Buying a gift but I'm clueless !

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Sebaslegrand

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Hello guys at HR!

I found this forum on some other website and you guys looked like the best candidates that could answer all my questions. My girlfriend is a singer and we have a band we just created. It's a Female-fronted Gothic/Melodic Death Metal band. Yeah. Just so you know. The main vocals will be the female voices, and so my girlfriend's birthday is coming up and I'm going to buy her the STEDMAN N90 professional microphone. It has a large diaphragm, whatever that is. Here are the technical details :

Specifications
Frequency Response: 35 - 19K Hz
Useable Frequency Range: 20 - 20K Hz
Impedance: 250 ohms
Maximum SPL: >155dB
Sensitivity: -57dB (0dB=1mW/10 µbar)
Directional Characteristic: Unidirectional (cardioid)
Diaphragm Size: 1.1” (30 mm)
Connector: 3 pin male XLR
Body Material: Machined Aluminum (anodized finish)
Size: Length 5.75" (14 cm), Diameter 2.25" (5.6 cm)
Weight: 10 oz. (285 Grams)
Click to expand...

I got it for 170$ +15$ shipping, and so I need to also buy something to play it out from.

Yeah, I just said that. STOP LAUGHING! So anyways. Yeah, an amp, or PA speakers. See? I'm not that dumb :) I need to decide on whether I buy one or another. We will be practicing only for approximately 2 years so we're not ready to do shows anytime soon, so PA speakers might be just a little too much for now... But I heard they could be good in the studio we're getting in my house. Long story short, my house burned down and I'm now rebuilding it and including a studio part to it. It'll be something like 17x14 feet, if that makes any difference in the choice.

Unfortunately, price is very important as I'm still a student and am not very flexible in budget. I was wanting to get 2x 800 WATT Behringer B212XL speakers. Here are the specs I got :

* High-power 2-way PA sound reinforcement speaker system
* Perfect for live and playback applications
* 200 Watts Continuous RMS / 800 Watts Peak Power
* overload protection circuitry, protects high-or low-frequency drivers from being over powered so the speaker can last a life time
* Ultra-compact and light weight system delivers excellent sound even at extreme sound pressure levels
* Extremely powerful 12" long-excursion driver provides incredibly deep bass and acoustic power
* State-of-the-art 1.75'' titanium-diaphragm compression driver for exceptional high-frequency reproduction
* Ultra-wide dispersion, large-format exponential horn
* Overload-protection circuitry ensures optimal HF driver protection
* Versatile trapezoidal enclosure design allows different positioning:
* -Stand mounting with 35-mm pole socket
* -Tilts on its side for use as a floor monitor
* Optional swiveling mounting brackets
* Ergonomically shaped handles for easy carrying and setup
* 2 professional speaker connectors plus 1/4'' jack connectors
* High-quality components and exceptionally rugged construction ensure long life
* Only 25 pounds! No dead weight on these bad boys. These are portable, yet more powerful than the 50 pound speakers from other brands
* Conceived and designed by BEHRINGER Germany
Click to expand...

After a lot of reading I understood I couldn't just buy these speakers and use the microphone with them, I need to get a... PreAmp? Yeah I think I got that one right. I need to know...

1- What's a PreAmp? How do I use it? How expensive is it?
2- How would I go about using this microphone (Stedman N90) with the PA speakers (Behringer B212XL) ?
3- Would there be a cheaper alternative that wouldn't be a huge loss to quality? How about a normal amp for vocals? My budget limit, including shipping has to be 400 max.
4- Any other information that would be good to know!

I hope you guys can answer me fast because I need to make arrangements and buy the necessities and get them delivered before her actual birthday which is on September 11th.

Thank you so much for all your support, I'll be checking these forums for the next hours :)

~ Sebastian
 
A small powered mixer and pa speakers is something you will definitely get good use of. :D
 
You could get a package deal like this.

Everything included to run.

Behringer gives many features for a low price. However there is good reason for that. Cheap, noisy components. That being said, I have had years of good performance from Behri rehearsal PA systems. You will probably also get special treatment if you show up with a PA for her birthday! Not to mention, it's gift that you can use as well. Double score! :D
 
But this pack also includes some things that I don't need like microphones... Can I just use my better quality one with them? Is it going to make a great difference? Can I pay with paypal for these things? Any other similar deals I can compare with?

Thanks a lot for your feedback! :D
 
You may be able to contact the online or local seller and be credited for the mics. Just get the things you need. You will need a mic cable as well as the speaker cables to run the PA. Try Guitar Center, Musicians Friend, ZZounds, Sweetwater.
 
good find jimmy :D

if you're just getting this band off the ground, don't worry about a pre-amp or mixer or whatever. the package jimmy is suggesting should cover everything you'd need.

Behringer has a less than stellar reputation, but when you're on a tight budget, it's hard to beat. you'll probably want to upgrade later, but you can do it in stages without dropping a ton of $$ all at once. I have the Behri PMP something or other. $800 for a decent sized P.A. with a ton of onboard effects(which are useless to me, but they're nice to have)
 
Here's a thought... how about, instead of buying many cheap items, you buy one decent item, and work on the others over time.

So if she's the singer... get her a really good professional quality mic and worry about the other stuff later.

If these were bits of jewellery we were talking about, would you buy 3 small cheaper pieces, or one more expensive piece? Don't take my word for it. Ask any girl what the answer is.

Unless of course, your motives are not to buy her a present but to buy your band some gear, which will backfire on you, I suspect.
 
Armistice said:
Here's a thought... how about, instead of buying many cheap items, you buy one decent item, and work on the others over time.

So if she's the singer... get her a really good professional quality mic and worry about the other stuff later.

If these were bits of jewellery we were talking about, would you buy 3 small cheaper pieces, or one more expensive piece? Don't take my word for it. Ask any girl what the answer is.

Unless of course, your motives are not to buy her a present but to buy your band some gear, which will backfire on you, I suspect.
Click to expand...

Problem is, she cant use the mic/gem without a pa/ring to connect/mount to ........

Get the PA, save for the jewelry. :D
 
jimmys69 said:
No doubt! Ever try talking over a noodling guitar player or a drummer who wont stop pounding, without a mic in front of you? Not happenin man. :/
Click to expand...

I lol'd@ this. I'd rep you again if I could
 
I actually am getting this band off the ground but we're really making this serious and I want at least super quality in vocals so they can be very loud and be heard over our instruments when we practice... I find it hard to believe that for 300 or so dollars, I get ALL these things in the package and yet they still are good quality?? Any pack that would cost as much but without the extra mics and that would put a little more quality in the speakers themselves?

And to answer Armistice, if I buy a better quality mic, what is she going to use to sing in it meanwhile? :P
 
True. But gotta start somewhere. I agree though. I would rather get better gear too. But to get things moving, get something like that for now. Hard to rehearse with no PA. Get a year out of it and sell it for $200. Purchase better when you can afford it. I would much rather play a $8000 DW kit. But for now a $1000 PDP works just fine. :D
 
Well are there other similar deals like the one you showed me that don't include extra mics ?? Or that could be better quality for less $$... ?
 
Mics come with most of the packages for obvious reasons. You will have to contact the seller and see if it is all packaged together for shipping, or if they can credit you back for stuff you don't want. But like we joked about previously, you probably want those other mics too man.
 
I guess but they're probably not quality mics if they give out 3 or 4 of them... I'll be getting some better mics and my other band members will get their own too... But yeah maybe,,, I just want to pay approx. 300-400 but get my money's worth in the speaker sound because I've got the mic already, know what I mean?
 
I hear ya man. I would recommend shopping the used market, but with you not having a bunch of knowledge about gear, that could backfire on you. At least new you have warranty and a good start at getting to what is important; creating music.
 
Sebaslegrand said:
The main vocals will be the female voices, and so my girlfriend's birthday is coming up and I'm going to buy her the STEDMAN N90 professional microphone. It has a large diaphragm, whatever that is. Here are the technical details :
Click to expand...

The PA stuff Jimmy recommended all looks like a good starter package - I recently got a nice little 80watt Kustom PA in CL for $250 just for rehearsals. I would say make sure you get at least a 12" woofer in your PA speakers.

As far as the mic:

I am not positive - BUT - that looks like a mic might give you problems as a PA vocal mic - Although it is uni-directional so it may be just fine. It seems more like a studio (recording) mic to me - I have a MXL 2010 and i can't use it live - it's a condenser and it just gets bleed from everything in the room - I have to use little AKG mics (similar to Shure SM58's) for my PA or I get too much bleed from the room (and hella feedback).

That seems like a really nice mic, I am not a mic expert - I am not even a mic novice, pretty much a complete noob so maybe someone who knows what they are talking about can chime in here... Just something to consider, you might want a different mic for live performance versus recording isolated vocals.
 
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