mic on a budget

[yon o shon]

alright so we got 140$. catch is its a bestbuy giftcard. limits our selection quite a bit (not that we would know wat to choose) we were gonna go with a 90 buck usb mic but after some research i discovered it would not be worth it. so im here to ask, what will give us the most bang for the buck? Just something to freestyle/record some thoughts with.

we rap and i know we're not good but i hope eventually we'll get to a level were we can atleast be proud of our creations. just to give a POV we've been using my friends turtle beaches (gaming headset) to record. we're that desperate.

so im begging you to take the time and go to bestbuy.com and suggest something under 140$(leave money for the 7$ shipping too.) we need a mic and a way to plug it into the computer to record. besides this giftcard we got about 20$ to our name.

any and all thoughts are apreciated
ill being checking my post as well as some other forums on mixing/mastering when i get out of school tomorrow.
thank you

 

[TheChikenMaster]

I would go for the usb in your situation. Eventually you will get the hang of everything else and money to buy real stuff too

 

[moresound]

Well you are limited to what you can get at best buy that's for sure.

Now if you don't have an interface you may need to use a USB mic and maybe with not the desired resultsBut hay we all have to start somewhere .....I don't even want to tell you how and what I started with, all I can tell you it was way before home computers!!! Way before, I wish I had $ 160. then to start with.

Maybe the Samson Studio USB mic. but don't take my words on this, wait for a few others to chime in maybe there's other solutions.

 

[jedblue]

Unless you can ante up to $200 for this one [url=https://en.audiofanzine.com/dynamic-microphone/shure/sm58/user_reviews/]Shure SM58 with USB[/URL] then the Samson is it. I reckon the Shure'd be a whole lot better for what you want especially if you want to hand hold it and rap. The Samson's likely going to suffer from vocal popping so you might need a pop screen Pop Screen. I reckon hand holding the Samson mike is out as well unless you're real careful holding it - handling noise could be a problem with a more sensitive condenser type mike like that.

But if you can't afford the Shure SM58 USB and can use the Samson on it's stand with a pop filter and try not to hold on to it then that'd get you going, do a lot better than what you've got now and keep you under your $140.

The Shure SM58 would last you a long time, go directly into your computer like the Samson and won't need a pop filter. Being a dynamic type designed for stage use it won't suffer from handling noise and is a widely used vocal mike.

But if I couldn't wait and afford the SM58 then I'd do the Samson with the pop filter.

 

[vijsolo]

Hi there,

Check this deal out

Samson C01U Condenser USB Microphone

I doubt you will find a better solution for the money you have. It comes with software too.

Cheerz!

 

[yon o shon]

yea that was the mic i was looking at. heard alot of bad things about it but still alot better then what we've been using. ill be sure to order it and a pop screen. ty for the replies ill come back and check once again before i place the order. does best buy not have a interface for sale? ill check myself but not quite sure what im lookin for. ty again for the help.

 

[introverse]

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--AUDAT2020USB

at2020 and then create a pop filter yourself out of panty hose and a wire clothes hanger.
---

or

samc01u like solo mentioned...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q4Pn-Vj9Cw
^^These two guys both used the C01U(just for reference sake)

-----

Btw, the pop filter is a MUST, IMO.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Yo Yon! What you want to do is *almost* doable. The mic is really not a problem. Best Buy handles Sennheiser, Shure, Audio-Technica, and M-Audio, which are all perfectly good mics. The problem is computer connectivity. To connect a mic to a computer, you need a mic, a preamp, and an analog to digital convertor. A USB mic is just a mic with the preamp and the A-D converter built in. The problem is that when you go that route, you are stuck with the preamp and the A-D converter, and you can't use the mic without going through them.
A better solution is to use a separate preamp/A-D converter. This allows you to use whatever mics you want, and when you upgrade later to a better interface (which is just a preamp and an A-D converter), you can still use your mic. The cheap USB mic interface is out there, but Best Buy doesn't handle it. Example:

http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=42882&Category=Audio_Interfaces

Once you have connectivity and a couple of cables, Best Buy has plenty of perfectly good mics, such as:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sennhei...8565253&skuId=8256754&st=microphone&cp=2&lp=9

or:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Shure+-...0260041&skuId=7535385&st=microphone&cp=1&lp=6

or:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/M-Audio...7670810&skuId=7519688&st=microphone&cp=2&lp=1

Well, you gotta do what you gotta do, but I believe you would be better served not to buy a cheap USB mic. Instead, I advise keeping the mic and whatever interface you use separate. Good Luck-Richie

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Personally I think you're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole by picking your Best Buy card as the vehicle to get a microphone. Unless you can find this option: find someone on Craigslist selling a halfway decent used separate mic and interface for about the price of your BB card, and work out a barter with them.

G.

 

[gehauser]

+1 on the Shure SM58 USB mic for now.

The SM58 is a good solid, meaty sounding mic, and will let you make some good recordings until you learn about audio interfaces and preamps.

Or better yet, get a regular (non-USB) SM58 for $99 and this $99 adapter:
http://www.shure.com/newproducts/X2u/index.htm

This idea is shown as a bundled package here:
http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/WiredMicrophones/us_pro_sm58-x2u_content

Then you have a versatile SM58 USB setup. And you have a real SM58 that you also can use later when you start using a separate preamp and audio interface.

An SM58 (non-USB) is a solid purchase for your studio that you will keep and use forever.