Hand-built microphone pickup/preamp system: Revolutionary DIY project

[Schertler]

Originally Posted by TOCS

Assuming you're on a desktop PC with a motherboard that has an integrated sound card, there is a chance you'll have a line in-port you could use with your preamp.

If you're completely inexperienced in recording, for this situation I suggest just downloading the free DAW, Audacity. There you can easily record some raw footage of your pickup.

Hi there!

I got some time to spend with sample-recording on the laptop..... just checked my laptop's mic input and I found it being a stereo-input with 2 Volts phantom-powering on both of the channels........

So here are my two questions/concerns:

1. Can I safely plug my Boss SE-50 processor into such 2V-powered input? typically, such audio gear (input/output) always are run with coupling capacitors, so there should not be any concerns of signal distortion due to that 2V powering.....

2. Perhaps, recording right with the Windows' sound-recorder might be OK in this particular case...... many years back I used to experiment with Guitar Rig but I do not find it to be useful neither with acoustics nor for live playing....


Thank you for sharing experience on plugging Processor right into Laptop's mic input!

[Schertler]

After the year of a horrible bone fracture, serious surgery and recovery, and now after 2 days of trial/errors with Audacity, here is a pair of audio samples separately recorded from internal Dynamic and Condenser mics. As mentioned before, I am not a recording fan neither possessing those specific devices/tools (audio interface, condenser mics, DAW etc...), so I have got them recorded in the following order: from the endpin jack to the preamp, then follows Boss SE-50 processor and the signal goes into laptop's standard mic input (basic Realtek audio-cart).
Certainly there is a mismatch between the I/O, however I did it at almost zero volumes. Two samples are Dry pickups and the other twos with Boss processor in-between just for getting a bit softer/mellow sound and compensating lack of audio-interface......
Well, actually recording this way either generally right out from the pickups is not a method for achieving a decent audio, but the samples do demo the real voices of these Dynamic and Condenser mics installed in the body of the guitar (great little Ibanez AC240).



Dynamic-1

MKE-5-1

Dynamic-boss-97-1

MKE-5-boss-97-1


I am going to install this same dynamic/condenser system into my new Eastman E8OM these days, so will get some samples of this great new Eastman as well.

[Schertler]

I would like to show/share some images of my Mr. Acoustic internal miniature condenser-dynamic microphone system on my new Eastman E8OM.
The system combines the same Oktava MKE-5B condenser mic and 160 Ohm coil-impedance dynamic capsule, however there is a different installation method used - heavy duty polyfoam! Little Oktava mic has its original mount, then comes a short 30-40mm plastic stand glued onto the small pyramid-shape solid polyfoam, so the entire mic-holder-polyfoam body is attached to the instrument's back by Velcro tapes.
Dynamic transducer is attached to the instrument's top next to the bridge-plate. I have been testing dozens of spots on the guitar's top, but this particular location offers the most of the frequency-range and sound-volume. I have attached the dynamic capsule just across G-D strings as its bone-body picks lot of highs through the vibration.