Looking for a better source for my microphone (a modmic)
Jan 27, 2015 at 8:40 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 18

geoxile

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I have a modmic 4 that is apparently receiving volume very low through my Xonar DX. If I activate the microphone the quality goes to rubbish, boomy and picks up all sorts of noise, and the sound card has no options to control the gain or reduce noise and as far as I can tell from reviews it sounds about as bad (good?) as a cheap no name USB DAC. I'm looking for a better source so I can get the best out of my mic on a budget ($50 to $100).
 
Jan 28, 2015 at 10:35 AM Post #4 of 18
  It looks like the cheapest is the Scarlett Solo. I assume I'd need a 3.5mm to XLR adapter for this?

 
I somehow missed the part about your using the ModMic (must have been really sleepy when I replied), I thought you were using some kind of serious microphone. Did you check all the settings on the soundcard? This is the first time I've heard of such a problem on a ModMic, or any mic like it for that matter. I'm not sure if there's even a two-pin converter for those or if it'll work. Easy enough to find an XLR to 6.3mm TRS (then just use a 6.3mm to 3.5mm converter), but AFAIK I don't know if using a 2-pin non-balanced mic will work properly on a 3-pin mic preamp.
 
Jan 28, 2015 at 12:10 PM Post #5 of 18
   
I somehow missed the part about your using the ModMic (must have been really sleepy when I replied), I thought you were using some kind of serious microphone. Did you check all the settings on the soundcard? This is the first time I've heard of such a problem on a ModMic, or any mic like it for that matter. I'm not sure if there's even a two-pin converter for those or if it'll work. Easy enough to find an XLR to 6.3mm TRS (then just use a 6.3mm to 3.5mm converter), but AFAIK I don't know if using a 2-pin non-balanced mic will work properly on a 3-pin mic preamp.

 
Most mics on PC sound like crap so I don't think people normally complain. But I listened to a few reviews of the Modmic and the quality was significantly better with good volume. The sound card doesn't really have many settings, the only thing I can find is microphone boost and some novelty settings for gamers.
 
Jan 28, 2015 at 1:23 PM Post #6 of 18
   
Most mics on PC sound like crap so I don't think people normally complain.

 
Not disputing that they do, but your post was about "receiving volume very low through my Xonar DX." That's kind of like the difference between "hihihi you sound funny over the phone" and "SPEAK UP I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" 
biggrin.gif

 
In any case the thing is people don't really complain about the SQ of PC mics because not everyone is conscious of whether they have to shout (they probably are already, emotions run high in games) and ruin their crooner voice (Michael Buble uses a Shure SM58 I think, which is a very efficient mic that helps keep his vocal cords relaxed) just to brag about what they did to their opponent's mother last night. 
 
  The sound card doesn't really have many settings, the only thing I can find is microphone boost and some novelty settings for gamers.

 
My crappy $10 desktop mic (I think it's the cheap version of what you see on a large table government meeting) gets decent volume. Never had to raise my voice with it, not using the mic boost either. That's why I thought of checking the software first, at least in case you might not have done so yet.
 
At this point I'd try to get a replacement unit from ModMic first; there's a possibility that the one you have could be defective if the problem is that severe.
 
Jan 28, 2015 at 1:31 PM Post #7 of 18
I've talked to some other people and they described the same thing with the 4.0. Without boost the volume is low, but with boost the quality goes down the drain and sounds like any other cheap mic. It's not impossible to hear but it's still low enough that I have to speak loudly and clearly at all times.
 
Jan 28, 2015 at 1:50 PM Post #8 of 18
  I've talked to some other people and they described the same thing with the 4.0. Without boost the volume is low, but with boost the quality goes down the drain and sounds like any other cheap mic. It's not impossible to hear but it's still low enough that I have to speak loudly and clearly at all times.

 
Looks like a mic preamp is needed then; which is weird since you'd think they would design a mic to be efficient and clear enough. I'm really gonna stick with my desktop mic for now if that's how the 4.0 is.
 
Jan 28, 2015 at 2:14 PM Post #9 of 18
Well, I guess it is clear enough as is even with boost, given most people don't care when gaming, but based on reviews it's not as good as it could be. So I guess it's really the sound card that is the problem.
 
Jan 28, 2015 at 4:16 PM Post #10 of 18
Yeah, from what i've read about the 4.0, it has very low volume :frowning2:. Im still using the 1.0 modmic and it works fine out the box with all the sound cards (dedicated and onboard) I've used. Only thing I can think of is, try using your onboard mic input and see if that makes a difference. At the very least, it will help narrow down the problem :)
 
Jan 28, 2015 at 11:39 PM Post #11 of 18
  Yeah, from what i've read about the 4.0, it has very low volume :frowning2:. Im still using the 1.0 modmic and it works fine out the box with all the sound cards (dedicated and onboard) I've used. Only thing I can think of is, try using your onboard mic input and see if that makes a difference. At the very least, it will help narrow down the problem :)


Can you recommend any sure fire audio interfaces that work well with the modmic?
 
Also, can a 3.5mm even make use of a preamp in an audio interface designed for XLR or 1/4" input?
 
Jan 29, 2015 at 1:15 AM Post #12 of 18
 
Can you recommend any sure fire audio interfaces that work well with the modmic?
 
Also, can a 3.5mm even make use of a preamp in an audio interface designed for XLR or 1/4" input?

 
Unfortunately I cant. My experience is limited to onboard audio, various creative cards, and Astro MixAmp. And I've only used the ModMic version 1. Sorry :frowning2:
 
Jan 29, 2015 at 7:03 PM Post #13 of 18
Have you tried with the onboard audio? Some onboard chips nowadays are more than decent.
 
Jan 30, 2015 at 1:28 PM Post #14 of 18
  Have you tried with the onboard audio? Some onboard chips nowadays are more than decent.

Nah, I don't think it will help. It's a 4 year old PC now and the motherboard was a mid-range part when I got it. The Xonar DX supposedly has a "high quality" preamp but it doesn't seem to be really helping. And the Xonar Audio Center software is limited.
 
I ended up getting this:
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-302USB-BEHRINGER-XENYX/dp/B005EHILV4/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t
It has a 3.5mm slot that should work with any mic, but I guess we'll find out
 
Jan 30, 2015 at 8:54 PM Post #15 of 18
  Nah, I don't think it will help. It's a 4 year old PC now and the motherboard was a mid-range part when I got it. The Xonar DX supposedly has a "high quality" preamp but it doesn't seem to be really helping. And the Xonar Audio Center software is limited.
 
I ended up getting this:
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-302USB-BEHRINGER-XENYX/dp/B005EHILV4/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t
It has a 3.5mm slot that should work with any mic, but I guess we'll find out

Great choice as I had a similar problem with my Titanium HD in that it has no gain setting for the microphone input... I also tried using the mic input on my motherboard as it has 3 gain settings but it is so noisy (background hiss) that it is useless.
 
One thing about the Xenyx 302USB when I was testing it as a USB audio input device, is it is a bit noisy (not as bad as my motherboard though). However, that's not an issue for me as I use the 302USB line out into the Titanium HD line in (which I always planned to do anyway as I know the Titanium HD line input is really good). I'm not sure if you were planning to use the line in on your Xonar DX, but do try it if you find the USB audio input on the Xenyx a bit noisy.
 
I found the Xenyx 302USB provides plenty of gain and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised as there is virtually no noise when using the line-out feeding into my Titanium HD. I'm currently using a Sennheiser PC350 headset, but I am thinking about getting a modmic so I am curious to hear how it works out for you.
 

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