Do I Need A Condenser Mic?

T

tonyA

New member
Need Help here please,

I have a small home recording studio. Nothing special. But I also have two SM58, one SM57 and even one BETA58A. Now, reading through these forums, make me feel like I really need a condenser mic for vocals. I do not have anymore money for an expensive one (of course I would love to own a Neumann), but my pocket yells MXL 990, V67G, of even the 57 or consider the Octava's. I am happy with the Beta 58, of if I buy the 57, would I just be better off with the Beta 58 than the MXL 57?

Thanks in advance to help me in this regard. I may be buying a mic within this week.
 
If you don't have a condensor, then having one for vocals might be a good idea. Of the MXL's you mentioned, I think most would say get the V67G. One possible alternative, very quiet, also good on vocals, and less $ than the V67G would be a Studio Projects B1. I believe the V67G sells for about $100. (don't know if this includes a shock mount, which you'll need). The B1 goes for $79. without a shock mount, but with a mount will run around $100.

Keep in mind with these condensors you'll need a preamp or mixer that has 48volt phantom power...
 
tonyA said:
Need Help here please,

I have a small home recording studio. Nothing special. But I also have two SM58, one SM57 and even one BETA58A. Now, reading through these forums, make me feel like I really need a condenser mic for vocals. I do not have anymore money for an expensive one (of course I would love to own a Neumann), but my pocket yells MXL 990, V67G, of even the 57 or consider the Octava's. I am happy with the Beta 58, of if I buy the 57, would I just be better off with the Beta 58 than the MXL 57?

Thanks in advance to help me in this regard. I may be buying a mic within this week.
Click to expand...
Don't buy any mic's without trying it out and making sure you like/need it first... unless you have extra money to throw away.
 
You are right DJL, the only reason I own a beta 58 is when I tried it at Guitar Center. To make sure everything was constant or equal/same with the SM58, I used the same mic cable, and the beta clearly came out on top. Very smooth indeed. These, of course are according to my ears, not anybody else's.
 
Re: Re: Do I Need A Condenser Mic?

I have 7 mics, and I like them all because they all do exactly what my research said they would do. I didn't try any of them before buying. Only one of them was expensive ($450), and I knew I was taking a risk. I also new mics similar to it were selling for $1,000 + and believed I would have no problem getting my money back if I decided to sell it.

tonyA, my opinion is that you should buy an inexpensive condenser, either a V67 or B1 or something similar and give it a go. $80 or $90 is not a big risk.

Of course, if you can try them first, by all means do. But I think it is more important for you to try one and see what they are all about than not to because you can't try them first. You really do not have much to lose.

I do agree that you should give more expensive mics a tryout first if you can.
 
Many times you can rent mic's from your local music stores, recording studios, local sound companies, and or barrow mic's from a friend... so, most of the time there is no reason not to audition mic's before you buy... unless, your live somewhere that none of the above is possible. Don't buy any mic's without trying them out first... unless you have too, or you have money to throw away. With that said... checkout some condenser mic's and see what you think... but IMO, you'd be better off saving your money untill you can afford to buy the mic's you really want.
 
Re: Re: Re: Do I Need A Condenser Mic?

tdukex said:
tonyA, my opinion is that you should buy an inexpensive condenser, either a V67 or B1 or something similar and give it a go. $80 or $90 is not a big risk...

You really do not have much to lose.
Click to expand...

I agree. Unless in the very unlikely event you were to get a defective one, and in the event you can't try something out first, you still really can't lose. Certainly your taste may vary, but on vocals the Studio Projects B1 sounds extremely accurate, and it's a very quiet mic. I've never heard the v67G, but from those on this forum, on vocals you get the impression you almost can't miss.

Two things: talk to the folks at, say, 8th Street Music. They said I could return the mics I bought there if I wasn't happy. Next, regardless, if you get a large condensor, get a pop-shield too... These things are very sensitive to p's and to an extent b's as well.
 
No, you don't need one

You can do fine without condensers. Depending on your voice you might need a different mic than the ones you own. For vocals I am totally underwhelmed by the Shure 57's and 58's.

I really like the sound of the Sennheiser dynamic mics. The 835, 845, 855 all sound very nice. Very clear, clean.

Condensers are great if you have a really nice quiet studio. If you are recording in a noisier location the lower sensitivity of the dymanic mic might outweigh the benefits.
 
I don't have any problem with suggesting the SP B1. I have one and it is a very nice mic. For $80, I think everyone should have one in their mic locker. Form you mic list is looks as though you have been doing mostly live shows. That is what most of your mics were designed for. The B1 will definately give you a more detailed recording than any of the mics you have. Will it be the best mic for your voice on any given song? Maybe, maybe not. Will it be better on your voice that a 58? Who knows? You won't know that until you record with it. Will it give you another good choice when you are recording? Absolutely! If I had your mics and I was looking for an additional mic, for low cost, the B1 would be my first choice. I assure you, will find many uses for it and you will not regret having bought it.

Blessings, Terry
 
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If your going to record drums, it might be a good idea.

But, I don't think you need one necessarily. I'm not an expert, but unless you have a good room, you might even want to stay away from them. You could find yourself hearing airplanes, your next door neighbors washing machine, your shirt rubbing or maybe even just music with really 'bad' room acoustics.
 
Re: .................

parkbirds said:
If your going to record drums, it might be a good idea.

But, I don't think you need one necessarily. I'm not an expert, but unless you have a good room, you might even want to stay away from them. You could find yourself hearing airplanes, your next door neighbors washing machine, your shirt rubbing or maybe even just music with really 'bad' room acoustics.
Click to expand...

It's true. What's good can be bad. Multiply great sensitivity by high signal to noise ratio and you get wonderfully clean recordings of things you may not want... What I did was build a PVC frame (like a little rectangular room) and I draped movers blankets over it, right over the top and to the floor. This works like a charm. It's not sound-proof by any means, but it still works wonders. Plus, I record late at night, when no one is mowing their lawn.
 
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