Is this a good idea?

[AcidRain]

i am a mono guy myself. i think stereo pianos sound nice alone, but i find it easier in general to get a nice mix with mono instruments.

[note that i am not much of mixer, so i am giving you advice from an old newbie to a new newbie.]

trust me, when you build up stereo tracks that sound nice soloed-they have this way of not piling up well in the mix. and they all sound weaker... other people can make it sound nice, but i cant..

i think the big problem with only using one mic (especially the 57) is that it has a big sonic footprint. mind you a nice one- at least i think so. but again, in the mix... all your tracks are going to have that sonic footprint. and you are going to be fighting that....

oh one more thing about pianos in mono- since they are a very physically "big" instrument, it is hard for a single mic to accurately capture the whole thing consistantly. use an omni.. and stick it closest to where the important notes are...

oh and get that SP b1

Thanks for the tips... I just really liked the sound on that file of Michael's (the MXL 603).

 

[Michael Jones]

If I were shopping for mics for these instruments:
-electric guitar (both distorted and clean, distorted may hit very high volumes)
-a baby grand piano
-electric bass
-probably vocals
-trumpet
-possibly sax
and knowing that no one single mic is going to cover all those situations, here's what I'd get:
(1) SM57
(1) SM7
(2) SM81's
(1) MXL V67G

You could cover the guitar cab. with the 57 and V67.
You could cover the bass with the SM7
You could do vocals with the SM7 or the MXL V67G (the latter sounds nice on sax too!)
You could cover everything else with the SM81's

Total cost:
SM57 $70
SM7 $300
SM81 $325 ea. ($650)
V67G $100

Total cost = $1120

OR,
If you can't afford the SM81's, get a pair of 603's, heck, you'll find tons of uses for them. If you can't afford the SM7, hold off and buy it down the road. (Although, I would have used it on bass.)

SM57 $70
V67G $100
603's $70 ea. ($140)

Total cost = $310 (But you still need a bass mic......)

 

[cominginsecond]

do you think it would sound good for distorted?

I think it might be a little too bright for distorted guitar. Then again, what do I know?

 

[AcidRain]

Michael, thanks for the input. I'm now thinking perhaps forgo the piano (for now, I may buy a set of mics later for it), go direct on the bass (I believe that the mic pre may support that as well, I'll have to check), and get a V67 for the guitar, vox, and acoustic instruments.

 

[PiRequiem]

the studio projects B1 works well on guitar cabs and i have gotten some good distortion with mine. i'd reccomended it if you want a warmer, thicker distortion.

 

[coplinger]

I'm not crazy about the v67 or 603 on my guitar amp. I much prefer my B3 or a 57. I think the B1 would be your better choice, or even better the b3 since you'd have multiple patterns. I also hear a lot of people recommend the beyer m88 for a good all purpose mic. Maybe someone who owns one can comment.

 

[Giganova]

trumpets or sax will sound very tinny on the SM57. A Sennheiser 421 -- or better: 441 -- would do a decent job on woodwinds/brass.