Damn I'm so confused, can sombody please help me?

[euphoriasonic]

So... several have mentioned the Shure SM-57 and Shure SM-58.

First off, they are practically *identical* microphones. Take the metal screen/pop filter off of the SM-58 microphone, and you essentially have an SM-57.

The SM-58 is a little better for vocals, because of the steel/metal/pop/screen that is on it. And, you take off that metal screen ball on the top of the mic... presto! you've got a SM-57 to mic drums, electric guitar cabinets, or geez.... anything! SM-57 microphones are the INDUSTRY-STANDARD Dynamic microphone, for this reason. You can put the SM-57 microphone up to almost anything, and will sound at LEAST DECENT... but even better, it will often just sound GOOD.

And GOOD is even more than you need.

I HIGHLY SUGGEST you get yourself a cheap USB audio interface, that accepts one or two XLR Microphone inputs. Probably around $75-$100 range. Then find yourself a good-condition used SM-58 microphone for around $60-$70 bux.

You can't go wrong with that mic... EVER. Want it to sound better? couple options, you can add to your setup later:

1. a Tube Mic PreAmp (cheap = less than $100 / expensive = $1,000 and up!)
2. an outboard compressor (a piece of rack gear - starting at $200 and go waaay up!)

3. and the cheapest option of all... get Pro Tools LE. and some good plugins. Pro Tools LE 7.0 and up comes with DigiRack plugins, which are great to start out with.


Conclusion, in a Nutshell:

1. Get a Shure SM-58 for around $60-70 bux, used (or new, for $80!)
2. Get a USB Audio Interface for around $100
3. Get Pro Tools LE or Pro Tools M-Powered software for your computer!
4. Take Basic Audio Recording and/or Pro Tools classes at your local City College


Redline

 

[Weasel9992]

That is some good advice. You'll be well off to take it.

Frank

 

[Jreyes2265]

That is great advice. Thank you very much!


Ok, now here's 1 more mic, I wanted to purchase, it is not a usb one. Here's the link:


http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--STUB1


Check it out and let me know what you think. I've been told this is a really good mic, for it's price and is great quality.

 

[dgatwood]

The SP B1 is a little harsh, but it's a usable mic. There are a number of other mics in a similar price range that are better choices, though, IMHO. For example, I'd pick any of the CAD LDCs (M177, M179) over the B1 for most sources. I'd also suggest considering an Apex 205.

Word of caution: with the CAD mics or the Studio Projects B1, they're condensers, so you have to have phantom power. That means that you'll have to use an external interface (or an external preamp) to drive any of them, i.e. you can't just adapt any of them to your internal sound card.

I'd also disagree that you can't go wrong with an SM57/58. For most sources, they are passable, but I've never heard anything recorded with one that I would call "good". They're stage mics designed for live use, not recording, and as a result, they compromise sound significantly.

If you want to go with a Shure dynamic mic that actually sounds reasonably good for recording, try to hunt down a used 565SD. They have more detailed high end response than the SM57/58, are generally cheaper to buy used, and just generally sound better. If you hurry, there's a pair of 'em on eBay going for under $30:

http://cgi.ebay.com/SHURE-565SD-MIC...9|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

That said, I'd probably steer you towards either one of the CAD mics I mentioned earlier or the Apex ribbon. If you're only going to have one mic, IMHO, they'd be better choices.

 

[Outlaws]

I'd also disagree that you can't go wrong with an SM57/58. For most sources, they are passable, but I've never heard anything recorded with one that I would call "good".

They are GREAT when you consider they are under $100. Not everyone can afford everything and be picky.

As for never having heard anything that was recorded with one you would consider good, how do you know what was or was not recorded with one out of the millions of songs laid to tape over the years. ...especially when you consider home recording. I have heard tracks that were supposedly recorded with them and they sounded good to me. I have used them and been perfectly happy with the results.

 

[dgatwood]

They are GREAT when you consider they are under $100. Not everyone can afford everything and be picky.

Of the three mics I listed, two of them were also at or under $100. All three, IMHO, should sound a lot better than the SM58 on most sources and require a lot less EQ to sound acceptable. The SM58 was a great choice for home recording ten years ago, before China started cranking out reasonably decent LDC capsules and ribbon motors at dirt cheap prices, but these days, it is looking a little long in the tooth.

If I were suggesting mics with the goal of being picky, I'd have pointed to the CAD M9. That's one really sweet mic for vocals, IMHO. Or a CAD Trion 8000 or a Lundahl-upgraded long ribbon of your choice. Or anything by Neumann, Gefell, Schoeps, perhaps a Blue Cactus, etc. Those last ones are out of my price range, too.

There are several good mics at or around a hundred bucks that are really fairly good. I listed three. Some people also would list some of the MXL mics (e.g. the V67G) in the same category, though I personally think the CAD capsules are a little nicer. YMMV.

As for never having heard anything that was recorded with one you would consider good, how do you know what was or was not recorded with one out of the millions of songs laid to tape over the years.

I've heard many vocal tracks laid down with SM58 done both in homes and acoustically treated studios. Judging by how distinct their sound is, if I've heard an SM58 recording and didn't immediately recognize the SM58 sound, odds are that someone took a great deal of time to EQ the living crap out of the track. (Either that or the source was really, really freaking bright... as in painfully bright....)

The fact that you can EQ it into submission really isn't saying a lot. As long as the singer doesn't move off axis too much, with enough EQ, I could make a Nady SP-1 sound good. That doesn't mean I would recommend it as a vocal recording mic.

If you're choosing a mic for vocals, given a choice between two mics at about the same price---one mic with fairly flat response and a reasonable presence peak for recording, one mic with a response tailored to reduce feedback during live use---it makes more sense to choose the mic that is designed for vocal recording rather than adding lots of EQ to try to recover the missing frequencies that the mic intentionally cuts.

That's not to say you can't make an SM58 sound decent. A good engineer could make a tin can sound decent. My point is that you shouldn't have to force a mic to sound decent if you just choose the right mic to begin with....