First Mic: Too Many Mic Choices to Fit in Title. Help!

  • Thread starter Thread starter imXieli
  • Start date Start date

Mic Choice!

  • 57

    Votes: 6 60.0%

  • 58

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • AT2020

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Behringer B3

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • SP B3

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • NT1A

    Votes: 2 20.0%

  • Suggestion

    Votes: 2 20.0%
  • Total voters
    10
I

imXieli

New member
So I'm a young musician in an alt rock band who's trying to collect equipment to record his band's first demo. I already have the interface picked (Scarlett 2i4) and I've been running Reaper and practicing with it for months now, but now comes the part we all love and hate.

Mic picking!

So many options, so many good, so many bad.. and I've seen good AND bad reviews on some of the well known best mics in the world. So I'm coming here seeking help from the Home Recording forum to help me choose a mic.

It needs to do the job for recording Guitars, Vocals, and preferably Bass but that's unlikely with these mics so I'll probably DI it if I need to.

So far I'm interested in:
  • Shure SM57
  • Shure SM58
  • Audio-Technica AT2020
  • Behringer B3
  • Studio Projects B3
  • Rode NT1A

EDIT: I see that some users have voted for the NT1A in the poll. If I may request, if you vote in the poll could you please reply with a reason as to why you think that is a superior choice! Thank you.

NOTE!: I will probably end up getting the SM57 anyway at some point (unless better options for specifically the SM57 are suggested) and blend that with a condenser mic if that ends up being the final decision.

Additional suggestions are open, less than $250-$300 max. Please no "DONT USE ___ IT SUCKS" as I want real reasoning behind why a mic is shit or great. And please keep such reasoning concice as I have a generally horrible attention span :D
 
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Firstly, I doubt that there are any really "bad" microphones. With mics, more than almost anything else in life! HOW you use it and where is by far the biggest factor.

That said, a 57 is a good buy if only to have a "benchmark" that you and others can judge things by.
I have said before that IMHO if you can only get one mic, start with a Small Diaphragm Capacitor and get one with a 20dB pad if at all possible.

Ideal for acoustic instruments especially guitar. For bass it has the smooth LF extensive few dynamics can give you and the mic (with pad) can mimic a dynamic for close work in ***t rooms. Even better, buy a pair and have a crack at co-I stereo. Great fun. (and dummy head is just plain spooky!)

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
Firstly, I doubt that there are any really "bad" microphones. With mics, more than almost anything else in life! HOW you use it and where is by far the biggest factor.

That said, a 57 is a good buy if only to have a "benchmark" that you and others can judge things by.
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I was going to post something similar about the SM57, but of course David covers it well.

How are you recording the drums? Are they electronic?

I would DI all your electric guitars (and bass), unless you have a particular sound in mind that only mic'ing the cabinet can accomplish (which isn't the case since this is all new gear for you(?)). DI makes recording a lot easier and cleaner.
 
Pinky said:
I was going to post something similar about the SM57, but of course David covers it well.

How are you recording the drums? Are they electronic?

I would DI all your electric guitars (and bass), unless you have a particular sound in mind that only mic'ing the cabinet can accomplish (which isn't the case since this is all new gear for you(?)). DI makes recording a lot easier and cleaner.
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Yeah I plan on getting a DI box a bit down the line but for now a mic for the cabs will do for me.

And on the note of drums, a bit farther down the line I plan on getting a multipattern condenser and single mic recording it. Reverb had a really interesting video on youtube featuring Brian Deck about it and I personally found the drum sound he got out of a single mic to be satisfactory for a first demo and first few EPs. Once I and my band step the game up we'll probably be going into real studios to at least track drums well, if not then I'll buy the setup myself but right now I'm way too broke haha.

And thanks for the notes on the 57. I figured that was going to be the intial lead choice but I wasn't sure since many gear snobs complain that the sound sucks.:laughings: And also I've heard some pretty good things about the Studio Projects B3 as a vocal mic and a mic to blend a dynamic microphone with when micing a cab, so if that isn't first choice it may very well be second for me.
 
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If Studio Products mics float your canoe, you might consider a pair of the C4 SDCs?

Dave.
 
Since I started buying mics, things have changed very much. I'm thinking now that the choice depends on what you are going to record much more than in my teens. Music types have widened so much that I'm not sure I'm actually able to be objective on music I do not produce. For example - one of my colleagues works with those metal bands where the singer sort of yells and sounds like he's in a horror movie. If this was my primary genre, then my choice of first mic would be different to somebody who was into acoustic guitar and voice? Perhaps the whole music recording area is now too wide for a standard first buy mic?
 
imXieli said:
Yeah I plan on getting a DI box a bit down the line but for now a mic for the cabs will do for me.

And on the note of drums, a bit farther down the line I plan on getting a multipattern condenser and single mic recording it. Reverb had a really interesting video on youtube featuring Brian Deck about it and I personally found the drum sound he got out of a single mic to be satisfactory for a first demo and first few EPs. Once I and my band step the game up we'll probably be going into real studios to at least track drums well, if not then I'll buy the setup myself but right now I'm way too broke haha.

And thanks for the notes on the 57. I figured that was going to be the intial lead choice but I wasn't sure since many gear snobs complain that the sound sucks.:laughings: And also I've heard some pretty good things about the Studio Projects B3 as a vocal mic and a mic to blend a dynamic microphone with when micing a cab, so if that isn't first choice it may very well be second for me.
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You should be able to run a line-out from the guitar amps into the interface/mixer(?). That's the direct I was referring to.

I've used the SM57 and SM58 to mic drums in the past. They don't go absolutely low enough to capture the full bottom end of the kick drum, so there is that to consider. I believe they start capturing around 50hz and there's a lot of thump below that being lost. But for a demo it can be enough, and get a proper kick mic later.

I wouldn't consider anything less than 3 mics for a drum kit. Two overheads panned left/right, and one either directly in front of the kick or in the kick (I've used pillows to mitigate the kick's pressure for in-drum recording). This gives you at least some control over the kick's presence and shape in the mix, as well as control over your stereo field for the crashes, etc. Ideally, you need many more mics to even start to touch a proper drum mic'ing setup.
 
Pinky said:
You should be able to run a line-out from the guitar amps into the interface/mixer(?). That's the direct I was referring to.

I've used the SM57 and SM58 to mic drums in the past. They don't go absolutely low enough to capture the full bottom end of the kick drum, so there is that to consider. I believe they start capturing around 50hz and there's a lot of thump below that being lost. But for a demo it can be enough, and get a proper kick mic later.

I wouldn't consider anything less than 3 mics from a drum kit. Two overheads panned left/right, and one either directly in front of the kick or in the kick (I've used pillows to mitigate the kick's pressure for in-drum recording). This gives you at least some control over the kick's presence and shape in the mix, as well as control over your stereo field for the crashes, etc. Ideally, you need many more mics to even start to touch a proper drum mic'ing setup.
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Yeah I can do that but unless I get a DI box or an ABY cable (which sucks signal) I don't think I can record them both simultaneously(?) I could be wrong.

I currently have no interest in using a 57 or 58 on drums unless it's as a snare mic. And while I do understand nothing less than 3 mics for a drum kit, I thought it was impossible without sounding horrible as well until I saw that video. Here's the link if you'd like to see for yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPPhmyBIi6k . As of right now my priorities aren't with stereo fields and things of that nature. It's about making the sound of the drums themselves sound as punchy and level enough as possible with as little resources as possible. If one mic can do the job, I'll invest in a good enough mic specifically for that, but if it can do the job well to my ear, then I'm satisfied.
 
rob aylestone said:
Since I started buying mics, things have changed very much. I'm thinking now that the choice depends on what you are going to record much more than in my teens. Music types have widened so much that I'm not sure I'm actually able to be objective on music I do not produce. For example - one of my colleagues works with those metal bands where the singer sort of yells and sounds like he's in a horror movie. If this was my primary genre, then my choice of first mic would be different to somebody who was into acoustic guitar and voice? Perhaps the whole music recording area is now too wide for a standard first buy mic?
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Truth but I'm playing rock/alternative/punk rock/pop punk so all of the above mics would do just fine for the genre I'm playing, and the SM57 is still a common first buy in that genre, I'm just a skeptic and looking if it's still to standard for a first buy or if all bad things I've seen about it are true and there IS a better alternative to it for about the same price
 
ecc83 said:
If Studio Products mics float your canoe, you might consider a pair of the C4 SDCs?

Dave.
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Thanks for the tip! I'll look into them more but for the price it might be a bit much for a first mic for me. Are they good mics for a kit?
 
imXieli said:
Thanks for the tip! I'll look into them more but for the price it might be a bit much for a first mic for me. Are they good mics for a kit?
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No idea mate! YOU seemed keen on the S.P. mic and I suggested SDCs? Seemed like a good combination.

That said I cannot think the mics would be anything other than very acceptable? As you say, not cheap (well, not in this company!) and SDCs have another property that can be useful. they tend to be neutral that is they don't often call attention to themselves with a coloured sound. LDC can be flattering to some voices but death to others. SDCs tend to deliver what they "hear".

Dave.
 
imXieli said:
looking if it's still to standard for a first buy or if all bad things I've seen about it are true and there IS a better alternative to it for about the same price
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Nope. At least not as far as I can tell (granted most if not all of these guys know more and have done more than me so FWIW). IMO the 57 is the easy choice.
 
Just a heads up if you do go with an SM57/58...... buy from a reputable seller. There are counterfeits of both these mics being sold and it's not easy to tell the real from a fake. Probably best to not buy from ebay (unless the seller is a well known retailer such as Sweetwater or similar) and there have been some reports of fakes on Amazon from some sellers.

I do have an SP B1 (cardioid only) and it's been an OK mic for not a lot of much money and did include a shockmount (not a very good one, but it does the job). AT2020 is OK as well, but usually isn't sold with a shockmount, so extra $$$.
 
So far it's looking like first mic pick is gonna be the classic SM57. I still got about a week or two until i'll have the money set aside for it. Does anybody know if the SM57 mic cable and stand bundle is worth the investment? For only $10USD more I'm skeptical of the quality of the mic and XLR cable..
 
imXieli said:
So far it's looking like first mic pick is gonna be the classic SM57. I still got about a week or two until i'll have the money set aside for it. Does anybody know if the SM57 mic cable and stand bundle is worth the investment? For only $10USD more I'm skeptical of the quality of the mic and XLR cable..
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Do you have a link to this 'deal'?
 
arcaxis said:
Do you have a link to this 'deal'?
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Indeed! IF the mic can be determined to be kosher Shure not really a problem. An XLR-XLR cable can be had for very cheap these days (one company GIVE you an XLR to 3.5mm jack free with a ~£20 cap' mic!) and they will work perfectly well electrically. Won't be the most rugged of cables and the XLR will be a bit flimsy but fine for gentle home use. Similarly the stand. You can get them for under £20 here and again, you would not want to chuck it into a Transit twice a night but with sensible use they are fine.

So, it all comes down to it being a genuine Shure.

Dave.
 
Everyone should own an SM 57. That's a given, and how I voted. The AT2020 is a FANTASTIC value, and I'd consider that one next (or the 2035, which has a few more useful features for not much more dinero). I'd give a negative vote for there Beh. B3. That thing's bloody awful.
 
While all mics have their place, the SM57 is your best choice for a first mic. And next, I'd maybe think about a condenser. There's just nothing that works on an acoustic guitar or vocal better than a condenser. An SM57 is great for micing a guitar amp. I'd get more than one, if you can. I have four. They are good for vocal mics in a live situation, too. XLR cables can be varied. The longer they are, the more you need good quality to keep any hum away. 10 feet isn't long, but if you need 20 feet, I'd think about paying a little extra for the good quality, low loss wire. If you can solder connections and have a good electronics supply store in your area, buying the wire in bulk and the XLR connectors and making your own cables can save a LOT of cash. That's what I do. But, if you don't have the skills, don't attempt that. It does require a certain level of finesse.
 
imXieli said:
Links to Guitar Center and Amazon depending on what your cup of tea is for sellers, they're the two main sellers I use so I just jumped to those. Same package, different sites with different reviews.
[url=http://www.guitarcenter.com/Shure/SM57

The guy in the first review seemed to know his onions and Amazon are unlikely IMHO to knowingly rip you off with a fake mic.

The stand seems flimsy but adequate, the cable not rugged but again works fine...Told Ya!

And yes, get into soldering new and repairing old cables. You won't save a huge amount compared to cheap cables but will be able to make better quality ones for about the same money plus, as you progress and learn, "specials" might be needed. NEVER hurts to have some electronics smarts.

Dave.
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