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Problem with M-Audio M Audio Audio Buddy Microphone

How do you connect Audio Buddy to computer

So I just purchased the Audio Buddy Dual Mic Preamp/Direct Box and have no idea how to set it up. I have garage band on my mac and all I am looking to do at this point is record some guitar and vocals. What cables do I need to do this? Is there something beyond the audio buddy that I need in order to do this. Completely new to the home recording thing. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Posted by avatar on Dec 03, 2008

    • By avatarGuest Dec 04, 2008

    • I am planing on recording myself singing so I will look into the Beyer mic. I would like to record my guitar directly though the audio buddy without an amp. Is that possible? Otherwise I'll look into a studio condenser mic. For the input to a sound capture card through usb, is that a specific usb connection I should have on my computer or any usb port will do?

    • By avatarGuest Dec 04, 2008

    • Thanks, I'll look into wiretap and spin doctor.

      So, I plug my guitar into the audio buddy with a regular patch cord and then plug from the back of the audio buddy with a cord that has a patch on one side and either usb or firewire on the other? Does this make sense. Can you suggest a cord for me to get for this? Also, can you suggest a good microphone for recording this way? I'm not sure the price range so anything you can suggest would be a big help. Is the XLR cord only for a mic? Thanks

Solutions (1)

Best Solution

You probably connect the Audio Buddy via a USB or firewire cable. I use both types of audio interfaces. Your mac will sense which bus has audio. Go to System Preferences panel and select sound. Select input. You should see your Audio Buddy listed if it is connected properly. You can set levels from this panel and test the device by looking at the two level meters. Speak into the mic; the level meters should move from left to right. Go to the output panel and chose your monitoring device. I prefer the built-in speakers, but you could also connect your monitor to the USB interface or even the Audio Buddy. If I need better quality monitoring I plug a mini cable into the earphone jack and use a desktop speaker. Don't try to use that headphone jack for anything but monitoring - the quality is not great. If the Audio Buddy software requires that you select an input source, always use USB, never line or built-in mic. Another way to capture audio from an Audio Buddy or similar device is to use Wiretap Studio Pro or Roxio CD Spin Doctor for audio capture. I use both.

Testimonial: "Thanks for the help. Works great!"

    • By avatarArthur Aldrich Dec 04, 2008

    • The set-up sounds right. Audio Buddy will convert analog audio (your guitar) to digital audio your computer will accept. It is known as a digital/analog converter. The connection from the Audio Buddy to the computer should be a USB on both ends - a small USB on the Buddy end and a regular USB on the computer end.
      The theory is that the headphone/microphone jacks on your computer go through cheap audio circuits so a pure USB digital input is better.
      Why would you need an XLR connector? XLR connects balanced low-impedance audio sources, such as a microphone. Your guitar uses a 1/4 jack which is high impedance?
      You would have to tell me what kind of recording you do in order for me to recommend a mic.
      I use a ribbon mic for voice overs, Beyer hand-helds for vocals, and studio condenser mics for instrumentals. I feed these into a Behringer Eurorack mixer which provides phantom power where needed. That output goes into my USB audio converter, similar to your Audio Buddy.
      If AUdio Buddy accepts XLR mics

    • By avatarArthur Aldrich Dec 04, 2008

    • The Audio Buddy we are talking about DOES NOT have a USB interface. My error.
      It is a straight dual pre-amp/ I should have known because I have one sitting on top of a mixer.
      You need to take your audio output from the Audio Buddy and input to a computer sound capture card or into a USB sound card. The advice is the same - be sure your computer is configured to accept the USB as its input source.
      There are some issues with levels on the Audio Buddy; indeed, there is no headroom for excessive levels in capturing digital audio. Any levels higher than zero db will cause clipping and distortion. Set your audio input and output levels accordingly.

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