inexpensive condenser mics

[guitarguy1012]

hey!!! I have a really cheap tascam four track, the mfpo1 to be exact, and i really cant get anything good sounding out of it. I'm still using the 15 dollar mic that came with it. I was thinking about getting a new mic. I dont have a lot of money so i wanted it to be under or around 100 bucks. Im kinda looking for a do-all mic, but more specifically for guitar cabs, acoustic guitars, and vocals. I was looking at the MXL mics and saw some that I thought sounded pretty good. I almost ended up buying the MXL 990 but then i realized it needed phantom power which none of my stuff has. Im a newbie on mics and dont really know what i need..... Any suggestions?

 

[guitarguy1012]

by the way, im most interested in large-diaphragm condensers...

 

[zed32]

maybe try a SM57, its cheap and works great on guitar cabs, and could get the job done on acoustic guitar and vocals probably much better than any $15 mic could. plus you could keep it forever and still find it useful. and it doesn't need phantom power. all condensers use phantom power so if you don't have it, then you're better off getting a dynamic.

 

[Warhead]

In that price range, the SM57 is a great pick. A better all round dynamic mic would be the E/V ND468 for around $180 new, if you could afford it it's a stellar little dynamic with a more pleasing and responsive high end than a 57.

War

 

[guitarguy1012]

are ebay mics trustworthy, or should i stick to buying mics new?

 

[Clit Torres]

At the prices they go for new I'd personally go that route. Unless of course you can find considerable savings on ebay or elsewhere. But generally, from what I've found you can get a new 57 for only a few bucks more, and you'll have it that same day to boot.

 

[guitarguy1012]

how bout the mxlv67g... anyone tried that one?

 

[Clit Torres]

how bout the mxlv67g... anyone tried that one?

That's another condensor, you're gonna need phantom for it.

 

[guitarguy1012]

I think i might buy one of those phantom power box thingys... i saw one online for like 40 bucks... Ive been led to believe that the v67g is a very colored mic, good for guitar and vocals, but has anyone tried it for guitar cabs or maybe an overall drum picture?

 

[David Katauskas]

Reading your post, if you want a condenser mic, then you will need phantom power. However, I believe that there are some condenser mics that use a 9v battery.

 

[hawk]

Instead of a preamp, you might want to look at this mixer. It has decent pres built in AND you get a mixer.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/fg=141/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/631238/

 

[guitarguy1012]

hey hawk, thats pretty sick... thanks man I think i might end up picking one of those up.

 

[rpd]

Yeah Hawk, i was just gonna recomend that!

Does your 4 track have XLR (3 prong) inputs, or just the 1/4in guitar jacks.
If it only has guitar jacks you are gonna need a mixer anyways.

SM57 is a good start. Large diaphram condesers, especially cheep ones are probably going to be best suited for vocals. You may have real difficulties getting your guitars to sound good through them. They are flattering on vocals but the mids get messy on acoustic guitars. But with correct placement you can get electrics, acoustics and vocals to sound quite good through a SM57.

 

[guitarguy1012]

it just has the 1/4 inch jack.

 

[guitarguy1012]

This is going to sound really stuuuupid, but nobodys ever told me exactly what a mixer is, so, what is a mixer,what does it do and how does it work?

 

[David Katauskas]

I also use the Behringer UB802 mixer and so far it hasn't let me down.

 

[David Katauskas]

This is going to sound really stuuuupid, but nobodys ever told me exactly what a mixer is, so, what is a mixer,what does it do and how does it work?

I basically use it for 2 of its features:

1) it has phantom power
2) it allows me to mix multiple sources (mics) into a stereo or mono signal (soundcard)

 

[daav]

I have the same mixer, and David K... is correct, but there are other things it can do as well that are fun to list:

Most likely your 4 track does not let you record multiple sources at once, the mixer lets you do that (althought hey will be at most on two tracks).

You can use the rca inputs to hook up a normal stereo out into and record your favorite songs to play along with.

The EQ ont he mixer ~might~ be of better quality than the 4 track ( i have no idea the quality of your 4 track, so i am guessing there).

It allows you to alternately monitor the signal before it gets to the recorder so you can check the quality of the recorded signal in a before-after style.

It has aux sends to add effects if you need that later.

Daav

 

[guitarguy1012]

how do you use it... like.. do you use it when your sending the music from the recorder{ mines analog} to the tape deck.. im a complete newbie to this aspect im more of a musician and less of a engineer

 

[rpd]

When you buy a mic. You will also need also to buy a XLR cable to connect it to the mixer.

Then you take an extra guitar cable and go out of your mixer and send it to your 4 track. (attach your guitar chord to the "aux send." ) Each channel has an aux send volume set it to 12 o'clock or "0".

Set the channel fader and the red aux send nob at "0" and control your volume to the 4 track with the little black "gain" nob (on the top of the channel). This will keep you from amplifiy any noise.

And that should give you the best results. After that learn about mic placement, and save for a better set-up.

PS: I wouldn't recomend using the EQ much.