[Star-Strewn]

What's a good starter mic for someone just looking to get into singing? Ideally, spending $50 or less. Any suggestions would be helpful, as I have no idea where to start!

[Neblix]

Originally Posted by Star-Strewn

What's a good starter mic for someone just looking to get into singing? Ideally, spending $50 or less. Any suggestions would be helpful, as I have no idea where to start!

Guitar Hero mic.

I kid you not, those things are sick.

[dannthr]

Maybe a used Shure SM58

Buying a microphone is an investment.

Here's an example:

In 2000, I bought a small condenser microphone (AKG C1000s) for about $200.

Price of an AKG C1000s 12 years later?

$200.

This stuff doesn't depreciate, it's an investment that will always retain its value.

Don't be afraid to save up and spend some real money on a good microphone.

For stage vocals, you might be able to find a Shure SM58 for around $50, but you don't have a lot to choose from at that price range.

A vocal mic for studio recording, you'll want a large diaphragm condenser microphone... eventually.

[Garpocalypse]

I have a AKG D8000s and it works great for what I paid for it.

A few years ago i bought a pack of picks from guitar center online, a few weeks later I receive a $50 AKG mic in the mail. Then I get a notice saying that while they were restructuring there warehouses a number of orders may have shipped incorrectly and they apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank you Guitar Center.

[Magellanic]

I have to agree with dannthr here. Audio equipment, generally (there are exceptions) doesn't really depreciate in value, especially if its good quality. Depending on the style of music and your own unique voice will determine how good a microphone will be for you. If you have no idea about where to start, start with a dynamic mic like a SM58. If you're really wanting to keep on budget, go for the PG58. I use the PG57 for my guitar work and if you use the mic correctly, it will take a real audio hotshot to point out its not an SM57.
If you fancy going for a condenser microphone, then I'd definitely reccommend Rode's NT1A. You can even buy it bundled with a pop-shield. Its around £100 so....$150-170 I'd guess. Most of Rode's microphones are fantastic for their price and the quality is top notch. They even have lifetime guarantees!

[dannthr]

I've heard that the AKG C3000b, which has been discontinued:

http://www.akg.com/site/products/pow...nguage,EN.html

Is very similar to the AKG C214 capsule, if you can find it used, you might be able to get between $100-200 for it.

Used gear is great as long as it was cared for and was used in a non-smoking studio.

[Xarnax42]

I really know pretty much zilch about recording, but it was a discussion about it when I first heard the term audio interface. It'll be several months before I'll have anywhere I can even think about recording, so I haven't really looked into it yet, but if I understood correctly, if you want a decent recording, plugging the mic straight into your computer is not a good idea, right? If that's correct, it seems like a discussion that newbies like us would want to have at the same time as the mic one.

[Shadix]

sm58 is all you will ever need.

[dannthr]

[source] => [microphone] => [cable] => [mic preamplifier] => [analog to digital converter] => [computer]

Many audio interfaces (not all) have mic pres built in, but the quality depends a lot on the components used in the manufacturing process and ultimately, nothing quite competes with the sound of a really good mic pre.

The SM58 is a dynamic mircophone, meaning it relies on sound pressure to power the transducer.

Condenser microphones require phantom voltage to power them allowing them to be far more sensitive than a dynamic microphone resulting in greater captured detail.

Ribbon microphones do not use phantom power and require a great deal of gain, more gain than most standard audio interfaces come equipped to offer. Due to their construction, they tend to capture sound more like the human ear does allowing them to pair well with a high detailed large diaphragm condenser.

All micrphones have a different quality of sound and capture and all micrphones sound different paired with different microphone preamplifiers.

One microphone won't be enough forever but the SM58 is great for stage work since it's not detailed enough to pick up stage noises/crowd noises.

But if you've ever been to a concert, you'll note that most of the time, the quality is not as good as the studio version of the track--that's not all production polish, a lot has to do with recording in a controlled environment with high quality equipment.

[DusK]

The sound quality is still really good for a dynamic mic. Yeah, there are condensers that beat it, but on a budget, you can't go wrong with an SM58.