Noob - Microphone Information Overload

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OldButYoung

New member
Hi folks. I just joined and in my intro I mentioned that I had a question that has no doubt been asked many times before but getting a mic is once of the last pieces of gear I need to get started so I need to be pointed in the right direction sooner rather than later.

I've read some of what's on this forum as well as elsewhere and there's so much information that I decided to ask a question in a way that might help me reduce the possibilities and reduce the information overload I'm experiencing. I am as green as they come as a home recorder and that includes mics.

I learned long ago that the one of the best ways to solve a problem is to divide and/or eliminate. Divide the possibilities by some sort of parameter and eliminate what you know is wrong/bad/inappropriate etc... Then there are fewer answers/choices to deal with.

I figured in this case instead of asking "which mic should I get?" it might be helpful to ask "which mic should I NOT get?". Then I can eliminate those and have fewer to select from. Sound reasonable Or am I overthinking?

My needs: I'm in my 50's and aside from singing along to classic rock tunes in my car I have no singing experience. Based on what I think I hear, with some practice I might be able to get to a point where it's adequate for my project. I'm putting my cancer story to music and a lot of the music will be dark. If I had to describe what I envision it would be a cross of late Johnny Cash (American series albums - tired old man voice) and modern rap/hip-hop rhyming techniques. In some cases I may not be singing at all but rather rhyming.

Given that information, is there a type of mic, brand of mic or any other characteristic that I should stay away from? Like I said, if I at least know what not to buy then my selection process may be easier. My budget is very tight and I have actually been bartering for gear.

Eventually I will have learned enough to make these decisions easier but right now I just need a mic soon and can't take weeks or months to learn all there is about mics to make up my mind. Any direction would be appreciated even if it's another thread. Right now I'm thinking that eliminating a mic that Christina Aguillera would use to highlight her powerful voice would be the opposite of what I need.

Thanks.
 
It's worth mentioning that I am in the process of trading a few mp3 players for a Blue Encore 100i live instrument mic. Why an instrument mic?
A) My tight budget means I have to trade for things whenever possible and there probably aren't a lot of people on craigslist that needed mp3 players more than a mic. I happened to find someone who could use the mp3 players. Beggars can't be choosey. He's a good guy and probably just did me a favor.
B) I read reviews and many people said they successfully used it as a vocal mic.
C) I have an acoustic guitar so if it doesn't work vocally then I can try it with my guitar.
D) If none of the above work I'll have a better chance at trading an instrument mic for a vocal mic than trading mp3 players for a mic.
 
My budget is such that I would not be looking for a mic that would cost in the hundreds. At least not now. The one I traded for runs for under $100 but I could go into the $100's staying under $200. Not much to work with but I can't change that. If I can eliminate certain brands or types of mics based on that price range then that's what I'm looking to do.
 
arcaxis said:
Have you already worked out how you'll be recording, such as a USB interface with a DAW?
Click to expand...

No not really.
I recently traded my uke for a Yamaha keyboard/synth that includes a 6 track recorder which I thought I might be able to use just to become familiar with basics. I've never played piano but I will only be using it to create overlays and accents on top of the guitar. There will be no groundbreaking piano playing. Mainly simple little recurring melodies like used in rap/hip-hop.

I also just bought a Fender Mustang III V.2 modelling amp which has USB out and recording software included but I don't know how useable it is yet.
As for dedicated recording hardware and something to plug the mic into, TBD.

I have some experience using Audacity for mp3 manipulation. I understand some people use that for home recording purposes so I was going to try it.

I've been playing with lyrics and melodies for the past year and just recently started to accumulate gear but I'm already running out of cash thus the bartering. This is a long term project and I acquire things as I can. I realize there's a lot more to it than I'm discussing. I'm just trying to tackle things piece by piece as I'm able and a mic is currently the focus.
 
You might just want to pick up an Sm57 for around $100....it's a good "starter" dynamic mic, and can be used on vocals and instruments.

I doubt if the keyboard will record audio, so you will need to figure out your recording chain.
 
I'll find out soon but do you have any experience with Blue mics? That's what I traded for just because the offer was there. I needed a mic and didn't need the mp3 players I traded for it so I did the trade. It's the Encore 100i. Like I mentioned, it's an instrument mic but I read that people use it for voice as well. If it's a fail I'll use it for my parlor guitar.
 
That Blue mic gets good reviews for its price (new $90), so try it for your vocals and acoustic - but you'll need something with a mic preamp to plug it into. An audio interface is what you'll need. Head over to the closest Guitar Center (Boston? Danvers? Braintree?) and see if they've got any used ones (the online search isn't finding any). There's plenty of $100 interfaces available and most of them come with a limited DAW too.
 
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I got the 100i today in the mail and it looks brand new with plastic still on it. Blue is having a promo right now. Buy one encore 300 vocal mic for $200 and get another 300 free. Based on my budget I think I can skip over all of the comparing and searching and just get one. I'm sure I can find a friend to split the cost with. A 300 for $100 seems to be a no brainer. Whether it works for my voice who knows but at that price it's worth a try.

I just got the Mustang III V.2 modelling amp and it has a lot of features including an FX loop, USB and dual (stereo) XLR out. It's marketed as a home recording amp. Is there a piece of gear that I can connect to the FX loop that will integrate the mics? This is that part that I know nothing about. I've never owned or worked with a mic before.
 
Now that I've settled the mic selection, at least for now, I've transferred mic overload to preamp overload :confused:
 
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I managed to get a like new Blue encore 300 vocal mic for $50. Can't beat that.

Instead of a preamp I'm going to buy a mixer with USB out. My Fender Mustang III V.2 modeling amp is pretty close to being an audio interface by itself. I'll bet they add mic inputs in the future. Can't see why they would do all that for an amp and let someone else sell us the audio interface for mics. Once I have a mixer nailed down I can finally start creating. The amp came with an authorization code for Ableton Live 9 Lite so I downloaded it and authorized it. Looks like the Lite version will do everything I need it to do.
 
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