Good all-around mics (SM57?)

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El Barto

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Hello. I just bought my Tascam 424 MKIII and I'm really enjoying it...I'm hoping to use it to make small "albums" with my band in the future. I hear the SM-57 is the best mic to get, I was planning on getting 4 of those to do everything, and I was wondering if they are really good for recording drums? I don't really want to have to spend extra money for extra mics exclusively for drums...if anyone knows any mics that'll sound great for both drums and guitar, and possibly even vocals, let me know. Is the SM-57 really good for vocals? Or should I get a seperate mic exclusively for vocals? Would that mic for vocals also work well with guitar? Confusing huh! Lemme know what you think :) Oh, and any opinions on the 424 would also be appreciated.
 
Alright, thanks for the advice...What would be a really good condenser mic that's not extremely expensive? I don't wanna be spending a hell of a lot for mics, especially when I'll need more than one. The SM57's are going for $90, so $125 is about my limit I'd say...unless it's not too much more. Lemme know...thanks.
 
OK where to start,
First by no means is the sm57 the best mic, depending on what quality, what price and what you want most from the mic determins what is best for you. Sm57's are good on snare's and toms, it's also good on guitar and live vocals, but if you want a mic that will be great for drums, guitar and "studio" vocals you should look at buying a condensor mic.
Then you can use the condensor as an overhead for the drums and you can get by with only one more mic for the kick. A condensor is also great for vocals and almost any other instrument.

Hope i could help, bye.
 
Originally posted by El Barto:
Hello. I just bought my Tascam 424 MKIII and I'm really enjoying it...etc.

Barto, 57's will do everything you want reasonably well except bass drum and overhead{s). Best cheap bass drum mic is Audio Technica ATM-25 (about $150).

For overhead (and better vocal than sm-57) the only condensers I've heard worth a damn for under $125 are the audio technica "blue" series, I have seen them on sale for as low as $79 each!


[This message has been edited by Van heinous (edited 02-15-2000).]
Click to expand...
 
$79, now that's what I wanna hear. Is it good quality too? Or will it sound half assed when mixed with the other mics? And could that bass drum mic be used for other stuff besdies bass and still sound really good doing so? I really don't wanna spend a lot on a mic if it only works well for one thing. Thanks for your input.

Oh, and I had a question about mic cables. Are there ones that are better than others? Or would a regular promo cable from Guitar Center do?

[This message has been edited by El Barto (edited 02-15-2000).]
 
He's talking about the MB4000 from Audio-Technica, don't confuse it with the dynamic MB's.

I checked the specs on AT's website, the MB4000 has a nearly flat frequency response up to 20KHz, but has a poor low-end, it looks like a "normal" condenser with the bass roll-off activated. It would be good for drum overheads, that's exactly what you need. (well, considering a sub 200$ budget)

The ATM25 or ATM25HE ("high-energy") can also be use to mike a bass cabinet. They have a very good low-frequency response but lack the high end (kinda like the opposite of the MB4000!). Probably the cheapest mic suitable for micing a bass drum. If you have more money (say 100$ more), a AKG D112 would be killer.
 
Hmmm...well...would I be wrong if I bought all SM57s for everything? I mean, could I go wrong? Will it really sound a lot different from the other mics? Would the SM57s provide good quality, say, enough for an album that's to be distributed/sold? Also, I saw this Audio Tecnica drum mic kit for $199 in Musician's Friends, it comes with "four cardoid dynamic drum mics (two snare/tom and two kick/tom)" with a carrying case. There's also a mic package with a D112 Kick Drum mic and 2 C418 drum condensor mics. What do you think? And is there a mic other than an SM57 that would make a better vocal mic, but is relatively the same price? Like the SM58? Thanks for your response in advance.
 
(i love these icons)
Ok El Barto,
The Cheapest/best solution "I" can think of, to your problem would be get:

1*sm58 (live vocals/take pop filter off and mic snare/guitar)
1*condensor (possibly c1000s/c3000/nt1/NT2 use as overhead on drum kit (don't worry about toms) and for studio vocals)
1*d112 (bass/kick drum)

This set up can sound pro, but you save money by not worrying about micing toms or a seccond overhead (which arn't really needed).
There is also a cheaper way but i'm not shure how well it could work. I once heard that you could get a good sound from drums by using one condensor mic and puting it in the perfict possition (you will need to experiment), that mic you can the use for vocals and guitar. so all you need is a reasonably good condensor.

omnipotent

PS. If your drummer isn't loud you may be able to get away with only micing the kick and one over head mic (many sound engineers do this in live conserts).

[This message has been edited by omnipotent (edited 02-16-2000).]
 
I have a Tascam 414, and I'm pretty happy with it, given its limitations... but looking back I wish I'd sprung for the 424.

I suspect from my experience and that of numerous folks whose posts I've read here that you may encounter a similar situation if you go out and get 4 SM 57 mics. Many indicate that they find the SM 57 good for multiple stage uses, and extemely common for micing guitar amp speakers for recording. A lot of people have 'em and use 'em, but you will find yourself needing more options.

I got an SM 57 at the time I got my 414, and have obtained only moderate results for recording my weak vocals and acoustic guitar. Check out other posts in this section, and go back and look at ones from early December onward and in the archives. There are lots of posts and replies similar to this one, with a lot of opinions and information.

As previously suggested by others, I'd recommend adding different mics (there are a number of condensors like the AKG C100S in the $150 - $200 range)with different qualities and characteristics that will allow you to modify and add different flavors to your recordings. It took me months to add an "inexpensive" condesor mic (AKG C100s @ $179 with headphones) to my set-up, but I wish I had done so right off the bat. I'm not saying you should get one of those specifically, but suggesting that you search this site for more ideas before you buy 4 of the same mic.
 
Hmmm, I think I may take your advice on getting those 3 mics...Now, I have a few questions about playing live to the 4 track. I figure me and my friend will do the drums, guitar, and vocals live to it, and then I'll go back and add in bass. The room we practice in is...hmmm, let's say 6'x12', and it's carpeted. That's just a guess on the size. Would the quality of the recording be reduced greatly? I figure if we mic everything like you said, it'd still be alright sound, except every mic would pick up everything, wouldn't it? Faintly? So I would use an SM57 on the guitar amp, the D112 on the kick drum, the condenser (looking at a C1000) overhead, and an SM58 on vocals. How does that sound? Will it sound low quality though?
 
OK,
With that set up i would also record the vocals later, then you can concerntrate on the vocals, and use the condensor for it (it makes a big diferance). Also if you point the amp away from the drums and mic it and the kick close, as well as keeping your levels down; there shouldn't be too much spill. Also for mics you should definatly look at a rode nt1/nt2 as well, listen to every thing in your price range then decide, you want your mics to last forever.
Also don't expect a great sound strait away, you will need to play with the overhead to get the best sound, regardless of which mic you get.
omnipotent

[This message has been edited by omnipotent (edited 02-16-2000).]
 
I'm thinking I know what I'm gonna get...I think I'll go with the SM58, SM57, D112, and a condenser...which is better, the C1000 or C3000? Or could someone suggest a condenser that's just as good as those for $200? It will be used for studio vocals (although I'm probably mainly going to be doing live guitar, drums, and vocals, then laying down the bass later...and for the live vocals I'll be using the SM58) and for drum overhead.

Would the condenser work better for micing the amp than the SM57? Cause I don't wanna get an SM57 if I won't need it...although it could help.

[This message has been edited by El Barto (edited 02-21-2000).]
 
You should be able to get a C1000s for around $200. Recording Engineer really likes the Oktava MC-319 (only at the Sound Room) if you can pony up another $75.
 
Now that's a hard choice. The think is that I really like the MC319 over a lot of other lower-end mics for vocals, but it's about half n' half on acoustic guitar, and not really ever for drum overheards.

Maybe sice it's going to be an all around mic, you should go for the Oktava MC012 (from The Sound Room only www.oktava.com , of course) for the same price as the MC319. It will be ETREMELY versetial do to all the 3 polar patterens it comes with.

Just do the vocals in omni. What's even better is when you have enough money to buy a large diaphragm mic, just purchase the M1 for $350US and Vwha La! You now have one of the best large diaphragm mics out there on a reasonable budget! But don't let the price make you think it can't hold its own and sometimes even beat mics 2, 3, or even 4x its price range.
 
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