need mic advice,,hell just advice

[suringe]

okay

i have an mxl mic,which prolly isn't the best ,but it's what i have.
i'm about to upgrade,and i'd like to know some brands and models
that are mid entry level,,,passed the $100 condensor.
i make hip hop,and i record in a booth that is 7 1/2 ft tall
and 4 ft wide. it's alot better sounding than the last one
the last one was made mostly of cardboard.
you'd have to hear my sound to know whats wrong,,,, ya know?


my question iswhats mics or preamps in a $200 range can give me a nice sound?
or any techniques that can help me?

[zed32]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but upgrading from a $100 mic to a $200 isn't going to help you much. Maybe throw another hundred or two on top of that and you'll be in business. Exactly what mic and preamp are you using right now? This will give us a better idea of where you stand and what kind of moves you can make to start upgrading. That booth seems pretty small, what's it treated with?

[suringe]

okay
the booth has sound foam,and is enclosed pretty good,,
i don't have a pre amp,,,,exept on my mixer.
i have the cheapest MXL mic you can buy,,,you know the one with the smaller instrument condensor with it,,,
my booth is solid, i get what i need,,,but more than likly the mic
and not having a pre is killing my sound,,i have the knowledge,,,
but i don't have experience in buying mic's and pre's,,
i don't know,,whats the best for what i do,,,,beacuse in most hip hop
the vocals are the most clearly heard sound,,if it's crap,,the song is crap
i talked to a guy he showed me a mic,,for $200,,he said it was cool he used it,,,before i go out a spend that money,,i need to know some things
or is it my techniques,,,,,,,,

[Ironklad Audio]

m-audio dmp3
audio-technica 3035

arguably the best mic/pre combo available for under $300

[jonnyc]

Originally Posted by birthday boy

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but upgrading from a $100 mic to a $200 isn't going to help you much. Maybe throw another hundred or two on top of that and you'll be in business. Exactly what mic and preamp are you using right now? This will give us a better idea of where you stand and what kind of moves you can make to start upgrading. That booth seems pretty small, what's it treated with?

Nope, but if he can stretch his budget to 250 for a mic he could probably grab an sm7 which would probably yield much better results. As far as cheap pre's go, the joe meek 3q is by far the nicest sounding cheap pre I've ever used and I have had a shit load of them. The eq and comp are also very usable. The 3Q did some things better than my True Systems, as far as pre vs. pre goes.

[bigwillz24]

I still don't know what pre you are using... What mixer are you using? I'd suggest looking into an ADK Hamburg off of ebay and maybe a M-audio DMP3 preamp. If you shop a little I think you should be able to get both for around 300.00

[suringe]

thanx yawl

[Nate74]

Originally Posted by Ironklad Audio

m-audio dmp3
audio-technica 3035

arguably the best mic/pre combo available for under $300

x2

My dmp3 remains a constant even as other gear comes and goes...

[omtayslick]

Originally Posted by Ironklad Audio

m-audio dmp3
audio-technica 3035

arguably the best mic/pre combo available for under $300

Yup. That would be my advice too.

[recordingisfun]

buy the Rode NT1A mic. it's phantom powered so you'll need a phantom power pre.