Topic: Anyone have any experience with one of these - miniature USB mic preamp

[landshark]

Hi everyone -

I got an ASUS EEE recently, with the plan of having it with me frequently.  Since I'll have it around, I'm thinking of rigging it to be able to capture as high quality sound as possible for those spur of the moment opportunities to record something good.  For example, I'll have it on an upcoming trip, and rather than bring a separate recording rig, if I just add some mics I can use the "decent" stereo mic-in to record.  I have a CChurch preamp, so if I throw that in the bag I czan bump quality up another notch.  There's even a guy trying to re-wire the onboard ADC chip so the EE will accept line inputs!  (http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=25515) - if anyone can help him out it would be awesome!

That being said, I'm looking for a way to plug mics into the eee, either thru mic-in or USB port - I know there are some USB offerings from Apogee, etc., but size is of the utmost importance.  I did come across these cool-looking things on B&H, and was wondering if anyone has any experience with them

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/519287-REG/CEntrance_Inc__CE1801_MicPort_Pro_USB_Microphone.html

Any feedback (or advice on alternatives) much appreciated!

Mike

[illconditioned]

Hi everyone -

I got an ASUS EEE recently, with the plan of having it with me frequently.  Since I'll have it around, I'm thinking of rigging it to be able to capture as high quality sound as possible for those spur of the moment opportunities to record something good.  For example, I'll have it on an upcoming trip, and rather than bring a separate recording rig, if I just add some mics I can use the "decent" stereo mic-in to record.  I have a CChurch preamp, so if I throw that in the bag I czan bump quality up another notch.  There's even a guy trying to re-wire the onboard ADC chip so the EE will accept line inputs!  (http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=25515) - if anyone can help him out it would be awesome!

That being said, I'm looking for a way to plug mics into the eee, either thru mic-in or USB port - I know there are some USB offerings from Apogee, etc., but size is of the utmost importance.  I did come across these cool-looking things on B&H, and was wondering if anyone has any experience with them

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/519287-REG/CEntrance_Inc__CE1801_MicPort_Pro_USB_Microphone.html

Any feedback (or advice on alternatives) much appreciated!

Mike

That "micport pro" is mono.  It does look like a nice way to get a mic input though.  I wonder if a pair of these could be locked together (in software?) to record in stereo (or even more than two tracks).

Also, the fact that it generates phantom from the USB +5V is cool too.  If I was still hacking gear, I would suggest this as a nice way to provide bias voltage for "active" capsules.  The added gain (+6 to +40dB) is useful too...

  Richard

[landshark]

Hi Richard -

I checked out ther site, and yes, you can plug in one or more mics for multitrack.  They even include the drivers:

http://www.centrance.com/download/

From the site:

Complimentary Software Downloads for MicPort Users

CEntrance Universal Driver™ allows for recording in stereo with multiple MicPorts
REAPER™ multi-track recording and editing software (trial version)


Anyone know of any other very small Mic to USB products?

Mike

[sunjan]

CEntrance Universal Driver™ allows for recording in stereo with multiple MicPorts
Anyone know of any other very small Mic to USB products?

Nice find, T+!

I'd take it that you'd be running the Asus lappy on AC, because those MicPorts would sap your battery flat.
And does the EEE have two USB ports or will you need a splitter/powered hub? That might be another power bottleneck.
Also, which OS are you going to run on the EEE? I recall some models shipping with linux. Make sure that there are stable linux MicPort drivers if you go that way.

Are you dead set on using P48 powering and XLR mics? Or do you have other mics too with other options?

When you say "very small" are you completely against breakout boxes, aiming for tack-on devices only? In that case there isn't much on the market.
But have a look:
http://www.sweetwater.com/c695--USB_Audio_Interfaces/low2high
Maybe the TASCAM US-122L, PreSonus AudioBox USB, Alesis IO/2 or Henry Engineering USB-MATCHBOX (or Match Plus) is small enough for your needs?

[landshark]

Heya Sun -

Yep, thought of those.  Here's the situation:  I'm heading to Costa Rica for 10 days in August with my girlfriend.  I thought there may be an opportunity to record some local music, and definitely interested in recording the rainforest sounds.  So, why not bring some gear?  However, I'll be lugging it everywhere so size is of the essence.

I currently have too much gear anyway, and by rights I should bring my Korg MR1, CChurch 9100 and my CChurch Caroids - that would be the smallest setup.  However, I just got the eee, and am in full "new toy" mode.  I'll definitely be bringing that, and so now I'm itching to work that into the sound solution.  If I brought that, I'd want to bring my 460's with the actives and omni and card caps, so in terms of total size, I'm running almost the same size and have more delicate gear to worry about.  Yes, I am a gear slut.  I have a 5-cigar otter box that I think could fit the mic bodies, two of these preamps, and the caps.  I'd leave the actives and the usb cables out separate.

I tried using the CChurch amp with the CChurch mics and feeding that into the mic-in on the comp, but the results weren't acceptable - snap, crackle, pop, etc.  Someone's trying to mod the eee to allow input into the line feed for the A/D chip, but hasn't got it working yet.

Regarding the eee itself, it has 3 USB ports, so no worries there, and a 6800 mAh battery (runs for ~6-8 hours normal use) and I also have a Tekkeon battery pack I can use as well, so I think I'll be good there even not on AC.

I suppose what it comes down to is my desire to justify more gear.....<grin>

Thanks!

Mike

[sunjan]

Regarding the eee itself, it has 3 USB ports, so no worries there, and a 6800 mAh battery (runs for ~6-8 hours normal use) and I also have a Tekkeon battery pack I can use as well, so I think I'll be good there even not on AC.

Cool, you should be good to go then!

I've seen very few reviews of the MicPorts in real life situations. But they seem to be professional grade and a tad over the "home enthusiast" gear.
If you plug in two for stereo, I wonder how the software assigns the left/right channels? Make sure you test them thoroughly before you decide to bring them. Check power usage with P48 etc. And post your results here...

[rsimms3]

The new 1000h is currently out of stock, but runs $550 on NewEgg, $100 less than anywhere else.  It runs on the new Atom processor and NewEgg is advertising 7hrs. of use time, not sure what conditions exactly.  I am looking at getting one for computer/open taping behind my BMP2+ for 24 bit.  That price is comparable to a 901 tricked out with more memory, etc.

Have fun!

[landshark]

Love the 'Egg!  That's where I got my 901.  So far, it's kicking arse, very glad I got it.  I think you'll be very happy with the 1000H.  Size was my critical factor, so even the extra 1" or so for the 1000H made me prefer the 901.  At some point I'll mod my 901 to add in a hard drive rather than the 8GB SSD - there's actually a cutout and slot for a hard drive in the case, so adding one in to the 901 takes about 10 mins.  I'm hoping a higher storage SSD becomes available (and affordable!) at some point.

Good luck!

ps.  And I'm succumbing to the dark/slut side and getting these preamps...

[landshark]

Update -

Soo...the MicPorts arrived, was messing around with them yesterday.  Didn't do a lot to test the sound quality because I'm still trying to get the "aggregation" feature of their driver to work.  I've installed and reinstalled the "Universal" driver a couple times, but still getting weird results.  Sometimes the mics show up as two different audio sources, sometimes just one shows up but only one channel (one micport) is active.  Using Reaper and Samplitude, you have to select one source, so couldn't select both mics to get signal.  Tried both ASIO and the windows formats.

As it turns out, these things pump out one mono signal over both channels, so their output is mono output in a stereo format (signal gets split 50/50 right and left).

They arrived with no manual, just a "quick start" card, and there's no manual available on their site.  No support either, except a forum and I'm waiting for the administrator to "approve" my account so I can post.  I sent their "General Information" email address (no Support email address??) an email asking for help, we'll see what comes back.

They look like they could be pretty cool, IF I can get the drivers to work.  Not feeling very warm and fuzzy by how difficult they make it to get help.

[sunjan]

Size was my critical factor, so even the extra 1" or so for the 1000H made me prefer the 901.  At some point I'll mod my 901 to add in a hard drive rather than the 8GB SSD - there's actually a cutout and slot for a hard drive in the case, so adding one in to the 901 takes about 10 mins. 

Interesting! I found a review with some pictures pointing out this feature:
http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?cid=14&id=2605&pg=6
The MSI Wind can't be opened as easily, so it's another selling point for the 901...

The review also confirms the outstanding battery life of the 901.