Searching for My First Mic

F

flutewarbler7

New member
Hi all,

I am a singer seeking to begin recording in the hopes of making something I can distribute, first to family and friends and hopefully later to a wider audience. I am classically trained and sing classical, sacred, and contemporary music (read film, aka Disney haha). I'm looking for a good microphone that will allow me to record myself with good quality to later mix with tracks that I will be receiving from friends I'm collaborating with.

I've narrowed my search to the following options:
MXL 770 Cardioid Condenser Microphone B&H # MX770
CAD GXL-3000 Multi-Pattern Studio Condenser Microphone B&H # CAGXL3000
Tascam TM-80 Studio Condenser Microphone B&H # TATM80

Could anyone please give me their thoughts and opinions about the above mics? I'm an absolute novice to this, so any input would be appreciated. I realize that I would also have to invest in an external sound card and some other equipment, but selecting a microphone seems to be a good first step. Oh, I should mention I'm not interested in USB mics, but if anyone has some other microphone as a suggestion that might fit my needs, I'd love to hear about it.

Thank you for your help!
 
Start off with a Shure SM 57. You can use it for 57 million applications, it will last forever, it's cheap, (about a hundred bucks), and has excellent resale value. But the resale value is of no importance, because as long as you're recording music, you won't have a need to sell it.
You'll just end up buying more.
:D
 
A dynamic mic for a first mic is a good suggestion and the SM57 might be a good starter that would be less likely to pickup the ambience of an untreated room.
Watch this Youtube vid, SM57 comes up towards the end.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS18hqLV_NQ

If you do feel that purchasing a condenser may better suit you I can't say I would choose any out of the ones you listed. The GXL-3000 might be the best of the bunch, but looking at the frequency response curve I would believe it may be a quite bright mic.

I own the mics below and they have been good for my vocals.
AKG Project Studio P220 Large Diaphragm Condenser 3101H00420 B&H (includes shockmount and case)
MXL V67G Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Microphone V67G B&H (shockmount not included)
Studio Projects B1 Large-Diaphragm Studio Condenser Microphone (includes shockmount)

These mics have been getting good reviews on another forum and can be purchased direct from the designer/seller......
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3U-Audio-TE...120881?hash=item1a15657731:g:SiIAAOSwPe1TymeE
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3U-Audio-BL...227016?hash=item1a156715c8:g:p90AAOSwq7JTyj5c
 
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arcaxis said:
A dynamic mic for a first mic is a good suggestion and the SM57 might be a good starter that would be less likely to pickup the ambience of an untreated room.
Watch this Youtube vid, SM57 comes up towards the end.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS18hqLV_NQ

If you do feel that purchasing a condenser may better suit you I can't say I would choose any out of the ones you listed. The GXL-3000 might be the best of the bunch, but looking at the frequency response curve I would believe it may be a quite bright mic.

I own the mics below and they have been good for my vocals.
AKG Project Studio P220 Large Diaphragm Condenser 3101H00420 B&H (includes shockmount and case)
MXL V67G Large Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Microphone V67G B&H (shockmount not included)
Studio Projects B1 Large-Diaphragm Studio Condenser Microphone (includes shockmount)

These mics have been getting good reviews on another forum and can be purchased direct from the designer/seller......
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3U-Audio-TE...120881?hash=item1a15657731:g:SiIAAOSwPe1TymeE
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3U-Audio-BL...227016?hash=item1a156715c8:g:p90AAOSwq7JTyj5c
Click to expand...

the difference between the $3400 neuman and the $99 sm57 was minuscule.
in some ways (eg less sibilant) the 57 actually sounds better

OP, a 57 is a safe first purchase.
Others i'd consider are the shure 545, re-10/11/15/16, etc. That Rode in the video sounded good. I bought an awful Nady and had it modded, and it sounds great, so mods are an option, too if you go condenser.
 
The 57 is a great mic to have in your locker, it can do a lot of chores for you, and it's not expensive...but odds are you will not be happy with it for vocals...unless your voice happens to just fit the tonal qualities of the 57.
They are OK for live work, but they can be honky and mid-rangey, and a bit dull in the highs...which tends to work in a live, band environment, as it will cut through, and not feedback as easily when using floor monitors and all that.

9-out of-10 times, condensers work best on most vocals.

The only proper way to find the right mic is to first set you budget, and then audition at least a half-dozen various mics in your budget.
Ideally, you would want to record your voice with each mic, and then listen to it...listen to it with just our voice, and also recorded with some backing music.

I know that's not easy to do starting out...so... if you have any decent music stores in your area, they most likely have a "recording" section...and an isolated room where people can check out mics, monitors, etc....so go there, and ask the sales guy to help you audition a few mics in your price range. If they have a decent recording section, they may even have a setup to do some quick recordings on the spot, and then you cam listen to your recorded voice.

I certainly wouldn't pick a mic just by reviews or by You Tube videos unless you know what to listen for, and you know what suits your voice best....and it's hard to recommend one to you, without hearing your voice.
 
JefferySmith said:
It looks like (and is advertised as) a large diaphragm condenser mic, but recordinghacks.com describes it as small diaphragm mounted in a larger baffle. Odd.
Click to expand...
I've got a couple mics that are similar to this with small diaphragms (MF Deal of the Day specials). They don't sound bad for what they are. Amazon reviews for that package seem pretty good.
 
RFR said:
Re-reading the original post, this combo seems like a great idea.

By the way, is the original poster still participating, or is this one of those 'throw my question up on all the forums I can' type of post?
Click to expand...

Hi, I am still participating - I just haven't had a chance to get back online recently to check the responses. Thank you so much to everyone for their advice! Obviously, I still have a lot of researching to do.
 
RFR said:
Start off with a Shure SM 57.
Click to expand...
Sorry but that makes no sense. If budget is an issue, opt for the 58 over the 57 (same price). And if you can spare the extra $50ish, opt for the 58 beta over the 58.

But that said, the diff in mics is IMO often exaggerated quite a bit.


JefferySmith said:
If money is an issue, I keep seeing good prices on Blue Dynamic handheld mics. Haven't used one, but I do like Blue microphones.
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? So you're pimping a mic you've never used?
 
joey2000 said:
Sorry but that makes no sense. If budget is an issue, opt for the 58 over the 57 (same price). And if you can spare the extra $50ish, opt for the 58 beta over the 58.

But that said, the diff in mics is IMO often exaggerated quite a bit.
Click to expand...
May not make sense to you but makes all the sense in the world to me.
I have all of the mics you mentioned. The 57 has gotten more use than all the rest on a multitude of sources.
For the original poster I recomended it because a) it works, b) it has longevity. It would be a keeper mic over something like an mxl for example. Until someone builds up a quality mic collection, you can't go wrong with the basics.
 
Hi Warbler,
I would not go for a dynamic (unless you find a cheap S/H one to try) since you just don't see them in front of opera singers!
You sound as though you can belt it out a bit? If that is the case I would eschew the bottom feeding F'rites since they do not have a good name for headroom and the mic in that bundle is unlikely to have attenuating pads. The LAST thing you want is to feel constrained because the kit might crack over!

So, big D capacitor with a 10 or 20dB pad on it (because of the nature of the design forced on simple AIs they are never going to have massive headroom). A multi-pattern mic might seem overkill but each pattern will give a slight variation in "colour", could be handy?

Yes, the room will be a bother and yes, close singing to a very low sensitivity dynamic helps but "Classical" it ain't and will never sound so. Fix the room or find a better one.

Last thing, do not ignore Small D capacitor (aka condenser) mics? No rule says they cannot be used for voice and many come with pads. They are also of about 6dB lower sensitivity than the big 'uns, helps a bit. And, if you DO find a nice room, DO investigate "Co-Incident Stereo".

Dave.
 
RFR said:
May not make sense to you but makes all the sense in the world to me.
I have all of the mics you mentioned. The 57 has gotten more use than all the rest on a multitude of sources.
Click to expand...
Which isn't relevant here because we aren't talking about a multitude of sources. This mic has one function for this person.

For the original poster I recomended it because a) it works, b) it has longevity.
Click to expand...
Which is true of the 58 and Beta 58 (and many, many others).

Until someone builds up a quality mic collection, you can't go wrong with the basics.
Click to expand...
Except that many people neither don't have the need or desire/ability to spend more money for a "collection" of mics.

That all said, saying the 57 makes no sense was over the top on my part as well, and for similar reasons: it depends. This person will only know for sure if they try various ones out (frustratingly hard to do). But the 57 and 58 are basically the same mic; why opt for one somewhat less suited for vocals? That was where I was going w/that. IMO it's very unlikely the 57 is the way to go, but obviously neither of us can say.

Well, that and the fact that condensers are generally better suited for vocals than dynamics. But again, there are variables........the person's voice, style, etc....
 
Dave, thank you for this. I was wondering how much of a difference the mic would make for different styles of singing. I am classically trained, but also sing some contemporary style pieces, bossa nova, plenty of show and film music, and I love the classics from the 40's and 50's. Overall, I'm thinking the style that I would be recording would be mostly singer/songwriter as I would probably go to a professional for classical voice recordings.

I look forward to learning more about the things you posted. :)
 
Are there stores that will allow me to try different mics before buying them? When I bought my flute I was able to experiment on several before selecting my instrument - is there a similar option for microphones and other hardware?
 
Ok, so it seems the more research I do, the more confused I'm getting...

There are just so many things to consider and I'm not really sure what is best or necessary to look for.

I've been seeing a lot about USB microphones like the Blue Yeti, but had kind of written USB mics because I was told it would be better to have an external sound box to gain a better sound. Is that true? Or for someone starting off, such as myself, does it make much of a difference?

I'd rather not have to buy another microphone in a year or two, which is why I'm taking so long to make a decision. A lot of this just seems a bit overwhelming...

But keep the comments coming, I greatly appreciate everyone's experience, knowledge, and expertise on this!
 
joey2000 said:
Which isn't relevant here because we aren't talking about a multitude of sources. This mic has one function for this person.

Which is true of the 58 and Beta 58 (and many, many others).


Except that many people neither don't have the need or desire/ability to spend more money for a "collection" of mics.

That all said, saying the 57 makes no sense was over the top on my part as well, and for similar reasons: it depends. This person will only know for sure if they try various ones out (frustratingly hard to do). But the 57 and 58 are basically the same mic; why opt for one somewhat less suited for vocals? That was where I was going w/that. IMO it's very unlikely the 57 is the way to go, but obviously neither of us can say.

Well, that and the fact that condensers are generally better suited for vocals than dynamics. But again, there are variables........the person's voice, style, etc....
Click to expand...

Well I'm glad you're having a good time browbeating me for my suggestion. I didn't think you cared so much to try to make my suggestion out to be an idiotic one.
I thought the idea was to offer opinions to the op. Instead it is turning into shoot down the opinion of others. Seems I have fallen for your troll bait?

I must say , re- reading the original post, the purpose for this mic is exclusive for vocals or so it would seem.
In this case, yes I would advise a condenser mic.

However, in my own defense, in the previously posted video, the mic shootout, there was a 57 in there and it did pretty damn well holding it's own against pricier condensers. So, my suggestion can't be too insane.

Besides, should the op want in the future to record a guitar or a snare, a 57 might come in handy.

Bottom line, for me. If I only had 100 bucks to spend on a mic, I would want one for various purposes, I'd choose the 57. Now if money wasn't a huge factor, for an all purpose mic, it would be an AKG414

(Just my opinion, stupid in the eyes of others....or not)
:D
 
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