Please suggest some mics

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EtherealEntity

EtherealEntity

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Hey, I'm looking for some microphones to start home recording more seriously.
I've currently been working with top quality VST plugins etc. for the drums and keyboards (all kinds of voices) of my compositions. I'm ready to record guitar, bass, and vocals, but have never done this seriously before. I have a Behringer XM8500 mic which I have used for scrap recordings up until now. This was a very cheap mic which I believe to be a cheap 'copy' of a Shure SM57.
Anyway, I have no intention of recording seriously with this mic as it seems pretty poor.

I'm looking for some good quality mics.
I'm going to be recording a guitar amp, a bass amp, and vocals. And occasional acoustic guitar.
-Guitar is 7 string so I need to be able to handle the low end. I want a powerful and clear tone over the whole range of the guitar.
-Bass also has the low string. Though I play a lot of notes higher up too (6 string bass), incase this makes a difference to mic selection.
-Vocal will only be "death growls" aka "cookie monster" vocals.
-Acoustic guitar (stereo mic)

I don't think I can use condensors, as my soundcard (Creative Soundblaster X-Fi) does not seem to have a phantom power supply. It does have two inputs though so I can stereo mic.

So I'm looking for a good bass amp mic.
A good vocal mic.
A good guitar amp mic.

The later two I would use to stereo mic the acoustic guitar.

All dynamic (or battery powered condenser)

Thanks for any advice you can give :)
 
Some suggestions

EtherealEntity,

Two mics I use that will work well for you are the Peavey 520i or 520tn (same mic) or the Audio Technica ATM 25. (The PRO 25 is a cheaper mic) Both can be found used under $100 if you work at it.

These will work for your bass. You can try them on guitar. I even used the Peavey for vocals on one track of my last Hungarians CD.

For recording stereo acoustic guitar I use omnis. I have used the dynamic Realistic 1070b (or 1070c or 1070d same mics) made by Shure in Mexico for Radio Shack. I also love the Naiant condenser mics for recording acoustic guitar. Naiant sells battery packs that work with their mics but I recommend a preamp like the M-Audio DMP-3 or an interface like the M-Audio Omni-Studio which includes quality preamps. These preamps will make all your mics (even dynamics) sound much better than they will going through your sound card and they provide phantom power.

The last time I recorded my guitar amp I used an SM56 and an EV RE11. The SM56 is similar to the SM57 which is often used for guitar cabs. Many members of this board also recommend the GLS ES57 another similar mic. Lately I've been singing through the RE11 live a lot so any of these mics can be used for vocals too.

And if you ever record blues harp the RE11 (or RE10, 15,16,18) is a fantastic harp mic.

All of the mics mentioned are inexpensive but they will remain useful to you in the future. Except for the Naiant mics they are all dynamics.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
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Hi, You may want to check into the MXL SP1 mic (around $40.00) from PSSL.com From what I understand it's got the same innards as the MXL 603 in a large body. It can be upgraded by Jim Williams of Audio Upgrades for a fee. He seems to think this mic is a very good deal.
 
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Condensers

EtherealEntity,

I have a pair of the MCA SP1 mics and they can still be purchased from PSSL or at least they were in their last catalog. I have to agree they are better than they ought to be for low end condensers that come in a blister pack.

APL and I agree on the Naiant mics. Search the threads for their current products.

These are condenser mics and will require phantom power to work. So you will need to get a mixer, preamp, or interface to use them as I discussed in my earlier post.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
Use your SM57 clone on your amp.

Use a Rode and a FMR RNP for vocals and other chores.
 
EtherealEntity said:
I have a Behringer XM8500 mic which I have used for scrap recordings up until now. This was a very cheap mic which I believe to be a cheap 'copy' of a Shure SM57.
Anyway, I have no intention of recording seriously with this mic as it seems pretty poor.

I'm looking for some good quality mics.
Click to expand...

Your main concern should not be with microphones, but with how you get audio into your system. This is the big hurdle. Any mike that you get that you plug straight into your Creative Soundblaster will deliver similar results, i.e. poor.

If you are looking to high quality (which I gather you are given your description of requiresment for your 7-string), then your first investment should be an audio interface.

Once you've got this, you will find firstly that the XM8500 (incidentally, not a clone of an SM57) gives you a much better sound, and you can start shopping around for mikes more suited to your needs, along the lines of what people here have been suggesting.
 
Thanks again everyone.

Gecko, what would be a good one for me to get? I was under the impression that the one I currently have is pretty good.
It's actually the X-Fi Elite Pro, with the large external interface. I'd send a link but the forum wont let me until I make 5 posts.

Is there a decent USB one, so I don't have to get a whole new soundcard inside my computer or anything?
I need atleast two track input remember.
Thanks.
 
Looks like a very good deal indeed!
Would this give better quality than my Soundblaster X-Fi Elite Pro then?
The usual price is about the same.
And I'm presuming that the firewire connection doesn't merge the two tracks right? I can still select input 1 or 2 from my DAW?
 
EtherealEntity said:
Looks like a very good deal indeed!
Would this give better quality than my Soundblaster X-Fi Elite Pro then?
Click to expand...

Yes. And it has phantom powered mic preamplifiers so you don't need any other hardware.

EE said:
And I'm presuming that the firewire connection doesn't merge the two tracks right? I can still select input 1 or 2 from my DAW?
Click to expand...

Yes.

Do consider Reaper. Powerful enough to do anything you'll need, and a great price. You can try it for free.
 
Brilliant. I'll just read a couple more reviews and almost certainly buy it. Great discount. Thanks a lot :)
Edit: That's a shame. It's US only for that particular website. I can still get a 50% discount though from elsewhere :)
 
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Can anyone show me some examples they have done with the naiant mics? I keep hearing amazing things about them... but I want to actually hear it.
 
EtherealEntity said:
Hey, I'm looking for some microphones to start home recording more seriously.
I've currently been working with top quality VST plugins etc. for the drums and keyboards (all kinds of voices) of my compositions. I'm ready to record guitar, bass, and vocals, but have never done this seriously before. I have a Behringer XM8500 mic which I have used for scrap recordings up until now. This was a very cheap mic which I believe to be a cheap 'copy' of a Shure SM57.
Anyway, I have no intention of recording seriously with this mic as it seems pretty poor.

I'm looking for some good quality mics.
I'm going to be recording a guitar amp, a bass amp, and vocals. And occasional acoustic guitar.
-Guitar is 7 string so I need to be able to handle the low end. I want a powerful and clear tone over the whole range of the guitar.
-Bass also has the low string. Though I play a lot of notes higher up too (6 string bass), incase this makes a difference to mic selection.
-Vocal will only be "death growls" aka "cookie monster" vocals.
-Acoustic guitar (stereo mic)

I don't think I can use condensors, as my soundcard (Creative Soundblaster X-Fi) does not seem to have a phantom power supply. It does have two inputs though so I can stereo mic.

So I'm looking for a good bass amp mic.
A good vocal mic.
A good guitar amp mic.

The later two I would use to stereo mic the acoustic guitar.

All dynamic (or battery powered condenser)

Thanks for any advice you can give :)
Click to expand...


It doesn't really matter what mic you get if you're using the pres on your soundblaster. If indeed it actually has mic pres If I were you, I'd get a new sound card, Something like an M-Audio Audiophile, a FMR-RNP, and a SM57. Just my two cents.
 
You're getting some good advice here. I'll have to concur that the interface should be your first concern. Good luck!

Paul:D
 
You're on the right track here. Your cheap mic will sound better through a new interface than more expensive mics through the Soundblaster. That Tascam apl pointed out is incredible for the money!
 
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