Best all round Mic

[jkokura]

I have a pair of ECM8000's for sale if you're interested...check out the Forsale forum

Jacob

 

[Kasey]

You could always try whatever mic came with your computer. Or you could go to the Salvation Army or a garage sale and try and find an old, beat up boom-box. Some of those have microphones built right in. Heck, you could even rewire an old speaker from a Television set or something and use that as a mic. In your price braket, the options are almost limitless.

many a gangsta rappers began this way.


actually i dont know if any did. but i know some people have. they end up on VH1 documentaries.

 

[Han]

Going against the grain, I could probably do a whole album with a $35 Behringer Omni ECM8000 as the only mic. No, not because I'm a great engineer, just because it's a fairly neutral mic that I can control, and it's pretty smooth.

Harvey, now that you mention the ECM, I was recording a rockband and I was using an ORTF pair of C451/CK1 for OH.

Suddenly one of the 451's was starting to make bad noise and I swapped it for an ECM, so I had an ORTF pair of one C451 and one ECM.

Funny thing is that nobody will hear any difference within the final mix I guess.

 

[Harvey Gerst]

The sad part is that so many people equate quality strictly with price. While price may be a very good indicator, it's not always the only thing. Sometimes a low priced microphone can do the job very nicely. Neumann is what Neumann is, and the Behringer ECM8000 is what it is. Sometimes the Neumann is the only thing that works; sometimes it isn't.

I don't pay attention to brand names; I try to just listen to things and judge them on their usefulness.

 

[giraffe]

this kid's not gonna get one,
but i've firmly established the re-20 as my personal desert island mic.

what wont the thing do?

(i mean besides fit in a small place)

 

[shaunp]

I get the feeling you'd have really good luck searching Ebay for "microphones" and focusing on finding one low cost mic. You'd be surprised what I've gotten away with having just one microphone for a while. You just have to do 'a lot' of recording and be happy with having only one mic on each instruments (including drums). This turns out to be really good practice for learning the best places to put a microphone and pays off very well in the long term. Since you're really price conscious you'll have spend a ton of time instead looking for deals. Buy used! Check local pawn shops and music stores for whatever used mics they have. Talk to them. Cool shops will really try and help you out if you're new. You might just get one for free .

Here are my mic recommendations while looking around:
1) You're going to have the most fun with XLR mics. Time to step up from the cheaper computer mics, I say! Also, focusing on XLR will help you out while searching online. If you're new to mics this advice will help out a lot.
2) My first mic was a dynamic mic. I've never had any problems with this And I still use it. Pay attention to dynamic mics while searching online. My perception is that they tend to be priced lower than other mic types, like condensers.
3) Without a doubt keep in mind that you'll still need enough money for an XLR cable. Again, buy used.
4) Let us know what you're planning to plug this mic into. Search the forums here to see what other people say about your existing equipment. It'll make things easier down the road.

Best of luck,
Shaun

P.S. I usually double-check my replies before sending but I've gotta help a friend out with a blown tire right now. Egads! Hope the rest of the forum can clear up any goofs in this post while I'm gone. Cheers.

 

[Eboe]

Some great advice thanks guys! Ive posted a few "i want this" posts on ebay and have already had 3 replies! found sum good alternatives the the more expensive high end mic's. Wether these mics are as good remains to be seen but hey.

There are a few 2nd hand music shops about where i live so im guna go have a root around in there too.

Im planning on buy a Alesis Multimix Firewire mixer! This enables channel discretion in cubase so i can use more than 1 mic at a time. Hence wantin to buy a few and not really wanting to just use 1 over and over.

But thanks again! il ber all this info in mind as i hunt out my bargin mic.

E

 

[shaunp]

Cool beans! It's always fun putting the starting pieces together for a home studio. A thought came to my mind that switching from Firewire to USB and/or getting the mixer with the fewest (say 4) input channels would probably save you over a hundred bucks. Buying used would definitely save you even more. This'd free up more of your $$$ for mic stands, cables, and can even get you that extra low cost mic so you can start using your multiple mixer inputs with Cubase from the jump. Or you could get that SM57 everybody's been talking about - you know you want it

 

[tourettes5139]

Hmmmmm, best all round mic. I would have to say the Blue Ball. Oh, come on, you had to see that one coming!!

No seriously, I would go with a Shure SM57, or one of the clones, if you are really that hard pressed for cash. There have been lots of good suggestions here, I think it is now time to check all of those out and make a decision.

 

[Eboe]

there is a cheaper USB alternative if im remeber rightly that is more widely availible however if does not seperate the channels into seperate tracks within Cubase, so if i used 3-4 mics for my drum kit it wud get all mashed together and put into 1 channel

I cant seem to find a 2nd hand Firewire version tho ( double )

o well! I will keep an eye out and if i cant find one il hav to buy new then scavinge 4 a few mics!

 

[Fenderville]

Sure SM57 or if you are wanting a condencer then I would say MAudio Nova.. Cheap...