good music from crappy a mic?

[Robertt8]

Hypothetically speaking, is it possible to record a song that sounds professional (in the end) with...say a Radio Shack mic (something under $100)...and record all instruments using solely that mic?

I'm just wondering if the best of the best could do it, or is it an impossible task? It would make an interesting challenge.

 

[Beezoboy]

Stone Temple Pilots - Core. . . was made using primarily Sm57's if not all. So yes it could be done. I think another contender could be the EV635a.

Beez

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Assuming that's the only limitation, yes, it's possible - just a lot harder to do.

 

[Innovations]

Well the sm58 is not a crappy radio shack mic.

So could a skilled recording artist make an entire album using a single under $100 mic. Yes. Could a skilled recording artist make an entire album using ANY microphone. No.

 

[Harvey Gerst]

By "best of the best", I'm assuming you mean people like George Massenburg, Bruce Swedien, Al Schmitt, Ed Cherney, etc. If that's the case, yes, they could make an great album using almost any mic you hand them, assuming they get to use their other toys. It's harder for them, but they can do it, if pushed.

The downside is that they will probably never talk to you again.

 

[acorec]

Hypothetically speaking, is it possible to record a song that sounds professional (in the end) with...say a Radio Shack mic (something under $100)...and record all instruments using solely that mic?

I'm just wondering if the best of the best could do it, or is it an impossible task? It would make an interesting challenge.

I say that you could make a totally professional recording using everything from radio shack. It is done all the time.

Scenario: You are a PROFESSIONAL manager at a company meeting. You record the meeting on your RS micro recorder. This is, by definition, a professional recording.

Or did you mean something else?
Please be more specific.

 

[Robertt8]

Re: Re: good music from crappy a mic?

I say that you could make a totally professional recording using everything from radio shack. It is done all the time.

Scenario: You are a PROFESSIONAL manager at a company meeting. You record the meeting on your RS micro recorder. This is, by definition, a professional recording.

Or did you mean something else?
Please be more specific.

Your kidding right?...that you didn't know what I'm talking about? I wasn't aware there were a large number of business professionals scouring Homerecording.com to find that perfect mic to use in a meeting. But for your info, and anyone else who might have thought I was referring to a business meeting...I wasn't. I was referring to recording a SONG...you know...some drums, guitar, bass, and some vocal. Not some guy in a suit lecturing about their sagging profits.

 

[acorec]

Re: Re: Re: good music from crappy a mic?

Your kidding right?...that you didn't know what I'm talking about? I wasn't aware there were a large number of business professionals scouring Homerecording.com to find that perfect mic to use in a meeting. But for your info, and anyone else who might have thought I was referring to a business meeting...I wasn't. I was referring to recording a SONG...you know...some drums, guitar, bass, and some vocal. Not some guy in a suit lecturing about their sagging profits.

OK. There is no way you can record a professionaly sounding song with crap mics. The number one rule is "crap in = crap out"
The mic is the start of your sound chain. Every single person on this BBS has started with crap mics. I would rather have a Neumann mic with so-so pre-amp/mixer than a crap mike with the best pre-amp/mixer. A crap mic sounds bad. The best pre/mixer will only pass the crappy sound with super low noise and uncolored/low-colored sound. Now, if you mean mics like SM-57s, these are not crap mics. If you mean Radio-Shack $18 mics, I stand by what I said above.

 

[Robert D]

Sure you could, because you can run it through Anteres Mic Modeller and make it sound exactly like a whole wardrobe of Neumans and Telefunkens. See?
RD

 

[Robertt8]

ROBERT D: Check out my other link in the mic forum about the mic modelers. No one seems to think these modelers sound like the actual mics. It might make it better, but not close enough to fool anyone who knows anything about mics.

ACOREC: If anyone here knows what there talking about on this link it's Harvey Gerst. I'll take his word that this can probably be done by REALLY GOOD engineers.

 

[acorec]

ROBERT D: Check out my other link in the mic forum about the mic modelers. No one seems to think these modelers sound like the actual mics. It might make it better, but not close enough to fool anyone who knows anything about mics.

ACOREC: If anyone here knows what there talking about on this link it's Harvey Gerst. I'll take his word that this can probably be done by REALLY GOOD engineers.

If someone would define a "crappy mic", then Harvey could tell you if its possible. If you mean any mic less than $100.00, then there are many mics that are capable of a pro recording. If you are talking about a "crappy mic" of the year 2003, you are talking about a $20.00 mic. I doubt Harvy could produce pro results with that. No one could.

 

[Pirateking]

This might seem like kind of a bitchy thing to say, as a musician, I would be hesitant to work with anybody who could automatically say that something (recording a professional album with only one cheap mic) is impossible. This kind of attitude, especially from people who probably haven't even tried to do this, doesn't really seem to be conducive to creative techniques.

 

[Neil Ogilvie]

The Beatles and Elvis Presley all used crap mics (by todays standards) to record. Sometimes they even recorded with just the mic set up in the middle of the room as a live recording. Those guys still got good results. Well, I like it anyway...... In a retro way of course.

 

[acorec]

This might seem like kind of a bitchy thing to say, as a musician, I would be hesitant to work with anybody who could automatically say that something (recording a professional album with only one cheap mic) is impossible. This kind of attitude, especially from people who probably haven't even tried to do this, doesn't really seem to be conducive to creative techniques.

Well, I am a musician and have recorded in many studios over the years. I have had crappy mics before and see no way that you can record anything even good, let alone pro. I got rid of those mics long ago. I am talking about some cheap EV, AKG and others from the 70s-80s. Just bad sounding mics period.

 

[Robert D]

ROBERT D: Check out my other link in the mic forum about the mic modelers. No one seems to think these modelers sound like the actual mics. It might make it better, but not close enough to fool anyone who knows anything about mics.

I wasn't actually serious.

 

[sjjohnston]

The Beatles and Elvis Presley all used crap mics (by todays standards) to record....

Yeah, if you've got a many thousands of dollars, you can buy a mic like one of those "crap" mics the Beatles used to record. Their signal chains were top-notch (yes, by today's standards): Neumann U47s, heavily customized pres based on Telefunkens, tremendously well-maintained Studers ....

 

[zer0sig]

if you are a genius at production, you can record on crap.

for the rest of us, i would tend to advise shooting for slightly better than crap, and ramping up the competence level. i know that's my game plan.

 

[mikedaul]

I've been getting some great guitar tones out of my cheap-o superlux 57-type mics. I think a good pre can make a world of difference for a cheap mic.

 

[acorec]

The Beatles and Elvis Presley all used crap mics (by todays standards) to record. Sometimes they even recorded with just the mic set up in the middle of the room as a live recording. Those guys still got good results. Well, I like it anyway...... In a retro way of course.

The Beatles used some mics that are revered as the best mics in the world now. That is by "today's standards" By "yesterday's standards" they were still the best mics in the world.