mic to record vocals

steam-powered

I have no knowledge of microphones. Could you recommend a good mic under 200 bucks (more if necessary). I really appreciate any suggestions.

My future brother in law gifted me his old mic pre-amp with a usb adapter and I downloaded Audacity. All I need now is a good mic to record vocals into the mix.

BluesBop Harry

under $100 a Shure SM58 is the standard for vocals and a 57 for instruments. Not state-of-the-art but pretty good, I own a pair and they are very reliable.
...and for $200 you can have one of each

Tele295

Can't go wrong with a 58

jscook777

Steam-powered,

The SM58 is definitely the most commonly used vocal mic for live performance. It is very durable and doesn't change drastically in tone if you sing very close to the microphone element or a little off of its axis. There is also a natural boost in the upper midrange which adds a little cutting power when used on voices. Coincidentally, this boost is the only significant difference between the SM57(marketed as an instrument mic) and SM58(marketed as a vocal mic). Also the SM58 has a tight pickup pattern (cardiod) with good rejection points right where floor monitors are usually positioned, this is very useful in decreasing feedback in live performance.

If you're looking for a mic that you'll use for recording and not live performance I would SERIOUSLY consider a condenser-type mic. A LARGE-DIAPHGRAM CONDENSER-MIC will give you the extended high frequencies and openness that you are accustomed to hearing on commercial recordings. Condensers are used on 99% of real commercial vocal recordings. Very rarely will a professional recording engineer use a dynamic like the SM58 for the primary vocal, only when the situation demands it. You won't have good results using a condenser for the vocals with floor-monitors at a live performance because of its relatively wide pickup pattern, feedback becomes an issue.

You'll need to be sure that you're interface provides phantom power. A condenser microphone requires phantom power(a small dc voltage provided through the mic cable) to charge its element, it will not work with out it. Also, a decent large-diapghram condenser will work much better as an acoustic guitar mic than the SM58.

A decent condenser is the Audio Technica AT2020 ($100). The brand Audio Technica is a good bang for the buck, anything in there line will sound great. I'd stick to this brand or Shure, try to avoid brands like Marshall, Studio Projects, or any other line that produces mostly entry level products, they may look fancy but they're very inconsistent. The big labels Audio Technica, Shure, etc.. turn out great products even in the low range.

Musicians Friend and Sweetwater are good online shops for audio gear.

Good luck and let me know if I can help,
Jason

klaatu

I just recently put my Audix OM3xb microphone on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110603852147&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

It's a superb vocal mike, possibly even better than the SM58, which has always been the standard by which everything else is judged. The reserve is $75.00. I need to get one or two more SM57s for instrumental mikes and don't really need this one anymore.

noodlenot

for condensors (ie capacitator) mics, the already mentioned AT2020 is a good bet. you could also do worse than checking out rode nt2a, studio projects B1 and SE electronics 2200A, as for vocals there is no one size-fits-all solution. if you stretch your budget a little, you could grab the wonderful 2200T tube mic. if you feel like reading, here´s a little introduction to mic basics: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep06/a ... phones.htm

cheers!
Miguel.

Marcel

the rhode nt2a is good mic indeed, but nt1a is also very clean, very nice mics for its price.

djangology

Marcel wrote:

the rhode nt2a is good mic indeed, but nt1a is also very clean, very nice mics for its price.

I use a pair of NT3's by Rode and I like them a lot. They seem to be as good as a SM58 to me. The thing about the SM-58 (on the other hand) is that its design/price is good for mouths being up close to it and spitting all over it. Also, it appears to have a slightly wider listening ear (cardioid) than the NT3 mics (hyper-cardioid???), whose design appears to be slightly more directional.

noodlenot

i´ve never heard the NT1-A, but the reviews are indeed very good. (vide: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may04/a ... rodent.htm ) .

the NT3 is indeed an hyper-cardioid.

cheers!
Miguel.

Fingers

As suggested the Shure SM-58 is a consideration especially if it is to be the only mic and you want to also mic electric guitar amps etc....it is a workhorse. However, as also mentioned it is not the best choice for as a studio, recording mic for vocals.It will do the job though, especially over any USB mic.

Make sure your mic pre has at least one XLR input and make sure you have a nice sturdy mic stand with a heavy base so if you need to arm out it will not topple. A shot bag or some form of ballast is always good. There is nothing more infuriating than having a mic stand fall over resulting in the mic and shock mount gouging the finish of your guitar that is sitting in it's stand. You must buy a quality mic stand, one that has the ability to hold a heavy-ish mic and not keep slipping. This is so annoying and most cheap stands do this. Get a good one, it will last a lifetime......buy cheap and you will hate it and likely eventually throw it away.

So mic's.....eventually you will need a large diaphragm condenser mic for vocals and acoustic guitar. Some of these can also handle high SPL's so they can be used for guitar amps, kick drums, trumpets etc......if you need to also do that kind of work with it research it's SPL handling characteristics.

For entry level the choices suggested already are solid. Audio Technica and Rode being very popular.

However, take a look at the Studio projects C-1. This mic is modeled after a Neumann U-87, in fact was the first Chinese made mic to be compared to the Neumann. The build quality is very good and you get a nice foam lined aluminum carrying case, a shock mount and a pop filter. I have one of these and I really like it. They seem to be going for $249 or so now but you should be able to haggle them down a bit if you call in and speak to a rep or go to a store that has them. The street price was $199 for the longest time.

http://recordinghacks.com/microphones/S ... rojects/C1

The Rode NT-1 is also a good bet. I have not used them but they always get good reviews as a solid bargain type mic.

You must bear in mind though that these are bargain entry level microphones and not expect too much. The other aspect is what they are going through.....your recording gear and the room you are recording in...the vocal recording space....... how it is treated etc etc etc this is all critical stuff. You could put a Neumann up in a really crappy recording environment and through entry level recording equipment and get a really bad sound. A good mic will not magically transform a challenged recording setup.

If you do not have a nice recording space or a properly treated vocal booth etc and you find you really enjoy recording etc and want to improve the vocal sound you are getting.....you could try one of these to go along with your new microphone......SE Electronics Reflexion Filter. Great for guitars also.....well so I am told.

I am after one of these for my studio, next. It is never ending...a money pit.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ ... bAod5kVc1Q