mic for voice and environment rec?

[jenkowe]

Hey there!

I'm currently doing IT/multimedia production at uni and require a good "all purpose" microphone which can be connected to a minidisc recorder (small jack) to collect samples (both environmental and voice).

Basically I am doing a audio drama project. A bit of voice acting and some environmental samples put together. I'm not looking for the ultimate sound but rather a good balance in both of the aforementioned areas given my financial limitations.

I am looking for something in the $80-$120 (US that is ) price range.

Someone on the Overclockers Australia forums recommended the Shure SM57 as a possible option, any thoughts on this mic and its limitations etc. for my particular purpose?

Can anyone recommend a better choice of mic?

Many Thanks

 

[jenkowe]

I had a look around and am considering 2 mics at the moment.

The Sony ECM-MS907 and the AKG C1000S..

Both seem to be battery operated and may be convienent for my purpose.
I know the AKG C1000S is over my budget but if its worth the extra $$$...?

Any thoughts/comments?...

 

[Mo-Kay]

can't come up with a brand name right now...but for enviroment recording you should check out these "bootlegging" stereo condenser mics that come as a pair of walkman-style earplugs...

should be really cool for that type of stuff

 

[whyseye]

There are a lot of little direct-in type stereo mics (electret condensers?) that I see on Ebay all the time; they might work well for your purposes with the right placement. They're usually something like $20-40.
The SM57 & other mics you mentioned have XLR connectors, so you'd need some sort of adapter and presumably preamp to get a decent recording level. Something like a Griffin iMic and their XLR to mini adapter would do the job, but probably add another $50 or so onto your budget.
Hope that helps some - good luck with the project - sounds fun.

 

[jenkowe]

Thanks whyseye, yes its fun although time consuming (cause I'm bit of a perfectionist )

Someone else suggested the Rode NT3.

Any comments?

 

[Rado]

Any condesor with windscreen will do.
DO not use SM 57.

 

[gemsbok]

i think samson makes a cheaper copy of the stereo audio technica 822 . i seen it in a store the other day and it looks the same. the audio technica is a little over 200$ and takes a -aa battery. i love mine for field recordings. i think the samson was around 100$

 

[playdeep]

the rode nt3 might be a good choice for environmental stuff.....it is good for voice but it is sibilant and also has a thick bottom end which is why so many vocal percussionists and deep bass vocal singers use it. it is a condenser so it needs phantom power but luckily for you it has an internal source that you can use....it uses 9-volt batteries. while i certianly love this mic i cant say that i think that it might be your best choice.....it is also around 160....one more nice thing about it is the fact that it is more sturdy and likely to survive damage than many other condensers because it is a hand held mic.

 

[Innovations]

Sorry guys but minidiscs use 'plug-in power' which is different than phantom power. Moreover not all minidisc recorders have plug-in power so check your recorder's specs.

Anyway this company makes some great microphones for minidiscs.

http://www.reactivesounds.com/

 

[jenkowe]

Hey thanks everyone for your contributions so . I've narrowed the options down to 3 candidates:

1) Auris stereo mics
2) Sony ECM-MS907

Im being very indecisive and I appologise but I really want to make the right choice. Any further comments would be greatly apprecitated about these two mics (comparatively speaking)

Thanks again