Mic Help

[smallhands]

Right now my band has a makeshift studio we've been working on (slowly but surely) and I've been doing some research on microphones. I read about the different types of mics, mostly the mechanical differences between them and how they pick up sound differently, but now the question is "which ones should we buy?" Presently, we have 1 MXL 990 and about 5 SM57s. I guess my question is are there mics that every studio should have? Hopefully without breaking the bank either

 

[dintymoore]

Right now my band has a makeshift studio we've been working on (slowly but surely) and I've been doing some research on microphones. I read about the different types of mics, mostly the mechanical differences between them and how they pick up sound differently, but now the question is "which ones should we buy?" Presently, we have 1 MXL 990 and about 5 SM57s. I guess my question is are there mics that every studio should have? Hopefully without breaking the bank either

You don't want to hear this but the main studio mic in the world is by a long shot a Neumann U87. Second hand $1600. To me it's the cheapest mic that sounds right. I found that out after decades of going from mic to mic (SM57, 58, 421's, 441's, SM81, 414's etc) and when I got a U87 my search ended and I haven't even thought about getting another mic in 20 years.

That's the sad truth for all the people on this site and I hate to tell you, the main thing wrong with all the recordings I hear is wrong mic, it's that simple.

That's why I tell people to scrounge a computer for free and spend all your budget on a mic, then mic pre, then monitors, in that order.

When you're a kid, the tendency is to have a $1000 Les Paul, a 4 GB RAM computer with $500 worth of VST plug ins and a $200 mic, and that's back asswards.

 

[smallhands]

Thanks for the advice. So I guess my next question is will a $3000 mic sound $2500 better, even when using the same preamp, interface, etc?

 

[miroslav]

Naaaaa...a $3000 mic won't sound $2500 better than a $500 mic...

...though maybe $2479.34 better.

Don't get hung up on just the prices (yeah right, kinda' hard not to if you don't have the $$$ ).

There are all kinds of mics out there...lots of high-end mics like the Neumann and quite a few other brands...lots of "middlin" mics...and lots of cheap-cheap mics.

Sometimes, a cheap mic like a Shure SM57 is THE choice for a given task...sometimes you just need to step it up a few notches for other tasks, but all things considered, high-end mic usually show why they cost more.
Ideally, you should have at least one really good mic for vocals and critical stuff...a handful of the 57-type fodder, and a few "middlin" mics that will do a good job but won't cost a fortune.

If you are just working alone...you rarely need more than 2 mics, since you will only be recording track-by-track...but then, it's nice having a bunch of mics so you can choose different flavors, as every mic has a distinct sound.

I honestly don't believe that only one specific mic model can be the best choice for everything, though some models can excel at a variety of uses, while others may only be one-trick ponies (rare).

 

[smallhands]

I honestly don't believe that only one specific mic model can be the best choice for everything, though some models can excel at a variety of uses, while others may only be one-trick ponies (rare).

I guess my question is aimed more in this direction, so let me re-phrase it.
I know the Sm57 is, like you said, THE go to mic for guitar cab micing, and now I've learned that the neumann U87 is the bees knees, so from a task oriented perspective, what mics are the "standards" for recording instruments in a studio environment? Also, dintymoore, you said its microphone > preamp > monitors in order of improvement in sound quality. Would it be better to buy a $3000 mic and only afford a cheap preamp, or settle for a less expensive mic to buy a decent preamp?

 

[dintymoore]

I have a $2500 mic pre, a Jensen Twin Servo 990 from John Hardy, some consider it the cat's meow.

When it was broken (and John fixed it for free over a decade out of warranty!) I bought a $150 Presonus BlueTube.

My Neumann U87 sounded 90% or so (how do you measure that?) the same through both preamps, so I am of the mind that the mic makes monumentally more difference than the pre. Both those pre's were worth what they cost to me, the Jensen gave you more detail and is quieter, and more musical.

Here's some standard mics:

Neumann U87 - vocals
Neumann KM84 - overheads on drums, backup vocals, instruments (the most musical sounding mic I've ever heard)
Sennheiser 421 - toms, sax
Shure SM57 - snare, percussion, guitar cabinets
EV RE20 -kick (also great for vocals)
Shure SM7 - vocals
AKG 414 - vocals
Shure SM81 - overheads on drums, some vocals

There's lots more, but those are a few studio mics that most every pro studio will have.

Note: what matters is the marriage between the singer and the mic, so if a cheap Radio Shack mic gets you "your sound"... that's ok! Great actually because you'll save money.

 

[smallhands]

Very interesting feedback. I didn't realize how much of an effect microphones had on sound quality. Browsing the numerous posts about recording equipment on this sight would lead me to believe the opposite and was starting to confuse the hell out of me Also, thanks for posting a list of common mics and conventional uses for them, it helped greatly.

Note: what matters is the marriage between the singer and the mic, so if a cheap Radio Shack mic gets you "your sound"... that's ok! Great actually because you'll save money.

I guess its time to hit up the ol' radio shack and hope for the best, eh?

 

[benherron.rrr]

Ive only just really realised how much different a mic makes. I've been using cheap end mics for a while now, recently I invested some cash in a mic the next level up. And I really noticed the difference they can make to a recording. half of me wishes I had invested the money at the beggining, the other half knows that using poor-ish mics improved my listening skills so I could easily tell the difference between mics. and more importantly what that difference is.

I kinda think of it like when I started driving, I had the crapest car money could buy, nothing worked and it broke down all the time. when I got a newer car though I really apprciated having working heaters, power steering and electric windows. I wouldnt be as thankful if I hadn't of had the worst

 

[smallhands]

I kinda think of it like when I started driving, I had the crapest car money could buy, nothing worked and it broke down all the time. when I got a newer car though I really apprciated having working heaters, power steering and electric windows. I wouldnt be as thankful if I hadn't of had the worst

I agree...they call that character building

 

[miroslav]

I didn't realize how much of an effect microphones had on sound quality. Browsing the numerous posts about recording equipment on this sight would lead me to believe the opposite and was starting to confuse the hell out of me...

Yeah...(not just picking on you ) there are lot of newbs who seem to get stuck in the MXL 990/SM57 rut. Not that those mics are not useable (57s are very useable)...it's just that some folks don't get the beauty of having different mics for different flavors and different chores...and that quality does count for something, but of course it usually costs more.

I've been on a mic buying binge the last few weeks, and have picked up 7 mics (I think), and now realizing that I seem to have a disproportionate number of condensers VS dynamics and ribbons, I'm now looking to expand my dynamic mic options and I will also add at least a couple of more ribbons.

But while different mics can provide tonal variety…so can different preamps. Ideally you should have at least one really good mic/pre combination…rather than a bunch of really nice mics and all cheap pres. While a good mic can work OK with a mediocre preamp…really nice mics can shine with really good preamps.

 

[dintymoore]

... I guess its time to hit up the ol' radio shack and hope for the best, eh?

If you search for "mic" or "mic pre" on this site you'll get numerous opinions.

It really is like shoes and if you ask me what to wear I'll tell you size 10 Island brand slippers, even in February (I'm in Hawaii) so how well would that work for you?

Here's my first "pro" (cough, cough, cough) mic, Electro Voice 631A:

What a piece of shit. Sounded like a fuckin' kazoo. Absolutely no bass or highs. It was a relative of the mic they used for man-in-the-street and sports interviews. Wild World of Sports! The only cool thing was that the black plastic switch snapped right off and it contained a magnet that turned the mic on or off through the mic's body (!). You could operate it with the switch backwards when it was off of the mic. I thought that that was a neat idea - no moving parts or holes for sand to get in.

For El Cheapo mics, see what they have on Craigslist. If it sounds good enough to you, it is.