757SeanTaylor21 Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 whats good? well first i wuold like to say wanted to have a thread for all people on the site that make music, do what ya do and keep it up. second off, got a few questions. im lookign to setup me a lil home studio, and i need help choosing what is a GOOD quality condenser mic for the price. i came across a few mxl 990s or usb008/9s and behringer c-1s. question is, what has the best quality? im looking at this samson g track usb mic but im honestly clueless. ps. im a christian rapper so i need somethin that handles vocals the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grego Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 whats good? well first i wuold like to say wanted to have a thread for all people on the site that make music, do what ya do and keep it up. second off, got a few questions. im lookign to setup me a lil home studio, and i need help choosing what is a GOOD quality condenser mic for the price. i came across a few mxl 990s or usb008/9s and behringer c-1s. question is, what has the best quality? im looking at this samson g track usb mic but im honestly clueless. ps. im a christian rapper so i need somethin that handles vocals the best. my brother has a home studio- little sound proof thingy with a high grade mic and all. he's been recording people for a few years and seems to know what he's talking about. i dont know much about it, but i can have him call you or PM you or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelarkascend1ng Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 The Rode NT1 is a fantastic value. it's got a good presence and is very versatile. sub $200 i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Do not buy an MXL microphone. If you are looking for a large diaphragm microphone that is good for the price, the Audio Technica 4050 is pretty versatile. Not sure if this is out of your budget but if there is a place to not go cheap in a studio, it is with microphones. You can find 4050's used for pretty decent prices as well. Or if you are ever near Springfield, I can help you get some studio time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
757SeanTaylor21 Posted May 10, 2010 Author Share Posted May 10, 2010 blackest i am from va beach but i tell you what ill soon take you on the offer. but when it comes down to equipment im not so sure what the specs really mean. whats the large diaphragm for? is that better for vocals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 blackest i am from va beach but i tell you what ill soon take you on the offer. but when it comes down to equipment im not so sure what the specs really mean. whats the large diaphragm for? is that better for vocals? Generally, large diaphragm microphones are better for vocals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
757SeanTaylor21 Posted May 10, 2010 Author Share Posted May 10, 2010 ill take ya word for it, whats the knock of mxl mics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MassSkinsFan Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 ill take ya word for it, whats the knock of mxl mics? They're cheaply made and flimsy. Just crap. When it comes to mics, you have to know what you want to do. If you're just getting started and you're not trying to make a masterpiece on your first try, get something decent but not top-of-the-line. I have a small home studio that I use to demo up songs for my bands, and also just to record things that are too strange to find a home with one of those bands. As such, I'm not going for perfection by any means, so I haven't ventured into the realm of really good and really expensive mics. I just got some that are good for demo quality recordings. For vox and horns, I use this: http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-B2-Pro-Condenser-Microphone?sku=270491 It's a pretty good mic and has actually produced some very good vocal recordings. As always, room sound and background noise is a consideration, but this can do a really good job for the price. For miking amps I got this: http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Sennheiser-e609-Silver-Dynamic-Guitar-Microphone?sku=276668 It's a workhorse and I've seen it used in plenty of pro studios. Also, Shure SM-58 is a tried and true vocal mic that might not be able to record an opera, but that can record 90% of the vocals being done today at a high quality. I used one for years before getting the Behringer, with no complaints. What are you using to record? I've got an older version of this: http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Tascam-DP02-Digital-Portastudio?sku=241788 It is very good, and I like the physical interface (faders and knobs under my hands, not through a mouse). I also downloaded Reaper, but I'm still trying to figure out how to use my XioSynth as an interface to Reaper. I want to plug and play, but I'm going to have to read the manuals for both. :mad: BTW, if you use synth, check out Novation XioSynth. It kicks some butt and is cheap. Great sounds. Good luck - let us know how you're doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
757SeanTaylor21 Posted May 10, 2010 Author Share Posted May 10, 2010 well is there a dropoff between phantom powered mics and usb's? does xlr need phantom power? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellis Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 I have a mini-studio in my house. I use Cubase SX3 (basically it's Cubase4). My I/O is an Alesis I/O 26 that takes up to 8 tracks at once, XLR or 1/4". I create my own drum tracks with M-Audio Trigger Finger and Battery3 software. I use an AT4040 mic for just about anything and I have a condensor mic primary for the acoustic guitar. I can't recall the model of the Condensor mic. Condensor mics are best used for overhead on drums for cymbals. That's not something I gotta worry about. If you're really good at recording and have a sufficient number of options for EQ'ing, condensing and expanding sound... it shouldn't matter what mics you have. Not everyone will agree with this. I have a lot of friends who record professionally and semi-professionally and I've seen them capture sound incredibly with some really ****ty mics. But they're geniuses about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 If you want a decent budget microphone for vocals, you could either do a Shure SM7 or Studio Projects C1. The Shure SM7 is a dynamic microphone, which would be find for vocals. Since you are rapping and the SM7 is generally used for broadcast, I think the SM7 could be fine. The Studio Projects C1 is probably the only budget microphone I can recommend for vocals. I have heard some okay things done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Judges Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 whats good? well first i wuold like to say wanted to have a thread for all people on the site that make music, do what ya do and keep it up. second off, got a few questions. im lookign to setup me a lil home studio, and i need help choosing what is a GOOD quality condenser mic for the price. i came across a few mxl 990s or usb008/9s and behringer c-1s. question is, what has the best quality? im looking at this samson g track usb mic but im honestly clueless. ps. im a christian rapper so i need somethin that handles vocals the best. n/m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Judges Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 whats good? well first i wuold like to say wanted to have a thread for all people on the site that make music, do what ya do and keep it up. second off, got a few questions. im lookign to setup me a lil home studio, and i need help choosing what is a GOOD quality condenser mic for the price. i came across a few mxl 990s or usb008/9s and behringer c-1s. question is, what has the best quality? im looking at this samson g track usb mic but im honestly clueless. ps. im a christian rapper so i need somethin that handles vocals the best. You need more than just a decent mic. You also need a good preamp. What type of preamp are you using? Stay away from Beringer. They suck. I don't know what rap guys are using these days. Go to the homerecording.com mic forum and do a search. There are already 100 threads of guys asking this same question, I'm sure some of them have some pretty good advice. Some of the guys on there are professional sound engineers. Harvey Gerst is on there and he actually designs microphones. As for me, recording music has been a hobby of mine since highschool. I have a Nuemann KM 184, Audio Technica 4040, and numerous Shure SM57s and 58s. Here is my recording room: That reminds me, what type of room do you have? Is it treated? If you have a bad room that is untreated, it won't matter if you have the best mic and the best preamp in the world. Your recordings will suck. Good luck dude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Judges Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 whats good? well first i wuold like to say wanted to have a thread for all people on the site that make music, do what ya do and keep it up. second off, got a few questions. im lookign to setup me a lil home studio, and i need help choosing what is a GOOD quality condenser mic for the price. i came across a few mxl 990s or usb008/9s and behringer c-1s. question is, what has the best quality? im looking at this samson g track usb mic but im honestly clueless. ps. im a christian rapper so i need somethin that handles vocals the best. n/m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 While I will agree that a preamp is important, having a good microphone is probably the more important thing here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
757SeanTaylor21 Posted May 11, 2010 Author Share Posted May 11, 2010 You need more than just a decent mic. That reminds me, what type of room do you have? Is it treated? If you have a bad room that is untreated, it won't matter if you have the best mic and the best preamp in the world. Your recordings will suck. Good luck dude! well its gonna be in my apartment, and im thinkin about running sound proof blankets all the way across the room, and i got a giant walk in closet and thats where the mic would be, and sound proofing the walls with that and have all the other equipment out there. i dont have all the equipment with me at the moment. its at my sisters house and i cant even remember none of the stuff i have. reason why i just really focused on the mic though is cause 1. i believe its the most important factor and two, alot of people are tryin to sell me mics like i said mxl 990s for 80/100 bucks and really i dont even wanna spend 100 dollars on somethin thats not gonna give me professional quality. when i make the cd's i want it to sound great to where people would actually wanna listen. i know in the past when people brought cds to me to listen to, if it was terrible quality i would just say nah dawg and walk away. id say my budget on a mic is about 300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Judges Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 well its gonna be in my apartment, and im thinkin about running sound proof blankets all the way across the room, and i got a giant walk in closet and thats where the mic would be, and sound proofing the walls with that and have all the other equipment out there. i dont have all the equipment with me at the moment. its at my sisters house and i cant even remember none of the stuff i have. reason why i just really focused on the mic though is cause 1. i believe its the most important factor and two, alot of people are tryin to sell me mics like i said mxl 990s for 80/100 bucks and really i dont even wanna spend 100 dollars on somethin thats not gonna give me professional quality. when i make the cd's i want it to sound great to where people would actually wanna listen. i know in the past when people brought cds to me to listen to, if it was terrible quality i would just say nah dawg and walk away. id say my budget on a mic is about 300. Couple things: Don't put the mic in the closet. Generally speaking, larger rooms have better accoustics than smaller rooms. The exception is a vocal booth but trust me, a closet will not have the same characteristics as a booth. The closet likely has an untreated rectangular shape and this will cause flutter echo and comb filtering. You should google those words. Blankets might help at some frequencies, but there are frequencies in which they will do nothing, probably low frequencies. Your best bet is probably to record in the larger room. And even then it helps if it is treated. My basement is 21 x 18 and those rectangular things I have mounted on the wall/ceiling are bass traps. They don't look like much but they make a huge difference. You can get a good mic for under 300, but trust me, you also need a decent preamp. You can get a DMP3 for $200. You can get a Marshall MXL V67g for $100 or a Shure beta 58a for $160. Between the Marshall and the DMP3 you would have a pretty good start. That's $300. What program are you running? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLeVan Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 I went through this entire ordeal about 9 years ago. The best advice that I can give you is that really expensive equipment isn't going to make you sound better. With that said, I can let you know what I decided to get based on my research. If you're serious about it, you'll do tons more research and ask tons more questions. Your best bet is to rent studio time and see if it's worth continuing at the level you want. I record solely for my own satisfaction and to record my Grandfathers music on his Steinway. Anyways, here is some gear that you can look into to get you started since it's served me very well. 1-Rode NTK condenser mc 2-Shure SM-57 mics 2-Shure SM-58 mics 1-Mackie 1402-VLZ Pro Mixer 1-Echo Layla 24/96 multi-track recording sound card pair- Mackie HR-824 studio monitors Cakewalk SONAR for PC Waves Gold Native bundle plug-ins tons of XLR, mono and stereo cables Instruments aside, the bill can get pretty big. Best of luck with what you choose to use and hope this helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MassSkinsFan Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Stay away from Beringer. They suck. I don't agree - they're good at knocking off good products at a more reasonable price. I have quite a number of Behringer products and use them a lot with no problems. As for me, recording music has been a hobby of mine since highschool. I have a Nuemann KM 184, Audio Technica 4040, and numerous Shure SM57s and 58s. That explains your Behringer comment - you're a mic geek! Nice collection - I'm envious of those first two. That reminds me, what type of room do you have? Is it treated? If you have a bad room that is untreated, it won't matter if you have the best mic and the best preamp in the world. Your recordings will suck. Good luck dude! Good advice, but not always true. I do some pretty nice recordings in my attic office. It's not treated. I also rely on my ear quite a bit, and discard things that sound bad (when I'm going for a polished recording). Mic placement (and knowing which mics to use for which things) makes a huge difference. If you're doing a lot of open miking (i.e. working with drums or amps) then room treatment is much more critical. However, for things like vocals or horns I've found that you can do them anywhere reasonably quiet, and the only people who'll notice the room sound are your mastering engineer and your dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MassSkinsFan Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 757ST21, Another quick question - are you going direct for everything except vocals? This makes a big difference in terms of the advice you'll be getting here. Also, when you talk about soundproofing, it's important to remember that there is a difference between noise absorption and noise reduction. Google the two and read up on the differences, as this will help you decide how to set up your room. I'm currently working on soundproofing a small practice room for one of my bands, and we've made significant strides in absorption. Now we need to work on reduction as the neighbors can still kind of hear us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MassSkinsFan Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 If you're really good at recording and have a sufficient number of options for EQ'ing, condensing and expanding sound... it shouldn't matter what mics you have. Not everyone will agree with this. I agree with this. I've logged a lot of time in pro studios as a musician and I can tell you that while I really enjoyed it when the engineer unlocked the vault to trot out an ancient Neumann, some of the best stuff was done with a SM58 that had been smashed against a wall back in 1989. Gear is fun, but sound is more important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtdrums Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Former audio engineer here. Didn't read everything, so sorry if this has been posted. Rode NT2 was suggested by someone, and that's a great way to go. Also the AT 4050 is good. You can't get what you need if you're wanting to sound professional for less than $200 used, imho. If you go cheaper, you may as well get a good dynamic mic instead of a crappy condenser. You'll get about the same high end response out of both, and a little eq-ing can fix mids that a dynamic will recreate a little too faithfully. Condenser Mic = Phantom Power. There's no such thing as a condenser mic that doesn't need phantom power. The diaphragm doesn't do it's thing without an electrical charge. Don't go with a USB mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
757SeanTaylor21 Posted May 11, 2010 Author Share Posted May 11, 2010 well first and foremost, i wouldnt be working with live music, as in drums and pianos. pretty much just have the instrumental coming from the headphones. and i appreciate all of yalls help, im goin to do alot more research when i get off of work. the main thing i wanna do is have a good sound quality, so i have to upgrade my sound card, and i guess im just goin to save my money up and get this 4050 mic or nt2. read a ton about it, and since everybody is raving about it, must be nice. but as far as the program lists, i havent even really looked into it. once i get everything puzzled in. heck i may just get a loan and get everything i need. about the closet, its not a ordinary closet. if i had a tape measure i would measure it but when i was in the studio it was just as big as the booth as i was in. only thing is there is some shelves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackest Eyes Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 and i guess im just goin to save my money up and get this 4050 mic or nt2. It is better to wait and get something really nice than buy something immediately just because of price. I definitely support and encourage that decision! Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.