Need cheap mic advice.

  • Thread starter Thread starter blewispunk
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blewispunk

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Hello,

My band started collecting gear to record a demo, got all we needed and were in the process of learning how to put it all together when it all got jacked out of our warehouse on Christmas day. Insurance may not come through and I want to get some gear back together so we can record a demo to give to bars just to get some gigs. We're trying not to skimp on the "essential gear" (instruments, amps, cabs). I've purchased a VF-16 from ebay and now just need to pick up some mics to record everything. We play punk-alternative-indie-rock music and have the following needs for recording:
2 vocal mics
1 guitar mic (or go direct?)
1 bass mic (or go direct?)
Drums (4 mics? 3 overhead, 1 kick)

First I need to know if it is "alright" to go straight from my PA out on my bass and guitar amps to inputs on the VF-16. If not, comment on which mics below would work for bass and/or guitar. Also interested in any comments to a good method for recording drums. We used to use 2 overhead Behringer XM8500 mics and one in the kick and seemed to miss a bit of the sound, so I was thinking 4 mics would be better (1 additional overhead).

I've looked through a lot of these posts and have read that you get what you paid for many times, but also noticed quite a few "surprising good sound for such a cheap little mic." Just looking for a couple opinions on my options here. I've only got two XLR inputs on my VF-16 so I'll get XLR-1/4" converters for the rest. I can use phantom power on my 2 XLR-channels, but otherwise will need to use dynamic mics. I don't really know anything about condenser mics (other than needing phantom power), should I get a couple of those for any specific purpose? I think they're all out of my price range.

Here's the puzzel pieces:
Nady sp-1 mics ($8/piece. 6 mics for $48 from musicians friend)
Nady sp-5 mics (3 for $25)
Nady sp-9 mics ($15/piece. 6 mics for $90 from musicians friend)
Pack(s) of Behringer XM8500 mics (3 for $60)
Pack(s) of Behringer XM2000S mics (3 for $80)
Pack(s) of Samson R21 mics (3 for $50)
Audio-Technica KP drum mic kit (4 mics for $130)

I need to stay below $200! I know it is better to save up and get some Shure SM57's and 58's, but I don't currently have the patience. Thanks so much.

-Brent
 
Yeah the Nady mics are dirt cheap and are pretty good. They are a little lacking on the high end and can endure high SPL which is decent for miking your guitar amp. I have a SP-9 and it does a decent job at it...it's also great for midrange vocals. I bought mine for $10.

I have a set of three Behringer XM2000s which I bought for $59 and they are great multipurpose mics. You can use them anywhere a Shure SM57 would be used. I removed the windscreen on the ball to give it a little more top end and I can't really tell the difference in sound between it's sound and an SM57. I use them on my snare and upper and lower toms. It sounds great on vocals as well as...brace yourself, a kick drum mic. Yeah you heard it. I've tried it on kick drums and the proximity effect really does bring out the low end. Also, (this is what I hear...I don't actually own one, but) the Behringer XM8500 does a great job as a substitute for an SM58 and costs the same as the XM2000s and they are similar much like how an SM57 is similar to an SM58.

For dedicated drum mics I would recommend the Superlux DRK-E4C2 which I picked up from ebay for $124. They come with a nice kick drum mic (PRA-218B, which is much better than the original PRA-218A), three tom/snare mics (PRA-228A) and two overhead condensers (PRA-268AH). The kick is really nice...sounds like an ATM Pro 25 when I A/B it. The tom/snare mics are a little lacking in high end but are decent enough for its purpose. They sound great on a guitar amp! The condensers really shine! I also use them on high-hats and to mic the bottom of my snare.

I also picked up 4 cheap Radio Shack mics (33-3032) for $20 each and they come with the rim mounts. Excellent deal and they sound great on snares and upper toms...they bring out the high end snap of the snare and you can hear the resonance of the toms much better than the PRA-228A.

For your vocal condenser mic, I recommend a Marshall MXL 990 which came with a shock mount and pop filter for $69. I also tried the Nady SCM950 condenser ($59) which sounds somewhat similar but a little scratchier in the midrange. The Marshall MXL 990 sounds very smooth. I also recommend the Studio Projects B1 for $79. These mics are not Neumann's, but can anyone pinpoint a Neumann in any recordings they've heard. It is very hard to tell.

I would mic the drums with two overhead condensers placed in an X/Y configuration. You can pick from any of the condensers I mentioned although the Superlux PRA-268AH pair do a great job of eliminating low end phase cancellation. I would put a Superlux PRA-218B on the kick drum; Behringer XM2000s on the low tom and snare drum and I like to use the Radio Shack mics on the high toms...although Behringer XM2000s are great on those also. I would go direct with the bass guitar and either a Nady SP-9, Superlux PRA-228A, Behringer XM2000s or Radio Shack (33-3032) on the guitar amp.

I get great results with the mics mentioned above. They all have low noise and high sound pressure ratings. Don't be afraid to experiment with cheap mics or equipment. Use what is best for you, not what everyone says you need to use. You will develop your own, unique sound with whatever you can afford.
 
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I've gotten quite decent results of a superlux drum mic kit; it's 110$ here. You could buy a studio projects B1 as vocal mic and maybe for kick drum, since the kick-mic in the kit won't give that fat rockin sound. You would hafta be a bit careful with that, but many people here like the SP C1 (which is more expensive) as kick mic, so there's no reason not to try the B1. You could use the kick drum mic of the kit for the lowest tom then. The "normal" tom mics of the kit should work ok for guitar as well, but maybe try the B1 too. The condensers have a bit of a hyped high-end, but they work nicely as overheads for drum. You can read a review of these micshere.
For that money you won't get enough mics to record your band live, so you have to record the instruments separately. A SM57 would be really great for many things, so if you find the mics I mentioned a bit cheaper anywhere, you could buy a SM57 as well, which is the standard mic for guitar micing. It can even sound quite well on a few singers, so it is said. HTH.
 
xm2000s vs shure 57

just my 2 cents...personally I do notice a HUGE difference between the xm2000s and the shure 57/8's...maybe try some pawnshop huntin for some 57's instead...the xm2000s does have a nice on/off switch tho...I really like the ECM's (behringer ECM 8000 condensor mic) for recording acoustic guitar, although Im sure there is better, this is probably in your price range, havent had a real chance to test them on drums, but I ve heard they arent bad for that either.
 
1000 thanks

Thank you all so much, your input is definitely appreciated. I think I see if I can get a good deal on the DRK-E4C2 for a good deal on ebay and if not I'll pick up the $110 superlux drum mic kit, they are both such a good price I really can’t go wrong. I’ll try using the kick drum mic that comes with the kit and use one of the tom mics for the guitar and pick up a B1 for main vocals and a SP-9 for backups. I can always change things out, but for an overall price of around $200 I don’t think I can do any better for 7-8 mics.

You guys/gals (?) rule. Thanks,
Brent
 
If the samson R21 mics are anything like the R11's then I would suggest getting them. R11's are surprisingly decent mics that I still use for some vocal stuff even. They are similar to the 57, except they are more midrangy and they don't produce the same harmonic undertones that the 57 does (and I hate!). They do real well on toms. I've got 6 of them and used to use them to mic up drums sets. I wouldn't use them for overheads, but 57's work fine for that (however they are a bit expensive under that budget).
 
you're welcome blewispunk. just let us know if you are content with your buy, and maybe you can put your results up in the mixing clinic...? :)
 
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