John Sargent

Thanks for responding. It was the cable. The mics are good. You are right about disposable equipment though. Thanks again.

I have some Audio-Technica M8000 mics (yeah, they are cheapies) and I also have some quality cables. At the intersection of mic and cable, I am getting shorts. It's impossible to hold the mic and use it as it pops in and out. On a mic stand, if I adjust it at all, they lose connectivity. Is it just "junk mics" or is there something I can do to get rid of these shorts?

I broke down and bought a presonus 44VSL and some AKG head phones. The Presonus has prety good reviews , 4 iputs with 4 preamps. It's all Greek to me so we'll see how it works out.

Please advise me. I have a budget of $1000 for interface and DAW. I stopped at Guitar Center but the guy there did not seem to know much beyond calculating commissions. One of the things I do it use my PA system for groups where people give speeches. For this I use an inexpensive set of Nady wireless mics. To record the speeches I run the rca plug back to the laptop and use Audacity. Again, lots of dirt in the sound. With a dedicated interface would I run the mic receiver into the interface, USB to the puter for recording and use the monitor jack to run the PA system? If that is the flow, I'll need a system with a very low latency. Come to think of it, That's how I would record live music performances too, isn't it?

I can spend about $1000 on the project right now but will not be able to throw more money at it for six months or so (Mrs Worm wants a vacation).

Would expanding the budget yeild significant results. I would hate to buy too cheap and then want better quickly? I suppose that I am trying to avoid the learning curve, but it's only money.

Thanks for your replay. Is the Presonus 22VSL ($199) decent or should I look at another product?

I am a raw beginner. I have Sony VAIO laptop running Audacity. I am recording through my Yamaha PA system, using an RCA plug to the laptop. I have generic mic and pickup cords. Audio Technica M8000 mics. Most of my songs are simplistic folky things that I play in public. No need for drum tracks (yet). I do use the multitrack feature. I use some Bose IPod ear plugs for head phones. All of my recordings have considerable dirt in the sound that I use the Audacity noise filter to remove. So, I have not spent any money on recording specific gear. Questions: What should I upgrade first? Quality cords? Better mics? Replace the PA system with something like presonus 22VSL or ? Replace Audacity with ?