What would you do?

[zackformula]

This kind of goes along with my previous thread but I need some more advice.

This is what I have:

AT4040
Shure 57
ATM25
Studio Projects C4 (pair)

I want to be able to record myself (guitar amp and vocals) and my drummer practicing (decent demo quality hopefully). I have the budget for one more mic right now (up to $250).

What would you do with what I have and which other mic would you buy?

thanks for your thoughts

 

[jkokura]

It's not easy to answer your question without knowing more about your other available gear. Like what are your pres? What are you using to record? What is the room like and what are you using to mix? You said these are just demo's - so are you gonna use these for practice or for distribution?

Not knowing the answers, I would actually not buy a mic, or if I did I would trade one that you have and get better ones - like getting a better LDC and trading in the 4040, or getting a better kick mic and trading the ATM25, or trading the C4's and getting a pair of MK012's.

Most likely I'd invest in monitors, or interface, or pres - maybe a DI. The mics you have will give you great demo tracks for guitars, vocals and drums. Thing is they won't do it at the same time, which isn't the easiest or most economical way to do things.

Most mics you buy at that price range will just be different and not better than the ones you have! There are some that are better, but the ones you have will give you great results. All it takes is 5 mics to make a bangup CD...

Jacob

 

[pohaku]

It looks like you pretty much have most things covered except perhaps for a good Toms mic (I've not used the 4040 so I'm not sure how that would work for Toms). I'd get a Sennheiser MD421 which is a good swiss army knife mic that is great on Toms and useful for a lot of other things like cabs and even vocals. Buy used and you should be able to get one in your price range -- @$200 or so with judicious shopping. It's a mic you will continue to use even when/if you upgrade your other gear. And if you buy it used at a decent price, you will pretty much always be able to sell it for about what you paid for it. It's a standard.

 

[ermghoti]

First thing I though was "used 421." Then I thought "used SM7."

 

[Middleman]

I'd push the budget a little and get the SM7B myself.

 

[Big Kenny]

AT4040 vocal
Shure 57 snare
ATM25 bass
Studio Projects C4 (pair) overheads
your choice of one of the following for cab:
sm 57
senn 421
beyer 201
senn 609
I'd pick either the beyer ot the senn, in that order

 

[pohaku]

Yeah, an SM7 would be nice too. A very useful mic on a lot of things. You may be able to find one used for @$250. Need a decent preamp though. Sucker does require some gain.

 

[Jburn34]

Yeah...you might want to hold off on the SM7 until you have something like an Avalon AD2022 or similar with a crapload of gain. You do have a 57 and an AT4040 which can cover a lot of ground.

I'd say either sell your C4's and get akg c451b's, or keep the C4's and get a Senn e609 silver, MD421 (great all around mic), or maybe stretch that budget a little and get a quality condenser of a different flavor: Groove Tubes MD1b-FET or GT50.

 

[zackformula]

thanks to everybody. just for reference I am using cubase and a mackie 1642 mixer. I will be recording in a basement room. cement floor and walls. I will be hanging stuff to help with reclections.

I've been thinking about the beyer 201 and the sennheiser md421. those might be the way to go.

anybody else use a sennheiser e609 or beyer 201 for guitar cab?

so is it the consensus that the c4's aren't very good?

thanks again.

 

[Big Kenny]

They'll be fine for oh's till you can afford better.

 

[pohaku]

The Beyer 201 is a great cab mic. Good on snare too.