Poll : Best all-round mic for beginner

  • Thread starter Thread starter schnoops
  • Start date Start date
Definately an SM57!

Yes, I'll second (or is the hundred) the SM-57.

Remember the question was for a BEGINNER!!!

Condensor mics are very sensitive to any sort of abuse or accidental misuse......

The SM57 can almost take anything.

Until you are very certain what and where you will be using this mic, and figure out all the other basics, stick with the durable SM-57.

If I had started off with a condensor mic when I first started, I would have had it destroyed in the first week guaranteed!

Unless you have a nice array of processing, like a nice compressor for example, the mic is a moot point anyway.

To get started, this is the perfect mic.

That's what I started with, and I wouldn't have changed anything.

SH
 
I know I got here a little late, but did anyone mention the SM-57?

Not only is it a workhorse, not only is it rugged, not only does it have immediate as well as long lasting uses, not only is it versatile, not only is it inexpensive... it doesn't need phantom power.

I don't recall the original poster (Schnoops) mentioning preamps or mixing boards. Thus, if Schnoops is using an old Tascam cassette recorder or even a mic input on a soundcard, then a phantom power supply is necessary for a condensor mic. Yes, a nice preamp is extremely useful. However, then we jack the price of a beginner's mic up to (at least) 3x the cost of a $89 (or so) SM-57. Stick with the SM-57.
 
I am sad, not because there is anything wrong with the SM57; No! Actually, I promise you all; I will pull it from its loyal Neutric plug tonight and sleep with it!

Please do not agree to much, say something bad about it please !!!!

Please, please, please, I give up, but please let there be somebody that actually can help me on my last trip to the end where there will be no SM57’s anymore.

Tell me that I’ve sinned, but that I’m forgiven.

Tell me that it was all a dream. There are no microphones; Jan you are back! The seventies embrace you, don’t worry, you trustworthy Peyvey amp is waiting for you.

I love you all,

Jan
 
Now here's the Beginner package...

Got a flyer from GC today... (yeah, I hate GC, but this they can't screw up)

Free stand
Free cable
SM57 $79.99
-or-
SM58 $99.99

So beginner person, starter of the great "Get a 57" thread.....



Get a 57!!!

Queue
 
Jan said:
I am sad, not because there is anything wrong with the SM57; No! Actually, I promise you all; I will pull it from its loyal Neutric plug tonight and sleep with it!

Please do not agree to much, say something bad about it please !!!!

Please, please, please, I give up, but please let there be somebody that actually can help me on my last trip to the end where there will be no SM57’s anymore.

Tell me that I’ve sinned, but that I’m forgiven.

Tell me that it was all a dream. There are no microphones; Jan you are back! The seventies embrace you, don’t worry, you trustworthy Peyvey amp is waiting for you.

I love you all,
Jan



There there,Jan...You feel better now!..Ok grab those flowers...Remember we gotta sell all of them at the airport tonight!Hari krishner Hari hari......LOL

Don
Click to expand...
 
"Use it as a hammer instead, "

Last time I heard someone say that I fell of my fuckn dynasaur.
Remember years ago when all anybody knew about the 57 was you could dip it in your beer and use it as a hammer and it will just sound better.
Well its fuckn true.

For some reason my oldest 57 (I have 4) sounds slightly better. No I didn't dip it in beer or bang it or....When I test that one with a brand new one, the old one (20 plus years old) has a slightly, more detailed looking wave form. Same tone though.
I also was able to take a beta 57 home to test, compare.
In my opinion the new beta 57 sucks. You can buy two old 57's for the price of the beta57.
 
I think the best all around mic for a beginner or as a first mic would be....

WAIT! I already said a 57 somewhere up there.

Oh well...get one of those 3000 dollar Bell tube mics. That way when you realize how much you hate it (like me), you can sell it. Just think of how many 57s THAT would buy!! wow.

(disclaimer- I never owned a Bell but sometimes work with a buddy at a large studio that has two of em....I hate those things...just me.:rolleyes: )


heylow
Rock Jedi/Indie Snob
www.heylowsoundsystem.net
 
Wouldn't the best mic for a beginner be one of those $20 jobs you can get at Circuit City?

Ok, I confess, I really just wanted an excuse to see my post count go up. An SM57 will probably serve you very well, based on popular opinion.

-Shaz
 
I'd have to agree with the majority here.
The SM57 is a good tough all around mic for the beginner.
There are others out there that are probably as good, but for learning to use a mic, dropping it, repremending your bass player, the 57 comes to mind first.

About twenty five years ago a band I played with had somekind of really cheap Radio Shack mic. I can't recall the model right off hand, but it sounded really good. It was one of those free give-a-ways Radio Shack use to have, back in the old days. We had three female backup singers crowded around it.
Radio Shack mics come to mind second.
 
mic

I don't know about youse guys, but my 1st mic was a SM-57, and yes it was the Unidyne III. I still use it 20 years later - I think it sounds better now than it did when I bought it (I traded a Gibson Epiphone for it at the music store). That being said, are the newer models as good?
 
Jan, you're crazy. On the other hand, you've really boosted your post count on this topic!

I think someone here posted a fairly informative topic about his microphone test CD... In any case, the bottom line was, even engineers with very good ears could often not tell the difference between recordings made with an SM-57 and a lot of very expensive condenser mics. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, maybe it was Mark H? (at least I know he posted about the preamp CD)...
 
I'm looking for a good all around mic for a beginner.

Maybe even a used one.
It should be good for guitar, vocals, bass, harmonica, drums, even a violin..
It must be good for live gigs too.
I like to sing punk rock sometimes, needs to sound good with that.
I want to always be able to use it, must last a long time.
One that works well for when I impersonate Roger Daltrey.
I seen a nice mic at Butch Vig's infamous Smart Studio, but didn't catch the name.
It would be a plus if Phil Collins likes it.
I want to use it even if I have a locker full of expensive mics.
It can't be a niche mic, must be an all-round mic.
It should not be expensive, one that doesn't need phantom power, and very consistant from one to the other.
Should sound like a Rode condenser mic, but not exactly.
One that's used in every world class studio.
It still has to work if I drop it a few thousand times.
One that I can use as a hammer.
Or maybe a drum stick.
Or even a weapon.
It has to survive being dropped into my beer (i'm a klutz!) and still sound better!
It should be tight and very dirrectional.
I want a mic that rarely ever sounds like total shit.
A mic that will never be outgrown.
I mean I want the swiss army knife of mics.
If I get blood on it, it should wipe off easy.
It has to be indestructable.
Maybe something manufactured in China but still American.
A mic for a beginner that simply cannot be beat.
I want the least expensive REAL mic on the market- and it must be a way classy real mic, too.
The mic I want should be more load sensitive than a lot of other mics.
It should be dynamic and incredibly flexible.
I mean I want a classic dynamic microphone.
One that can almost take anything and is durable.
It MUST BE a workhorse, rugged, it should have immediate as well as long lasting uses, be versatile, and inexpensive... plus it shouldn't need phantom power.
I want a mic that I can't go wrong with.
I need a good deal on one maybe with a free cable and stand, for under a hundred bucks. Yes that would be nice.
And I DON'T want one of those $20 jobs you can get at Circuit City.
Remeber, a good tough all around mic for the beginner.
Something I can learn to use, maybe drop it, and still repremend my bass player with.
I want a mic that will sound better 20 years after I buy it.
I want a mic that even engineers with very good ears can't tell the difference between recordings made with my mic and a lot of very expensive condenser mics.

Oh and one more thing, Jan has to like it!

Anyone have any thoughts on the Shure SM-57?

A1MixMan
 
If it's good enough for John Lennon, it's good enough for me... put me down for a '57.
 
Uh-huh

I realize this thread died a month ago, but if you're still getting updates, I gotta' side with "Jan." Yes, I'm a die hard fan of the SM57/58 for gigging. You can drop 'em, kick 'em, spill beer all over them, and then run over them with the van, and they'll still perform a decade later...all for about $100.

However, since this was a recording question, look at the "Studio Projects" C1 (condenser mic). You can get one for about $200, and SOME people swear they sound as good as a U87 (which may mean nothing to you, but the Neumann U87 is an expensive damned microphone - my vocals have never had the luxury of being recorded with a U87, so I don't know if they're similar or not, but the C1 is great). I've also got an AKG C3000 that I bought used on ebay for $199 which works great for recording acoustic instruments. Again, it's a condenser microphone, and I wouldn't gig with it, but you can't beat it for "studio" recording.

Bottom line is that since the time I began recording with condensers (hell, ANY condenser) my tracks stopped sounding quite so "homemade." The extra $100 is very well spent on a decent condenser.

p.s. They'll still have to pry my SM58 from my cold, dead fingers once I'm gone.

p.p.s. If Phil Collins has really recorded a studio vocal on an SM/57 in the last decade, ummm...more power to him, but I won't believe it without some proof.
 
Again, without having read thru the more educated posts I submit: I'm one of the bozos that bought 3 (three!) radio shack mics. No wonder I thought my voice sucked! Then I thought I'd upgrade to a serious "XLR recording" mic like the pros! Samson R-11. Oh boy!

Ok, so buyong a "beginner" mic is kinda like a "beginner" guitar. Why, when you're new to something would you buy the cheapest peice of junk on the market to get an idea of what the potentials are?
Spend a few bucks on a 58 or a 57 and remember what I'm sure these guys have already said about a decent preamp. The mic has to have a fair chance to do its thing.
 
Dunno about the '57, but Collins likes the RE-20 for studio vocals. Turned Clapton onto it, too, when he was drumming for him. Now, mind you, I violently hate Phil Collins, but these guys can afford anything and they've been using mics you can get for $369 new. There's little you can't record well with the RE-20 (kick drum, bass, guitar, vocal, kitchen sink), so it'd be pretty ideal. Just a bit out of beginner price range, though, and too heavy for some cheap ass stands. I don't think many large diaphragm condensors are as versatile, but that's why you need more than one mic. An RE-20 with it solid steel housing will last you a lifetime or more. Do you think a p-o-s import with spun brass housing will? I want to collect mics, not replace them.

Hell, I've already weighed in on this stuff before. Maybe I should clarify some of my rationale. I aspire to have a modest but complete mic locker that covers all my bases. Within my current budget ranges for new mics, dynamics are where I can afford "best of breed" selections, so I'll make lifetime purchases there. Thankfully, I've found good bargains on small diaphragm condensor mics that are very workable for my purposes and save me from what would have been more expensive purchases of mics still only of middling quality. My long term plans, when my budget allows, are to invest in T.H.E. or MBHO modular mics for small diaphragm condensor duties, and a few large diaphragm condensors under $2000 to do stellar work at their tasks. In my mind, the imports are a false economy if you are only going to buy a better model that supplants it at a later point. I get great results with my dynamics and the occasional loaner or rental convinces me that I can work within my means and wait for the real deal. Your mileage will almost certainly vary.

Bear
 
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