What kind of mic should i get?

V

VinaliousVicentez

New member
I understand that some mics are better for vocals/ some for intruments. I'm definately not trying to buy a $1000 mic, maybe something in the $100 range or below?

I don't even have one (besides one that came with a microkorg) because i'm not a vocal guy so i don't record vocals.. but i do use a talkbox, so if i ever wanted to record that, what kind of mic should i use? I don't have any instruments besides synths that i could just record through my interface.

I've been thinking about a shure-57.
 
If we are talking about controled environment like your room then you should buy a condenser microphone. Those types of mics are much more sensitive than dynamic mics so your records will have the most realistic "body" which you can later change/mess with/correct. Dynamic mics though are used in places when you can't guarantee good accoustics and quiet environment because they are less vulnerable to sound waves and won't pick up much noise and sound reflections. It comes with a cost - they will never translate low frequencies as well as condenser mics, thus making your records slightly thinner.

Check if your room has good accoustics, if your walls reflect sound and you are not allowed to put some damping material on them, then you should buy a dynamic mic. Otherwise buy a condenser mic.

MXL 2006 should be good for instruments. It bumps some frequencies around 8kHz a little too much, but the low range is pretty on this microphone.
 
Pe-Ter said:
If we are talking about controled environment like your room then you should buy a condenser microphone. Those types of mics are much more sensitive than dynamic mics so your records will have the most realistic "body" which you can later change/mess with/correct. Dynamic mics though are used in places when you can't guarantee good accoustics and quiet environment because they are less vulnerable to sound waves and won't pick up much noise and sound reflections. It comes with a cost - they will never translate low frequencies as well as condenser mics, thus making your records slightly thinner.

Check if your room has good accoustics, if your walls reflect sound and you are not allowed to put some damping material on them, then you should buy a dynamic mic. Otherwise buy a condenser mic.
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While this generally correct, there are a lot of situations where dynamics are preferred over condensers even in "controlled spaces". Classic examples would include Michael Jackson's use of the SM7 on all the classic albums; Bono's preference for the Beta 58; the SM57 being pretty much the standard (but of course by no means the best for every situation) for micing guitar cabs and, say, the AKG D112 as a kick drum mic. In other words - condensers are more sensitive, but not always better than dynamics. Just different. The key is selecting whatever suits the source the best.
 
krushing said:
While this generally correct, there are a lot of situations where dynamics are preferred over condensers even in "controlled spaces". Classic examples would include Michael Jackson's use of the SM7 on all the classic albums; Bono's preference for the Beta 58; the SM57 being pretty much the standard (but of course by no means the best for every situation) for micing guitar cabs and, say, the AKG D112 as a kick drum mic. In other words - condensers are more sensitive, but not always better than dynamics. Just different. The key is selecting whatever suits the source the best.
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Yes, I made a mistake not including the "artistic" aspect of recording. There are some cases when you can model tracks recorded on condenser mics to sound like those recorded on dynamic ones, but it will never sound exactly the same. Plus recording drums with condensers is not a good way due to their sensitivity to clipping, on this field dynamics are more resistant.
 
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If you only have a hundred dollars to spend then do yourself a favor and save up an extra 2 to 300 dollars and then start looking for microphones. The audio world is full of "you get what you pay for" situations ... keep that in mind.
 
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VinaliousVicentez said:
I understand that some mics are better for vocals/ some for intruments. I'm definately not trying to buy a $1000 mic, maybe something in the $100 range or below?
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that gives you limited options.



VinaliousVicentez said:
I don't even have one (besides one that came with a microkorg) because i'm not a vocal guy so i don't record vocals.. but i do use a talkbox, so if i ever wanted to record that, what kind of mic should i use? I don't have any instruments besides synths that i could just record through my interface.
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A "talkbox"?

just to insure there is no confusion regarding what we are talking about... you mean the physical box that has a plastic tube coming out of it that you put in your mouth and play an instrument into it and move your mouth around as if you were talking to make the sound coming out of the tube echo in your mouth like speech? like what Peter Frampton, Roger Troutman and Richie Sambora are known for using?


Or a "vocoder"? this is the thing built into your microkorg that makes what you talk into it sound like a synthesizer robot voice... if you are using this, you don't need any mic... just record like any other synth.


VinaliousVicentez said:
I've been thinking about a shure-57.
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That is one of your few choices based on your budget. It is a good mic to have.

---------- Post added at 06:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:18 PM ----------
Pe-Ter said:
If we are talking about controled environment like your room then you should buy a condenser microphone. Those types of mics are much more sensitive than dynamic mics so your records will have the most realistic "body" which you can later change/mess with/correct. Dynamic mics though are used in places when you can't guarantee good accoustics and quiet environment because they are less vulnerable to sound waves and won't pick up much noise and sound reflections. It comes with a cost - they will never translate low frequencies as well as condenser mics, thus making your records slightly thinner.

Check if your room has good accoustics, if your walls reflect sound and you are not allowed to put some damping material on them, then you should buy a dynamic mic. Otherwise buy a condenser mic.

MXL 2006 should be good for instruments. It bumps some frequencies around 8kHz a little too much, but the low range is pretty on this microphone.
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I have never chosen a mic based on the room while recording.

I choose a mic based on what i am recording.


There are many things I would record using a dynamic mic over a condenser mic.

---------- Post added at 06:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:23 PM ----------
Pe-Ter said:
Yes, I made a mistake not including the "artistic" aspect of recording.
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that is 99% of recording.



Pe-Ter said:
There are some cases when you can model tracks recorded on condenser mics to sound like those recorded on dynamic ones, but it will never sound exactly the same.
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huh?



Pe-Ter said:
Plus recording drums with condensers is not a good way due to their sensitivity to clipping, on this field dynamics are more resistant.
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That is not the reason I would have for not using a condenser on a drum.
 
dvyce said:
I have never chosen a mic based on the room while recording.

I choose a mic based on what i am recording.
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Now imagine you have a room that generates a lot of reflections, what do you do? If you own the place and have a little bit of money you can adapt the room to your liking.

But what if you are a 16yo kid living with your parents and you're not allowed to make any significant changes to your room? Clearly he has a low budget for what he wants to buy, it means that maybe he's not a highly skilled professional producer or maybe he really is one and just needs a cheap mic. Still I thoutgh it'd be better if I informed him what problems he might encounter with different types of mics.

As for the drums - maybe yes, for you that's not the main reason but it is definately one of the reasons. Condenser mics tend to gather a lot of ambient, in case of drums it's insanely hard to damp the sound reflections, that's another reason.
 
Pe-Ter said:
Now imagine you have a room that generates a lot of reflections, what do you do? If you own the place and have a little bit of money you can adapt the room to your liking.

But what if you are a 16yo kid living with your parents and you're not allowed to make any significant changes to your room? Clearly he has a low budget for what he wants to buy, it means that maybe he's not a highly skilled professional producer or maybe he really is one and just needs a cheap mic. Still I thoutgh it'd be better if I informed him what problems he might encounter with different types of mics.

As for the drums - maybe yes, for you that's not the main reason but it is definately one of the reasons. Condenser mics tend to gather a lot of ambient, in case of drums it's insanely hard to damp the sound reflections, that's another reason.
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A bad recording environment will cause problems regardless of what mic you use.

A 16yo kid living with his parents can, with a little bit of research and understanding of what exactly causes acoustic issues in rooms, make a fine recording in his room using a condenser mic.

I have used condenser mics on mobile rigs in hotel rooms and it sounded fine.

It is all about understanding your space.



If I were recording an acoustic guitar, strings or (some to most) melodic vocals, my first instinct would be to use a condenser mic...

If I were recording guitar amps, drums, percussion, bells, trumpet... i'd reach for a condenser first.

overall room mics... I'd go for a condenser.

Piano can go either way depending on the part.


And none of my choices relate to "clipping" (if something is clipping, I just turn it down)
 
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dvyce said:
a talk ox
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You called?

Bull.jpg
 
Babe! I was wondering where you had gotten to!

OK, on the serious tip-- $100 = not enough for a serious microphone (yes, I'm sure there are exceptions, but if he wants choices...).

If you are going to spend the $100, and only $100, the Shure SM57 or 58 is a good choice, based on useability/versatility, durability, and price. But for vocals, I'd go 58 before 57 (I know the element is basically the same, but something about the 57 makes vocals sound extra super honky... It's a great guitar-cab and snare drum/general utility mike, but not too good for vocals).

If you can save-up $300 or $400, your choices for your sonic pallette will increase exponentially. As an earlier poster said, "you get what you pay for," basically.

GJ
 
As far as I know, they are basically the same element/diaphragm. Something about the shape of the ball on the 58, the vents on the 57, and other subtle differences make the 57 less suited to vocals (at least IMHO). If you Google "SM57/58 Differences," you'll get a bunch of threads on different forums with lots of people offering various theories; meanwhile the Shure site seems to indicate a nearly identical frequency response. I just hate the 57 on vocals; I can hear the honkiness, and on-stage, there are often more feedback issues.

I'm not a huge fan of the 58 either, with what's out there today and available to everybody. There are some awesome hand-held condensers, and Audix makes better vocal dynamics, IMO. But they (the Shures) are both work-horses, have lots and lots of uses, are nearly indestructible (have you seen the YouTube videos of guys shooting them up with high-powered rounds, shotgun shells, dropping them from very high heights, actually driving nails into boards, freezing them, driving over them, and other such nonsense; then plugging them in and they still pass signal???)... Plus, they've been about $100 US for 30 years or so, and they hold their value (especially with the counterfeits on the market), so buying a 57 or 58 to have in the mike cabinet is as good an investment as you can make nowadays in music/audio gear and expect to retain some value. If that's all the OP has ($100), that's where I'd put it.

GJ
 
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krushing said:
You called?

Bull.jpg
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Where on this exactly is the hose you put in your mouth?

:)

---------- Post added at 03:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 PM ----------

Even if your budget were $100,000 I would not use a condenser mic to record a talkbox.

...the last thing you'd want in recording a talkbox would be to pick up mouth or breath noises in the recording.

The first mic I would reach for in recording a talkbox would be an sm57 or something similar (second mic would prob be an sm58)

...FYI, on a side note, in most cases I'd opt for a good dynamic mic over a cheapo $300 condenser regardless of what I was recording.
 
Definitely a dynamic. I'm a dynamic fan and most of my mics are dynamics. More focused sound with less room and a bit more rugged.
 
rhythmgj said:
Babe! I was wondering where you had gotten to!

OK, on the serious tip-- $100 = not enough for a serious microphone (yes, I'm sure there are exceptions, but if he wants choices...).

If you are going to spend the $100, and only $100, the Shure SM57 or 58 is a good choice, based on useability/versatility, durability, and price. But for vocals, I'd go 58 before 57 (I know the element is basically the same, but something about the 57 makes vocals sound extra super honky... It's a great guitar-cab and snare drum/general utility mike, but not too good for vocals).

If you can save-up $300 or $400, your choices for your sonic pallette will increase exponentially. As an earlier poster said, "you get what you pay for," basically.

GJ
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I'm not asking only $100, something in the range of $100.. like $150, $190 etc. Anything good up there?
 
Well, as many have pointed out, a good dynamic in your toolkit is not a bad place to start, and it sounds like you don't need pristine, crystal clear lip-smacking high end right now...

BUT, if you were for some reason looking for an inexpensive phantom-powered condenser to perhaps record vocals or acoustic guitar with in the future, some of the MXL's are pretty decent for the money, and there are mods that you can have done (or do yourself, if you're a handy DIY electronics type of guy) that can make them sound real good. So that might be a good place to start. You also might find a used Joe Meek in or around that price-range that would be quite good.

GJ
 
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