Need some advice on getting first Mic

[Neil27]

Hello,

I am looking into getting a good microphone for recording mainly electric and acoustic guitars, vocals and my piano, this will take over from the cheap mics i have been using. The mic will be feeding a EMU 0404 usb interface.

As i want the mic to be very versitile and a good all rounder, i am still not sure if i should go for a condenser or a dynamic. I was almost set on getting either a Shure SM57 or Senn e906 from reading reviews. I held off because i am interested in the lovely condenser sound esp. on acoustic instruments and voice.

For the sounds i want to record, (Vocals to Loud distorded elec. guitar) and for the price i want to pay (£150-60 max) what microphones would you recomend?
Should i just stick with the trusted SM57 as a first proper allrounder mic?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Shadow_7]

Bad room == Dynamic
Good room == Condenser

Loud source == Dynamic
Soft source == Condenser

Not always the case. But generally. It really depends on what "you" consider good enough.

Get something popular and as good of a deal as you can get. That way if you don't like it, you can sell it, and get your money back. And you might not have to keep it on the market for ten years to do so.

 

[Neil27]

I'm thinking that miking a loud mesa or engl amp with a condenser would not be a good idea then? because of this i am leaning toward a dynamic for my needs. am i right in doing this?

What would be the general consensus on the SM57/58 vs the newer Senn dynamics like e906 and 609?

Any other recommendations are welcome.... Thanks

 

[dintymoore]

I use a large condenser on guitar amps all the time.
An SM57 has a certain good sound but I'm not super crazy about them, although I doubt you could find many pro studios without a few 'cause it's a good tool. Has a great "slap" on congas.
The Beatles used large condensers on George Harrison's guitar amp, so throughout history there have been lots of "loud" things recorded with condensers.
A friend of mine recorded Carlos Santana and they used an SM57 on his amp even though they had a few $10K vintage Neumanns so that says something.
For vocals an SM57 has an odd, cool sound that isn't for most people. I don't know if Tom Petty uses one but it sounds like it. It's a unique scrapey sound - it isn't the expensive sound like Queen. Queen's vocals would be your classic big condenser vocal sound. Of course, Freddy's talent is extra.
The economy condenser that comes up here over and over again is the AT2020.

 

[Neil27]

I have heard that recording loud signals like guitar amps with a condenser can damage it, is this true?

I know of quite a few dynamic mics, but i will gladly check out any other recomendations of condensers, since i dont know many names. (£150-60 max)

I get the feeling i could do with both a dynamic and condenser mic.

the 2020 sounds pretty decent from YT videos btw.

 

[Cue Zephyr]

I have an E-MU 0404 USB.
I bought an Oktava MK-012 (w/ hyp. cardioid & omni caps) for €220 (bout 200 GBP). You can get the MK-012 w/o the caps for about €150 (135 GBP?).
It's an SDC, and it has a -10dB pad. It fares great on acoustic, and on electric too. It's not so great on vocals but I'm sure it'll do great on piano.
Good luck.

P.S.
My room sucks, but as long as I get my guitar close nough (~20cm) all works great.
For the amp, screwing on the 10dB pad is a good idea.
Note, the MK-012 needs a decent amnout of gain on the acoustic (past halfway up).

 

[Shadow_7]

Condensors can handle loud sources. Bit it depends on the condenser. And if you have one and close mic with it, you can take most of a bad room out of the picture. Although sometimes they can output a rather hot signal that doesn't always agree with all interfaces / preamps. It does have to be a particularly loud source to do that in some cases. Or a mic with a relatively low SPL limit. Loud sources with proximity can output some rather high SPL levels.

As far as damaging a mic with loud sources. Some mics will be damaged with wind or moisture. And some mics will not yield good results past a certain SPL level. But most wont die because of SPL level. Baring some speaker diaphram or drum head that pushes a lot of air / wind around. With a simple solution of not getting THAT close. Nothing is indestructible, but a fair number of mics are built for the road / stage.

 

[darrin_h2000]

Decent condensers will handle your amp just fine...but you should consider a low wattage amp for recording with...unless if you arent a big fan of keeping your hearing...if you allready have that amp...there are other options from THD to soak up the power and give you the same tones at lower volumes...but a 10 watt amp is all you really need.

Id look at a KSM32 or KSM44....or maybe an AT4047 as a decent start into condencers...people might flame me...but you really dont want to skimp there.

Untill you have the scratch to buy one of those mics an SM57 is a good investment...you can never have too many of those.

 

[Neil27]

Decent condensers will handle your amp just fine...but you should consider a low wattage amp for recording with...unless if you arent a big fan of keeping your hearing...if you allready have that amp...there are other options from THD to soak up the power and give you the same tones at lower volumes...but a 10 watt amp is all you really need.

Id look at a KSM32 or KSM44....or maybe an AT4047 as a decent start into condencers...people might flame me...but you really dont want to skimp there.

Untill you have the scratch to buy one of those mics an SM57 is a good investment...you can never have too many of those.

So would you say stick with a dynamic for my budget? anyone own or used both the Shure SM's and Senn 'e' mics? how do they compare?

 

[darrin_h2000]

So would you say stick with a dynamic for my budget? anyone own or used both the Shure SM's and Senn 'e' mics? how do they compare?

I have a Senn MD421 and I like it better on guitar amps...but I could buy 8 SM57s for the same price of a new MD421.