Ableton Forum

Hi ALL

I've recently added a Behringer ECM8000 mic to my setup as I am acoustically treating my room. My audio interface is my virus ti polar but it does not have phantom power or preamps as far as I am aware. What is my best solution to get my mic working?

[*]Behringer P400 as a power adapter which looks like a cheap solution but I have heard I would still need a preamp to bring the mic up to a workable volume
[*]Buy something like a Behringer Xenyx 802 or Mackie 402 mixer although it feels like overkill just to be able to use my mic
[*]Buy a new audio interface with built in preamps and phantom power (in which case what are my options?)

I'm reading the gearslutz website swell but having trouble posting on there atm, thanks in advance for any help.

OK think I'm going to go down the new audio interface route, I'm torn between:

Focusrite 2i2
Mackie Onyx Blackjack
Roland Duo Capture EX UA-22

All of them look good and are exactly the same price. The roland and mackies both boast about their preamp. I'm running on yosemite.

Looks like we were writing at the same time. Hehe

Maybe the easiest way to go would be to buy a single channel preamp that includes a phantom power supply.

Not sure how you feel about tubes, but the ART Pro Tube MP does all of that for around $40.

If you're looking for something fancier without going for a multichannel audio interface or mixer, you could also buy a channel strip, which would give you the option of including EQ, compression, etc.

Behringer has a pretty affordable one for around $70 (Behringer MiniMIC MIC800)

If you want something higher-end, PreSonus sells a really nice rack-mount unit for around $300 (PreSonus Studio Channel). This unit has 3-band parametric EQ and a VCA compressor built in.

Of course, it only goes up from there. LOL Joe Meek comes to mind.

Thanks Richie, I didn't even know that Tube MP existed! That's perfect for the job, would you say get a tube mp/channel strip over an audio interface?

Really depends on the future direction of your setup.

If you plan on adding more instruments and/or mics in the future, then it's more cost effective to buy an audio interface now. Just make sure you buy one with more I/O than you think you need or you'll be replacing it sooner than you'd like.

If you really have all the gear you really think you want, and just need a way to plug in the mic, then that single channel amp will save you a lot of money.

If, on the other hand, you have complete gear lust and can see yourself building a high-end recording setup in the future, then a channel strip is a great investment. And you can add more of them as your studio grows, which can help you spread the costs out.

So which is it?!

well the channel strips look awesome but outside my budget at the moment. I think I'm going to get a new soundcard as it gives me the best of both worlds i think

Cool! Good luck!

I got a focus rite in the end mate but thanks for your help/advice

Good choice! Those are solid interfaces. I've owned a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 and an 18i6, and they both served me well.