What mic?
- Thread starter chris_r
- Start date
Seriously depends what it is you need to record and what mixer you have.
The SM57/58 is quite universal; it will give good results with miking up guitar amps, respectable results on vocals, and makes a good snare drum mic too. You could also use it on piano and acoustic guitar, but there are ones more suitable for this.
The SM57/58 is dynamic, the other type of mic being condenser. Condensers are more sensitive and will give better results on vocals, piano, acoustic guitar and sometimes guitar amps. They do however need phantom powering and they cannot be used with extremely high sound levels (in a kick drum etc). They are also likely to pick up background noise far more due to thier sensitivity (got a quiet PC, seperate room for recording?)
The SM57/58 is quite universal; it will give good results with miking up guitar amps, respectable results on vocals, and makes a good snare drum mic too. You could also use it on piano and acoustic guitar, but there are ones more suitable for this.
The SM57/58 is dynamic, the other type of mic being condenser. Condensers are more sensitive and will give better results on vocals, piano, acoustic guitar and sometimes guitar amps. They do however need phantom powering and they cannot be used with extremely high sound levels (in a kick drum etc). They are also likely to pick up background noise far more due to thier sensitivity (got a quiet PC, seperate room for recording?)
Basically means that they are more robust, cheaper, and more moisture and damage resistant than condenser microphones. They give a slightly lower sound quality but they are still great anyway.
SM57 is good for guitar and drums whereas the SM58 is better at vocals, pretty much only due to the windshield; I think they are the same bits inside. For home use the 57 should be fine for everything.
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Thanks guys;
It is for home vocals, no instrumants would be plugged in etc
How does this sound for a mic? it costs £50
If you want a link add me to MSN [email protected]
It is for home vocals, no instrumants would be plugged in etc
How does this sound for a mic? it costs £50
If you want a link add me to MSN [email protected]
Soldato
chris_r said:
Impossible to say without hearing the mic. Personally I wont record vox/acoustic or high dynamic stuff without a decent condenser. But the shure sm58 would be ideal for you. It's proven inductry standard, so your money will probably be best spent there.
Here's one on fleabay going close to your budget.
Edit. If you're set on a condenser (can you power it?) I would avoid the cheaper red5 gear, it will just be a dissapointment. I would save a little more money and go for a SM86 or KSM-109 (both shures - again quite cheap on ebay ~£100).
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The RV6 is a Red audio mic?? check their site out for the full details http://www.red5audio.com/ buy direct from them if you after that sort of quality mic... for the record the RV6 is considered a hell of a mic for the money...
I would agree. If it's just for vocals get a mid priced condenser mic. The Chinese mics these days have made it very easy to get great sounds for low prices.
However, there's a great demo on the Roland VS forums where a guy recorded an entire band, inluding all vocals, using SM57's. Sound's great. They aren't ideal for vocals (SM58 if you must use dynamic for vox really) but it really is about how you use what you have. I've used a £20 ****** dynamic mic and have acheived perfectly usable results - and by that I don't mean passable, but unnoticablely good.
EDIT - lol, starred out the shop / manufacturer we all know that sells leads, wires, audio connections, remote control cars, plugs, adapters etc
Do OCuk sell mics????
However, there's a great demo on the Roland VS forums where a guy recorded an entire band, inluding all vocals, using SM57's. Sound's great. They aren't ideal for vocals (SM58 if you must use dynamic for vox really) but it really is about how you use what you have. I've used a £20 ****** dynamic mic and have acheived perfectly usable results - and by that I don't mean passable, but unnoticablely good.
EDIT - lol, starred out the shop / manufacturer we all know that sells leads, wires, audio connections, remote control cars, plugs, adapters etc
Do OCuk sell mics????
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Man of Honour
I've been working in studios, working with PA companies and playing live since 1970 and always used SM58's for vocals, AKG D112's for bass drums and SM57's for everything else. They always have been the industry standard that everybody else has followed.
Permabanned
benneh said:
Although SM58's are pretty much the industry standard, isn't that for live performance through a PA? I'm not sure they are as suitable for home recording.
I've got one of these - http://www.dv247.com/invt/3267/ and it's fantastic for the price.
Edit : Assuming you have a mixer that will phantom power these?
Suspended
I've got a SM58 but the output is very low when feeding into my PC. (XLR->Minijack cable 
) - any suggestions as to what I should use to raise it to a normal volume level? Should it be some sort of preamp that sits between mic and PC or should I be using a more specialised input on the PC itself?
) - any suggestions as to what I should use to raise it to a normal volume level? Should it be some sort of preamp that sits between mic and PC or should I be using a more specialised input on the PC itself?
Permabanned
Chronos-X said:I've got a SM58 but the output is very low when feeding into my PC. (XLR->Minijack cable
I use one of these. Probably only cost you about £30 - http://www.behringer.com/UB802/index.cfm?lang=ENG
Soldato
I use my SM58 for home recording of vocals and it's been great.
Soldato
Always used SM58 for vocals.
Can't fault them tbh.
Can't fault them tbh.
Soldato
for that budget, an SM58 is perfect.
if you had a higher budget, and it was purely for studio work then a good condenser would probably be better but it wouldnt be as universal by any stretch.
if you had a higher budget, and it was purely for studio work then a good condenser would probably be better but it wouldnt be as universal by any stretch.
Depends what vocals your recording. I know that on Prodigy tracks, they use SM58s and for that it sounds perfect. However, if you were capturing an emotional soul, jazz type vocal, a condenser will be more effective. Bear in mind the points though, you need phantom powering and somewhere quiet to record. Also with condensers you tend to stand further away, so an acoustically dead, or a room with good acoustic qualities, will help. Since you say it is purely for home vocals, I suspect a condenser will be best, providing you can tick the points I mentioned (a pop shield is also quite essential, and of course a stand)
I use condensers I made myself from good quality electret cartridges, cost me £10 a piece total and sound heaven and earth better than my cheap dynamic.
I use condensers I made myself from good quality electret cartridges, cost me £10 a piece total and sound heaven and earth better than my cheap dynamic.
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Chronos-X said:I've got a SM58 but the output is very low when feeding into my PC. (XLR->Minijack cable
need a preamp. some nice cheap tube stuff out there now. or as below a BEH mixer would be suitable.
SM58 all the way. cheap, easy, versatile.
although...i reckon there might be a budget entry condenser that migth be better. I dont really follow hardware any more (playing drums instantly knocked all the intelligence out of me)
AKG P100 looks ok. 70 quid. need a shockmount and a stand though.
edit: oh and you would still need something to power the mic. there are small mixers with phantom power you can get.
send me a mail if you want me to point you in *** direction of an excellent recording forum/guide.
Chronos-X, you can look forward to far better reults after buying a mixer 
. I'm suprised you got much at all as it is. Try a cheap behringer one for a start, you'll get the advantages of low noise pre-amplification, EQ, a balanced mic lead (though you may already be using a balanced sound card?) and complete control over the levels. Worth buying one with phantom power btw. I bought mine with no intention to use it, but I use it all the time now for my mics
. I'm suprised you got much at all as it is. Try a cheap behringer one for a start, you'll get the advantages of low noise pre-amplification, EQ, a balanced mic lead (though you may already be using a balanced sound card?) and complete control over the levels. Worth buying one with phantom power btw. I bought mine with no intention to use it, but I use it all the time now for my mics