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Mic recommendations (vocal)

Suture

Suture

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Looking to record some vocals (plug your ears), and am looking for a mic that isn't going to cost an arm and a leg, but will get the job done. Any recommendations? There seem to be a lot in the $100 range. I'm looking over at Guitar Center's website.
 
I'd take a look at the Shure SM58. It's a dynamic microphone, very popular (and good) for vocals on stage.

For recording in a studio, you can get better mics, but probably not in the price range you indicated ($100).

- Martin
 
i'll second the sm58 idea, though i've found that mic needs a decent preamp to really shine.

the only large diaphragm condenser in that range that's any good is the AT 2002.
 
Thanks, I'll take a look at those. I do have a mixer that has phantom power. I'm just wary of spending more considering I don't know how this will sound. 😀

Looks like the SM58 has good reviews, and it's only $100. It appears to be used more for live/stage work, but it seems quite a few are using it in a studio. I'm bored at work so I'm going to drive over to Guitar Center and check it out. Thanks.
 
Suture said:
I'm just wary of spending more considering I don't know how this will sound.
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and that's a very valid concern. some mics just simply don't work on some voices. the only mic i have that has never been bad on anyone's voice (sometimes it's fantastic, at worst it's just okay) is the shure ksm32, but that's $500.

if it all possible, you want to line up a number of mics, preferably using the same mic pre as you've got, and see what you think. record each and play around w/ EQ to see if you can dial in the right sound (sometimes the right sound isn't so obvious at first).

even better -- sing to a song you have that's somewhat pre-mixed and see how easy it is to get your vocal to sit right with each mic. once you've done that, you've found your mic.
 
without a doubt, the blue snowball is one of the best $100 mics out there. I just bought it a week ago, and i'm loving it.
 
zimv20 said:
and that's a very valid concern. some mics just simply don't work on some voices. the only mic i have that has never been bad on anyone's voice (sometimes it's fantastic, at worst it's just okay) is the shure ksm32, but that's $500.

if it all possible, you want to line up a number of mics, preferably using the same mic pre as you've got, and see what you think. record each and play around w/ EQ to see if you can dial in the right sound (sometimes the right sound isn't so obvious at first).

even better -- sing to a song you have that's somewhat pre-mixed and see how easy it is to get your vocal to sit right with each mic. once you've done that, you've found your mic.
Click to expand...

Well, this whole matter is fairly subjective but I personally second zims post. In my last recording project, I had available several differents mics for recording vocals including:

Shure SM58 AND SM57 - standards
SE 2200a - supposed to be very good vocal condensor and not cheap either
Audio technica condensor - don't remember which one
Some cheap pencil condensers - mostly for recording instuments I think
Several other random mics - don't remember the names

Out of all of these, and after a lot of testing, the one that worked the best was one of the cheap pencil condensers that was around 30 or 40 dollars. I don't know why. You would think that a 400 dollar mic made for recording vocals would be the best! Anyway, get a hold of several different mics because there REALLY is a difference from one to the next and you don't want to be stuck a mic that isn't you. And obviously this is one situation in the world where higher price donesn't necessarily = better results.
 
I'd personally get a nice LDC (Condenser) microphone if you're recording vocals.
In that price range there arn't a whole heap of decent mics to choose from, however:

MXL V67G $100
CAD M177 $100
Audio-Technica AT2020 $100
Studio Projects B1 $120

You are best to ask the guy at the store if you can audition some mics either at home
or in the store (some places i've seen booths set of for this purpose).
 
With your budget I would be looking at something like the SM58 or another similarly priced dynamic mic, as the condensers in this price range don't tend to be that great. However if you can afford more then you start looking at the proposed condensers.
 
I've got the AT2020, and I'm fairly satisfied with it. I also have a shure SM57 (essentially identical to the 58), and in comparison, the AT2020 wins hands down for voice and acoustic guitar recording.
(it all depends on your application!)

the sm58 or 57 is better used for live sound or recording really *dynamic* sources like drums, guitar amps, or screamer-singers.

EDIT - Also; a quality mic is only as good as the weakest part of the signal path - so there's no point spending a lot more than what you're budgeting if you're just running it through the preamp on your mixing board (I'm assuming here that it isn't a mackie control or anything).
 
cmccarten said:
the sm58 or 57 is better used for live sound or recording really *dynamic* sources like drums, guitar amps, or screamer-singers.
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i don't really agree with that. yes, it can be great on those sources, but i use mine in the studio w/ great results, including non-screaming singers (i'll have to try it on acoustic -- i haven't done that).

as i mentioned above, it needs a good pre (where "good" is in the $1000+ / channel range) to really shine. and no way i'd automatically pick an AT2020 over it, even thought i think the 2020 is a good mic for its price. the sm57 is a great mic, full stop. all imho, of course.
 
i just think that in lieu of getting an expensive pre, it makes more sense to get a condenser than a dynamic.
i've used an sm58 with crappy yamaha pres for recording acoustic guitar and vocals and was never really impressed (especially by the boominess of the acoustic. the proximity boost does not compliment acoustics to my liking. yes it can be eq'd out, but i'd rather have a decent sounding dry track before i start tweaking it).
that being said, different instruments, different pre's, different interfaces, different performers, and different techniques all produce...different results!

i'm not trying to say you're wrong, just that explaining what i've experienced.
all i have to go on is my A/B comparison of my sm57 and AT2020 in vocal and acoustic applications. the AT2020 is, i've found, much better for vocals because it doesn't need the absurd amount of gain (which tends to bring out preamp noise in cheaper pres) that the 57/58s do.
also; a lot of the vocal work i do is on the quiet/soft side, so the condenser is much better in that case.
 
cmccarten said:
i just think that in lieu of getting an expensive pre, it makes more sense to get a condenser than a dynamic.
Click to expand...
two thoughts here: 1) use the right tool for the right job, and 2) everything is a resource allocation problem.

certainly, both condensers and dynamics have their uses, depending on the situation. i wouldn't say the same for cheap pre's -- it's never the "right" tool for the job, it's used from necessity.

a lot of the vocal work i do is on the quiet/soft side, so the condenser is much better in that case.
Click to expand...

again, i think it depends. i usually use an LDC on vox, but not always. sometimes it's a dynamic (and not just for the loud voices), sometimes it's an SDC. but i'm never forced into a mic choice because of a limitation of my pre's.

i don't think it's valid to say "always use this kind of mic for this kind of voice", because you never know how someone's vocal timbre will work w/ a given mic through a given pre for a given song with a given style on a given day. instead, you make educated guesses, put up some mics, and see what works. you just never know.
 
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