in DAW based home recording, what goes between the mics and the laptop?

Hi guys,

Even though I'm an electrical engineer with a long career in software testing I'm pretty ignorant of some areas of technology, namely DAW based home recording. I've recorded in studios, I used to record back in the day on a cassette based 4 track and I've been using a Zoom H2n for many years but laptop DAW based recording is a mystery to me.

So the basics: Assuming I have some nice guitars, a good sounding recording space, some nice condenser mics and mic placement experience and a recent Mac Book with a functional DAW loaded on it, what goes between the mics and the laptop? What are the essential components? Obviously there would be a mic pre but what else? Is there a good primer page explaining the components in between that you know of?

Putting a home studio together is in the somewhat distant future for me right now but I'd like to understand the components of the recording chain beforehand.

[midwinter]

You need an A/D interface to get the analog signal from the mics into a digital signal going into your Mac. There are tons of options.

Originally Posted by midwinter

You need an A/D interface to get the analog signal from the mics into a digital signal going into your Mac. There are tons of options.

So the chain would be: Mics > Mic Pre > A/D interface > Laptop?

[ChuckS]

The basic functional blocks for the recording chain are mic > preamp > analog to digital conversion > computer interface (i.e. USB) > computer.

You can get an audio interface that has some, or all, of the preamp, ADC, and USB functions. You can also use external preamps and ADC, in addition to an audio interface, for specific tonal/performance reasons.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

So the chain would be: Mics > Mic Pre > A/D interface > Laptop?

It depends on your setup. Most cheaper (and even some expensive ones) interfaces have pres built in. So it’s mic > interface > computer.

Awesome guys thank you!

[midwinter]

If you get something like an Apogee ONE you’ll have it all in one package—including the mic. I’m consistently amazed by how good mine sounds.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

So the chain would be: Mics > Mic Pre > A/D interface > Laptop?

Yes, but you have to have a way to get the digital information converted back to audio in order to hear what you've sent into the computer, and for that you need a D/A interface. Luckily for you, the majority of interfaces on the market handle both duties. So when you shop, you probably don't want to shop specifically for an A/D interface.

Something to be aware of while shopping is connectivity (thunderbolt, firewire, usb, etc). Not all interfaces will connect to all computers, so make you check the requirements.

And as was mentioned, many interfaces will come with built-in preamps. Preamp quality varies widely from interface to interface. There's also the issue of how many preamps you'll need. You can buy interfaces with 1, 2, 4, or 8 preamps. The number of preamps determines the number of microphones you can record from at the same time. For most solo singer/songwriter work, three mics is the most you'd use at one time.

[TBman]

I use a Zoom H5 to record with my mics, then copy the files I make to my PC for editing.

[keith.rogers]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

So the chain would be: Mics > Mic Pre > A/D interface > Laptop?

Just to clarify, most "audio interfaces" include one or more mic pre. Just count the number of XLR (combo) jacks and you'll know how many mic pres are there. Most are quite good these days and an external mic pre is something many folks do without.

And, if you have an external mic pre, you need a line level input on the audio interface. Many audio interfaces do not have extra line inputs (some do, of course), so you'll have to use the 1/4" part of the combo jack for the line input, losing one mic pre in the bargain. Make sure it's a worthwhile choice if you go that route, is my suggestion.