What Microphone should I buy?

V

Víctor GC

New member
Dear people, I'm a little bit overwhelmed by the number of possibilities I see out there and my knowledge is still quite limited, so I'd like to explain my (quite specific) situation and see if some of you are so kind as to give me some orientation!

My plan is to have a simple but as decent as possible portable home studio (portable as in "it should fit on my backpack!"). Me and my partner are singers and we live a nomadic life, spending several months per year in India where we will record our projects collaborating with other musicians on the way. The main thing that will be recorded is voice, although also some string instruments (like guitar, tanpura or sitar), occasionally flute and hand percussion.

So, making a long story short, my question is: under these circumstances, what microphone model could be best for us?

Our portable studio will basically consist on:
-A MacBook.
-An audio interface.
-Cables, stand, headphones.
-One single good microphone.

And what we will not have:
-We will not have acoustic insulation or “studio space” as such.
-We will not have a preamp.

What I believe from the little I know is that the ideal microphone for us (mostly recording vocals) should be a large diaphragm one. But also, ideally, for space and weight requirements, it shouldn’t need an external device for phantom power supply other than our simple audio interface. So, what would be the best option to get the most decent and professional sound considering all the context I gave and that our maximum budget is around 500€?

Thank you so much for your comments!!!

Warm regards,
Víctor.
 
Hi Victor, and welcome to the forums!

Is this going to be a very informal 'set up and go' sort of affair, just recording live music as it happens?
Also, would you be bringing the macbook anyway?

I'm thinking a portable digital recorder might be a good solution, if not.
If you're going to have the macbook anyway a USB microphone might be good, in terms of saving space?
 
Well, given what you are undertaking, I hope you have a backup plan in place. If any of those components goes out, you are done. I'd add a good digital recorder to your kit. (The Tascam DR-40 and Zoom H4n are a couple I found recently that have XLR inputs and provide phantom power.)

There are a ton of good mics in that budget. You could get two, in fact, IMO. But, the RØDE seems to be highly thought of around here. You could probably do worse. I have an AKG C214 that was my only LDC, and it's a good mic, if a wee on the bright side for me now.

You might consider a shotgun mic, though.

As far as gain, most condenser mics will have sufficient output for current audio interfaces. But, if you have specifics, I'd try to get something you can actually test.

And, lastly, you should look for a fold-up kind of mic stand, possibly even with a boom. With nothing else going for you, mic placement is going to be key to a good recording. You won't get that holding your condenser in your hand.

P.S. If you'll be outside, something to battle wind noises ("dead cat" gizmo) might be useful.
 
Hi Steenamaroo,

Well, actually the idea is more to make an album, to record compositions we have by tracks and then have some musicians collaborate with us on the way. I have some knowledge and experience on audio editing with Logic Pro, and I am studying to know more. We will have the macbook and the simple audio interface, yes, so what I am asking is, considering this very limited situation, what will be the best option to get the most decent sound out of that? I guess the USB mic is not that good...

I know, we will not have the best possible set up at all, but we will be in the right place and moment several times to record rare musicians which otherwise wouldn't be recorded... Do you think it's an absurd idea? Are these limitations so big that in your opinion it'd be as good to have a USB microphone as to have a mac+interface+decent condenser microphone?

Thank you!
 
keith.rogers said:
Well, given what you are undertaking, I hope you have a backup plan in place. If any of those components goes out, you are done. I'd add a good digital recorder to your kit. (The Tascam DR-40 and Zoom H4n are a couple I found recently that have XLR inputs and provide phantom power.)

There are a ton of good mics in that budget. You could get two, in fact, IMO. But, the RØDE seems to be highly thought of around here. You could probably do worse. I have an AKG C214 that was my only LDC, and it's a good mic, if a wee on the bright side for me now.

You might consider a shotgun mic, though.

As far as gain, most condenser mics will have sufficient output for current audio interfaces. But, if you have specifics, I'd try to get something you can actually test.

And, lastly, you should look for a fold-up kind of mic stand, possibly even with a boom. With nothing else going for you, mic placement is going to be key to a good recording. You won't get that holding your condenser in your hand.

P.S. If you'll be outside, something to battle wind noises ("dead cat" gizmo) might be useful.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much Keith, very useful answer. Yes, I'll make sure I get a good mic-stand, definitely! Other than this, sorry about my ignorance, but there are a couple of things I don't understand: what is "IMO"? What do you mean by a shotgun mic (maybe I'm naif and this is just a joke ;))? and if I were to buy a RØDE, would you recommend any specific model?

Thanks again!
 
IMO - in my opinion. And you know what they say about opinions...

I love your idea. Why not?

A shotgun mic, as you now know, is often used in video where there’s a need to keep the mic out of the camera’s frame but that’s use caused a design that reduces off axis sensitivity compare to regular cardiod mics. It would depend on what kind of environments where you’ll be recording [whether it will help] and maybe you don’t know what those will be. But a shotgun mic is not a large condenser.

Given that you're not in a studio I really don’t think a great LDC is probably your best investment for that kind of use is all I can say. [edit] At least, spending a lot of money on one probably won't result in a better recording - just more of everything captured. I’d still think about a pair of mics that might cover both good and difficult situations.
 
Last edited:
Thanks again... So, what I understand your suggestion is I could get two microphones, one LDC maybe not that expensive like the AKG C214 for the occasions where there isn't that much external noise around and a shotgun one for when there is, to get more exclusively the signal of what I intend to record. Is that it? It makes sense, I'm going to think about it thoroughly. Thanks!
 
Rode NTK Tube Condenser Microphone

It's a little warmer than some of the other mics mentioned, but you can always brighten up the track in mxing. I'd rather have a warm vocal track that I can brighten up or hi pass filter as needed in mixing, than a bright vocal track I have to compress or try to add bass to.

Good luck with your search!

All The Best,

John Rogers
 
Víctor GC said:
What I believe from the little I know is that the ideal microphone for us (mostly recording vocals) should be a large diaphragm one.
Click to expand...

Why?

But also, ideally, for space and weight requirements, it shouldn’t need an external device for phantom power supply other than our simple audio interface. So, what would be the best option to get the most decent and professional sound considering all the context I gave and that our maximum budget is around 500€?
Click to expand...

Get a pair of Behringer B5's and you'll have all you need. An omni and a cardio and a spare mic. If you're out in the bush, you need a spare. If you're recording in a quit environment, use the omni. If not, cardio.

See if you can find a 2nd hand Core Sound 2496.

Core Sound ? Mic2496 V2

Small, works on 9V battery, if needed. It's a preamp/AD you can hook up to the Mac with optical cable (supposing it's a MB Pro 15" and not a 13"). It's built for life on the road. And it's one of the best preamps for that kind of work. With a pair of B5's it does stereo too. Kind of nice if you're considering recording strings and small groups of musicians.

Unless you can spend thousands on a Sound Devices.
 
Hey that's a handy looking pre amp/converter there Cyrano! Wonder how much a new one would cost me in UK?

But, two things bug me. It cannot have a noise floor of -140dBFS since a 200 Ohm resistor is noisier than that! Such a specc' would also put it 20dB better than any other pre or converter on the planet. Apogee, Benchmark, di-da. (I can show you a similar RTA shot of my KA6, means Jack!) .

My other slight concern is that some new peeps here might think that is a USB converter? It is not, needs a S/PDIF input (like into my KA6!).

Dave.
 
I don't know about the -140 dB spec. It could be true, depending on the measurement method. A zero Ohm resistor doesn't have noise, fi. It could be calculated, not measured. Who knows?

But it is an awfully quiet preamp. It's near my FF400's noise floor. The only other ones I know that are equally quiet, are Sound Devices' preamps.

The reason I mentioned the Core Sound, is because a FF400 isn't always practical when you're out in the woods and there is no mains power. The Core Sound runs about 8 hours on a 9V battery. Saves on laptop battery. The FF400 can also be powered from FireWire bus power, or even an external 12V battery. But if you need to tote around all that gear, it becomes a pita.

And having total electric isolation (because of the optical connection to the Macbook), also saves you from some headache when you're in an area with dirty mains power.

I think you'll need to look for a second-hand one, as these are no longer made, I think. And you need time to find one, as the production of these little wonders doesn't run in the thousands. I only found mine after two years...

New price was around 600$, IIRC, for the MKII. The difference with the first model is, it comes with an internal rechargeable battery. You can also switch off metering, to save power. Mine's a fist generation and also lacks the headphone socket.

I've had a look. Apparently, you can still order them directly from Core Sound. See here:

Core Sound ? Mic2496 V2
 
There's also an alternative for field recording: The Aerco MP2:

http://www.aerco.net/html/mp2.html

I've never used it myself, but a colleague is raving about it. It's a bit more expensive (750$, IIRC), but that includes the rechargeable battery. And it has Cinemag trannies :D
 
"I don't know about the -140 dB spec. It could be true, depending on the measurement method. A zero Ohm resistor doesn't have noise, fi. It could be calculated, not measured. Who knows?
I do Mr C! As do many, many other people. The lowest resistance commonly 'seen' in audio circuits is the 150-200 Ohms of a microphone. That produces around -130dBu. Yes, zero R produces zero noise but also zero signal so WTF good is that?

My view is that they have done a RTA run of the pre amp and got the (very acceptable but misleading) result of a 140dB noise floor. They have then, unthinkingly transferred that as a 'metered' noise figure. It ain't. Even if it was weighted it could not be close to -140dB.

Anyhoos...Thanks for looking. I doubt I shall find one here in Blighty and since I don't really need one AND it would probably be a decent wedge, I shall pass.

Cinemag Iron? Said to be top drawer but personally I only use audio traffs when I HAVE to, hum loops say, otherwise I avoid their inevitable degradation of the audio path. Mind you! I do have a project in mind to build a pair of V low noise preamps with 1:6 traffs but that is for wildlife recording, distortion below 200Hz is of no import.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Cinemag Iron? Said to be top drawer but personally I only use audio traffs when I HAVE to, hum loops say, otherwise I avoid their inevitable degradation of the audio path. Mind you! I do have a project in mind to build a pair of V low noise preamps with 1:6 traffs but that is for wildlife recording, distortion below 200Hz is of no import.

Dave.
Click to expand...

Doesn't bigfoot make a sound below 200? ;)
 
ecc83 said:
I do Mr C! As do many, many other people. The lowest resistance commonly 'seen' in audio circuits is the 150-200 Ohms of a microphone. That produces around -130dBu. Yes, zero R produces zero noise but also zero signal so WTF good is that?
Click to expand...

Measuring with a short circuit at the input isn't all that uncommon. And, frankly I don't care a whole lot about specs. I am allergic to noise, hiss more especially. And this preamp doesn't annoy me.

My view is that they have done a RTA run of the pre amp and got the (very acceptable but misleading) result of a 140dB noise floor. They have then, unthinkingly transferred that as a 'metered' noise figure. It ain't. Even if it was weighted it could not be close to -140dB.
Click to expand...

That's possible, Dave. But does it matter? A lot of specs are "embellished". Some are outright lies.

Cinemag Iron? Said to be top drawer but personally I only use audio traffs when I HAVE to, hum loops say, otherwise I avoid their inevitable degradation of the audio path. Mind you! I do have a project in mind to build a pair of V low noise preamps with 1:6 traffs but that is for wildlife recording, distortion below 200Hz is of no import.
Click to expand...

Well, me too, Dave. But I do like to have electrical isolation. You never know what could be wrong with the mains grid in some places. Since most mics are metal, I always feel a lot safer with some form of isolation.

Mind you, I was playing around with building a DI box with a transformer, to use as a DI, but also as a kind of effects thingy. As I learned more about transformers, I abandoned the idea.

The Aerco is only a preamp, BTW. It still needs an interface. That makes it less portable and even more expensive.
 
cyrano said:
Measuring with a short circuit at the input isn't all that uncommon. And, frankly I don't care a whole lot about specs. I am allergic to noise, hiss more especially. And this preamp doesn't annoy me.



That's possible, Dave. But does it matter? A lot of specs are "embellished". Some are outright lies.



Well, me too, Dave. But I do like to have electrical isolation. You never know what could be wrong with the mains grid in some places. Since most mics are metal, I always feel a lot safer with some form of isolation.

Mind you, I was playing around with building a DI box with a transformer, to use as a DI, but also as a kind of effects thingy. As I learned more about transformers, I abandoned the idea.

The Aerco is only a preamp, BTW. It still needs an interface. That makes it less portable and even more expensive.
Click to expand...

Specifications? Well see, I 'grew up' with the early growth of 'hi-fi' and the top end stuff was made by proper engineers (Walker, Radford, Briggs) and the magazines I read, Hi-Fi News, Tape Recorder (to become Studio Sound) and Wireless World were written largely by music loving engineers. Any equipment Co' that did not write a proper spec was castigated and to this day I am always deeply suspicious of companies who cannot get this right.

If they 'lie' about a noise spec, what else could they be hiding? If it is a technical mistake I am perhaps even MORE worried!

Transformers: Yes, they give 'galvanic isolation' and this is great for the elimination of ground loops but I would not like people to get the impression that a transformer mic input confers ANY electrical safety on the user? The screen is still carrying the pre amp ground to the mic body.

Isolation transformer boxes DO give the facility to break the ground path but this is only for AUDIO purposes. Whilst it is true that most decent audio transformers are proof tested to 1000V or more the rest of the iso box is NOT made to mains voltage ratings as a rule. The ground lift switch for instance might only be 120V rated and any RF caps not mains rated. Generally the internal clearances will not meet mains ratings. They COULD do! And some likely are but I have never come across one?

Dave.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top