Help Me Choose My Next Mic

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mark7
  • Start date Start date
I didn't notice a Shure SM57 on your list.
I think its against the law to record music and not have at least one SM57 in your locker.
A pair would be better.
 
Because they're ubiquitous. If you record, you gotta have a 57 if you use it or not. :D
 
Track Rat said:
Because they're ubiquitous. If you record, you gotta have a 57 if you use it or not. :D

True. You will not get any pro clients unless you have some SM57s on the list.............

Wait, this is HOME rec BBS not PRO rec BBS.....

We have better taste.

Forget the 57s..........
 
Well. I guess with the mics I have now I've got the drum miking covered (D321 on snare, M99 on Kick, M201s on Rack Toms, ATM25 on Floor Tom, ECM8000 Overheads), the bass cab (MD421) and one guitar cab ( EV 635A). I'd be caught a bit short if I wanted to mike another guitar cab and a vocalist; unless I pulled some of the mics off the kit.

Okay. So: vocals, guitar cab or acoustic instruments and percussion. Where am I weak microphone wise?
 
Mark7 said:
Okay.

I've been slowly building up my microphone collection. So far I've got:


So. What's next? Assume an upper limit of £200 and fire away! :)

It looks like it may be time for you to save up more money and start getting some higher end mics.
 
You've got a nice collection of some good dynamic mics.

Dynamics are good -- the ones on your list are particularly strong, especially for drums.



You might be ready for a condenser or two. Maybe start out with a LDC for vocals . . . perhaps a pair of SDC's for overheads and/or acc. guitar. That kind of thing.
 
I think I can get away with using the Berries and the 201s for overheads and acoustic guitars for a bit. I don't do too well vocally on a dynamic; so I guess my next purchase must be an LDC.

I have a list.

It's long :D
 
You already have at least three excellent vocal microphones in the EV 635a, 421, and the 201's. How good are your pre's?

Chris
 
Let's see. I have eight in my 388 console section plus a couple in my Audio Buddy.
 
So I guess for £200 I could get either a VTB-1 or a DMP3 (any others?). Which would make the biggest difference to my vocals though: one of my current mics through one of those pres; or a sub £200 LDC through the pres I already have?
 
Both the VTB-1 and DMP3 offer good sound on condenser microphones. On dynamics, the VTB-1 is somewhat quieter.
(the VTB-1 "matches" the 421 particulary well BTW)

The nice thing about upgrading the pre is that ALL of your microphones benefit. Either of these pre's is a noticable improvement over the Audio Buddy.

I like the EV 635a on tenor and soprano voices, the 421 is more of an all-rounder IMHO. IF the voice being recorded is "good"
in terms of tone quality and/or character, the 421 captures a performance quite well. It was one of the standard microphones
used by American and British broadcasting programs, including the
BBC for many years.

As you can probably tell, unless there's a need for something like a matched pair of condensers, getting a new pre is a reasonable way to go.

Chris

P.S. The Shure SM57 can outperform Neumann's and Telefunken's.
On some voices they sound terrific!
 
I can get the DMP3 for £175 or two VTB-1s for just over £200, or a VTB-1 and a B1 for about £165, or a VTB-1 and ADK A-51 for £180.

I am your clay. Mold me! :D
 
that is not a great price on the dmp3

people get them for $119 here which is like nothing for someone with some UK purchasing power!

cant you get one off ebay or something?



get the dmp3, then save up for your next mic which will be this:

http://www.wesdooley.com/R84zone.html

you can get them for $800 street, which again, is no problem for you strong currency folks.
 
eeldip said:
that is not a great price on the dmp3

people get them for $119 here which is like nothing for someone with some UK purchasing power!

Yes, but I'm not really in a position to brow beat GC lackeys am I!? :D

And MF don't sell to foreign scum. (Not that they actually say that).
 
I think you have some pretty good dynamics, but you need condensers badly. The ECM8000's are dirt cheap and occasionally useful as specialty mics, but they hiss like a snake. I don't know the current exchange rate, so I don't know what you have to spend in real terms. I think you would profit from a pair of Studio Projects B-1's. They are vastly superior to the Behringers as instrument mics, and make rather good overheads, and for a certain percentage of people, they work quite well as vocal mics. I'm also a fan of B-3. Oh boy, you could have figure 8! AKG C2000B is a pretty good vocal and guitar mic, and excels on toms. It's fairly well priced in Europe as well. I believe that any of those mics will cause you to use the Behringers for tire irons.-Richie
 
Okay. I rang my local AOS and asked them what LDCs they normally stock. Here's a complete list

  • Audio Technica 3035, 4040 and 4033
  • Rode NT1-A and NT1000
  • SE Electronics SE2200

Any opinions on the SE stuff? And yes, I did try doing a search. That damned three letter minimum :mad:
 
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