Battery Power

I've been struggling to record vocals on to cakewalk Guitar tracks for some time, I couldn't get enough volume by connecting the Mic straight in to Mic input and couldn't get enough volume from the Line out of a guitar amplifier, because the amp input is designed for a guitar.

Anyway i bought a new microphone today: it's a yoga EM-278 and requires a 1.5volt AA battery.
i found that the battery powered Mic connected straight into the mic input gives enough output to get a half volume recording providing I sing quite loud,
i copied the vocal track onto the track underneath and doubled the volume.
I can now continue my quest - to make a reasonable demo - the new Mic cost £20.
The output impedance of the Mic is 600 ohm

Yeah, for a mic that isn't a computer mic you will usually need a preamp.

Yes I'm hoping to buy a Behringer in the future...

if u get a toneport by line6 u can always just use a dynamic mic or condensor mic to do your vocals. external sound cards are the way to go guys, i keep tellin ppl it, back when i was setting computers up for ppl, they'd always ask to have the best soundcard put in like a creative audigy 2 with a front bay for the inputs and so on, and the sound quality wasn't as good as an external asio driven unit, because external unit's don't tend to suffer interference from the computers internals like the fans and the electrical currents etc.

I'm afraid that the internal workings of a computer are much of a mystery to me ?
Is the line 6 toneport an external soundcard and where would it plug in ?

USB port. I heard it works well. You might wanna give it a look.

I've found a microphone preamplifier at Maplins Electronics - there's no volume control - it simply boosts the microphone output to line level - operates from a 12Volt transformer - it has 1/4 inch jack inputs and phono outputs.
Anyone know if this would usefull or adaptable

Id go with a second hand Behringer mic preamp / channel strip. Shouldn't cost you more than 50 bucks and will give you a great bang for your buck. It will let you upgrade to a more expensive mic as and when you want to. Saying that I dont know that it will have a mic level 1/4 inch input. You may get stuck their as the standard for mics is an XLR type input.

I've been trying to find a behringer - i've never had any dealings with E bay, I think you suggested it before.
I was hoping to find a suitable pre amp locally ?

saying that you might as well have a look for either:

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=40039&Category=Microphones

or

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=31459&Category=Microphones

Both have built in preamps. A friend of mine who is a professional sound engineer was blown off his feet with the sound of the Samson mic !

Do you know if the mic you have puts out line level, Mic level (low Z) or guitar level (high Z) output ? It should say on the spec however until you know all about this Id not part with any more cash for something that might not not do what you want (like a preamp).

The reason I say this is that it is really odd (not necessarily bad) to have a 1/4" jack on a mic.

If the mic is outputting line level signal then a pre wont really help and may well just amplify noise.

If the mic is outputting Mic level signal a pre amp may well help boost your signal to noise ratio (defiantly good).

However most pres will be expecting an XLR type mic input and may not have a 1/4" that is setup to accept mic level signal. Or, if the pre has a 1/4" input it may be setup to accept Hi Z (guitar level) input which may sound bad with mic level signal coming into it as the impedance will be all wrong.

Anyway let us know and we will do what we can !

FWIW, I have always had positive dealings with eBay, though Im quite careful about who I deal with !

ANother thing that might help is experimenting with mic placement.

If you don't have a pop shield Id start with angling the mic down towards your mouth, point it at your nose and let your breath go underneath it. This way the end with the cord will be higher than the end that receives the signal.

Experiment with moving the mic on and off axis (the angle it is pointing at your mouth), and closer and further away from you mouth. I normally set a large diaphragm condenser a hand-span (with fingers splayed) from the mouth of the person singing and tell em not to move too much ! I then mark the position of there feet on the floor with duct tape (I don't ever super-glue their feet though sometimes it is tempting). Also don't ever touch the mic stand !!

Be aware of the proximity effect (the closer to your mouth the mic is the more bass you will pick up)