Stupid mic question time...

esactun

esactun

New member
1) I'm looking to buy my first real mic. (I won't list my current mics or other gear--it's all crap and you'd laugh.) From what I gather, I'd be best served by dropping the very reasonable sum of $80 or so on the venerable SM57. At the same time, I fondly recall the surprising sound I used to get from these two little (puny!) condensers that were attached to an old tape deck (that I can't find to rip the condensers out of), esp. on distorted heavy guitar. As I'm trying to record fairly heavy material at this point, should I go for an SM57 or spend more for a condenser?

2) Is a condenser essentially a mic with natural/intrinsic compression effects? What makes it sound so different than a dynamic?

3, less relelvant) I keep hearing about ribbon mics... how do they differ from others? [or suggest a good place/site where I can read about them... and the diff between these and cardioids and hypercardioids... I'm mic-impaired]

4, opinion question) Best inexpensive (<US$200) mic to get HEAVY, crisp-ish distorted guitar sounds with (that is, in combo with technique etc-- just suggest a mic)-- considering I have an Epi Les Paul (love it, but all thud and no shred)

5, last ? this post I promise) If forced to record heavy guitar with one of two cheesy amps (hobby stuff), would you pick:
-- a 10-30 watt Crate practice amp (I forget the model #), a bit larger than a 12" album, OR a 80?-watt Fender Sidekick Bass Amp OR both miced interestingly?

Thanks for any help/suggestions!

--esactuN
 
The MXL V67 is a popular cheap condenser for $100 right now. 57's are pretty standard for micing amps and not bad for vocals. They dont have very good high end on acoustic instruments though.

Look for the 8page thread about mic polar patterns for more than you ever wanted to know about different mic types.
 
Thanks Tex

Uh, thank ya very much, as the King once said...

Yeah, with the recent prices on the V67, I think I'll get one of those and an SM57... For the prices I can't possibly go wrong, right?...
 
There's probably some way to go wrong. Do you have phantom power for the MXL? But for the money those would be pretty safe bets.
 
TexRoadkill said:
There's probably some way to go wrong. Do you have phantom power for the MXL?
Click to expand...

Ding! A guess it wasn't a stupid mic question after all. Phantom would be a problem right now, my pre won't cut it. Do the modules work with the 67, or should I hold off on that until I get a better amp? Damn, so many desires, so little cash...
 
Modules? If you are referring to the small inline phantom units I would expect them to work fine. I've used them on other mics in the past for live conferences but I cant say for sure how well they work for studio recording or the MXL in particular.

If all you want to do is record electric guitar you might look into some of the amp modeling units like the Pod or Jstation. They would fit in your budget (used) and give you a lot more versatility.

A 57 alone will work fine for starting out.
 
The V67 and the M Audio Audio Buddy preamp (2 channels w/phantom power, $80) seem to make a good combo. Check the recent threads for V67 and Audio Buddy thread. You would have a good condenser, plus two channels of clean mic pre so you could expand later for under $200.

Pete
 
Cool! Lessee, an sm57, a v67, and an Audio Buddy for about $260... shweet!! Thank ya loads!
 
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