Hey,

im not a pro but i'll throw my 2cents in,

little hard to answer without knowing your budget, however i would take this approach. What do i love about a good mix? Slamin' kick drum, killer snare and good vocals, so i'd concentrate for now on getting mics that would help me in these areas.

little sansamp bass driver can get ya outta trouble for a bass sound. just D.I. it. For the money they are great too.

I 'd probably look at getting good workhorses too, couple shure 57's or beta 57's never go a stray, I dont know where you are located but the rode nt1 and nt2 are great condensors for the bucks, fairly cheap in Australia.

You mentioned polar patterns, you may be able to find a condensor that has a selection of 2 or 3 patterns.

good luck, do plenty of research before you buy!

Its not about which is a better product, but which is a better product for you.

Cheers,

Sammyg

You don't need a Sans Amp ... the KORG's both have a guitar/ bass direct input.

Are you going to be recording drums? If so you will need at least a kick drum mic (like the Audix D6 or an AKG D112 ... I favor the latter)... , a snare mic (Shure SM57), and two overheads (I like the Studio Projects C4's if your on a budget).

Will you be recording drums and guitars in one pass (live)? If so you will need another dynamic to place on a guitar amp while you use the DI input for bass ... good choices are another SM57 or a Sennheiser 421 ...

For vocals you will need some type of large diaphragm condenser ... IMO the closest thing to an all around condenser is the Audio Technica 4033 ... This is a midsize diaphragm mic ... and can be used on vocals, acoustic guitars.. overheads (you would need 2) horns and just about everything else that you might want to throw their way..

With either of the KORGS and these mics, ...

AKG D112
2 SM57's (or one Sennheiser 421 and a SM57)
SP C4 pair
ATM 4033

.... you should have just about everthing that you will want / need ...
If you can find someone to give you a good deal you should be able to bring it in for less than $1500 ...

Sorry to hijack this thread, but hopefully, it does add to the topic in some way...

Kurt:

It sounds like from the last couple of posts I have read from you about kick drum mics, that you are moving away from the Audix D6, and back toward the D112...what is up with that? I switched to the D6 based on yours (and other's) recommendation, and I still love it over the D112 or D12e for most rock stuff.

Any comments on the change of heart?

Thanks!

I recomended the D112 in this situation because the D112 has more "tick" and the KORG has a pretty limited EQ unless you use up an effect plug (theres only 8 allowed) with the P4 plug .... I suppose you could render the track with the P4 eq but what a hassel ...

Yeah, ... at first listen I was very enamored with the Audix D6 .... but after some time I started moving back towards the good ole' D112 ...

While I really like the sound of the D6 (especially when basics are being recorded) by the time everything else gets overdubbed and compression is applied over the whole mix, the kick loses definition ... something that almost never happens with the D112 ...

I have found the D6 to work very well on floor toms and bass amps however, so it has not turned out to be a waste of money... and there are still situations where the D6 sounds better on some kick drums .. Some drummers really hate that "baset' ball hitting the pavement" sound the D112 has and in those cases it's nice to have an alternitive.

It does really depend on what you're doing...if you really do only need one microphone, I'd probably recommend an Audio Technica 4040 or 4050. The 4050 is a little more versatile because of its multiple polar patterns, which may be more useful than you think. In addition to obvious things like picking up more of a room sound or more of an ensemble, they also do offer slightly different colors that are oftentimes a good alternative to reaching for the EQ. You could get a pair of 4040's for about the same price as a single 4050, so if you're recording any stereo sources they may be a good way to go. They're good for a workhorse microphone because they're relatively neutral...even though they don't have a lot of character per se they work very well when you're using them for multiple overdubs since they don't cause certain frequencies to build up the way more colorful microphones do.

AKG's C414B/ULS is another good versatile microphone that's very reasonably priced right now because a new model is coming.

-Duardo

I really don't want this to sound like I'm being a smartass, but if you truly want your stuff to sound professional, hire a producer and go to a professional studio. It takes years of training/experience and a good chunk of money to make professional quality recordings. Even a modest home studio can easily hit 20-30k in gear. And if you really want to be a professional recording artist, you should put every ounce of energy you have into perfecting your music and technical skills instead of trying to learn how to be an engineer. Making pre production practice tapes and demos at home is a great learning experience for the recording artist, but trying to get pro quality recordings is a whole different ball game.

I'm just going to jump in and say I wouldn't entirely rule out the SansAmp bass driver. Yea, it's a few hunderd bucks..but depending on the bass players gear you're recording...you can really turn out some amazing bass sounds with this little guy!

I respectfully disagree with tripnek, I produced an album that garnered a best album and song nomination from the Indie songwriting organization JPF. It's not the grammys I know, but it is recognition of a certain level of quality. I feel more creative in an enviroment where the producer isn't watching the clock.

I used a AT4050 through a Bellari RP220 for vocals. Just make your analog front end the best you can afford before it enters the DAW.
I used 2 crown cm700s for acoustic guitar. they are very nice small diaphram condensors. I don't want to ramble. My whole recording
set up is explained in detail, and listened to on my studio page at http://www.karynwhittemore.com

Thank you all for your input.

OJG