Condenser Microphone Reccomendation

[Yousef]

Hey all, im new to this forum and I would like some advice if its okay. Well, id like to know which mic setup out of the three would be the best for rnb and hiphop vocals.

SETUP #1:
- Samson C01U USB condenser

SETUP #2
- Audio-Technica AT2020 USB (CARDOID) condenser

SETUP #3:
- Audio-Technica AT2035
- Tascam US 122


Thanks alot in advance, this forum seems right for me!

 

[PhilGood]

That depends. What happens in RnB and hiphop that requires something different than other types of music? Ultra and infra-sonics?

What vocal types are you recording? What's the timbre of the voices? What instruments? What is your budget?

To tell the truth, none of mics you listed will be stellar, so I'm assuming you're talking about using something like a laptop or a standard PC to record with.

My opinion would be the AT2020.

 

[dgatwood]

USB mics invariably suck, and that's being generous. Admittedly, an AT2020 with USB hardware grafted in would be more usable than most of those abominations, but the non-USB AT2020 is still not a particularly good vocal mic, and you'd basically have no possibility of upgrading the mic later because all the interface electronics would be part of the mic.

The third choice would at least be usable. That said, I'd probably suggest spending the extra $20-30 for a CAD M177 or M179 instead of the AT2035.

 

[Yousef]

Well theres not going to be any instruments and its going to be played directly to a laptop. And the vocals are hip-hop vocals (rapping) and singing (rnb). The worker at our local music store (the high rep one) said that the AT2035 is much better than the AT2020 because he said its a USB mic, hence not good quality.. But i'd like to make sure first
thanks alot keep these answers coming

 

[Big Kenny]

Well theres not going to be any instruments and its going to be played directly to a laptop. And the vocals are hip-hop vocals (rapping) and singing (rnb). The worker at our local music store (the high rep one) said that the AT2035 is much better than the AT2020 because he said its a USB mic, hence not good quality.. But i'd like to make sure first
thanks alot keep these answers coming

Your local music store is not the best place for advice, they sell what they have, not what's best.
If you are looking for a cheap way to do this, any of those mics will work. If you are looking for a good way, none....

 

[didgijimmy]

Hey all, im new to this forum and I would like some advice if its okay.

No it's not okay. We don't give advice on this forum.















Just kidding. Welcome aboard.
James

 

[Yousef]

Your local music store is not the best place for advice, they sell what they have, not what's best.
If you are looking for a cheap way to do this, any of those mics will work. If you are looking for a good way, none....

Hey, is it possible if you can reccomend me a cheap and good way to do this.. because im not too sure if hiphop really needs the best microphone. I just need a good quality microphone afterall!

 

[Big Kenny]

If you stop asking for cheap and quality in the same post we can continue, otherwise, go to your local music store and buy what you can afford now and buy what you need later (like all the rest of us did).

 

[didgijimmy]

If you stop asking for cheap and quality in the same post we can continue, otherwise, go to your local music store and buy what you can afford now and buy what you need later (like all the rest of us did).

lol. Nice.

Yousef: Behringer has got alot of cheap shit that can be fairly decent for a small amount of time, just don't think of it as a long term investment, just a stepping stone.

 

[Yousef]

If you stop asking for cheap and quality in the same post we can continue, otherwise, go to your local music store and buy what you can afford now and buy what you need later (like all the rest of us did).

I understand, we can continue then. My budget is around $480 Canadian dollars, but the only reason im choosing cheap microphone is because i need a mic stand, pop filter, headphones, and all those addition, it if wasnt for those additions id go with a good mic. Also, for headphones and mic stand, im going for the cheapest things i could find. I'd really like to see your microphone suggestions Kenny. Thanks alot.

 

[Mr. Antrobus]

As far as cheap goes,

You really can't get any cheaper than an MCA SP1 mic. In the US it's about $53 after shipping.

http://recordinghacks.com/reviews/tapeop/mca-sp1/

It is a basic chinese capsule condenser mic with a capsule that's usally used in MXL pencil mics like the 603. In this case it has a brass ring around it that probably makes the cardiod pattern even tighter (think something like a blowtorch). At first I thought it was made of plastic (You know, like the blister pack it comes in). But I was wrong. It's body is an aluminum tube.

That said, it's not crappy and it has a decent capsule. Relatively smooth and flat. Oh, and the basic circuit is decent enough that you can upgrade the components and have an even better mic out of the deal.

I'd go that route before going behringer.

The only downside with the mic is it probably needs decent phantom powering given its circuitry.

Oh, and for shockmounts, I'd partner it with something like a sampson sp01 which shows up on Amazon.com with free shipping for around $29 bucks.

Pry off the mounting knob and use the one that comes with it and you're good to go.

 

[Harvey Gerst]

For headphones, try the Sennheiser HD201's, which you can find for around 20 bucks.

 

[didgijimmy]

I understand, we can continue then. My budget is around $480 Canadian dollars, but the only reason im choosing cheap microphone is because i need a mic stand, pop filter, headphones, and all those addition, it if wasnt for those additions id go with a good mic. Also, for headphones and mic stand, im going for the cheapest things i could find. I'd really like to see your microphone suggestions Kenny. Thanks alot.

I think it is worth mentioning that headphones are great for intitial tracking, but if you are planning on doing any mixing be sure to budget for some reference monitors, headphones are generally terrible for mixes.

 

[Yousef]

I think it is worth mentioning that headphones are great for intitial tracking, but if you are planning on doing any mixing be sure to budget for some reference monitors, headphones are generally terrible for mixes.

Honestly I cant afford them now, im trying to work with what if got so i figured using small speakers will do as of now but ill upgrade soon

 

[dgatwood]

Hey, is it possible if you can reccomend me a cheap and good way to do this.. because im not too sure if hiphop really needs the best microphone. I just need a good quality microphone afterall!

That's why I mentioned the CAD mics. They're decent quality for not much more money than the cheap junk costs.

 

[didgijimmy]

Honestly I cant afford them now, im trying to work with what if got so i figured using small speakers will do as of now but ill upgrade soon

I'm with ya man, gotta have priorities. Unfortunately this isn't a cheap hobby, but it sure is addicting!

 

[Big Kenny]

That's why I mentioned the CAD mics. They're decent quality for not much more money than the cheap junk costs.

Yup! The M179 is a very usable mic, start there. More Me headphones will work and I also think that mixing with headphones results in better tracks than cheap speakers (flame on bruthas)
Make a pop filter out of panty hose and a small embroidery hoop with duct tape to a mic clip.
Shove a brick on the bottom of an "On Stage" mic stand and you should be set.
You will get garbage out if you settle for anything less in the mic area.
Harvey, what do you suggest from your "cheap but usable"mic cabinet

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Harvey, what do you suggest from your "cheap but usable"mic cabinet

On ebay, look for a used Beyer Soundstar Mk II or an MXL V67g. Either should work fine for cheap, but good vocals.

 

[dgatwood]

Yup! The M179 is a very usable mic, start there. More Me headphones will work and I also think that mixing with headphones results in better tracks than cheap speakers (flame on bruthas)

No flames. Strongly agree. You're much better off with good headphones than crappy anything.

 

[drossfile]

That's why I mentioned the CAD mics. They're decent quality for not much more money than the cheap junk costs.

yep, i'm gonna say the m177. its response is remarkably unhyped. plus, it's cheaper than the 179, and for vox a fixed cardioid should be sufficient. i snagged mine for $80 on the sdotd a couple months ago. absolute STEAL at that price for sure.