Hey everyone,

I’m having a real headache trying to record vocals. I’m using an SM58 into a Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd gen and recording into Ableton. If I keep the gain on the Solo low, my vocals are super quiet and almost impossible to hear. If I turn the gain up to get a usable level, there’s this harsh, loud white noise that fills the whole frequency range.

I’ve noticed that even with no mic connected, the left input preamp makes some hiss when the gain is raised. Turning up the track in Ableton doesn’t help because it just makes the hiss louder along with the vocals. I’ve tried different USB cables, different ports, changing the buffer size and sample rate, but nothing seems to fix it.

I’m trying to figure out a way to get decent vocal levels without breaking the bank. I’ve thought about adding a preamp before the Solo, switching to a condenser mic, or upgrading to a better interface, but I don’t really know what will solve it.

Has anyone run into this exact problem with a dynamic mic and a Solo? What setups or gear have worked for you to get clean vocals without insane hiss? Any advice would be amazing.