Just starting out and building a Studio, What's the best all around mic?

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RawEnt

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Is there a mic out there to buy that will be OK to use in all situations on the entry level? I have the money to spend but, I would like to save as much money as possible for any unexpected cost. So if there's anyone out there who has used a number of mics and can give me any input on a mic that would be great to use in any recording situation would be a lot of help.
 
one mic, eh? what exactly do you plan on recording instrumentation-wise?
 
Much like shoes, cars, food, clothing, guitars, women, soda's, bands, etc......there is no such thing as "the best" anything. It's all about 1) the right tool for the job, and 2) your own subjective opinion.

Sure there are some staples - but each in their own right has certain application that it excels at - and even those are subject to the listeners preferences. For every person that hops on this board and says something is "great" - someone will be right along to disagree. Usually violently.

So - in conclusion -
- There is no "one size fits all" - just like the rest of life.
- The stickys at the top of this forum are GREAT!
- The search function is GREAT
- The best way to find out if a piece of equip is any good is to go test it out

and finally -

If you tell us exactly what you will be using the mic for (i.e - Female jazz singer and piano, Rap vocals and bass drum, acoustic guitar in a concrete room, etc) - and what you have to spend, and what the rest of your signal chain and equipment look like -
then you will probably get a nice plethora of responses.

Good luck!
Todd
 
C'mon everyone you know you want to tell the lad to get a shure SM57 which is a very versitile mic, but I LOVE the Audix I5 more for every application I have used the two. Look on ebay, and pick up an I5 for less than 80 bucks.
 
Obviously, this is way too general of a question for anyone to give a very good answer to.

But in a very general sense, the lad seems to be looking for something with a lot of versatility -- at least that much seems to be fairly obvious. And with that in mind, there are at least a few directions I think we can safely point him. For starters, it's a pretty widely-held truth that a more neutral-sounding mic will tend to be more versatile, whereas those with more of a sonic stamp or signature sound tend to be hit or miss, or more "application specific" to put it another way.

Polar patterns are another thing to consider. The more you have available to you, the more versatile the mic, and the more situations you will find it useful in, bla bla bla bla bla. A good multi-pattern mic can allow you the ability to use a wide cardiod or omni setting for a drum overhead or a small group of background singers ... as well as the ability to get right up and mic a snare or tom on hypercardiod -- theoretically speaking.

That said, I think your best bet is a multi-pattern condenser with a mostly neutral sound to it. My first thought would be something along the lines of an Audio Technica 4050. You could literally use it on almost anything and always get at least a decent track out of it. AKG C414 would be another good one to consider.
 
And for something less pricey

Hi,

I like to start off not spending so much an a single mic. So here's some recommends.

A pair or two of omnis. Naiant has some good omni condensors inexpensive. I also like dynamic omnis. EV 635a or RE50. Shure SM61 or SM63. Realistic 1070b, c, or d.

Some nice vocal mics that are versatile. I like AKG 770, AKG 690, most EV vocal mics.

And how about a Peavey 520i or 520tn These are the same mics. The tn is older. These can be used for bass instruments and horns and also work good for vocals and many other things.

All of these mics will sound better through a good workhorse preamp like the M-Audio DMP3.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry
 
im not sure exactly what your looking for and proice range but my favorite versitle mics are..

at2020 condensor
sm 57 dynamic
senheiser e609


all 3 are $100 new, and less than 80 on ebay. the 57 is always yoru ebts bet. you can use it on amps, drums, and vocals.

if your looking to record cheap for a decent sound, my suggestion is the "samson 5 kit" its 5 drum mics, and it's prefect for a small recording. its $150 new with 5 cables on ebay, free shipping.

get a pack of those, pick up an at 2020 or 2 for the over hangs, and an sm 57 and your set. all comes out to like... $300-$400 for the 8 mics, and thats all youll need.

just keep your eyes out on ebay, eb aptient, some fo the ebst deals int he world go on there
 
Electrovoice CS-15 condensor. Works very well on everything.
 
As you no doubt have figured out, you have asked a very tough question. Suppose I asked you- "I've been going barefoot all my life, and I'm thinking about trying out some shoes. What's the best all around pair of shoes, you know, for everything?" Some folks would say a set of Reeboks, others a pair of combat boots. If you live in a jungle or an arctic wasteland, both would suck.

Given all of that, I tend toward Chessrock's point of view on this one. The most versatile mics I can think of are high quality dynamics, and multipattern workhorse condensers. Both vary across a wide spectrum of prices. Generally, dynamics are cheaper than condensers in any given quality range. I recommend (2) mics to start, because they are so very different, and each is so damn versatile. If one of them doesn't work, the other probably will. Here are a few of my favorites:

Dynamics

Cheap (< $100)- Shure SM57, AKG D770 (discontinued but still easy to find new on ebay), Sennheiser e835.
Mid priced (up to about $300 new, less used)- Sennheiser MD421, Shure SM7b
Top of the line- Sennheiser MD441, Electrovoice RE20

All mics above are versatile, worth the price, and any in the 2 higher priced categories will never require an upgrade. The top 4 I listed are frequently used in the best studios on Earth.

Multipattern Condensers

Generally more expensive, and the spread from cheap to high priced is HUGE.

cheap- CAD M179, Studio Projects B-3. Not really my favorite mics, but among the few multipattern condensers out there for < $200.

mid priced- (in this class of mics, that means $500-$1000, give or take) Shure KSM44, AKG C414 (there are numerous models- best bang for buck IMHO is C414B-ULS on ebay, best overall is C414B-XLS, newer and more pricey, about $900), Audio-Technica AT4050. Chessrock also recommended the 414 and the 4050. I personally prefer the 414, it's simply one of the most versatile mics ever built.

High priced spread (If you have to ask how much it is, you can't afford it. Well you said you had money-prepare for sticker shock.) Neumann U87 and TLM127, B.L.U.E. Kiwi, Microtech Gefell UM800 (to die for).

If I were in your position, I would probably buy a Shure SM7b and look for an AKG C414B-ULS on ebay (I personally prefer new to used. The B-ULS is discontinued, but there are still new ones out there). If you can't record it with one of those 2 mics, you probably can't record it at all. Best of luck. -Richie
 
RawEnt said:
Is there a mic out there to buy that will be OK to use in all situations on the entry level?
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RawEnt said:
At the cheap end of the scale it's good to have a large condenser for vocals and the Studio Projects B1 works on a lot of voices and is pretty good for acoustic instruments like guitars. $80US I think.

Maybe later on the MXL603 is a good budget small condenser that will give a different take on things. The Audix i5 is a cheap and versatile dynamic mic for a lot of things.

You could spend a lot of time with just these mics and get good results for very little money.
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... I'm amazed that no-one mentioned Studio Projects B1 yet. Good quality for "little" money.
 
Richard Monroe said:
cheap- CAD M179, Studio Projects B-3. Not really my favorite mics, but among the few multipattern condensers out there for < $200.
-Richie
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Has anyone tried the new multi pattern cheapie the MXL2010... I would like to know if it's any good???
 
RawEnt said:
Is there a mic out there to buy that will be OK to use in all situations on the entry level? I have the money to spend but, I would like to save as much money as possible for any unexpected cost. So if there's anyone out there who has used a number of mics and can give me any input on a mic that would be great to use in any recording situation would be a lot of help.
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I think you would be best served going condensor as opposed to dynamic. Nothing wrong with dynamics except that they really demand decent pre-amps to get a good sound. If you are just starting out, a condensor will give you better sound on cheap stuff.
 
More Info Needed

RawEnt,

I think if you want a good answer you'll need to describe what type of instruments/voices you'll be recording and how many will be recorded simultaneously. Right now everyone is simply scratching their heads.
 
From my experience I feel that dynamics like an SM57 or Beta 57 or Sennheiser 421 are the most versatile. I had two Studio Projects B1's and I still have a Studio Projects C3 along with some other mics, they are all fine mics for many things but if I was stuck picking one that would work for the most applications I would pick the 421 or the 57.

I also think that 10 years from now it would be highly likely that you would still have and use the 421 or the 57.

If you decide that you want a large diaphram condenser, I really think the Studio Projects mics are nice choices.
 
jdier said:
I also think that 10 years from now it would be highly likely that you would still have and use the 421 or the 57.

I totally agree with that statement. It's just that the uses will change. An
"entry level" studio may use an MD421 for vocals or acoustic guitar. A "pro" studio is more likely to use it for drums, guitar cabs, brass, sax, and even harmonica, as well as the occasional singer it just works for. It will never become useless. It's my opinion, however, that the 421 totally outclasses the SM57 as a multi-ourpose dynamic.-Richie
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AT2020, Audix I5, Apex 205, are all a great place to start if you are on a begginers budget.
 
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