Anyone used the 'Studio Projects B1' microphone

J

james_macka

New member
I'm thinking of getting a basic condenser microphone for Xmas for recording vocals in my budget studio!

I only have around $150/£100 to spend...

I've been told that I shouldn't over-ride the basic option of the good old shure sm57/58's though!

What are your thaughts on this? Any good experiances with budget microphones for vocals?!

Thanks (And sorry, I know you guys will have a million&one threads about this a week :-( )

-James
http://www.daturamusic.co.uk
 
james_macka said:
I'm thinking of getting a basic condenser microphone for Xmas for recording vocals in my budget studio!

I only have around $150/£100 to spend...

I've been told that I shouldn't over-ride the basic option of the good old shure sm57/58's though!
Click to expand...

I find the SP B1 to be good value for the money. So are the SM57/58s. Another low cost condenser that seems to be highly regarded here is the MXL V67G.

What do you have already, and what do you want to use it for (only your own vocal)? Do you have decent preamp?

You should, in all cases, try them out before buying.


-- Per.
 
hey there

the SE budget range is worth looking at - same too with the Samson CO1. i've done sessions with both and they're both quite usable.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, i'll look into your suggestions!

baekgaard

-I havn't got a microphone at all yet.. This will be my first!

-Yes, I only want it for vocals.. I don't need to mic anything else!

-Yes I have a pre-amp.. It's only an M-audio Audiobuddy, but it's an OK standard!
 
james_macka said:
Hmm, this looks pretty good too... What d'ya reckon?!

http://www.dv247.com/invt/9350

Price crash :)
Click to expand...

Do a search here. The MK-319 usually get some good press as well.

But if it is your first mic, find a place where you can test out e.g. the SP B1, the MXL V67G, the MK-319 and a Shure SM57.

They all sound very different. Especially between the SM57 and e.g. the B1.

It may be that the SM57 gives you more the sound you like... or it may be one of the others!


-- Per.
 
james_macka said:
Hmm, this looks pretty good too... What d'ya reckon?!

http://www.dv247.com/invt/9350

Price crash :)
Click to expand...
Hi James,

I have the B1, V67G and a couple of octava mk012s if I was to get just one mic it would probably be the B1. The B1 and 319 are very different beasts. You might find the 319 a bit dark for some apllications the B1 too bright on others.

Paddy
 
i have the b1 as well , very good mic for the price. works decent on vocals and acoustic guitar.

im pretty sure it requires phantom power, so make sure whatever your plugging into can supply it.
 
don't get me wrong.....i love my B1. but by no means is it my first choice for a vocal mic. it works well on some voices, but on most voices, i find that it does NOT work well (or at least not as well as others i've got). therefore, it is not my first choice for a go-to vocal mic.

i LOVE my B1 on guitar amps, mandolin, snare drum, drum overheads and acoustic guitar.......but vocals, it's REAL hit or miss.

audition one before you buy it, if at all possible, to make sure it works on your voice. otherwise you'll be less than thrilled.

if you can't audition one, and vocals are ALL you'll be recording, you *might* be better off with a V67. i've found that one to be a little more "widely usable" (generically usable?) on most voices.....but conversely, it's not as great on amps, acoustics, mandolins, etc., in my experience.

they're different mics with different strengths--not really comparable.


if you can audition some mics, do that. buying sight-unseen is always a little dicey. and of course, YMMV.


cheers,
wade
 
Auditioning mics is the best kind of advice I can think of.

I like the B1 because it is a good all purpose mic that meets my needs well - particularly for the money. "Best?" No - the thing is under a hundred bucks. It's "best" at doing yeoman duty, at which it excels. It's a neutral mic. Problems with a voice are well preserved.

I haven't had experience with a "great" vocal mic yet, although I've really liked results from the C3, the 4040 and a 4050.
 
Thanks for all the help guys.. I'm starting to get the idea now!

Really I need to try before I buy, as these things can react totally differantly to differant voices/situations!

Well, if it's any help, the music is pretty heavy metal so you can geuss what the "singing" will be like :P.. Well.. More like screaming!

Cheers :D
-James
 
James, unless you are already doing so, it would be wise to bring your song material to a good vocal coach to find effective ways of protecting the voice.

Screaming WILL damage it over time.

Best of luck on mic selection. :)

Chris
 
Hey,

I've dealt with the Studio Projects B1, the Behringer B1, the Oktava Mk319, and the Audio Technica at3035,

and I feel that for vocals, the Behringer B1 blows them out of the water. And comes with a lot more stuff. It's really a nice mic.

That's my two cents,
Brian
 
Haha yeh, behringer stuff gets quite a battering over at the harmony central boards usually too...!

Thanks for the more feeback fellas, muchos appreciated :)

p.s. chessparov - It isn't me screaming/singing, it's a friend! I'm not sure how he manages his voice etc.. I will mention what you said to him though. I don't want him f*****g up his voice over time! He is in a pretty full-time gigging heavy band too which is worrying!
 
JohnnyMan said:
It's pretty rare to hear someone here (HR.com) say something positive about Behringer gear.
Click to expand...

Oh is it? Let me add my two cents, the Behringer headphone amp (which I had gotten for free) blew at least five or six expensive headphones lately.

Must have been DC or something from that piece of crap, cause the headphones that were connected to the speaker out of the 2x100wtt Pioneer amp work just fine.

So the Behringer headphone amp has moved the litterbox.
 
For my first condenser mic, I had no way of hearing it first.

I wanted the SP B1 for its great reviews and "general purpose" characteristics.

Then I came across an adk mic package that included an A-51 V, SC-1, 2 mic cables, shockmount etc...for 149USD.

The A-51 alone is $149USD.

ADK has great reviews but has a confusing marketing strategy (naming all their mic the same). For this reason I saw it as a deal I could not pass up and took the plunge.

While I have no other condensers to compare these with, I can say the step up from a Shure 58 dynamic was a breath of fresh air.

I was and am very happy with the purchase.

Rock On :cool:
 
Henri Devill said:
Han..Hope you smashed it to bits before you tossed it...
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Har!

Most of us here will never be able to justify spending $3K on a pro mic, so the suggestion of auditioning your first condenser is a good one. If it happens to cost $250 new, is one that makes your vox sound good worth it to you?
 
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