Radio presenter & home studio noob, looking for a building-block mic!

Dude, that wasn't douche-baggery. Shadow_7's response was sound advice. Like moresound said from the beginning: what you need is an EV RE20. It sounds like a lot of money upfront, but it's really not. I'm assuming you've been doing voice overs for a little while. Just keep at it in the studio for a little while longer. In no time, you'll have the $350 you need to buy an RE20 - and no need for phantom power.
I covet an RE20. And if I was focusing on voice overs, I would sell all of my current mics in heartbeat in favor of an RE20.

An SM58 will work, but it won't be amazing. If you insist on exploring that route, go for a beta 58 instead.
 
:laughings: ☼☼☼ Good thing he didn't ask about an appropriate micpre to go with the microphone or we would all be douche-baggeryersistes! now there is a new word for ya :D
 
We were supposed to keep our sanity? I thought that that was something that we had to check at the door.
 
At the end of the day, I found that usually, despite the quality of my mic, I've managed to achieve the desired result post-editing. So I think I'm going to go with something under the £100 mark as I've got to fork out for a mixer and USB connector also - the price seemingly creeps! :rolleyes:
 
what do you even mean by 'usb connector'?

i wouldn't recommend this path...but what do i know.

There's no need for a mixer really. eq can be done ITB.

It really has to be cheap, I recommend a used EV 635a and a small usb interface...tascam or something like that.

Hope that's helpful :)
 
'ITB' ?? Sorry, I'm not up to scratch on my technical lingo :o

No need for a mixer? I was under the impression that they were fairly necessary in terms of having total control over your input volumes. How does a USB interface take care of such issues?

Sorry, I really am a noob with all this. The equipment has always been provided for me and I've never had to worry much about it! :p
 
ok,i don't mean to be rude, but you need to read all the stickys and noob info that's knocking about on here.

Generally speaking, an interface will have microphone inputs and line inputs.
They will have a gain knob per channel and that's it.
You use the gain, choice of microphone, choice of room and position therein amongst other things to determine the sound you're going to get.

Having an eq and volume on a mixer isn't necessary (or desirable IMO) because
A) it can be done in the computer software, and
B) if you twiddle with stuff on a mixer, you are stuck with it and have to re-record if it sucks.

Fair enough, many people do all their processing out of the box; Compressors, reverbs, eqs etc etc. But these guys usually know what they want to hear and how to make it happen.
Hope that helps.

edit* i know i've recommended cheap mics etc here, but in a perfect world i'd say go with the guys who are saying save your money and buy an re20 or similar.
If you're doing any serious radio/voiceover work, it's pretty much a case of buy it now, or realise you need it later.
 
Eddzz!! said:
Hello everyone, I'm new here and have to confess, I've only joined to ask a few questions! (But knowing me, I'll end up addicted to this forum like I do all the others!)
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Welcome aboard!

I'm quite new to this so cut me some slack
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As long as you're not a douche, this is not a problem!

I do a lot of radio work. Voice overs, jingles and advertisements. I've been looking into getting my own out-of-studio mic for when I'm at home. Just something inexpensive but of decent quality (I have quite a limited budget!) Obviously the primary use of the mic will be for vocals, but I should like to think it be capable of recording a variety of sounds. I occasionally make my own sfx depending on the advert/jingle. The production mic I've been using in our studio is a Sennheiser dynamic I believe. It's plugged into a mixer and then into the PC but not sure if it requires phantom power. It produces fairly decent results, so something similar (if not a bit better) would be great!
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There are a lot of mics that could work for you. Some of the best ones for your application have already been mentioned. The important thing to remember is that mics don't especially know or care what they're recording. Certain recording situations require a bit more consideration in that some mics are fragile or sensitive to certain things like air movement or high SPL. Others can be just plain shitty in certain ways. It's best to avoid these types.

From what I've read, condenser mics produce overall better results than those produced from dynamic mics. Please correct me if you think otherwise!
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You shouldn't believe everything you read. This is just plain old bullshit. It's like saying an acoustic guitar is better than an electric, or an electric is better than an acoustic. Does this mean an Anjo student model classical guitar that's been beaten to crap is somehow better than a $5k cuatom shop Strat? Or that a $10.00 1972 Raven is better than a brand new Taylor dreadnaught?

There are some half decent, inexpensive condensers. And there are some extremely high quality dynamic mics that kick them to the curb. A lot of cheap condensers aren't exactly good in many ways and some are even complete and utter bullshit. CONTEXT! Everything needs context. The inexplicable hype over cheap, shitty sounding bullshit condenser mics is something to look out for. But some of them can be okay.

Anyways, with condenser mics, I'm led to believe that quite a lot of them require a poweramp or mixer with phantom power. Could anyone recommend a phantom power unit for someone on a budget? A mixer with phantom power built in would be even better!
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A mixer with phantom power - for what purpose exactly? Recording? On a budget?

There are a lot of options, but one of the best is Google. You have a lot to learn.

Currently, I'm quite drawn towards USB plug-&-play mics, simply for their simplicity and low price. Thoughts on USB mics?
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It's hard for me to describe my thoughts on USB mics without using the word "bullshit", but I'll try.

USB mics are mainly for simple things like podcasting, for people with close to no inclination to learn even thie simplest of things about recording. While they can be a very easy and economical choice at first, their potential to be outgrown when a recordist starts to look for things like better sound quality or versatility is rather high.



Best of luck to you, but please don't come asking nOOb questions on a message board and then jump on someone for giving you a legitimate answer.
 
A lot of interfaces come with a microphone preamp, so you don't need the mixer to boost the signal. If that's what you need it for. If you plan on having a live show, and a bunch incoming calls and such, I could see a need for a mixer. Otherwise your interface (when you get one, if you didn't already) will likely have all of the components that a mixer has for the most part. +/- a couple of channels and sliders.
 
The interface you're looking at would be fine if you want to transfer vinyl records to your computer with a turntable. I think what you're after is more of an interface with a couple of mic preamps and 48v phantom power.
 
If you're really short of cash, buy THIS MIC and use THIS as an interface.

If you can stretch a bit more, THIS will sound better as in interface and will allow you to upgrade to a condenser mic which needs phantom power.

Even more money? Then THIS is the cheapest condenser I know and will provide more clarity and quality than a cheapo dynamic.

Finally, at the top of what I will recommend, THIS is getting into the range of things that will sound vaguely professional, coupled with the Alesis mixer/interface.

The Audix dynamic actually sounds okay for the money, though not what I'd call a real radio sound. I've suggested two "mixers" (though with only 2 inputs I use the term loosely) because in the UK market they are cheaper than the most basic interface with mic inputs or phantom. A lot of radio people find them easier to use anyhow--and it's not unusual to want to plug in some other source...maybe a phone interview or something.

By the way, the company I linked to has decent prices in the UK and offers good service--they're not going to disappear overnight.

Finally, the suggestion of second hand is a good one but, of course, depends on the right stuff coming up for sale at the right time. I might also say that the US "radio sound" is different from what you're used to in the UK...and the RE20, while a nice mic, might not be the sound you're after.

Bob
 
Oh, and I meant to say, don't forget to budget for a mic stand (I suggest a floor standing one to avoid noises when you touch your script table) and an XLR cable.
 
@Bobbsy - cheers for all your advice - been a great help! I did my research this evening and ended up ordering the Alesis 4 USB mixer along with the SE Electronics condenser mic. £50 above mt budget, but got a pop-shield thrown in for good measure. Will nip down to Maplin's for a goose-neck mic stand on arrival.

Cheers for all the help guys and apologies for whoever I upset along the way. Here's to successful recordings!
 
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