Mic boost from DAC/Sound Card mic input? (Zalman Mic)

[Polarbearzx]

Hello!

 

So I've ran into a very unfortunate problem with my new Zalman ZM-Mic 1's, they are awfully quiet. I believed a solution to this problem was to buy a seperate sound card that did not use Realtek HD drivers, or something that could convert the analogue signal into a digital one (which is the purpose of a DAC, IIRC).

(To explain, I have the mic at 100% volume with 20-30% boost in windows settings, and it's horrendous to listen to, and people can barely hear me)

 

This leads me to believe that you could buy a dedicated soundcard or a DAC that has a supported mic input, which will either solve the problem entirely or at the very least help. 

 

Can anybody elaborate on this? Am I pulling the correct conclusion?

 

For the record, I've made sure that there are people who can get decent sound from the Zlaman ZM-Mic 1, and there's nothing wrong with it to my knowledge.

 

Any advice is appreciated!

[ChaosGoW]

Preamps in onboard sound cards (and most pcie ones too) are pretty bad. It's pretty hard to produce a pre stage that has enough gain without distorting at a reasonable price. It's much easier to make a mic that's fit for the preamp in this case so my advice would be to get a different mic. The modmic (forget who makes it) seems pretty nifty for the price in that it just snaps onto your current headphones.

 

To be clear, I'll try to explain the signal chain so you can see where potential problems are.

 

Mic - The bit that picks up the sound and turns it into electricity

Preamp - The bit that changes the signal volume to one the converters can work with

Converters - Converts the analog signal into a digital one so your computer can understand it

 

There are plenty of bits in between those though and any part can cause an issue if it's failing

 

You can, however test it on a few different computers to see if there is a problem with your sound card or mic.

 

As for buying a new DAC just for your microphone, if you're just using it for comms in games and skype then you'll be wasting your money. If you really want to spend your money then the Blue Snowball is a pretty neat all rounder, even if a bit big. The problem isn't the converters, it's the preamp. 

[BAPEsta]

I've also been looking for some way to get a clean signal without any background noise or humming. Buying a ASUS Xonar U3 USB sound card helped but did not 100% remove the noise(video I made). I guess a ~$41 sound card is not enough.. thinking of returning it. 

The annoying part is that all the reviews of USB Sound Cards I've seen fail to actually go into the mic input quality. I don't really want to spend large amounts of money, or at least twice of what I already payed, on things I'm just going to return anyway.

Any suggestions on DACs or USB Sound Cards that have high quality mic input?

[ShearMe]

Static Noise Fix - By TotallydubbedHD

[Polarbearzx]

 

 

You can, however test it on a few different computers to see if there is a problem with your sound card or mic.

 

As for buying a new DAC just for your microphone, if you're just using it for comms in games and skype then you'll be wasting your money. 

 

I did try using a different computer, and the difference was miniscule (still bad quality, perhaps somewhat louder on my laptop).

 

I also use a Beyerdynamic DT770 80 ohms, and so I was thinking it wouldn't hurt to buy a sound card/ amp anyways, seeing as I could use it for my headphones and microphone.

 

I will mostly be using this for mumble/teamspeak/skype.

 

 

Static Noise Fix - By TotallydubbedHD

 

This was the video I saw that left the impression of buying a DAC to fix my problem, although I wasn't sure if he's using a DAC in that particular video. Does that USB converter purpose as a DAC?

 

Thanks for the responses!

[BAPEsta]

Is it just me or is there still a very clear static noise in the background? I can surely hear it. 

[ChaosGoW]

if you're looking for something to buy, you're massively over thinking the DAC part. Have you looked into usb mics?

 

I have a Blue Snowball and it plain works and sounds ok. Not amazing but it's clear and easy to point in the direction you want.

I also have the XLR version of the AT 2020 and it sounds fantastic for the money. I'm sure the USB version is just as good

 

If all you want is a clean sounding voice, get a USB mic.

 

If you want high quality mic inputs you'll want to look into USB Audio Interfaces. I recommend Focusrite since I've used theirs for years and they've always been rock solid for me, even the cheaper ones. The 2i2 will do most people fine. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlett2i2 - you can usually pick em up a lot cheaper in the sales. The big ports on the front are your mic inputs.