mics for home recording

[55stevieboy2010]

if anyone can point me in the direction of a thread covering this please do, i cant find 1.

Anyway im looking to start recording some of my own drums/household noises etc etc for my tracks, i know people use iphones, little less quality sometimes adds a bit of character but im after something thats going to record in good quality

Cant say what im willing to spend because havn't got a clue what they cost in the first place, any suggestions??

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

I use a zoom h1, thats pretty sick and they are super convenient. If you get one I would recommend a furry wind screen thing though.

[SoundNuisance]

Honestly, just stop by your local music store that has a pro audio section. You are bound to find someone that can help you out. I recommend buying used though, new recorders are very expensive.

[55stevieboy2010]

cheers for the replys,

a question about quality though, what is the recording quality like? For instance ive just bought a pair of percussive shakers the other day and recorded them through my mac mic and they sounded shit, will 1 of these recorders be good enough to record shakers/snares/hats in good enough quality?

[drake89]

you haven't mentioned portable or not.

[hudson]

The only mic you'll ever need is an sm57.

[SoundNuisance]

A buddy of mine uses a sm58. It is pretty nice. Sm57s are amazing though, my music teacher at school owns 3 of them along with a sm55

[wormcode]

Just hit up music shops in person or online and look for condenser mics. Generally for this type of thing you don't want dynamic mics which are far less sensitive. The SM58/57 is dynamic, but they make the SM86 which is a condenser mic and should be near the same price.

[55stevieboy2010]

you haven't mentioned portable or not.

i dont need it to be portable, put it this way if the sound quality you get from it being portable is worse id much rather stick with a fixed mic

Just hit up music shops in person or online and look for condenser mics. Generally for this type of thing you don't want dynamic mics which are far less sensitive. The SM58/57 is dynamic, but they make the SM86 which is a condenser mic and should be near the same price.

could you explain the whole 'dynamic' thing please? why exactly wont the sm57 do the job like i want it too?

thanks again for all the reps

[Ongelegen]

Just hit up music shops in person or online and look for condenser mics. Generally for this type of thing you don't want dynamic mics which are far less sensitive. The SM58/57 is dynamic, but they make the SM86 which is a condenser mic and should be near the same price.

This!

If you also want to make field-recordings you'll also need a portable recorder, preferably with XLR inputs and Phatom Power as condenser mics require +48V to run them. If not and you only want to record in the studio, you'll still need a decent interface, also with XLR inputs and P48.

The Zoom H1 which was mentioned earlier is ok for the prize and portabilty, but the build quality is shit. I own one and it didn't take me long before the thread for a tripod on the back cracked and eventually broke. Now I have a small sized hole in the thing. It is also very susceptible to handling noise when you hold it in your hands. It's self noise compared to professional mic's and pre-amps is pretty loud. But can you record decent material with it? Yeah you can, you'll have to experiment with it and get to know it to get some 'good' quality recordings with it. Very entry level, but for $99 it's ok I guess. Depending on your budget you can also check out it's bigger brothers H2 and H4. The last is the most expensive in the range (around $300), but also provides 2 XLR inputs and P48. Sony PCM D50 is one of the best ones in the price range of under $500, No XLR inputs though, but of the cleanest pre's in this price range. Most portable recorder's build in mics are electret, a type of condenser mic which does not require P48 by using a permanently charged material. Electrets are noisier than true condensers.

To answer your questions about quality, yeah you can get good quality material if to get to know your equipment. If your budget allows it I'd recommend starting with something in the price range of a H2 or maybe a H4 if you can stretch it that far. Obviosly there are also other brands and models in this price range, it is advisable to do some research before you pull the trigger.

Good luck

[Attila]

I use an SM58...they're only like 60 bucks used and scientifically proven to be able to survive atmospheric reentry. Seriously, you could run this thing over with a tank after unloading an AK clip in it and still have it stage ready. I don't even think Jesus could break it.

[55stevieboy2010]

I really dont have a clue who this geeza is, but ive been hearing good things about this akg d5 in the vid

problem is obviously all the tutorials are bases on vocal performance rather than raw sound recording. The d5 does seem a little cleaner tbh...?

[Ongelegen]

As wormcode said, for general sound or SFX recording you don't want a dynamic mic, but a condenser.

EDIT: Or if you are into DIY you could build a pair of omni electret condensers for less than half the price, these will easily outperform the SM58 and the D50 for general sound recording

[55stevieboy2010]

1 more quickie...im hearimng alot about usb condenser mics. im guessing they arnt quite the quality of the p48's as they are usb, am i correct? Would you still advise the p48 mics

cheers

[skimpi]

I got a zoom h1, and i like it, its good for recording single hits of things around the house and other sounds, and obviously is portable. if you wanan record a shaker loop in time with your track though, its gonna be much easier to get a mic and xlr to plug into your interface so that you can record straight into the daw and in time. Id get a condenser like everyone has said, yes dynamics are ok but id much rather get a condenser for this job, like an SE2200 or Rode NT1A.

[Ongelegen]

1 more quickie...im hearimng alot about usb condenser mics. im guessing they arnt quite the quality of the p48's as they are usb, am i correct? Would you still advise the p48 mics

cheers

I have no experience with usb mics, but I know would never get one as they have build in A/D and preamp, which are not as quality as dedicated preamps (depending how good your interface or pre's are). With usb you'll be forever stuck with the build in A/D and preamp, xlr can be connected to any preamp, so upgrading is no problem. Plus xlr is just the mic standard. But if don't have a nice interface or a dedicated pre and are on a tight budget then a usb mics are the cheaper option. With preamps and mics cheaper equals less quality though.

[55stevieboy2010]

hey, thanks to everyone that helped, i got a great deal on the se 2200a condenser. it leads me to 1 last question about its setup. The guy at the shop sold me 1 xlr cable so obviously 1 end goes into the back of the mic, the other end goes into my soundcard. the question i have is theres 2 ports on the soundcard, 1 for the left, 1 for the right. So i plugged it into the left port, recorded some shakers into it, played it back and the sound is only coming out the left speakers. I know this sounds incredibly stupid but how do i get the playback out of both speakers

cheers

[deadly_habit]

mics unless otherwise stated, all record in mono, with the exception being stereo mics

[Ongelegen]

It's only on the left channel because you've set your recording input as stereo in your DAW. Set it to mono and off you go.

[55stevieboy2010]

thanks very much, sorted eventually. happy with the sound too