Breakfast Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 Just a general enquiry really for those of you who do recording type things- what microphones do you use for different things? Do you have a preferred mics for vocals, instruments or recording amplifiers and whathaveyou? What ones do you favour? Any particular recommendations for good value mics for vocals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spikyhedgehog Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 The classic cliche of the SM58 and SM57's are there for a reason. Good mic's for general use really. SM57's also make suprisingly good vocal mics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_the_bass Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 second that really although our drummer moans that 57s are a bit big for micing toms and snare for him so might be worth a bespoke set of drum mics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joegarcia Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 Wouldn't personally recommend SM58's for recording vocals. Most people would go for a condenser mic (as opposed to a dynamic mic such as 58's, 57's etc) to record vocals or acoustic instruments. It depends on your budget really if you're looking to buy. I have an SE Electronics SE2200a on vocals and acoustic guitars and it sounds good enough which was only £139 and also a Neumann MK147 which cost a fair bit more and is gorgeous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MythSte Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 The studio i go to uses some rediculously expensive condensor mic, but i think one of the most under-rated and completly vital pieces of kit for recording most everything is a high quility compressor. unfortunatly i dont have the knowladge to suggest which or why, but they really are magic lil things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redroque Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 I use a Rode NT2 for vox and acoustic instruments - I have SM57 for amps and occasional acoustic guitars and a SM58 for live work only - doesn't really cut it in the studio - the more you can spend on a mic, the better the end product. A good compressor is nice but it can't make up for a cheap mic. In fact compressors are another topic -i think there's a sticky on basstalk that needs moving over but it's not mine and i don't know how to do it! Compressors vary in character so a good comp for bass would not sound at all good on vocal. max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaphappygarry Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 [quote]Wouldn't personally recommend SM58's for recording vocals. Most people would go for a condenser mic (as opposed to a dynamic mic such as 58's, 57's etc) to record vocals or acoustic instruments. It depends on your budget really if you're looking to buy. I have an SE Electronics SE2200a on vocals and acoustic guitars and it sounds good enough which was only £139 and also a Neumann MK147 which cost a fair bit more and is gorgeous.[/quote] I used a pair of Neumann M149's yesterday for an orchestral recording. They are £3,500 each. I had over £10 grands worth of microphones for that project. needless to say it was amazing. Good simple mics: Instrument amps and drums: SM58, SM57's are good. Overheards - Pair of AKG C1000's or AKG 414's. Kick mic - AKG D112 or EV RD27 (but at £600 its a bot pricey). Condensers: Rode Nt1, Nt2a, NTK (all valve, i have one, its awesome) - all of these are good instrument and vocal mics. Anything by neumann basically. Recently used the AKG Perception 500 mics. They sound sonically very close to my NTK. There is so much out there I could spend all night on this forum. They all do the same thing but in a slightly differant way. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
velvetkevorkian Posted May 17, 2007 Share Posted May 17, 2007 AKG kick drum mic works well for getting the thump on a double bass (and also for micing bass cabs, or so I've been led to believe). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwbassman Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 (edited) I've been looking into mics for use with the big band - ended up with a set of sm57s for the horns and an sm58 for the vocal mic, but seriously considering getting a Audix OM6 - been reading a lot of good things about these recently, a bit more than your shure's but worth it by all accounts check this link - [url="http://www.westernliveaudio.co.uk/sales/browse_manufacturers.php?mid=1&manufacturer=Audix&s=24&np=3"]audix mics at a decent price[/url] - and then the Audix website for more, also some reviews on Harmony Central... Edited May 18, 2007 by jwbassman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest subaudio Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 (edited) For live vocals I realy like Shure Beta 58's, a good cheap condenser for recording vocals is the AKG c1000's. Edited May 18, 2007 by subaudio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 (edited) I agree 100% with the Rode NTK. I have one and it's great on vocals. If I could afford another one I'd use them for drum overheads too (although a pair of NT1000s would be cool). The NTK could sound cool with an acoustic guitar, a foot or two from the soundhole (off-centre), with a smaller condensor about a foot from the neck around where the fretboard meets the neck. Noice! With the NTK you can blend between the cardioid, figure of 8 and omni patterns, which is handy. For kick drums, I hate the AKG D112. I have one and I'm just not a fan. Obviously if the drums aren't tuned properly, they're going to sound crap whatever you use. My cousin has an Audix D6 which sounds fantastic. They don't cost much more than the AKG now. For snare, I think an SM57 works fine. For toms, I have the little AKG clip-on mics which are ok but not great. I'd like to try the Sennheiser e604s. SM57s work fine on guitar amps. I tried a few different mics but the guitarist prefers the sound of the SM57. I've only recorded saxophone once and that was through a Rode NT1000. It sounded fantastic. It helps if the sax player has a good set up and knows how to use it. Something to think about that's more relevant to mics than compressors is mic preamps. If you're using the inbuilt preamps on a budget mixer, it's going to make any mic sound like a £10 Argos jobbie. For bass, I just record using the DI out of my Aguilar DB680 preamp. It sounds exactly how I want my bass to sound. I have no idea about what I'd use to mic up bass cabs or a combo. Maybe an SM57 and a kick drum mic. Or the Sennheiser e609 could be interesting. For the Motown sound, they just used 3 mics in total: 2 room mics and 1 vocal mic. You could always stick two good condensors up to capture the room sound in stereo - a couple of Rode NT1s would be good for this - as well as close mic-ing everything. Then when it comes to mix down, you'd have the choice of either a vintage sound, a modern sound or a blend of the two. But sometimes it's nice to just be able to worry about getting your part down right. Edited May 18, 2007 by The Funk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaphappygarry Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 [quote]The NTK could sound cool with an acoustic guitar, a foot or two from the soundhole (off-centre), with a smaller condensor about a foot from the neck around where the fretboard meets the neck. Noice! With the NTK you can blend between the cardioid, figure of 8 and omni patterns, which is handy.[/quote] My ntk is fixed cardiod..... thats the onlt bad thing about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 My mistake - I meant the K2! D'oh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 (edited) For drum mics, I highly recommend the Superlux DRK-B5C2 mic set. I bought them on a recommendation I read online some time ago for the band, and they are simply fantastic! Great sounding mics, very focused sounds with minimum spill. Also very compact. The bass drum mic is just sublime! Punchy and with lots of bass. They retail for somewhere around the £350 but are worth every penny IMO. Definitely an alternative to the Shure or AKG sets which have become industry standards. As regards vocal and instrument mics, the SM58 for vocals and SM57 for guitars amps are also industry standards. As mentioned, Rode make great condensers for recording vocals and they can also be used as overheads if necessary. If you want a change from the standard Shure range for budget recording, Audix also make great mics (the OM2 and OM3 spring to mind). Edited May 18, 2007 by acidbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damian1727 Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 (edited) Hi guys Im a mic pervert Its a big subject but aside from the ones you have mentioned i would like to add the RE20 http://www.dv247.com/microphones/electro-voice-re20-dynamic-cardioid-microphone--20923 This is the stock mic for recording bass cabs ... Is great for vox ... Awesome on bass drums And its the mic fraiser talks into lol. Xx A good all rounder Also watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnpoKco5e6k Peace out Edited November 17, 2012 by Damian1727 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damian1727 Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 Lol five years late Still good advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisyjon Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 A good read is this: [url="http://www.dpamicrophones.com/en/Mic-University/The-Essentials.aspx"]http://www.dpamicrophones.com/en/Mic-University/The-Essentials.aspx[/url] Cheers, Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimskidog Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 [quote name='Breakfast' timestamp='1179424632' post='639'] Just a general enquiry really for those of you who do recording type things- what microphones do you use for different things? Do you have a preferred mics for vocals, instruments or recording amplifiers and whathaveyou? What ones do you favour? Any particular recommendations for good value mics for vocals? [/quote] Wow. Huge subject. What mics you choose for what instrument depends completely on what kinda vibe you are after. A dynamic or a ribbon mic can work great on acoustic guitar if that's the vibe you are after for that song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimskidog Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 oops. OP was 2007. I'll get my jacket... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 Well, you have been rather busy with building work of late, I suppose... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimskidog Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 (edited) haha! True. And you know how the weather's been... Edited November 17, 2012 by Rimskidog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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