btw, i'm not necessarily only going to buy one mic, in fact id prefer to have more mics. maybe an SM57 + a small-diaphragm condenser (+ that SM58 she has)?

i've also seen some GC packages such as an Audio Technica one that was a small- and large- diapragm pair of condensers for like $150.

I'm totally open to spending that $400 in any way.

Check out
http://www.apexelectronics.com/

They are cheap and usable.

You should certainly just get a 57 no question. If you're bent on a budget SDC check out this little puppy for $99.

Distroyr

I picked one up on a whim and couldn't believe how good it sounded on my acoustic. I even used it (paired with a 57) on distorted electric guitars and came away pretty impressed.

I'm sure other will chime in with some equally good recommendations.

Good luck.

thanks, will definately put that MXL 640 on my list to listen to

help, anyone else? in a nutshell, if you had $400 to spend on mics and only had an SM58, what would you do for recording acoustic & electric guitars, piano, male and female vocals, and perc.

im more and more leaning towards getting an SM57 and a good (or a good pair of) SDC(s). I think I can use the SM58 for vox, the 57 for anything electric, and then the SDC can cover acoustic guitars and pianos and percussion. Later on down the road I can invest in a good LDC or a nice pre.

reccomendations...?

also i've noticed a lot of package deals that are one SDC and one LDC - such as the MXL 990/993 ($199 for both), MXL 992/993 ($299), AT2020/At2021 ($149 for both) etc...

I would buy apex 460 and make a few mods. Like adding a Peluso CEK-89 capsule, or a cinemag transfomer. $270 for the mic and $130 for the capsule = Nice mic for ACU GTR

ehhh...im a little iffy about modifying mics myself

and thats still a bit pricey

some models ive been checking out
-AKG Perception 150
-MXL 604 (see above)
-Rode NT1-A (LDC)
-AT4041

anybody ever hear any of these?

if anybody cares, heres the list of what I'm going to listen to at GC before I buy anything:

-MXL 993 condensers stereo pair ($249)
-MXL 990/993 package ($199)
-MXL 992/993 package ($299)
-MXL 604 ($200 for 2)
-MXL 2003/603S package ($169)
-AKG Perception 150 pair ($179)
-AT2041 package (consists of a AT2020 and AT2021) ($149)

obviously there are about a million different options in my price range just from MXL and AT alone, especially if I start to get into LDCs, but I think i should find one option in that list that satisfies me for recording acoustic guitar, piano, etc.

especially since no matter what im also getting an SM57.

The audio technica mics are very decent, and I like them more than the MXLs mostly because they have detail in the top end rather than a glassy sheen like the mxls do. The packages you're looking at are 2 small diaphragm condensers, one is just end address while the other is side address. They will still sound different, but not as different as you'd get with a large diaphragm mic like an at4040. Getting those 2 and the 57 will be a great way to start. Then again the Rode NT1a can work great with acoustic guitar and vocals... it will just depend on your vocalist and guitar you're recording.

You're on a budget, you're new at this, you don't have a lot of cash, you're just starting out......

Go with any of the MXL's that fit your needs and budget. You'll be fine for now. In a few years, assuming you stick with it, you can upgrade and get better stuff to match your abilities and your chops.

Most of all, get what you can afford for now, and make music.

if i were you, i wouldn't get hung up on what GC would charge for a mic...the used market knocks down some serious cash on some serious mics. for example, i bought an at-4033a for $150 on ebay not too long ago in a package that came with a m-audio nova. granted, i have no intention of ever using the nova, but the 4033a is a steal for $150!!! there are great mics out there, you just have to be willing to look for them and not necessarily have them be brand spankin' new.

as far as mics i'd look for, i'd look around for a set of rode nt5s on ebay. i've seen these mics go for as low as $275 before and they're great for everything from drum overheads to acoustic guitars to...anything. i also have a set of rode nt2-a mics that are awesome as well if you want to get a LDC that are $400 new, but again, ebay has them much cheaper.

-dave

JoeH wrote: You're on a budget, you're new at this, you don't have a lot of cash, you're just starting out......

Go with any of the MXL's that fit your needs and budget. You'll be fine for now. In a few years, assuming you stick with it, you can upgrade and get better stuff to match your abilities and your chops.

Most of all, get what you can afford for now, and make music.

The last point is the most important. Whatever you get will be enough to get you going as long as you concentrate on music instead of gear. With that said, keep in mind that you will keep whatever SM57s you buy for as long as you record - even if, say, the MXLs or the Rodes will sound marginally better or things like acoustic guitar right now.

I just wanted to put in a plug for the Rode NT1-A. It's a fantastic mic for the price and well worth having. I like it for acoustic guitars or vocals - male or female - as well as guitar amps. It really does many things well and has a really low self noise.

NT1A ENDORSEMENT:
I'm sure there are other people on this board that are MUCH more capable of providing BETTER examples than this, but here's a 30 second clip of a little diddy I recorded for my bosses' friend with a NT1A.

http://homepage.mac.com/freesignal

This is one of the first recordings I did with this mic. This was a single take; recording both the vocals and the acoustic guitar with just the NT1A. Any noise you hear is almost guaranteed to be ambient or from the singer or the guitar (which you can hear some faint buzzing from). As the previous poster stated, this mic has very low self noise. I'm still pretty 'wet around the ears' when it comes to recording but at least you know that you can get this level of quality with that mic, with practice I'm sure you could do better. :wink:

Hope this helps.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the above sample is raw, no effects or anything. Just the mic, room, guitar, and singer.

you should get an sm57 and one of these

http://www.violet-design.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=78&Itemid=102

pretty cheap for a sdc and sounds great!

I would get one single mic that sounds great on both vocals and acoustic guitar. My recommendation is for a Shure KSM27 LDC.

It does a great job alone on acoustic, and I used it a lot before getting a pair of SM81s. It cost me $249 from GC at the time, not sure what they go for now.

I still use it in combination with the 81s on acoustic.

It's also still my main vocal mic.

Sennheiser e906. That works for everything if you know how to tweak EQ a bit. Yeah. $400 is not going to get you a good tube mic., maybe a passable one, but not a good one. I like the Audix OM5 too: it's great for vocals and sounds surprisingly decent on everything else. These are solid mics. that can be used for everything, regardless of your style of music. If you really want a tube mic., start saving.

Hi there,

I figured I'd be a well-behaved poster and piggy-back on this thread rather than start another 'what-mic-should-I-buy' thread.

I'm in a similar situation to the original poster here, I'm just starting to slowly build up a small collection of good mics for my home studio.

So far I've also followed the "just get something and make music" principle---using a semi-decent APEX LDC. Now I have a little more money to devote to this.

I'm also trying to finish up some recordings and am feeling like I need something other than a LDC for some of the instruments I'm recording: namely a glockenspiel, kalimba and ukelele.

What I'm getting from this thread is that I'd be pretty well set up for a small studio if I were to pick up :

- an SM57
- a Rode NT1-A
- and maybe a set of Rode NT5s

I'm never recording more than one thing at a time and never recording drums, mainly it's vocals and the above small instruments (and a room full of synths...heh heh).

So after all this musing, my question to you guys is for my purposes now of just finishing up some recordings, do you think I'd be okay to just get an SM57 to track some small instruments? My plan would be invest in the Rode(s) later for future recordings.

Or should I bite the bullet and get a set of NT5s because they will slay when it comes to recording the glock?

any input will be greatly appreciated.

:)

Polly -

If this is to add those instruments as overdubs into an existing recording, then use an SM57 for now and add them as mono tracks panned to the required position in the stereo sound field.

If on the other hand you are talking about making solo recordings of a glock or kalimba, you may want to consider something like a pair of NT5s to give an implicit stereo image. I always recommend going for a matched pair of NT55s rather than the NT5s, as the interchangeable cardioid/omni capsules give more versatility for very little extra cost.

Get the SM57 anyway, as you always should have at least one of those in your mic collection.

Boswell wrote: Polly -

If this is to add those instruments as overdubs into an existing recording, then use an SM57 for now and add them as mono tracks panned to the required position in the stereo sound field.

If on the other hand you are talking about making solo recordings of a glock or kalimba, you may want to consider something like a pair of NT5s to give an implicit stereo image. I always recommend going for a matched pair of NT55s rather than the NT5s, as the interchangeable cardioid/omni capsules give more versatility for very little extra cost.

Get the SM57 anyway, as you always should have at least one of those in your mic collection.

Thank you for your reply. I ended up going and getting the SM57, just to give me some options for now, and as you said because I really can't go wrong with adding a SM57 to my collection (the "little black dress" of the microphone world...heh heh).

I talked to the guy at the store about the NT5s, but he actually seemed to confirm what I worried about from the online reviews I had read: that they might be a little too bright for recording something like a glock when what you want is to be toning down any harsh frequencies.

I guess stereo overheads will be a new research project for me as it looks like I'm also soon going to have a marimba on my hands (!).

Thanks for the advice. :)