I need your help.

With your given info, I'd say just buy a 57 or 58, the benefits you'll get in using it in other areas will be well worth it. I have both a 990 and a 57 and I would much rather track vocals with the 57 than the 990. I'm not swearing by the 57 as a vocal mic but in that price range you might as well get something worth your money, and the 990 is not it.

Just my .02, hope it helps,
-Barrett
 
I need help choosing a mic. I currently have a digital reference DR-CX1 which I believe is just a rebranded audio technica at2020. I'm hoping to get something thats better. I'm considering getting an MXL 990 but now I'm hesitant since people have been saying it's a low quality mic. I'm also considering the MXL R144. I also know that the r144 will need a higher gain since It's a ribbon mic. Will the preamp in the fast track pro be good enough? Does anyone have any input on that one when it comes to vocals?

Here are some references to help you help me.
-I need a mic for singing
-my voice might be nasally and I don't have the strongest voice yet
-I record in a room with no sound proofing.
-The mic will be hooked up to a M audio fast track pro
-needs to be under $100

Thank you for your time.

-

Hey canibus---nice avatar---The best microphone for under $100. that I own and really like is the MXL V67g. An unbelievable bang for the buck! Get one you won't be sorry.



:cool:
 
Your avatar is nice too ha haa. Thanks for all the advice guys. I just started doing research on the Sterling Audio ST51 and the sounds it gives vocals seem nice unless the singers I've heard naturally sound like that. It seems produce a warm and slightly gritty sound that I like. Does anyone have experience with this mic? Can it take loud noise without becoming muffled. I think that would have to do with the spl right?
 
If the digital reference DR-CX1 really is the same as an At2020 I would expect it to sound as good as or better to you then the MXL V67g or the MXL 990. That is if the DR is the same?

I have an AT2035 which by reviews a very similar sounding mic to the AT2020. I just did a demo with a band and tracked all the lead vocals with the AT2035 to try it out. While I think some of my other more expensive mics sound better soloed, what I did notice was that with the mix the vocals cut through the instruments very well, so for the price excellent.

I also own a MXLV67g and this is also a good mic for the price but it's not better then a AT2020 just different, intact most of the mics mentioned in the thread are fairly similar in quality it's just personal choice. An AT3035 would be a good choice of mic, gets good reviews, it's a step up from the AT2020 and the price is right.

Cheers
Alan.
 
Thanks for the info Alan. Very informative. Would you say the at2035 is an improvement over the at2020? What annoys me about the at2020 is the fact that it distorts(muffles them to describe it) the vocal when I'm close to the mic and get louder. My main concern for a new mic is that it eliminates this problem. I know I could probably solve this by creating more distance between the mic and myself but I prefer to be close to the mic. Wouldn't the at3035 do this since it has a higher spl?

I'm becoming more and more interested in the sterlingt st51 and st55. Does ANYONE have input on these?
 
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One of the problems with the AT2020 was that there were no pad or bass roll off switches on the mic. I think the At2035 is basically a 2020 with the pad and roll off switches added. The AT3035 also has this switching and is a next step up model.

If the At2020 is distorting which your vocals it is probably that you are too close to the mic, I would set up a pop shield at least 3" away from the mic and if I have a loud singer maybe a bit further. It would also probably help if it had a bass roll off switched in (which the 2020 does not have). When using the AT2035 on vocal I had the bass roll off switched in.

The other problem could be that the digital reference DR-CX1 is not a direct copy of the AT2020 and does not sound as good?

Cheers
Alan.
 
Ok I need input quickly. I have the opportunity to buy a brand new at3035 for 159 which i think is good since they go for 150 on ebay used. But I don't know if i should buy that or a sterling ST55. Which one do you think is better? I want a warm sounding mic. is the at3035 warm. I've narrowed it down to these 2 and it will be one or the other. Please help.
 
A USED at3035 just sold for $162 on ebay. That makes me feel a lot better about the price I paid for mine. I hope I like it. If not I'll just sell it and buy a new one and continue to do that until I find a mic I really like.
 
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Which direction to point microphones

I have tried many ways, and you never want to sing directly into mic when recording, a little to the side is best, you dont get any popping or distortion...:cool:
 
With your given info, I'd say just buy a 57 or 58, the benefits you'll get in using it in other areas will be well worth it. I have both a 990 and a 57 and I would much rather track vocals with the 57 than the 990. I'm not swearing by the 57 as a vocal mic but in that price range you might as well get something worth your money, and the 990 is not it.

Just my .02, hope it helps,
-Barrett

that is why there are so many choices.
this is all very subjective.
the 990 is more than worth the money.
i got two of them on sale for the cost of one 57
and i got a case and antivibration noise suspension cage too.

our church uses 990s and they sound great.
we have a pro singer that uses 990s at home.
for a home studio i think 990s will beat 57s. imho for other reasons.

for live performance in a big venue the 57s and 58s will be good.
i know one group of about a dozen+ that uses only 58s for instruments and voice. they sound good too.
 
A USED at3035 just sold for $162 on ebay. That makes me feel a lot better about the price I paid for mine. I hope I like it. If not I'll just sell it and buy a new one and continue to do that until I find a mic I really like.

Hi,
You should get good results from the AT3035, if you don't I would have a look at the Room you are recording in, the recording chain, you're micing technique.

There will always be a better sounding, more expensive, I like this one better than that one microphone, but what I am saying is that you will get a good recording from this mic. However mic choice is second only to monitor choice when it come to personal taste.

Cheers
Alan.
 
I bought an AT3035 a few weeks ago. I wouldn't call it warm. It's a tad bright, but not annoyingly so. Pretty flat response, good low end, and relatively low noise. I got mine with shock mount and pop filter for $120 on craigslist. Others have gotten better deals than that. It's a nice voice over or solo track type mic. Depending on the room. I wouldn't mind having an at3035 stereo pair, but that'd probably prove too problematic. It's a pretty heavy mic to be used as a stereo pair or any sort of elevated perspective.

I've never tried the MXL mics so no comment I guess. I'm tempted, but I know what a pain it is to sell cheap mics that no one wants used, when they can pay $20-$50 more and get them new and delivered. Sometimes you have to bundle those with other gear just to get it out of your inventory and some of your money back. Something to consider.

Muffled could be lots of things. You can add compression and limiter effects in post / digitally so don't feel that you can't without other gear. But it really depends on what you're calling muffled. Are you exceeding the SPL limits of the mic? Are you creating a lot of wind noise? Or are you just riding the gain too hot. A lot of which can be managed by getting further from the mic, and/or adjusting the gear accordingly.
 
I think the muffled sound was coming from the air I released from my mouth when I was belting. I'm gonna stand further from the mic when I sing. Can someone explain what it means when somebody describes a mic as bright? Also does anyone know what settings I should use if im doing compression through Audobe Audtion. I'm a total novice when it comes to compression. I'm not even sure I know what it is.
 
I bought an AT3035 a few weeks ago. I wouldn't call it warm. It's a tad bright, but not annoyingly so. Pretty flat response, good low end, and relatively low noise. I got mine with shock mount and pop filter for $120 on craigslist. Others have gotten better deals than that. It's a nice voice over or solo track type mic. Depending on the room. I wouldn't mind having an at3035 stereo pair, but that'd probably prove too problematic. It's a pretty heavy mic to be used as a stereo pair or any sort of elevated perspective.

I've never tried the MXL mics so no comment I guess. I'm tempted, but I know what a pain it is to sell cheap mics that no one wants used, when they can pay $20-$50 more and get them new and delivered. Sometimes you have to bundle those with other gear just to get it out of your inventory and some of your money back. Something to consider.

Muffled could be lots of things. You can add compression and limiter effects in post / digitally so don't feel that you can't without other gear. But it really depends on what you're calling muffled. Are you exceeding the SPL limits of the mic? Are you creating a lot of wind noise? Or are you just riding the gain too hot. A lot of which can be managed by getting further from the mic, and/or adjusting the gear accordingly.

Could you explain what the two pads do on the at3035? Are they useful for a singer?
 
I think the muffled sound was coming from the air I released from my mouth when I was belting. I'm gonna stand further from the mic when I sing. Can someone explain what it means when somebody describes a mic as bright? Also does anyone know what settings I should use if im doing compression through Audobe Audtion. I'm a total novice when it comes to compression. I'm not even sure I know what it is.

You don't necessarily need to back off the mic try moving it up some even with your eyes and see how that works. - it's all in the placement of the mic.



:cool:
 
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