Desktop Recording Kit
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Your computer is both a productivity tool and entertainment provider. LetÂ’s face it; this one piece of kit can take over many aspects of our life. It can handle correspondence, finances, communications, various research projects, organize media items, provide a gaming environment and kick-start a budding recording career. The latter feature might have come as somewhat of a surprise but your computer can have the ability to be your personal recording studio. For this to happen, as with it other capabilities, the appropriate software will need to be installed. In order to get the best results, however, you should consider investing in a quality input device - in other words a microphone.
While some systems come with a built-in microphone and others have a headset included as part of the bundle, these devices could hardly be considered suitable for high quality recording purposes. You really need a microphone that has been designed specifically for the purpose of producing professional quality recordings. One product that believes it falls into this category is the D.R.K. (Desktop Recording Kit) developed by MXL, a division of Marshall Electronics, and available in the UK from Yamaha.
Described as being the perfect tool for 'recording vocals, instruments and for voice-over speech to liven CD and DVD video recordings, location sound effects and field audio recordings', this microphone comes with a stand and leads conveniently packaged in a padded carrying case. Taking up most of the space in this case is a microphone measuring 19cm in length with a 15.8cm circumference at its widest point. For the technically aware, the microphone is a large diaphragm gold sputtered, professional studio condenser model with a wide dynamic range and low-noise self-powered electronics. The rest of us mortals will have to be satisfied with the description that this microphone is white in colour and heavy enough to cause serious damage in the wrong hands.
Some D.I.Y. work will be necessary as a couple of sections of the microphone will need to be unscrewed and its outer sheath removed so that the 9v battery can be inserted and the collapsible, adjustable stand attached. The whole process should take less than a couple of minutes and detailed instructions are provided. The stand raises the microphone by approximately 7cm from whatever surface on which it is placed.
Leads are supplied for connecting the microphone to a computer with a 3.5mm input socket or balanced input mixers, pre-amplifiers and low level balanced recorder inputs. There is also an adapter for changing the 3.5mm plug to 7mm for use when connecting to suitable recording devices.
The microphone needs no external power source; the battery is generally sufficient but will accept power from other sources. This external power, referred to as phantom power, could come from a pre-amplifier or audio mixer. When phantom power is detected by the microphone, the internal battery will be by-passed.
No software is included as the manufacturer believes users would prefer to use their own favourite audio recording software. You do get a brief guide offering recording tips that generally relate to the position of the microphone with regards to the audio source.
If the quality of your recordings is an issue then the investment of £89 for this piece of kit will be well worth the expenditure as you should be able to achieve a distinct improvement in your recordings. However many users will find the convenience of using the built-in microphone or headset approach a more appealing factor.
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