best mic for the buck

  • Thread starter Thread starter amonte
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amonte

amonte

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hey everybody,

I'm looking for a good condenser mic to help improve my recordings. Currently I have a Rode NT1 that I use for vocals and I am looking for another Condenser Mic at or under $100 for acoustic guitar/possible amp micing. I am not sure what's suited better for me, but the two i am looking at right now are the Marshal MXL 603 and the 1006. Does anyone have a recommendation in either direction (or another mic that might fit the bill)?

Thanks.
 
i could be cliche and recommend the shure sm57..... so i will. get one bro. its my favorite thing on this side of the river.
 
thanks for the tip - I know the sm57 is great for micing amps, but I have never been two crazy about it on acoustic guitars.
 
sm57!

i think the combo of the NT1 and the sm57 would work....vocals and guitar.....get the sm57 up close to get the proximity effect kicking in and getting the low end and you can back up the NT1 and hopefully lessen some of the harshness....id also recommend compressing the dogshit out of the sm57 and leave the NT1 natural......
 
hmmm...

sm57 2, Marshall condensers 0...

very interesting...so is this the general opinon? so if a sm57 is a better mic to go to then a condenser for an acoustic guitar, in what circumstances would you reach for the condenser? or is this just for these two particular condensers?
 
no, the sm57 isnt a better mic to go with....but its the best mic under $100....for condensers, the cheapest id try to get away with is $149 for the mxlv67G......
 
I've had good results with the Octava MC012 which is a small diaphragm condenser.The mic cost me $100 with 3 capsules and a -10db attenuator.
 
Yeah, but a sm57 is a great way to start out. Its something that everyone likes, and it has alot of uses. It can be ok on vocals, it'll give you decent accoustic guitar tone, it'll give great snare tone, tom tone, guitar amp tone, etc.
 
virtual.ray said:
I've had good results with the Octava MC012 which is a small diaphragm condenser.The mic cost me $100 with 3 capsules and a -10db attenuator.
Click to expand...

VRAY - who's selling these mics with 3 capsules at $100??
 
The Marshall MXL 603s would be good on acoustic guitar. Cheap & good.
I mean, you can always find a use for a 57 in the studio, but it wouldn't be what I reached for first for that application.
 
I have recorded my Taylor acoustic with all three - SM57, MXL603, and NT1. I think the NT1 is the best for fingerpicking and bright tone, the SM57 is the best for punchy feel without the brightness, and the 603 is the key for a soft rhythm guitar. I use the 603 in songs and parts of songs where the vocals or bass is emphasized, whereas the NT1 works great when the guitar carries the melody. Just my limited experience though...

Brendan Brennan
Philly/NYC
 
Following Harvey's recommendation I picked up a pair of ECM8000 omni condensors ($35@!).They make an excellant choice for acoustic guitar due to the lack of bass proximinty effect. I got a good sound positioned about 8" off the 10th fret.Sorry I don't have any guitar samples with this mic posted.But I did post a little mp3 of my brother on tablas.


Tom
 
Best all-around,multi-purpose mics....the SMack 57 &58 hands down!!
 
that sounds pretty good

those ECM8000's sound pretty good. Does anyone have a sample of these on a acoustic guitar?

Thanks.
 
credit to my little brother David.In addition to the tablas he also plays mridunga and other Indian instruments like harmonium and shanai (sp? a metal-bodied reed instrument).
Tonight I will record some classical and steel string snippets with the ECM8000 and post tomorrow to this thread.

Tom
 
amonte, another possibility would be the Studio Projects B1 for
under $100 (large diaphram condenser). I'm not sure if it's out
yet, maybe Alan Hyatt will enlighten us?......

I suspect it will be superior in sound to the Rode NT1, like the
C1.
 
ok, I seem to be leaning towards either the Marshall 603, or a pair of the ECM8000's (since I can use them as overheads) - but I don't want to get the ECM8000's if they can't peform well on acoustic guitar...

I do have 1 general question about recording with overheads - don't you tend to get to much of the cymbals and not enough of the snare/toms? I read an article in Home Recording magazine about a quick drum sound that utilized to overhead mics and 1 large condenser. Anyone have opinions on how this might sound? I know it will sound very "raw", but really, that's the kind of sound I am looking for.

Thanks.
 
acoustic guitars on ECM8000

Here is a little .mp3 of guitars recorded with ECM8000 omni condensor.First bit is nylon string classical,then steel string dreadnaught.Signal chain was ECM8000 into C-Port into PIII 600 PC into n-Track Studio into Lamebatch.Guitars were close miked near the 10th fret.No compression or other effects,just the dry tracks.



For the money,Harvey's mic recommendation is the best bang for the buck mic value I've seen in a while.YMMV
Tom
 
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