who make good diagraph mics

[pashdog]

i need a large diagraph mic to record vocals and a pre amp but don't know much about the topic, who make good diagraph mics and pre amps. also do i need a preamp to hook up a midi keyboard and drum machine to my sound card. and what does that circular screen that i see infront of peoples microphone? is it a filter and do i need one? and review research suggestions?

 

[jnorman]

there are lots of discussions in the archives about a variety of entry-level large diaphragm condenser mics. do a search for AKG C3000, AT 4033, AT 4050, Rode NT-1, etc. there are many choices for mic pres, and a very common inexpensive one that folks use to "warm" up their vocals is the little ART tube MP. you do not need a preamp to input any line level signal to a soundcard (synths and drum machines are line level devices). the circular screen is a pop filter, and yes, they are recommended for vocal recording. there are tons of resources available on line - do some searches and do some reading.