prophetik music Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 after finally getting the rest of my hardware where i want it, it's time to upgrade my primary microphone. i've been doing all of my recording on a beat-up marshall MXL-something condenser that i picked up for 75$ in 2005. i'm looking for at least one, maybe two, new mics for use with my saxophone (no bari sax) and with vocals. they'll be recording through a focusrite saffire pro 40 into my discrete music-only DAW. i've looked around a bit, and have liked what i've seen for the ATM 450, cascade FAT HEAD II, and a few others. i'd prefer to spend less than 250$ per mic. if i'm going with two mics and not a more flexible option, though, there needs to either be a show-stopping performance difference or a price break to make it viable. i can't afford two brand-new mics right at the moment. i don't have a vocal booth or recording room yet, so this stuff is being purchased with the idea that i'll have that type of space within the next few years. any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicThHedgog Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 shure sm57 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SM57/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 the sm57 is a dynamic mic. i'm looking for a condenser. also, really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicThHedgog Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 the sm57 is a dynamic mic. i'm looking for a condenser.also, really? ohh did not read but sm57 is a great classical mic as well, it mic'd the president(i know its not relevent lol), it mic'd studio guitarist, drummers etc.... but if you need a condencer try this one if you dont already have it http://www.guitarcenter.com/MXL-MXL-990-Condenser-Microphone-with-Shockmount-103726204-i1126975.gc?source=4WFRWXX&CAWELAID=589359001 i think its cheaper on bestbuy or amazon, goes for $60-100. its a pretty good mic as well , he used it on his acustic (not sure on the guitar amp tho) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SenPi Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 prophetik: 99% of this guy's responses are him reading the title and giving a google answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicThHedgog Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 prophetik: 99% of this guy's responses are him reading the title and giving a google answer. i have a mxl 990 and i most dont google for responces, lol Edit: i realized i only use google for spelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyril the Wolf Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/80a15233981be556/index.html <--- I own these and they are good Also the EV Cardinal is great as well. For a couple years it was my sole mic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 prophetik: 99% of this guy's responses are him reading the title and giving a google answer. i OWN the 990 already. i'm trying to get an upgrade, not an old mic. also, 57s are great in the studio because of their high SPL and unique sound when getting, say, pumped-up amps at close range. note that this has nothing to do with what i'm asking for. cyril, what's that mic good at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshaggyfreak Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Check out some of the stuff from Kel Audio. They're a smaller company but they make some nice stuff. I was lucky enough to get the their first mic, the HM-1, when they first came out. It was only $89 then but it's $179 now. I use the HM-1 on a lot of stuff. Studio Projects also makes some great mics for the price. The B1 is a great all around condensor but I tend to use it more with female vocals or if I want to capture more nuances than the HM-1 gets. Karma Mics is another small company that I've purchased some stuff from. I have a pair of their tiny (and cheap) bullet mics that are really awesome. I believe their other stuff is supposed to be decent as well. Other than that, anything but Sure or Blue is a good way to go if you find something that fits into your budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 good info, there. i'll look into those companies more. i tend to prefer smaller companies for my audio components (grado/alessandro labs headphones, NHT monitors and sub, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshaggyfreak Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I'm kind of the same way. Sure, I have a lot of gear from the big companies but I will choose a smaller one when they have something good and affordable. I find out about a lot of them from reading Tape-op. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 but sm57 is a great classical mic as well You mean it's a 'classic' mic in the sense that it is used a lot in the studio I hope. Classical music recording engineers will slap you in the face if you suggest using a 57 as anything other then a joke, or close on percussion as a last resort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyril the Wolf Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?p=757667#post757667 This may be relevant to your interests. I found the EV Cardinal was good for micing sax bells, vocals (still use it) acoustic guitars and to a certain extent bass guitar, though I don't do that very often as I use digital processing. It works well with instruments that can sound tinny because the frequency response has a boost around 150-200 hz. It can make things sound muddy though, so the bass guitar thing can be inappropriate. Depends on the sound you want really, I LOVE warmer tones, so it was perfect for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris ~ Amaterasu Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I have/use the AT350 for micing my violin, it's the first and only mic I've used so far. It picks up a lot of the detail which I like, but it is quite quiet and it can pick up breath sounds etc. since it's so sensitive. I can post up some pics and stuff if you want, my one is for use with violin, but I know there is a really similar version of it where you can clip it onto brass instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicThHedgog Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 You mean it's a 'classic' mic in the sense that it is used a lot in the studio I hope.Classical music recording engineers will slap you in the face if you suggest using a 57 as anything other then a joke, or close on percussion as a last resort. yah pretty much mean classic as you said, i would not say its for classical music recording : P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshaggyfreak Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Oddly enough, my SM57 is the mic I always have set up at my desk if I want to do something quick. While it's not the best mic for every situation, you can do quite a bit with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 good stuff so far. keep it coming =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.