Members baldbloke Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 I don't do much recording and when I do, it's just for myself to hear how I might improve my playing. And, maybe upload an occasional tune to the forum here. At the moment I'm using a cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 I use an AT2020 Audio Technica, somewhere around 100 US retail. Whether you consider that cheap or not is up to you, I suppose. To me, it's the best 100 bucks I ever spent on any recording equipment----ever! It does a great job. I see them go on ebay used occassionally for around $70. They do make a USB version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brewgoodbeer Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 My experience is that you are not going to get a whole lot of difference between what you have and what you can get for less than $100USD. There are mics in the $100-150 range that will make a big difference. Again, that is purchased new. If you can find someone who has a used Shure SM57, that will work on vocals, micing your guitar, and if you need a quick hammer, it will handle that too. They run $99USD new. They make a usb bundle for it as well. It is versatile dynamic mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 My experience is that you are not going to get a whole lot of difference between what you have and what you can get for less than $100USD. There are mics in the $100-150 range that will make a big difference. Again, that is purchased new. If you can find someone who has a used Shure SM57, that will work on vocals, micing your guitar, and if you need a quick hammer, it will handle that too. They run $99USD new. They make a usb bundle for it as well. It is versatile dynamic mic. I'd go w/ the SM58 and the USB bundle...about the same $$$ outlay, but a tad more versatile, as it's better for vocals. And you can often find the mic used for around $50-60. I've heard that the Shure PG-58 is fairly good, as well, but can't say 1st hand. Around $60, new, but often can be found on sale @ Musician's Friend/Guitar Center for quite a bit less ($40 and up). [video=youtube;u5VuADSPDk8] http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/PG/pg58-vocal-microphone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members baldbloke Posted March 5, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 recordingtrack1, that at2020 sure does look nice. A bit expensive for me though. UK prices are around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members baldbloke Posted March 5, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 TAH, thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into the pg58. May find a used one if it is decent for acoustic guitar.Very useful video And I could use a Shure mic to put shelves up and general diy around the house. Bonus. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 Check this out Baldbloke. I saw it the other day of SDOD at MF. It ain't USB, but it has a 1/8 phone jack and should plug directly into your sound card. Something tells me this is probably a pretty decent mic---and it is stereo so recording your guitar should really sound much better than mono recording. http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Tascam-TMST1-Stereo-Condenser-Microphone?sku=279501 EDIT: Read the reviews at the bottom of the page. One of the reviewers says it's not too good for recording instruments, but something tells me he might be a moron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheBlueStrat Posted March 5, 2011 Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 You might want to try the Blue Yeti. It's a USB microphone, but it's probably one of the best, if not the best USB microphone out there. I got mine got $120 bucks Canadian. It's surprisingly good for how cheap it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members baldbloke Posted March 5, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 5, 2011 Check this out Baldbloke. I saw it the other day of SDOD at MF. Googled it. Doesn't seem to be available in the uk. Thanks again for the link. It is now clear to me that I must pay more than I had originally planned in order to obtain any sort of noticable increase in quality from the very cheap mic I have at the moment. I'll let the wife get me one of the mics mentioned above for my next birthday in a few months time. Mind you, I still end up paying for it. She often tells me I don't give her enough "pressie" ideas. So that will be a good idea. Thanks for the input. Much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BLUtunes Posted March 6, 2011 Members Share Posted March 6, 2011 RecordingTrack's suggestion of the AT2020 is a good one. Not only is it a superb mic for the money, it's really about the cheapest mic that I've found that gives you really good results for recording. There are mics cheaper than that, but I don't think there are any mics that are cheaper which aren't totally worthless for recording purposes. As he mentioned, it's also available in a USB version, if that's helpful to you. And, if you are hoping to record acoustic guitars, stay away from dynamic mics. You really need a condenser for that application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave Keir Posted March 6, 2011 Members Share Posted March 6, 2011 I think you have had some good replies and helpful suggestions. But: recommend a cheap microphone? Well, no. A reasonable quality mic is essential to quality recordings. And good mics aren't cheap. That said, if you pay attention to your recording space - and without getting technical - record in the biggest room you have available to you, you will get the best results, regardless of the mic you use. The space your record in and how you use the mic is more important than the quality of the mic. Hope that makes sense. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Martin Posted March 6, 2011 Members Share Posted March 6, 2011 I use an AT2020 Audio Technica, somewhere around 100 US retail. Whether you consider that cheap or not is up to you, I suppose. To me, it's the best 100 bucks I ever spent on any recording equipment----ever! It does a great job. I see them go on ebay used occassionally for around $70. They do make a USB version. :thu: Yes I LOVE my AT2020. So much so that I bought a second so I could record vocal and guitar simultaneously on separate tracks rather than layer tracks. Because it's a great mike for either. I have the XLR version, not USB. Paid $100 for the first and found the second a year later for $90. I cannot overstate the difference in sound quality for recordings between this mike and a good stage mike like an SM58. Also, I sometimes use the AT2020 on stage. Very versatile device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members baldbloke Posted March 6, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 6, 2011 Looks like the at2020 gets most votes. They cost around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Greymuzzle Posted March 6, 2011 Members Share Posted March 6, 2011 baldbloke, Google Collins microphones! They are soviet made clones of the Shure stuff. You can work out what their DCM-57 and DCM-58 are... The only ascertainable difference seems to be the price. Good luck with your search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andaiovu Posted March 6, 2011 Members Share Posted March 6, 2011 Blue Yeti looks ok i think but how you use it is more important than the quality of the mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members baldbloke Posted March 6, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 6, 2011 Ta Greymuzzle, are these the ones? Reason I ask is the only condenser mic in this list says it's designed for drums. http://www.imuso.co.uk/Microphones/Microphones-by-Brand/Collins-Microphones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted March 6, 2011 Members Share Posted March 6, 2011 No personal experience with it but the CAD U37 runs around $50 ( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Greymuzzle Posted March 6, 2011 Members Share Posted March 6, 2011 baldbloke, the DCM 2 seems to be the current update of the DCM 58. They seemed to have changed the range a bit since I got my two. I suspect that the DCM 2 would be a very useful microphone, built like a brick, cough, outhouse, for under Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members baldbloke Posted March 6, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 6, 2011 Looks good value Deepend. Only thing is in the UK they are twice that price. Thanks for replying. Folks, I am going to defer all thoughts of getting a microphone for the time being unless I spot a half decent used one somewhere. I do not have GAS, as such, for a mic. It was simply to be a practical purchase which may have been seldom used. You have made me aware that in the uk I would need to spend a lot more than I first realised to get any type of half decent microphone. I'll just wait and see what used ones appear on the local classifieds or ebay. Thanks for your help folks. Much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sixgunner455 Posted March 7, 2011 Members Share Posted March 7, 2011 I'm using a CAD 22A, which is not a high-end mic. Runs about $35USD, and I got it for a bit less than that as a price-match. XLR, so I bought a Blue Icicle to plug into the USB port with. That was ~ $60USD on sale. I priced things out, read reviews, and figured I'd have to budget at least $100USD to get something worth recording with, at the "I'm just really messing about" level I'm doing things at. It's certainly better than the mic on my laptop, and sometimes, when the stars align and I play with mic placement and levels enough, I even make a reasonable sounding recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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