behringer/shure etc.

[cpc]

i want a simple way to record vocals to my computer with my natural sounding voice. any suggestions?

i was thinking about getting a behringer b1 condenser and a shure sm 57 or 58.

are the behringer mics good? also, are the shure sm57 or 58's better?

NEXT, i was told i need a mixer or a pre amp with phantom power. would a mixer or a pre amp be better? i was thinking of a behring ub802 mixer or 200 tube pre amp. does behringer make good mixers and preamps ? any other suggestions or feedback?

 

[hoursonend]

The pres in the mixers are those you want to avoid...I don't like them on my MXL990. I happen to own the MIC200 tube pre as well, which workes nice, the sound is somewhat coloured, but I like it on my voice, so until I've got money burning in my pocket I won't upgrade to an M-Audio DMP-3 (a really nice pre for the money, so I've heard) or something like that....for me, room treatment is higher on my list at the moment.

I haven't heard very good things about the behringer condensers, not many people seem to like the Behringer B1, try a search on this forum. I think you will be much better off buying a StudioProjects B1, which is also €99 around here. The SM58 is known as a good live mic, but I haven't heard many people use it in studios. The SM57 is more of an instrument mic, like guitar cabs, drums, that sort of stuff. For some it might work on their voice, for some it might suck. But that's the case with many mics.

I think you'll be safe buying a SP B1 for vocals.

take a look at this thread: http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=56463
for views and info on some inexpensive pres.

Stan.

 

[cpc]

thanks , the only thing is that the behringer products i listed got extremely good user reviews at musiciansfriend.com

i think the b1 mics got like a 9.5 out of 10 average and the ub802 mixers got a 8.5 . also i like the b1 for the 20-20 frequency response and i really had my mind set on these products..but thats why im asking here, to see if others disagree at all.

 

[chessrock]

People who post reviews like that at musiciansassclown.com aren't qualified to give you the weather, let alone a competent product review.

 

[noisedude]

If I could only buy one inexpensive mic and one inexpensive preamp, neither of them would be those you've looked at, and in fact neither would have a Behringer label on them at all.

 

[jonnyc]

Ah the great behringer debate surfaces once again. I have some behringer gear because I thought(back in the day) that gear was gear and a pre was a pre. I also got suckered in by the bullshit reviews at musiciansfriend.com. Look at all the products on musicians friend almost all of the are in the 8's or higher, think about it are they really going to let a product they are trying to sell get a bad rep. I recently compared my behringer pres to my presonus eureka, I couldn't believe the difference I honestly didn't think my ears were to the point that I would be able to tell a huge difference. The behringer made the guitars sound horrible, about as close to direct in as I can imagine a pre being while the Eureka was smooth nice quiet. If you have to spend money on the B word then only buy what you need, if there is an alternative in the price range do it. Don't buy the Behringer mics there are too many good alternatives for the price, studio projects and mxl being 2 of them. I may catch some shit for this but after hearing what a semi-good pre sounds like compared to the Behringer I'll never buy Behringer again.

 

[cpc]

1st guy-why arent they qualified to give reviews? they are musicians who've used the product

2nd guy-if they arent the ones youd recomend , then what would you recomend? you're not much help

 

[cpc]

ah, this is confusing haha. everyone at indie hangout says behringer is great, and everyone here says they suck. on a site note, does anyone know about the mxl desktop recording kit?i'd be interested in that but im skepticle about powering my mic with a 9v battery and having it go out on me all the time.

 

[Quantagee]

People who post reviews like that at musiciansassclown.com aren't qualified to give you the weather, let alone a competent product review.

Musiciansfriend does not review the weather. I might be wrong, but I think they review recording equipment and stuff. I would like you to go to Harmony Central because I have many friends there and they know professional equipment and can tell you good prices too. I bought my B1 Behringer mic at a discount from one of their members for $175. You just can't beat that. It was used but only has a few dents and scratches and low output for some reason. They tell me that I need alot of clean gain, so I need a new pre-amp. I have a new job walking dogs so I can afford a good pre-amp. My Behringer pre-amps don't have enough clean gain. I walk the dogs and clean up the poopies and it pays $5 per dog each day. I walk 4 dogs early in the morning so I have the rest of the day to research mic pre-amps.

 

[ch2os7]

here's why

1st guy-why arent they qualified to give reviews? they are musicians who've used the product

2nd guy-if they arent the ones youd recomend , then what would you recomend? you're not much help

I know this is "HOME RECORDING . COM" but the guys that frequent this bbs seem to be more "HOME STUDIO". By that I mean they are serious about what they do. Many of them have quite elaborate studios. (at least more so than "Home Recording" seems to indicate)
They don't like Behringer stuff and they don't like Uli Behringer. Most of them are very discriminating about gear. Let's face it, the cheap price is what attracts people to Behringer gear. They (the bbs members) have learned that cheap gear doesn't usually produce quality sound. (with a few exceptions)
The reviews at MF may not be the best way of deciding what gear to buy because the people who write them give rave reviews to products that don't measure up in the opinions of the Home Recording members. It hurts the credibility of the review. Either they can't tell the gear doesn't sound good or they are biased because they bought it.
I found out the hard way, DON'T TRUST THE REVIEWS AND don't trust the manufacturer's promotional material. There are some guys on here who know what they're talking about.

p.s. trust them, the Studio Projects B1 or the MXL v67 will be the best bet in the under $100 price range. I know these guys can seem harsh to someone earnestly asking for advice. Don't be offended. You learn after a while how to ask for advice without getting drilled.

 

[Alexbt]

I bought my B1 Behringer mic at a discount from one of their members for $175. You just can't beat that. It was used but only has a few dents and scratches and low output for some reason.

If marking the price up by $75 sounds like a discount to you, then you've done well. I really can't take you seriously after the dog walking comments...

zZounds.com sells the Behringer B1 for $99, NEW. The list price is $119, anyways...

If you were being sarcastic, I am sorry, but I would be more sorry for any newbies that thought you should be taken seriously...

 

[jonnyc]

Don't ever buy a used condenser with small dents and crap like that. Those types of mics are delicate and need to be treated so. Enough pressure to dent a mic is enough to possibly ruin it. Musiciansfriend.com's rating system is a joke. Very very few people who buy a product are eager to get on and rip it apart, some fear feeling stupid, others just won't admit they have bad gear. Another problem with Behringer buyers is they've never heard anything different, its the best that most of them can afford so they think it sounds fine. I know because I was there once, I thought my ada8000 and my B1 were awesome when I first got them. I was like man how does it get better. Then I bought a Blue babybottle and realized that the B1 was really kinda crappy but the pre's were still good so it didn't matter. Then I bought a presonus eureka did a comparison between it and the ada8000 on a guitar cabinet and the Eureka slaughtered the behringer, it was so bad I'm going to sell the unit. I've lost all faith in good ole Uli, if you don't care about putting out cd quality stuff, if all you want is to get your stuff down then go with behringer. If you're planning on releasing this stuff or making money off of recording then save your money and get decent stuff.

I just wanna add that I was writing this the same time the person above was so sorry it looks like I was trying to steal your thunder. Also take everything Quantegee says with a massive block of salt, he's the kid that says his mailman has to meet his mom in his parents bedroom because he plays too loud lol.

 

[cpc]

the thing is im NOT trying to make a studio here yet. i just want a cheap simple way to record vocals to my computer with my natural sounding voice. are the cheap peavey or yamaha mixers for 30 dollars more worth it? also, does anyone have any opinions on the mxl desktop recording kit?

i just want to get my natural sounding voice to my computer. what cheap mixer can do that for me? and why is a studio projects b1 better? i've never even heard of that brand. would a shure dynamic mic through a better mixer sound better or a cheap condenser through a cheap mixer sound better? sorry for alll th equestions just trying to get some valuable feedback, thanks everyone.

 

[kaotic]

don't buy any behringer products or the marshal mx990

for the $100 and under price range i'd recommend...

Mics: AT2020, Studio Projects B-1, Marshall MXL V67-G
Preamp: Studio Projects VTB-1 Preamp

 

[ROblows]

Preamp: Studio Projects VTB-1 Preamp

...which is about as good as the Behringer pre's, but muddier.

 

[cpc]

haha oh man. damn opinions! everything should just be a clear cut yes no better or worse!

 

[jonnyc]

I think most of the time there is a clear cut favorite, some people are just stubborn or can't hear. Actually, sitting back and reading this I need to add a little, IMO there is a clear cut favorite when it comes to anything vs. behringer. I have behringer pre's and I have a few 100-150 dollar pre's and all of them are better than a behringer pre.

 

[cpc]

thats most likely because the behringer pres are only 50 dollars.

i dont want to spend that much money yet, im just trying to see if the products are good for the price...i dont care if products that cost hundreds of dollars more are better. i dont want a nuemann, i want a cheap condenser. i dont want digital 2000 dollar mixers, i want a basic mixer between 50 and 75 dollars that will get the job done.

 

[snow lizard]

Condenser mics impart room sound. They're very sensitive mics that pick up every single little thing, even from far away. Dynamic mics have less range - you have to be closer to the mic or the sound will drop off more radically. Dynamic mics also have lower output, so you'll have to crank the preamp harder to get to the same level as if you were using a condenser, so the sound that the preamp will impart on its own will be greater. Better preamps make a big difference with dynamic mics and a substantial difference with anything. A properly acoustically treated room will help to make a condenser sound good. It's not as important with a dynamic mic. You're dealing with tradeoffs, and you're the only one that can decide the right answer.

If I were interested in getting a cheap cable tester or spectrum analizer I might look at Behringer gear. Beyond that, there are a lot of folks that think many other companies (ADK, CAD, MXL, Studio Projects, M-Audio, Audio Technica, Shure, etc...) make better quality stuff in a similar price bracket. It's about design, quality control and service. Having said that, I own a pair of ECM8000's, but they're not vocal mics.

Important things to ask yourself are like this:

What are these vocal recordings for?
How many channels do you need?
Do you plan to record anything else with the same stuff?

Beyond that, different voices sound like different instruments, so there will never be a best mic for vocals. Joni Mitchell sounds like a soprano saxophone, but Don Vliet sounds like a juice harp.


sl

 

[cpc]

thanks alot for that feedback, useful.

i'll be honest here even if it sounds newbie and post my reasons for everything.


at first i ordered the mxl desktop recording kit, because it seemed straightforward. but my check got lost in the mail...so i rethought my orders.i then found the b-1 on musiciansfriend.com which had slightly better user reviews than any of the mxls. it also had the full 20-20 frequency response unlike the mxls. this i felt was better because it could pick up ANY sound i needed to make. then i picked out the behringer ub802 mixer because it was the same brand, cheap, had phantom power, seemed like it would get the job done, and once again good user reviews. all of the mxls and akgs ive looked at for under 150 dollars only have the 30-20 frequency response. to me it seems important to have the full 20-20 response so you never have to worry about a sound not getting picked up. the only other one i found with that was the studioprojects b-1 , which seems to be pretty much the same mic although its not on musiciansfriend and i've never heard of this brand of microphones prior to this site.


Important things to ask yourself are like this:

What are these vocal recordings for? recording my voice as natural sounding as possible to my computer over audio tracks of instruments.
How many channels do you need?i only need enough for 1 or 2 microphones,
Do you plan to record anything else with the same stuff? i dont plan on it, but i may with my band if it allows, but thats not tthe purpose of me buying it.