Recording Mics for Home Studio

[DJAVLive]

So I am building my own studio in my basement everything is almost done. I want to buy a mic for recording vocals and instruments such as guitars violins etc. I was wondering what are some good options I am fairly new into the microphone scene and know very little about them. Any help is appreciated. I am on a budget trying to get a good mic for a reasonable price. My budget is 300$ at max. Thanks for helping in advance!!

[thehadgi]

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&safe=off&q=shure+57&ix=seb&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1319&bih=678&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15326606448376635305&sa=X&ei=WQpzT8uKOOOQ2QWF9anhDg&ved=0CJwBEPMCMAE

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/public/KMSapuQGsjkmjz-u_TRuaBVgMOY7HtiT5c7w3Ze4HJMFEP969TYLrHdzTtuUMFKPw SJ6n7cFynip8CyXwVBvA4aLlvOUjzDhQtmDkIMmJjkMO6OB-u8FnL9Wrxna4fLTeDidYZP8ToMV2eRgsTrVQlE7XLYugcauQUl laCnHsNqfT6Gt-DPNhmZ6sSz-AYQjt_ExtiY

i say buy 3 of these

[DJAVLive]

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&safe=off&q=shure+57&ix=seb&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1319&bih=678&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15326606448376635305&sa=X&ei=WQpzT8uKOOOQ2QWF9anhDg&ved=0CJwBEPMCMAE

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/public/KMSapuQGsjkmjz-u_TRuaBVgMOY7HtiT5c7w3Ze4HJMFEP969TYLrHdzTtuUMFKPw SJ6n7cFynip8CyXwVBvA4aLlvOUjzDhQtmDkIMmJjkMO6OB-u8FnL9Wrxna4fLTeDidYZP8ToMV2eRgsTrVQlE7XLYugcauQUl laCnHsNqfT6Gt-DPNhmZ6sSz-AYQjt_ExtiY

i say buy 3 of these

3? why 3?
Also.....
i did some research and found that a good start is a microphone that has a large diaphragm multiple-patterned and is a condenser is this true and if so what is a good microphone that contains the following? thanks for the help once again!!

[mostapha]

It depends on what you're trying to record. You mentioned guitars, violins, and voice. And a budget of $300.

Well, getting 3 SM57s is not the right way to go. You could record everything with them, but you can do better.

What I would buy:

1 SM57 (100)
1 AT2035 (150)
1 MXL990 (100)

If you have to skimp, I'd drop the AT2035 to an AT2020 (not the USB model), but you might do well to drop the ribbon if you're not willing to learn how to use it. Also, drop the ribbon if you can't switch phantom power on/off per channel, because phantom power will probably destroy it.

Why?

The SM57 is a bit of a workhorse, but it's not amazing for everything. It's good on drums and guitar cabinets and okay for some voices, though you don't want to do that if you don't have to. Still…probably necessary. The AT2035/2020 doesn't have a lot of features, but it sounds pretty good for the price. And the MXL990 is about he cheapest ribbon you're going to get.

For voice, just use the AT2035/2020 with a pop filter and a half-decent pre. For electric guitars, use all 3 on the cabinet. Mix between them for the right tone. The dynamic handles the bulk of the volume you want without problems. The Condenser mostly picks up detail, but it may not be enough on its own because of how you have to protect the mic (point it's address side away from the cone) and might not work at all depending on how loud the amp is. The Ribbon is there mostly for transients and adds something really cool…at least, I think it would. I've only used a Royer like that. For violin, I'd use the condenser and the ribbon, but you'll have to play with placement. Same for acoustic guitar.

None of them are particularly good. The SM57 is probably the only one you'd find in a pro studio, and they'd use it for close micing drums and guitar cabs…and maybe horns, though there are better options for that. Unfortunately, the only Mics I have real experience with cost a lot more. But on a budget, you could do a lot worse.

You also need mic stands and a pop filter. For a guitar cab, you want 2 or 3 kick mic stands or boom stands, and for vocals you want a boom stand. If that was supposed to be part of your $300 budget, drop the ribbon and just the an SM57 and an AT2035…and try to squeeze the rest of the stuff into the $50 you have left over. If you haven't included cables in the price, drop the SM57 in favor of a Sennheiser, AT, or MXL knock-off and make Guitar Center give you a deal.

[Mystic]

There is no one solution for everything. In fact, there is usually no one solution for one thing, especially where vocals are concerned. Different mics work and sound different with different voices. It all comes down to how a particular mic works with a particular voice. There is no singular answer for this equation.

At $300, I'd look at something like the Studio Productions C1. It's a very good vocal mic that fits a wider array of voices than most at that price, but don't expect it to be perfect.

Also remember that condenser mics need some form of phantom power to work if you don't already have an interface that uses it.

[DJAVLive]

thanks guys for the feedback but i decided to cut back on the instrument recording and use it strictly for vocals for now so what would you recommend for a budget of $300 mic just for recording would you guys still stick to your original sketch?

Thanks again!

[Scrap McNapps]

Shure SM7B is a very good mic. So is a Electro-voice RE-20. Kel Audio mics you can look at as well.


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[mostapha]

SM7B if you have strong vocalists. Quiet, sheepish vocalists don't sound good through them. AT4040 or 2035 is a good choice as well. And if you can stretch, I'd bet the AKG C 214 is good…seems like a slightly higher tolerance 414 without different polar patterns.