Crappy Mics = Happy Mics

D

dishwasherrat

New member
I am new. I know very, very little. I checked the FAQ before posting.

As I am not the least bit concerned with sound quality, I would ask that any high-quality microphone recommendations be withheld. I have one and I can't afford another one. I use an Audio-Technica condenser shotgun (as seen here).

I am only interested in lo-fi recordings, so if this microphone is a particularly bad choice for most musician's purposes, then I have the right one.

Now, my microphone works extremely well (probably a little too well) with my mini-disc recorder, but I would like to use it at my computer, too. I have a laptop. It has a microphone jack. When I use the cheapo $5 plastic mic that came with my first computer 13 years ago, I get crystal clear recordings. When I plug in the battery-powered shotgun mic, I get a shitload of static and feedback. Generally speaking, this is fine, but occasionally I need a clean mic and unfortunately I lost my Fisher-Price one.

Does anybody know why I get this feedback and if/how it can be canceled?

Also, please pass along any links to cheapo mics you may have seen at any retail/chain/web stores. I'd love to get my hands on some.

Cheers!
dw.
 
no no no man.

Well you have a long way to go. The cheep mic you had while ago probly only seemed clear because you were recording it low quality. and might have bad speakers. To use your computer you should never use your built in soundcard unless it is actually good, and you can easily tell the difference. What your going to need is a decent sound card for recording with a mic input, a decent mic, a preamp if it is a condenser. and personally, i find a serperate interface with a preamp to work well. like a m-audio fast track, or fast track pro. the black box, or that us122 but tascam i think.

i dont know anything about the shot gun, but ill look at the link and get back to you. but if its a condenser then your not even really powering the mic.

trust me man, decent, not necessarly overly expensive mics (100+usually) are happy mics!!!
---
ad on:
those mics seem to be decent, you are just misusing them. simply pt, not actually giving them a chance to work correctly.
---just trying to help :D ----
another add on:
you dont want cheepo mics, they dont sound better, you just need decent gear like what i listed. and you'll need to get those things if you want anything that actually sounds good. send us a clip of your song, with the cheep mic if you can. but it wont be what you think it is compared to any of the respectable recordings.
-----
 
I appreciate the info (as well as the gesture), but I'm seriously uninterested in standard mic configurations. Without defending it, I enjoy the static as much as you probably enjoy the clean!

Thank you again.
 
You should get one of those fake kiddie echo mics, with the sheet-metal spiral inside...THE most affordable plate/spring reverb available.
 
kid_klash: That's perfect! I'm on my way to Radio Shack anyway, so I'll go ahead and pick one of those up. Thanks a lot!

corso: This sounds cool. Can you find a link or image of what you're talking about? I'd love to try to track one down.
 
I have no idea what you're asking, but the Copperphone mic is very popular amongst lo-fi enthusiasts. I hear Lou Barlow even uses them live. Of course, the cheaper route would be to just buy some POS from radio shack, or just gut the components from an old phone and build your own mic.
 
scrubs: Ooh. The old phone sounds like fun. Too bad I don't have the first clue about how to build things. If you ever come across a how-to....

Not sure who Lou Barlow is, but those Copperphones look like a LOT of fun. $250 is a lot. I think I will just put one of my mics in a soup can with some holes on the bottom. Thanks for showing me the pic. I never would have thought of that otherwise!

hrwmusic: God, I've gotta get my hands on one of those. Never seen one before. eBay, here I come.

kid_klash, et al.: You're all great. Thanks so much for the tips. As an update, I've just returned from the Shack where I purchased the mic you suggested. When I got there, I was really happy to see they had another one that looked very similar, though slightly larger. It is omnidirectional. The one you recommended is unidirectional and, so far, it sounds MUCH better. As far as the second one (at four dollars, a steal!), I was a little disappointed. It just sounded too crisp. I guess I can use that one for my tin can project.

Yay to everybody. Have a great night.

(And keep posting goofy microphones!)
 
corso said:
You should get one of those fake kiddie echo mics, with the sheet-metal spiral inside...THE most affordable plate/spring reverb available.
Click to expand...

Don't these come with a free mic stand and guitar with built in amp. I got my daughter one a few years ago as a starter pack......she's now playing a Daisyrock Heartbreaker thru a Hiwatt Spitfire :p .
 
scrubs said:
I have no idea what you're asking, but the Copperphone mic is very popular amongst lo-fi enthusiasts. I hear Lou Barlow even uses them live. Of course, the cheaper route would be to just buy some POS from radio shack, or just gut the components from an old phone and build your own mic.
Click to expand...

wow
thats sick man!
 
dishwasherrat said:
scrubs: Ooh. The old phone sounds like fun. Too bad I don't have the first clue about how to build things. If you ever come across a how-to....

Not sure who Lou Barlow is, but those Copperphones look like a LOT of fun. $250 is a lot. I think I will just put one of my mics in a soup can with some holes on the bottom. Thanks for showing me the pic. I never would have thought of that otherwise!

hrwmusic: God, I've gotta get my hands on one of those. Never seen one before. eBay, here I come.

kid_klash, et al.: You're all great. Thanks so much for the tips. As an update, I've just returned from the Shack where I purchased the mic you suggested. When I got there, I was really happy to see they had another one that looked very similar, though slightly larger. It is omnidirectional. The one you recommended is unidirectional and, so far, it sounds MUCH better. As far as the second one (at four dollars, a steal!), I was a little disappointed. It just sounded too crisp. I guess I can use that one for my tin can project.

Yay to everybody. Have a great night.

(And keep posting goofy microphones!)
Click to expand...

Glad you liked it. They advertise it as "The Mic"... :D
 
Forget microphones. If you want lo-fi use your headphones as a microphone. It works crappy which is what you are after. Even a pair of old earbuds will work. Just plug the headphone into a mic jack and turn your preamp up. If you have a stereo input you can use em as a stereo mic.

All the lo-fi guys do it.
 
don't ask why I had one but.............wal-mart has a really crappy sounding Barbie wireless mic which I think was under $10. It squeled, had lots of static, and it was pretty east to overload the mic element.
 
jake-owa: Yeah, I like the earbud method. Though I didn't know it was a hit. I did it a couple years ago in a pinch when I couldn't find the microphone that I eventually lost for good. Go figure. Thanks all the same for the tip! And, hey, I don't have the first clue about what a preamp is, but what else are all the lo-fi guys doing?

TravisinFlorida: I think I'd have an agoraphobic fit if I ever stepped foot into a Wal-Mart again, but I'd be happy to take Barbie off your hands all the same. Unless, of course, you're a closet collector. :rolleyes:
 
Yoy got the wrong idea.. You sing to this guy and when he sings back you record him.. Its foolproof but it does taks a few takes.. here
 
Here's a great recipe:

The first mic I ever had was one I made from an old telephone when I was around 13 (about 1989). I took the receiver end thingy (didn't know back then, but knew it "took in sound") and hooked the cables up with scotch tape to the wires coming out of a 1/8inch head phone jack I cut off and stripped with a finger nail clipper. I could then plug it into the mono input of a really old tape recorder and record my totally shitty guitar blasting out of a really crappy small fender amp. I wish I had the cassette. (note: you have to keep rewiring things until they finally work because you don't know which wires do what when you're 13.)
 
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