cheep mics

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Pirateking

New member
Hi
Are these cheap-ass mics worth the trouble?
1. Two used Realistic PZM mics for sale at local guitar store for $125
2. Used Sony Electet condenser mic for $60 (in case, looks like great physical condition, etc., etc)
These would both be for home bedroom recording, nothing serious, nothing fancy.
 
Believe it or don't, the old Rat Shack PZMs wern't half bad and could be modified to make them a little better. That being said, $125 for a pair of them is more than they cost new (they don't make them anymore by the way. The new PZMs aren't even PZMs and they blow a dead goat). At $50 a pair, they might be worth it but not $125. For that much money you can do better on a new pair of ECM-8000's which are omni just like the Rat Shackers and have money left over for beer. Just my humble opinion.
 
I don't know about the mics you mentioned, but...

These are the three best mic deals I know of:

1) Behringer ECM 8000 SD omni, $35-$40

2) Marshall MXL 603s SD cardioid, $79

3) Marshal V67 LD cardioid, $129

These are all tried and true winners at fantastic prices.
 
tdukex gave my cheap list ouside of the shure sm57 and the AT ATM25pro......

but what is most needed to know is what applications you will be needing these dudes for (drums,vocals,guitar amps)?
 
I just got the MXL 603 yesterday, and I can highly recommend that thing. Man, what a deal! Anyway, you can get it from www.musiciansadvocate.com for $69 shipped!

In any case, don't buy that sony for $60 when you can have the nicest small diapragm I've ever heard for $70. (Mind you I'm not a pro, far from it.)
 
Thanks for the recommendations.
I'm interested in where you guys are getting these prices, because I want to buy some of these mics. Where are you guys buying (especially tdukex)? Any other online sites you can recommend for good mic prices?
Thanks again.
 
Gidge: Are you speaking of the AT Pro25 drum mic or the ATM 25 SD?

Pirateking: I bought my ECM 8000 ($36) and MXL 603s ($80) from 8th street. I've been eyeing the Mars $129 deal on the V67. You can also get the shockmount for $30.
 
I have an old Crown PZM and the ECM's are much more usable. PZM's are more for industrial use when you need to mic a room and dont want to worry about phase problems. They are good for spoken meetings and when you want a lot of room noise. But for that same application the ECM's are better IMHO.
 
Argh. I was looking at all the mics and getting excited, then I noticed that almost all that were recommended are phantom power mics. I'm kind of scared of phantom power mics because I've never really dealt with them, and I like to keep things as simple as possible. Plus, that adds another $50 to the price for the phantom power supply thingy. I know, I'm silly, lazy, and cheap. I realize this opens another can of worms, but I really know nothing about phantom power. If I buy one of those phantom power supply things, can it power multiple mics at the same time, or do I need one supply thing per mic? Also, just reassure me that phantom power mics aren't complicated and scary.
Oh yeah, I would mainly be recording vocals and guitar, though I would like to be able to record drums on occasion.
 
Pirateking said:
I'm kind of scared of phantom power mics because I've never really dealt with them, and I like to keep things as simple as possible. Plus, that adds another $50 to the price for the phantom power supply thingy. I know, I'm silly, lazy, and cheap. I realize this opens another can of worms, but I really know nothing about phantom power. If I buy one of those phantom power supply things, can it power multiple mics at the same time, or do I need one supply thing per mic? Also, just reassure me that phantom power mics aren't complicated and scary.
Click to expand...

Phantom power isn't scary, it's sexy! You'll need a preamp no matter what mic you buy, and most have phantom power.

So, go ahead, get on out there. Pick yourself up one of these:

http://www.8thstreet.com/Product.asp?ProductCode=3417&Category=Mixers

...or one of these:

http://www.midiman.net/products/m-audio/audibudy.php

Gidge, thanks for the link.
 
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