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microphones!!

alexamustang	Date: June 14, 2004 @ 4:37 PM what microphones do you use for recording. i want NO HISS how much do i have to spend for a decent mic, and what brand would you look at? im thinking 'shure' at the moment. interested to hear your opinions....
sween	Date: June 14, 2004 @ 5:09 PM Im using a B-2 Behringer, its about £140. Its good, but Im still trying to get my head round using it with pre amp and all that, vocal recording is different. You get NO hiss from this mic, which is excellent. I would recomend this but Im no expert so see what other people think first
sween	Date: June 14, 2004 @ 5:10 PM BTW its a compressor mic
onewhodreams	Date: June 14, 2004 @ 7:22 PM I just use my plain old Shure SM58 - works just fine.
Apertome	Date: June 14, 2004 @ 8:21 PM I think sween means condensor mic, not compressor mic ...
Woof	Date: June 15, 2004 @ 1:28 AM Just about any mic will give you hiss... that's not the mic's fault... engineers use compressors with noise gates, and good eq'ing to get the tracks to sound as pro as they do. So yeah... seeing as how the extra toys cost money too, an SM58 is affordable, and used by lots of folks. Hope this helps...
BedroomSessions	Date: June 15, 2004 @ 5:25 AM thanks for your help guys, i'll look into getting one. at the moment i have a copy of that which ive had for a couple of years so its time to upgrade. i have a suspicion that the hiss is because of the lead (the hiss is worse than it used to be)
DevonPowell	Date: June 15, 2004 @ 10:10 AM Blue microphones. Amazing sound quality. I use an alesis compressor/limiter w/ noise gate. Hiss really isn't a function of the mic alone, but placement, quality of the room itself, other powered items, etc... I've noticed that alot of hiss is due to power conditioning...my brother has a fantastic conditioner and I never hear any hiss at all regardless of where we set up. Anyway, Blue mics are around $4-500 and I think worth it. To get an idea, "with you" was recorded thru the Blue mic (and the guitar was direct as well) in an open, finished basement-like area.
Intergalacti...	Date: June 15, 2004 @ 10:51 AM I use condensers obviously to record drums but the shure 58s have got a cleaner sound. I use them for vocals. They have the best sound I've heard in quite a while.
Intergalacti...	Date: June 15, 2004 @ 10:51 AM Not too pricey either
DevonPowell	Date: June 15, 2004 @ 12:37 PM I found the sm58's lend to a more "nasally" sounding recording for me... They are workhorses for live stuff, but for a true vocal recording, there's way better mics out there...way better than the Blue mic I use, too. Sure, they'll cost a little (or more than a little), but it depends on what you can A: afford and B: what you want...
BedroomSessions	Date: June 15, 2004 @ 4:55 PM hmm. im in two minds. about how much to spend. shure mic would 'shurely' (like what i did there?) be cheaper, im not sure if im prepared to spend more than £200 on a mic at the moment...
jeddak	Date: June 15, 2004 @ 8:29 PM re Shure 57's/58's: regular or "Beta"?
billhudson	Date: June 16, 2004 @ 1:44 AM Scninheiser E865 is a good one for voice
sween	Date: June 16, 2004 @ 3:11 PM duuurrrr yeh I meant condensor mic ME THICK!
JohnnyBB	Date: June 21, 2004 @ 12:04 PM The SM57 might be one of the most underrated microphones of all time. I'd like to think that the recordings on my site ( http://johnnyboomboom.dmusic.com ) sound pretty good, and we used 57's on most of the vocals. Actually the next couple songs that'll be on the site sometime in the next couple of weeks were used using entirely sm57's except on the drums, and they're sounding pretty darn good. I got a 57 for like $100 a couple years ago, they might be cheaper now.
BedroomSessions	Date: June 21, 2004 @ 12:52 PM i thought 57's were more designed for instrument pick up? while 58's are for vocals? or am i mixed up
DevonPowell	Date: June 21, 2004 @ 5:15 PM No, you're not mixed up BS... 57's are designed more for instrument mic'ing and 58's vocals...but that's personal preference really.
JohnnyBB	Date: June 24, 2004 @ 10:36 PM I thought the 57 worked terriffic for vocals. shrug
jeddak	Date: June 30, 2004 @ 9:58 AM It's my understanding that 57's and 58's use the same capsule, the difference is that the 58 has a windscreen designed for vocals, and the 57 a more open windscreen. They should sound more or less the same.
Rodrica	Date: June 30, 2004 @ 10:02 AM A lot of rock vocalists like the SHURE 57. I've got a Shure 58...had it for years and never lets me down
reve1974	Date: August 15, 2004 @ 6:57 PM you know, i have been singing for a few years now, and i find that all mics sound so different, it is really a matter of preference. hell, you can find a use for even the cheapest mic. once, i even recorded some vox through my headphones for the effect. my band mate has all these 300 dollar mics and i have this cheap bass drum mic that is not even supposed to be for vox, and i almost always use it instead, even for live gigs. i have taped it up so much that i dont even know the brand anymore, but it is my favorite one. i used to go see this band where the guy sang through a toy car. then there are mega phones... ahhh the possibilities.
MickeyBreezy	Date: August 16, 2004 @ 12:33 PM wuz tha diff b2een compressor/condensors
EmpireDay3	Date: August 16, 2004 @ 6:29 PM sno - a compressor is a processor inserted into the signal path, usually used to even out dynamically extreme passages - although there are some other uses for them. The two kinds of microphones being discussed here are Dynamic and Condenser microphones. Dynamic microphones are non-powered and rely entirely on the sound source to vibrate the diaphram of the capsule. Since amps and voices produce drastically varying degrees of frequencies across the spectrum, you will find that frequency response of dynamic mics are rather lacking in some areas. For example, they are not very proficient at picking up a big, full sound of a very quietly played passage, or the higher harmoincs of vocals that produce that tight, airy sound. Condenser mics, on the other hand, require a power source, usually phantom power from a mixing board or mic preamp, or a battery. This makes the diaphram much more sensitive across the entire frequency spectrum, thus allowing you to more accurately capture sounds in their natural state with a far flatter frequency response, and a more natural sounding recording. Dynamic mics are used primarily on sources that produce hi sound pressure levels, like kick drums, snare, and that huge marshall stack - whereas a condenser would be used for the overheads to capture the harmonics of the cymbals from a couple of feet out or the big, full sound of an acoustic guitar. But, as they have already discussed here, dynamics can be used with a great deal of success with the proper placement and eq and procesing, and you'd most likely not use a condenser on a guitar rig turned up to 11, it'd probably just overload the capsule and result in distortion. So there ya have it, microphone hunters! There are all kinds of mics for all sorts of different applications, the specs of which can usually be viewed at the company's websites. Lest we not forget the often overlooked ribbon mic, either, but that'd be another posting entirely...
EmpireDay3	Date: August 16, 2004 @ 6:34 PM by the way, for vocals I use a GT Tube 6tm - made by hand. I like it better than my u-87!
Alexi1337	Date: August 16, 2004 @ 11:20 PM What is a cheap, but decent quality, condenser mic? I have a sennheiser e835 for vox and micing my cab, but it doesn't do so well for my acoustic.
MickeyBreezy	Date: August 17, 2004 @ 12:56 AM so, 4 recording vocals, i would want a condenser, correct?
Alexi1337	Date: August 17, 2004 @ 1:10 AM Ideally. I have a dynamic mic and it works fine. If I'm not mistaken, a dynamic is best for stage use, but a condenser is best for studio work where finer details are more important.
EmpireDay3	Date: August 17, 2004 @ 4:33 PM yes, dynamics are used more in live applications because of the high sound pressure levels. Depending on the size of the gig, unless you're using overheads for the drums or something like that. There are also great condensers for live vocals, like the sure beta 87a. You'll find big name acts using vocal condenser mics live along those lines and that's how they get the sound they do. A great high quality sounding, yet inexpensive mic that I find myself using quite a bit around the studio is the Rode NT1. I think they can be had for a couple hundred bucks nowadays. Also recommend the audio technica AT3525. A good all around condenser is the AKG C1000. You can use it to get that nice clean clear vocal sound, then turn around and point it at your acoustic guitar or use it for drum overheads or percussion kits - and the sound is nice and consistent all the way around. A bit up the ladder are the Shure KSM series - really good stuff, and worth the bucks. But, on a budget, a decent condenser will give you a dramatically different sound from any dynamic mic overall for a couple of hundred bucks all the way up to about three grand for the neumann u87.
Alexi1337	Date: August 18, 2004 @ 9:48 PM I picked up a cheap CAD condenser, and I'm thrilled. I never knew there could be such a difference in sound quality. I'm really eager to record some songs with it. I made one today, but my comp jacked up and all was lost. Thanks Empire for all the advice.
YaBoyDrew	Date: August 20, 2004 @ 3:59 AM daz wuzzup cuz im bout 2 go n buy me a new mic
blacklieder	Date: August 20, 2004 @ 2:30 PM Empire: agree w/ the AKG choice, tho Shure SMs are the workhouses of the industry. YaBoyDrew - don't know how much live you do, you interested in just mic recording, right?
hueseph	Date: August 21, 2004 @ 3:43 AM Just on the hiss thing. Make sure the hiss is coming from the mic and not from another source. It could come from the mixer, eq, effects, compressors will boost hiss, or any number of tools in the signal path. A good mic will not get rid of hiss that is coming from another source.
hypnoticmind	Date: August 23, 2004 @ 5:48 AM i will agree with the AKG and audio technica. an affordable mic pre amp will fatten it up, plus supply 48v phantom power. you get what you pay for (hopefully!!)
SirSnipe	Date: August 28, 2004 @ 12:06 PM I use some crappy mic i found that only plugs into a comp, and then threw it in a bucket for a good echo style.
SirSnipe	Date: August 28, 2004 @ 12:07 PM And not to mention the lead singer of my band uses a PS2 Socom Navy Seal mic...ya i know pathetic.
SirSnipe	Date: August 28, 2004 @ 12:09 PM sry last post here,i heard somewere that if you get a pickle jar and poke lots of small holes in it and put it in front of you mic, that might stop the "s" static.
hueseph	Date: August 28, 2004 @ 4:06 PM Ok. Seems to me your boosting syour signal a lot and on top of the fact that your mic is cheap and already has a poor signal to noise ratio, your boosting the hiss alobg with the signal. So to go along with, I'm sure, what others have mentioned. Get yourself a decent mixer or preamp. Either of which can be had for about $50 US. You can purchase a set of 3 sm58 clones from Behringer for about $50 US on top of that. There you're set. All of this assuming you're on a tight budget, it'll be like going from a Gremlin to a Mercedes.
SirSnipe	Date: September 2, 2004 @ 12:42 AM lol tight budget. I got no damn budget at all. Thx for the suggestion though, ill try to save up for one.

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