Hey guys! I’m trying to find a decent mic to record some radio ads for our company. (Im not trying to start a professional recording studio, I just need a decent mic that will sound good for a simple vocal radio ad) I already have a MacbookPro and Soundtrack Pro 2. I’ve been reading around and have had a hard time figuring out what mic to get. These are what I was thinking of
Samson C01U USB MIC
Seemed pretty decent to me but some people seemed to give USB mic’s crap.
MXL 990
seemed like a decently priced mic. Of course with that I would need a mixer or some sort of direct box that provides phantom power and lets me connect to my computer via USB.. I found this “MXL Mic Mate XLR To USB Inline Preamp and A/D Converter” that should do the trick..
Are either of these a decent mic for recording radio ads? What one would you recommend? Any help would be much appreciated! THANKS!
-Jon
Comments
As far as I know the Electro Voice mike is pretty good due to th
As far as I know the Electro Voice mike is pretty good due to the fact that there is little to no proximity effect maybe not within your budget if you are considering a Samson or MXL so I am going to agree with the SM58 and perhaps suggest an AT2020 that has a lot of low end and it may fit your budget.
NOTE: They make a USB 2020 as well.
Zoro.
The SM58 is a great mic for vocalists but is not the first choic
The SM58 is a great mic for vocalists but is not the first choice for the spoken word. It certainly will work,but...You might want to try out the G-Track
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GTrackUSB/ The G-Track offers a second input for guitar or bass and you may have no use for that so the SAmson you listed might be a better option.
The EV mic is quite a step up in cost and quality but still will require an interface of some sort. The investment in this quality of mic and then putting it through a cheap $50.00 interface like the Mic Mate seems to be a little silly to me.
Mics are an item chosen for their individual application, so to make a wise choice it is whatever is best suited to your voice. The best way to find that out is to go somewhere and try them out. Do you have some type of recording software? Because that might be a consideration also, most of the USB mics come bundled with a software package for recording the EV and the SM58, will not.
There are a bunch of different interfaces all in the same genera
There are a bunch of different interfaces all in the same general price range and none outstandingly better than another (in this $ range.) They come with recording software, built in preamps, digital conversion and monitoring capabilties. Here is one as an example
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/US122L/
The next step up are things like the Presonus Firebox, TC Konnect 8, and so on and so on up the food chain. I think I would go with something at least in the Presonus, TC range with this quality of mic but better equip means better sound. After recording are you sending the track out to be mixed or are you planning on doing that yourself?
"Lots of low end" on a VO is usually not a good idea. The RE-20
"Lots of low end" on a VO is usually not a good idea. The RE-20 ( and RE-27) are great because of their tight pattern that minimizes picking up the room acoustics. The SM7 is designed for broadcast work, and the Heil PR30 is good for that, too. If you can swing it, avoid the USB mics, they haven't turned out as well as planned. Pop for a mic pre with a USB output, you'll get better gain, less noise than a USB-equipped mic.
EV RE20 has been pretty standard for radio and radio ads for a l
EV RE20 has been pretty standard for radio and radio ads for a long time. My professor who has been doing voice over work for his entire career stands by it. The SM58 works if you are on a budget though.
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