Please, someone help?

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ANDtheMC

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I'm tryna go pick up a mic as soon as today... I gotta budget around $150 but I'd like to use as little as possible...

These are the one's I'm hearin' good things about...

MXL 990, MXL V63M, MXL v67 (which I can't find in black so if someone could help me, that would be GREATLY APPRECIATED), AT2020, Shure's SM58, Studio Projects B1, and a few more...

Someone please help cuz nobody came into the other thread I made....

Thanks in advance
AND -1-
 
Any of the mics you've listed are good ones. What are you going to use the mic for? Singing? Spoken word? Mic'ing an electric or acoustic instrument? Drums? Will you use it for recording? Will you use it with a PA for live performance? If we knew more about what you're planning to use the mic for, we could give you some opinions. Remember that all mics need some type of mic preamp, whether it's a "free-standing" mic preamp, or the mic preamp built into a mixer, or a soundcard with a mic preamp built into it. Also, a dynamic mic like the SM58 doesn't need phantom power; all the other mics you mentioned are condenser mics, which do need phantom power to work. Most free-standing preamps and mixer preamps have a phantom power circuit built into them.

your recording/PA chain will look something like this :

Recording :
mic -> mic cord -> mic preamp -> recorder/PC

PA :
mic -> mic cord -> mixer mic input -> amplifier -> speakers

Hope this helps.

PS : the color of the outside of a mic doesn't matter as much as the sound of the mic. Silver sounds just as good as black. ;)
 
I don't have any of those mics, so I can't comment specifically, but...

The MXLs are generally good, for biginner mics they're a sure thing. If you go on their website mxlmics.com you can look up the different types and compare them.. they even give little pictures of what each mic might sound good with (drums, guitar, etc) but it IS advertising, so take it with a grain of salt.

When the Studio Projects mics came out everybody and their mom liked 'em, seemed like.. so that's probaly a safe bet.

If this is your first condenser purchase you'll need to have a pre or mixer with phantom power, so keep that in mind.

And the sm58, is that the entry level dynamic or condenser? I can never remember... If it's the dynamic, at this level, you'll probably find a condenser mic more useful/flexible. Unless you don't have phantom power. Then for sure, get a dynamic.


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e-dog said:
sorry.

i just repeated stuff kid klash said.
.
Click to expand...
Don't sweat it - never stopped anyone else here before .... :D
 
Don't sweat it - never stopped anyone else here before.
 
I'd have to say go with the Studio Projects recommendation as well. I know I will get blasted here for expressing this, but I don't care!

I have gone through almost all the MXL/Marshall products and have always found flaws in design, construction and execution. The biggest flaw they have is in choice of capsules and secondly, components. The shanghai/Alcatron capsules used by MXL are inferior in a lot of different ways. They are just not built well.

The capsules used by Studio Projects and PMI (797) are superior in every way! They are more consistant in diaphragm tuning, material construction and consistancy. Very close to an actual KK67 or KK87 Neumann design and contruction. The diaphragms are glued to the retainer rings at the right tension and then are mounted to the capsules in the same way Neumann did it. Their selection of electronics are better, their electronic schematics are better and they just represent a better value dollar for dollar!

In all my DIY projects, anything I have built using MXL capsules and parts have always had a problem that using a 797 product made better.

I also know the customer support is exceptional and Brent, Alan and Justin really care about the customer. If I get blasted for being a PMI supporter, so be it! They have earned my utmost respect and allegance from personal interaction!!

These are good people! They make a good product!
 
The rapper kids where I work liked the B1.

It was the first one stolen. :rolleyes:

No, I'm not kidding, being racial or judgemental. That's why I suggest the studio buy cheap mics- things have a history of dissappearing.

The other mic we ordered is the v67g. I'm pretty sure the only reason it didn't get stolen was that its ugly. Sounds great, though, and everyone likes it. Of course its their only LDC option, now.
 
So the V67 and the Studio Project?

Can you post up stuff u recorded with both mics?
 
ANDtheMC said:
So the V67 and the Studio Project?

Can you post up stuff u recorded with both mics?
Click to expand...


What I've learned about listening to sound clips is it only helps you if the person who made the sound clip is using the exact same gear you are using. There are guys who have the right kind of gear to make an SM57 sound stellar and make a U87 sound like trash.

The most useful sound clips I've heard are the ones where a person will use the exact same signal chain and settings but just replace the mic between each clip. That way you can hear some differences in the mics. But if somebody posts clips made with a $69 dollar mic thru a Neve channel strip, it wont sound at all the same as when you plug that $69 dollar mic into your Line 6. Besides, when you are talking about the so called "budget" gear, it really doesn't make a ton of difference if you get the $69 dollar mic, the $99 dollar mic, or the $129 dollar mic.

All that being harped on, I will go one step further and say that, for the money, the SP B1, C1, or C3 are pretty good mics to start with.
sumpin to consider before you put too much faith in listening to samples.....
 
ANDtheMC said:
So the V67 and the Studio Project?

Can you post up stuff u recorded with both mics?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I can't- none of the material is mine to post. I'll check in at work today and see if any recent recordings are on Myspace or somesuch, though.

Even then, I think all we'll find was done with the v67g. The B1 walked off before any of our serious artist got much chance to finish projects with it. And as Soundchaser mentions, you'll get a v67g in a well built and treated studio going in through a decent preamp, an apogee convertor, and Pro Tools TDM.

My sense is that you probably can't go far wrong picking one over the other. I'd make my choice between those 2 based on if I can get a shock mount included in the price. The B1 didn't come with one, the v67g did...I think. Not sure what deals are out there to be had these days, though.

Take care,
Chris
 
Do ya'll know anything 'bout the Line Six Interface I'm gettin'? Is it any good?

Do ya'll think it'll sound ight with one of these mics?
 
i have a ux2 that i use to get and extra 2 tracks via spdif. its gotty pretty clean preamps and some different modelers but i dont really screw with any of the mic modlers. I originally bought it a little while back so i could record guitar in my dorm room and it not sound like crap. It did that rather well(still no mic and amp). But the preamps arent too bad for the price and with the mic you have it should work fine for you, although i wouldnt use the ableton live that came with it i used it once out of curiousity and it just sorta made me mad, i would rather use krystal or audicity(which would be ok since you wont have many tracks probably but you might want to look into a program with good midi support since you will be doing rap)
 
go with audacity... just google it up , download, and its great
 
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