So I just checked out this microphone for the guitar (in the future I'm at least gonna buy 1 for my guitar) here's what I found...
This
guitar mic:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Behringer-ECM8000-Microphone-100887330-i1126588.gc
So it can be plugged right into my
Line 6 audio interface:
http://www.8thstreet.com/product.asp?ProductCode=60669&Category=Audio_Interfaces
They are both good mics. Excellent ones, at their wicked low price points. The ECM8000 is an omnidirectional mic. This means it does not produce "proximity effect", meaning producing more bass when the source gets real close. Ultrasmall diaphragm mics like ECM8000 tend to be a little noisy by design. The V67 (the G just means green) is a whole different animal, and will give you the contrast of a large diaphragm mic. First, contemplate this: Here are 2 devices meant to accurately record sound, and the results are so different!
Then, stop the limited linear thinking of, "Mic A is for guitar and Mic B is for vocals". They're just mics. You might find, in a good room, that you like putting the V67 on the 12th fret of the acoustic at say, 12-14" and the ECM8000 backed off 3-5' or more, as an ambient (room) mic. Or- you can put the 8000 on the 12th fret or the lower bout, up close so you can turn the gain way down. I've seen the little bugger used on a kick drum! Unless your tastes are pretty weird, I don't think it will be a go-to mic for vocals, but you can be sure if you sing while you are playing, the little omni will pick up plenty of your vocals. I think of ultrasmall diaphragm mics like the fish-eye lens in the motel door. They see big because they are small. The V67 will probably be the main vocal mic, but... Don't look now, but you are beginning a "microphone cabinet".
The next mic will be a good dynamic. Another attempt to accurately translate sound into an electronic signal and then back again that doesn't sound the same. The dynamic is the Yang to the condenser's yin. Like an acoustic and an electric, they work on different principles. With either, the room you are in will be a huge factor in whatever sound you can get. An acoustic and a condenser will really bring that out. You know you might have a gain staging problem when you are listening to the breathing and heartbeat of your cat. If someone sets off a firecracker, good luck. Then you will learn what limiters do (or don't). Either one of those mics, set up properly, can hear my wristwatch ticking at twelve paces! Get ready to hear sounds in your recording space that you haven't heard before. Sorry, it goes with the territory. At that point, all this stuff everybody is saying about room sound will start to come into sharper focus. Think of it as "acoustic culture shock".
Of that pair of mics, I bet you wind up using the 67 on most stuff. I'd probably spend the other $50 on a used good basic dynamic- Shure SM57, Sennheiser e835, AKG D770- any of those. Better yet, find an old discontinued AKG D320. There are 3 models, a,b, and c. Doesn't matter much which. Although usually more expensive, sometimes you can find some used deals on the upper tier of dynamic mics-Shure SM7, Sennheiser MD421, Electrovoice RE-20. If you find any of those at a price you can afford, grab it. You will never regret it, assuming the mic works in the first place. Beware of cheap Chinese knock-offs of common mics like SM57 and e835.
The ECM8000 is, of course, a Chinese mic, as is the V67. Unfortunately, your current budget will drive you to Chinese mics. As they go, those are both useful ones. That's one of the reasons I like that D320- good ol' Austrian engineering. When you hit that with a drumstick, you check the stick for damage! The 67 is a good all-purpose entry level condenser, and the ECM8000 is a quirky little mic that has uses. I own a pair. If you are really short of cash, Behringer does build a pretty good *very* cheap dynamic, XM8500. For $20 new, it appears to be a pretty good knock-off of an AKG D8000. I have to say I am surprised by what a good basic dynamic mic it is. -Richie
thank you!!
!