Recommendations on a Mic

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Jtvd78

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Hey guys, I'm new to the forums. My brother likes to do cscreamo covers of songs and post them on YouTube, but right now, he uses his webcam Mic to record his vocals. For Christmas, he wants to get an actual Mic.

He refuses to buy a sound card for his computer, and doesn't want all this fancy equipment. He just wants to go for a USB Mic. I tries to convince him otherwise, but he wound listen. I do not know a lot about Mics, so that why im asking this question.

My bother really wants the Blue Yeti Mic, but knowing him, he did almost no research on it. I just want to know if he is making the right choice for his price range, or if you guys have any other suggestions.

Thanks
-Jtvd78
 
hey man, Shure SM58 all the way. very good cheap mic and it will last forever.
then all you need is a lead that is XLR to TRS and a 1/4inch to 1/8 inch TRS converter. this will allow him to plug it into the standard 'mic in' on his computer.

i would stay away from usb mics, the option i suggested will work perfectly on any computer/laptop. you dont need any special sound cards or anything.

hope that helps
 
Out of curiousity, what's wrong with a USB mic.
And also, he has a junk Dell computer with horrible onboard sound. Wouldn't that reduce the audio quality?
 
Nothing is really 'wrong' with usb mic's. In my opinion you are just far better off with a nice xlr microphone like the sm58. They are very very easy to setup; using the 'mic in' port and that converter i mentioned (most standard soundcards will be fine for recording audio intended for youtube). If he ever wants to experiment further with an interface or maybe singing for a band the sm58 will still be perfect.

hope that helps
 
With that setup there will likely be some latency / A/V sync issues using an external mic and a webcam for the capture. Depending on the capture specs, the software and the speed of the computer. Enough of an issue at times for the not tech types to just go with what they know. If it's not a particularly good webcam, you might consider other devices like a Zoom Q3 or Kodak Zi8 to be used instead of his webcam. Sub in a cheap-ish camcorder mic to plug in or not. Still roughly the same cash without the sync issues.
 
Shadow_7 said:
With that setup there will likely be some latency / A/V sync issues using an external mic and a webcam for the capture. Depending on the capture specs, the software and the speed of the computer. Enough of an issue at times for the not tech types to just go with what they know. If it's not a particularly good webcam, you might consider other devices like a Zoom Q3 or Kodak Zi8 to be used instead of his webcam. Sub in a cheap-ish camcorder mic to plug in or not. Still roughly the same cash without the sync issues.
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When I said recording from a wabcam, I mean using the audio only. then he adds several layers of audio, to make his cover. He doesn't need any video for this.
 
Jtvd78 said:
When I said recording from a wabcam, I mean using the audio only. then he adds several layers of audio, to make his cover. He doesn't need any video for this.
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USB mics are not particularly good at "layers". They're meant for podcasters and skype. If you want to add a vocal to an existing track, serviceable. If you want to create said existing track(s) via the microphone, problematic. But many means to an end.
 
When I told him about the SM58, he said that He's heard of it, and that he'd be fine with it, but he did ask if you guys have even heard of the blue yeti. He still seems like he wants it . Also, I looked up the SM58, and I saw somewhere that I would need something to boost the Mic before he can record on his computer. Is this true?

He will also bbe using it for recording, and it seems like a live mic. Does that really makea difference?
 
I've heard of the Yeti. I've even seen it on craigslist a few times. Of the USB mics, it is probably one of the better ones. But no hands on with it for me. Not the only option with a Zoom H1 being about $100-ish as well. Three mic elements and selectable pattern for the Yeti, but for $100-ish, just what compromises were made? What limits? And do those limits prevent you from doing what you want/need to do with it?
 
I think you should get him some sort of usb solution. He'll be much better off by bypassing the computers analog sound card. My suggestion would be to get an SM58 and a USB adapter. Blue actually has an affordable USB adapter called the Icicle.
 
The Yeti is good for what it is (looks very cool at lest) but isn't going to be good for what your bro wants to do unless he wants to be very low-fi.
Go for the 58 if that is all you can talk him into.







:cool:
 
If I can talk him into something else, then what would be the best thing to get? Is the 58 and an adaptor his best bet?
 
Well how much is in the budget then we can talk about what you (and your bro) should be doing to do this up right and not have to fix whats wrong again in a few months.
And is this just a passing fad or is this something worth putting the time and money into?







:cool:
 
Most USB mics really seem to be designed for pod-casting and not serious recording - and, of course, the computer standard sound-card is pretty useless.

Normally the easiest way is to get a USB adaptor like the CEntrance MicPort Pro. It has a decent mic. pre-amp with 48V phantom power, 24/96 recording and a decent headphone amp.

mpp_main.jpg


You can go better, of course, like the Focusrite Saffire series; but the CEntrance is a good starting point and a good portable device.

I hope this helps.
 
If used is an option. For $200-ish you can get a capable used USB interface and an XLR mic. Maybe even an XLR cable and mic stand too so you can get a little further than 3' from the FAN of the computer. For $400-ish you can get a Zoom H4n, with XLR input, doubles as a soundcard, and can be a stand alone device with multi-track abilities. At $600 there's a whole litter of devices you can get. At $1K-ish you're in the pro market for at least part of the chain.

Lots of options but near $100 (MSRP of Yeti), your options are very limited. It really depends on how good is good enough. And of course how you handle the results. It's possible to make really cheap gear sound kind of good with the proper room, source, distance from the mic, and editing in post. But not always an easy or intuitive thing to have happen.

If he's truly making do with his webcam mic, and that's good enough. The an all in one USB mic is probably a viable option. But if it's not good enough, buy cheap buy twice generally applies. And most cheap gear has no resale value or resale market.
 
So thanks for the recommendations. He is looking around 100 a little more if necessary. I am thinking he should get the 58 plus something like the MicPort Pro. But do the XLR to USB converters have to cost that much?
 
i have used the setup i mentioned previously with very cheap laptops (asus eeepc) to record jams. if you get a program like audacity (which is free, small, user friendly and open source) you can import the track you want to cover and layer vocal tracks over the top.

i have not had latency issues, but i believe you can make adjustments in audacity.
 
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