the microphone when I'm playing at about a mezzo-forte volume, and Garageband is also picking up a signal (the green bar on the instrument in Garageband goes up and down when I play the piano). But basically as soon as I try to record what I'm playing in Garageband, all of a sudden Garageband is barely picking up a signal and I get the quiet static noises that you can hear in the piano audio in the Google Drive above.

I wasn't sure if the problem was being caused by the audio interface so I tried using a Focusrite Scarlett audio interface and basically got the same result. The microphone is brand new. I was wondering if maybe it's the cheap XLR cable causing the problem but given how clear my voice audio is, I doubt it. To me this means that the problem is somehow being caused by Garageband itself (maybe it's not, correct me if I'm wrong), but I don't know how to fix it.

Have any of you every ran into this issue and been able to fix it? If so I would very much like to know what I'm doing wrong. If you read this far then thank you very much for your time. I appreciate any help that you can provide.

Thanks!

[Hugh Robjohns]

Microphones and interfaces don't pick and choose what they will and wont record! If it records satisfactorily with your voice it will record other things too...

However, the SM57 is a mic designed for recording very loud things very close to the mic. Your piano is neither...

In a nutshell, it's the wrong mic for the job. Turning the preamp gain to max might help a little, but fundamentally the mic is too insensitive to capture the piano well, even if placed near the hammers.

You'll either need a preamp with a lot more gain, or a much more sensitive microphone.

One option to add more gain to the preamp is to buy something like the Cloudlifter / sE Dynamite / Fethead / dBooster etc. These things are powered via phantom power from the preamp and provide an extra 20dB (or more) of gain. That should solve the problem.

Alternatively, invest in a capacitor microphone of some kind which will have a much stronger output... and it is more usual to use capacitor mics to record pianos anyway.

[dinosaurman]

Thank you very much for your reply, I appreciate your time.

So buying a preamp that can add that extra 20 dB of gain would solve the problem, but I'm guessing I'd still have to play loud in order for the microphone to pick up the piano, is that correct?

It seems like getting a more suitable microphone for the job is the better option. Do you have any recommendations for capacitor microphones that record pianos well? I've already bought and returned two microphones because I was running into the same issues and I'd rather just find the correct one right now than continue through trial and error.

[ConcertinaChap]

What sort of budget are you working to? In the meantime I'd suggest the Rode NT5, which comes in a stereo pair (useful for recording piano) for £290.

CC

[The Elf]

I would say that your money would be better spent on a more suitable mic(s) than on something to prop up the unsuitable mic you have. The NT5 (or 55) solution is good, but for piano I've often turned to my MXL V67(s), and they sell for peanuts secondhand.

[dinosaurman]

What sort of budget are you working to? In the meantime I'd suggest the Rode NT5, which comes in a stereo pair (useful for recording piano) for £290.

CC

Hey, thanks for your response. I agree, a more suitable mic is the best route. I'm not even really sure if the SM57 is the problem right now though, I tried playing guitar with the mic close to and pointing at the amp and got the same result in the recording as I was getting with the piano. Is it still just my mic that's the problem or is it something to do with my audio interface (Tascam US-2x2)?

And yes I was looking at the Rode NT5 pair yesterday. They look really nice and a music store near me as well as Amazon lets you pay in instalments so that mic set is within my budget for sure. But as I said above, I don't want to buy new mics just to run into the same issue. A music store near me also offers rentals so I might just rent the Rode NT5's for a day and see if they work with my setup before I actually buy anything.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I don't understand...

Your videos clearly demonstrate that there's nothing wrong with the mic or the interface.

When you turn the preamp gain up you can hear the voice and piano perfectly well.

When you turn the gain down you can't... this is entirely normal.

As I said previously, the SM57 is a very insensitive — quiet — microphone by design, and it needs high gain settings on the preamp.

It's the perfect mic for banshee backing singers, snare drums, and guitar amps.

It's really not great for piano or delicate ballad vocals because it is so insensitive.

So for that kind of stuff you either need to provide additional gain before the interface to raise the level to something more usable... or you need more sensitive microphones.

If you're planning on recording piano or other delicate sound sources, the former isn't the ideal solution as the SM57 isn't a delicate sounding microphone. Its not great at capturing subtle details. So you can make it louder, but it won't be a great sound.

Buying better mics is the much better solution, and the Rode NT5 or 55 is a good starter option — especially the 55 stereo set as you get both omni and cardioid capsules which will prove useful as you develop your recording skills.

Note, these mics are capacitor/condensers which means they need 48 volt phantom power to work. Your interface can provide that.

I'm sure you'll find the Rodes will be fine with your piano, but if you're unsure then hiring for a trial is a good idea.

[dinosaurman]

As I said before I'm not experienced with this stuff right now so I appreciate your patience. Thanks again for the detailed response. A music store near me has NT5's available for rent so I'll try those out before buying them. Have a nice day!

[dinosaurman]

I don't understand...

Your videos clearly demonstrate that there's nothing wrong with the mic or the interface.

When you turn the preamp gain up you can hear the voice and piano perfectly well.

When you turn the gain down you can't... this is entirely normal.

As I said previously, the SM57 is a very insensitive — quiet — microphone by design, and it needs high gain settings on the preamp.

It's the perfect mic for banshee backing singers, snare drums, and guitar amps.

It's really not great for piano or delicate ballad vocals because it is so insensitive.

So for that kind of stuff you either need to provide additional gain before the interface to raise the level to something more usable... or you need more sensitive microphones.

If you're planning on recording piano or other delicate sound sources, the former isn't the ideal solution as the SM57 isn't a delicate sounding microphone. Its not great at capturing subtle details. So you can make it louder, but it won't be a great sound.

Buying better mics is the much better solution, and the Rode NT5 or 55 is a good starter option — especially the 55 stereo set as you get both omni and cardioid capsules which will prove useful as you develop your recording skills.

Note, these mics are capacitor/condensers which means they need 48 volt phantom power to work. Your interface can provide that.

I'm sure you'll find the Rodes will be fine with your piano, but if you're unsure then hiring for a trial is a good idea.

Hello again, sorry to bother you once more. I have tried out a pair of Rode NT5's and also used a preamp and I'm still getting the exact same sounds as I got in the audio file I added to this initial post, except that it is louder (thanks to the preamp). I'm really at a loss now, it seems I have all the right equipment now but the result is the same. I'm wondering it it's actually my audio interface that's causing the issue as it appears one of the two mic ports isn't functioning. Not sure how old the interface is, I think it might be pretty old.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Hello again, sorry to bother you once more.

It's no bother. We are all here to help if we can!

I have tried out a pair of Rode NT5's and also used a preamp and I'm still getting the exact same sounds as I got in the audio file I added to this initial post, except that it is louder (thanks to the preamp). I'm really at a loss now, it seems I have all the right equipment now but the result is the same. I'm wondering it it's actually my audio interface that's causing the issue as it appears one of the two mic ports isn't functioning. Not sure how old the interface is, I think it might be pretty old.

Age isn't necessarily a problem, and you've made good recordings previously in your demos above, so there's something weird going on.

I'm not a mac or garageband user. Hopefully someone more familiar with it can help you check the settings... but I'm wondering if you have some sort of feedback loop going on when you go into record?

[dinosaurman]

Hello again, sorry to bother you once more.

It's no bother. We are all here to help if we can!

I have tried out a pair of Rode NT5's and also used a preamp and I'm still getting the exact same sounds as I got in the audio file I added to this initial post, except that it is louder (thanks to the preamp). I'm really at a loss now, it seems I have all the right equipment now but the result is the same. I'm wondering it it's actually my audio interface that's causing the issue as it appears one of the two mic ports isn't functioning. Not sure how old the interface is, I think it might be pretty old.

Age isn't necessarily a problem, and you've made good recordings previously in your demos above, so there's something weird going on.

I'm not a mac or garageband user. Hopefully someone more familiar with it can help you check the settings... but I'm wondering if you have some sort of feedback loop going on when you go into record?

Hello again! Yes, you were right, I think it's something going on in GarageBand. I changed the audio settings to 32-bit float instead of 24-bit and it seemed to improve a tiny bit but beyond that I couldn't do anything else. I just downloaded Audacity and started recording using that software and everything seems to be functioning correctly and the sound is nice and crisp. Thank you for your patience and for your help. Have a wonderful day!

[ajay_m]

Try Reaper, which is a proper DAW (Audacity is great, but a bit limited) - you can download it for free and evaluate it until your conscience tells you to pay them USD60
That will give you good metering and confirm whether the problem is specific to Garage Band. Not a Mac person unfortunately, so I can't really help beyond that at this stage.

[dinosaurman]

Try Reaper, which is a proper DAW (Audacity is great, but a bit limited) - you can download it for free and evaluate it until your conscience tells you to pay them USD60
That will give you good metering and confirm whether the problem is specific to Garage Band. Not a Mac person unfortunately, so I can't really help beyond that at this stage.

Thanks, I'll check Reaper out right now. Cheers!