Hello from Texas!

Why not tell us a little bit about yourself? Welcome to the community!

Moderators: MattKingUSA, khz

Post Reply
Jimmy
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2021 12:52 pm

Hello from Texas!

Post by Jimmy »

After waiting nearly a year to upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 from 18.04, I ended up with a clean install of 20.04 with vanilla Gnome and used Ubuntu Studio installer. That's been my intention since last spring/summer, and here at last I've got a whole suite of software I have no idea what to do with. :lol: I have a modeling/practice amp (Positive Grid's Spark40) to use as an interface for guitar/bass, and picked up a Neewer NW-8000 USB condenser mic on the cheap which I figured would suit my purposes. However, I think I'd like a better but still sub-$100 XLR condenser. I'm looking at an MXL 990 or Marantz Pro MPM1000 and a Behringer UM2 audio interface. I may or may not return the Neewer, it could still be useful.

My purposes are purely hobby, to get some ideas down that I've had rolling around my head and just for fun. I'm disabled due to a chronic nerve disorder and largely gave up music the past 20 years, but it's become therapeutic to me the last couple of years. I'm not trying to make a record, just learn, have fun, and maybe share with family and friends. I don't know that I'll even stick with it to be honest, it's just something I'd like to try and I have a feeling it would be good for my mental health.

I'm relatively tech savvy and have used FreeBSD and Linux in some form or other exclusively since 2004 when I kicked Windows to the curb for good. Not an expert, but good at reading and figuring things out . . . and things usually go well, except when they don't. :lol: Jack sures like to mess up my audio for one thing, and I keep having to restart alsa, so that's a pain in the butt but I figure I'll get it sorted eventually.

Are there any other things I may have overlooked in my set-up? Also, recommendations for usable headphones that won't break the bank would be much appreciated. What would you tell someone who is a complete newbie to recording, particularly using Linux? I watched a video about using Ardour, so I know there are some good tutorial videos out there.

Looking forward to exploring the forums and gleaning what wisdom I can! :D
User avatar
LAM
Established Member
Posts: 992
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:16 pm
Has thanked: 140 times
Been thanked: 348 times

Re: Hello from Texas!

Post by LAM »

Hello @Jimmy,

I've no experience in recording or headphones but I'm sure there is a lot of people here who can give you good suggestions.

Welcome on the forum. :D

in mix, nobody can hear your screen

User avatar
milo
Established Member
Posts: 1242
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:55 am
Location: Southern Utah, USA
Has thanked: 275 times
Been thanked: 218 times
Contact:

Re: Hello from Texas!

Post by milo »

Welcome, Jimmy! I would recommend the tutorial videos by @unfa. https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCAYKj_peyESIMDp5LtHlH2A

I also have some experience with chronic neurologic disorders, and I know how troubling they can be.

I am using cheap headphones that I bought at T.J. Maxx! :lol: An upgrade is somewhere in my future, but honestly there are more important things, like an audio interface, quality instruments, quiet and fast computer hardware, a quiet corner of your house, etc. It sounds like you're already collecting these.
User avatar
Michael Willis
Established Member
Posts: 1451
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2016 3:27 pm
Location: Rocky Mountains, North America
Has thanked: 69 times
Been thanked: 164 times
Contact:

Re: Hello from Texas!

Post by Michael Willis »

Hi Jimmy! I spent a couple of years in San Antonio and then much later a couple of years in Austin. I'm not sure what part of Texas you're from but I sure do love that central "hill country" area.
Jimmy wrote: Fri Mar 26, 2021 6:03 pmNeewer NW-8000 USB condenser mic
Those ultra-cheap condenser mics have a horrible noise floor, but if you're comfortable using a soldering iron and modifying the electronics, you can use the mic body to build a pretty good DIY mic.

I followed an instructible called Modify a cheap LDC condenser mic, and I'm happy with the results. I documented it here in a thread called DIY large-diaphragm condenser mic.

Alternatively, Behringer C-1 and C-2 are inexpensive condenser mics without a horrible noise floor.

Edit: I realized that you have a USB mic, I'm not certain how easily it can be modified like I did mine.
kafka
Established Member
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:08 am
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Hello from Texas!

Post by kafka »

Jimmy wrote: Fri Mar 26, 2021 6:03 pm After waiting nearly a year to upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 from 18.04, I ended up with play real money casino here https://www.prairieviewbg.com/ and get free spins a clean install of 20.04 with vanilla Gnome and used Ubuntu Studio installer. That's been my intention since last spring/summer, and here at last I've got a whole suite of software I have no idea what to do with. :lol: I have a modeling/practice amp (Positive Grid's Spark40) to use as an interface for guitar/bass, and picked up a Neewer NW-8000 USB condenser mic on the cheap which I figured would suit my purposes. However, I think I'd like a better but still sub-$100 XLR condenser. I'm looking at an MXL 990 or Marantz Pro MPM1000 and a Behringer UM2 audio interface. I may or may not return the Neewer, it could still be useful.

My purposes are purely hobby, to get some ideas down that I've had rolling around my head and just for fun. I'm disabled due to a chronic nerve disorder and largely gave up music the past 20 years, but it's become therapeutic to me the last couple of years. I'm not trying to make a record, just learn, have fun, and maybe share with family and friends. I don't know that I'll even stick with it to be honest, it's just something I'd like to try and I have a feeling it would be good for my mental health.

I'm relatively tech savvy and have used FreeBSD and Linux in some form or other exclusively since 2004 when I kicked Windows to the curb for good. Not an expert, but good at reading and figuring things out . . . and things usually go well, except when they don't. :lol: Jack sures like to mess up my audio for one thing, and I keep having to restart alsa, so that's a pain in the butt but I figure I'll get it sorted eventually.

Are there any other things I may have overlooked in my set-up? Also, recommendations for usable headphones that won't break the bank would be much appreciated. What would you tell someone who is a complete newbie to recording, particularly using Linux? I watched a video about using Ardour, so I know there are some good tutorial videos out there.

Looking forward to exploring the forums and gleaning what wisdom I can! :D
Hello Jimmy! Welcome to the forum.
Last edited by kafka on Wed Apr 07, 2021 2:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Basslint
Established Member
Posts: 1511
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2019 2:25 pm
Location: Italy
Has thanked: 382 times
Been thanked: 298 times

Re: Hello from Texas!

Post by Basslint »

Nice, always wanted to know someone from Texas! Very much welcome :D
The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. [Acts 4:32]

Please donate time (even bug reports) or money to libre software 🎁

Jam on openSUSE + GeekosDAW!
Post Reply