Microphone for recording vocals

[Chronic]

Ya, fuck Art of War, no one would see.

I are looking for a good microphone to recorded the vocals with. Price range is only around 100 euros/dollars. I really don't know anything about microphones so advice on what type of microphone or what brand etc. would be appreciated. Really just want to get the "best" I can get for the money I'm spending.

 

[Jokerman]

This is probably the gold standard for budget microphones. God's been known to use this one on short notice:

Shure Americas | SM57 Instrument Microphone | Instrument Mic, Rugged, Touring

Run you about $60-100. I don't know about availability where you're at.

Unless you're looking for some headset thingy, then i can't help.

 

[Chronic]

Thank yee, I'll look into that one.

A friend of mine has the Samson C01U. I was thinking of buying that so we could record seperately and get the same sound (ignoring other factors) but I first wanted to see if I could get a significantly better mic for around the same price. Anyone know how that Samson compares to the Shure SM57?

 

[The.Menace]

would love to hear something from u chron.

 

[Chronic]

I just shout obscenities in a high-pitched voice. Over Fat Joe's "Lean Back".

 

[Casey]

I also have the CO1U. Great little mic and more convenient since it's USB.

However, there's an upgrade to it out now - the Samson G-Track. Might be a little bit more expensive but definitely worth it.

Here in the UK, the CO1U costs about £70 and the G-Track is about £90, so it's not a great deal more expensive.

The SM57 is good, but for recording vocals you want a condenser mic, not a dynamic one.

 

[Jokerman]

Yeah, after looking at the Samsung CO1U, that's probably the best for you to go with, esp with the USB. I wasn't thinking computers. I have the Shure, but I always connect it to a tape deck.

 

[Preach]

You should record me a love song

 

[Duke]

You should record me a love song

You should die in a barrel of herrings.

 

[S O F I]

let's hear something chron chron.

 

[UK_Thug]

just get the best condenser mic that you can afford. get a mic stand too, and dont forget the pop shield. you need it all

 

[Rukas]

The SM57 is good, but for recording vocals you want a condenser mic, not a dynamic one.

Not true at all. Plenty of good dynamics out there, just not the SM57.

Chron, for that price, really, it's a waste of money. Nothing will really sound great, you'll either get fed up and quit or decide to spend more money.

 

[Rukas]

If you are desperate though try the Audio Technica 3035 or the Shure ksm27. Try both on your voice though as they do sound different, I'm pretty sure they are in your price range.

Or maybe a AKG C2000B although I think the cheap AKGs are pretty shitty, you might like it on your voice. This is all pretty subjective. I had a AKG C414 which I HATED on my voice but people swear by it. *kanye shurg*

 

[Casey]

Not true at all. Plenty of good dynamics out there, just not the SM57.

Chron, for that price, really, it's a waste of money. Nothing will really sound great, you'll either get fed up and quit or decide to spend more money.

Well, in my experience no dynamics I tried cut the mustard for studio recording. That's just my experience. I didn't say there weren't any good dynamic mics out there, I just said I personally wouldn't use one for vocal recording.

As for the second part of your post, I wouldn't say that either. It's all in the mix. I've had a verse I recorded on that Samson CO1U used on a major label project and it was mixed so well that nobody would ever be able to tell it was recorded on a budget mic.

Seems like Chron just started recording, it's not like he needs a U47 (like we're using on the new Swami album lol)

 

[Chronic]

It's just a hobby. I'm looking to spend more time on it but it'll always just remain something I record at home for me and friends to listen to so having great quality would be nice but not really worth the money. Never recorded anything I didn't intend on improving in the future.
I definitely have something to go on now so thank you all for the advice!

 

[Rukas]

Well, in my experience no dynamics I tried cut the mustard for studio recording. That's just my experience. I didn't say there weren't any good dynamic mics out there, I just said I personally wouldn't use one for vocal recording.

I suggest you do some research into what was used to record Michael Jackson's vocals for the Thriller album... Yep... A Dynamic.

As for the second part of your post, I wouldn't say that either. It's all in the mix. I've had a verse I recorded on that Samson CO1U used on a major label project and it was mixed so well that nobody would ever be able to tell it was recorded on a budget mic.

Bullshit. You're giving him bad advice. He'll take it, get shitty results and blame himself for it instead of the subpar gear. If you record on a shitty mic you will get a shitty result. No mix is going to bring back tone and frequency that wasn't captured in the first place. It's like putting your finger over half the lens of a camera, taking a photo, and then saying you'll photoshop in the missing part of the photo. Sure you might paint brush something in, but it's never going to be as good as capturing the source correctly in the first place.

Saying "it's all in the mix" is a flat out lie. That is what engineers tell musicians to make their skills seem more valuable. Ask any honest real audio engineer and they will tell you the same thing. The most important thing is getting a good source coming in especially for vocals. A good mic and preamp combo and capturing that. If you get that down you barely need to mix anything because it just sounds good from the beginning. It's not like guitar where you can overdrive a bad recording for a cool "effect" to save the day, the vocals need to be clean and present, you can take away bad frequencies with EQ, but you can't add what isn't there.

Seems like Chron just started recording, it's not like he needs a U47 (like we're using on the new Swami album lol)

Of course not. I just bought a U87 myself. Im gearing up to launch a proper studio space as a business in the next few months as I have finished my audio engineering degree, so I am filling out my cabinet. But if he saves up a little more money, the results will be a LOT more rewarding and ENCOURAGING.

 

[Casey]

I suggest you do some research into what was us ed to record Michael Jackson's vocals for the Thriller album... Yep... A Dynamic.

Yeah, an SM7. Almost 30 years ago. And frankly - the vocal quality on "Thriller" is PALE compared to "Dangerous" - recorded on a U47.

Bullshit. If you record on a shitty mic you will get a shitty result. No mix is going to bring back tone and frequency that wasn't captured in the first place. It's like putting your finger over half the lens of a camera, taking a photo, and then saying you'll photoshop in the missing part of the photo. Sure you might paint brush something in, but it's never going to be as good as capturing the source correctly in the first place.

This fails because you assume that budget mic = shitty mic, which is OBVIOUSLY not true. Like I said - verse recorded for major label track on CO1U and mixed by one of the best engineers in the world - neither you or anyone else could tell it was a sub £100 mic. Guaranteed.

Besides which, there are great budget mics out there for less than £150 than are better than £500 mics from 15-20+ years ago.... like the SM7. Take the Apex range from Canada for example. You can buy an Apex condenser for like $150, which comes with amazing sound out of the box, and past that you can even spend another $100 getting it modded by folks like JJ Audio and have it sound like a $1000 mic.

Of course not. I just bought a U87 myself. Im gearing up to launch a proper studio space as a business in the next few months as I have finished my audio engineering degree, so I am filling out my cabinet. But if he saves up a little more money, the results will be a LOT more rewarding and ENCOURAGING.

Congrats on finishing your degree!

 

[Duke]

You two should rap-battle over what's the best microphone.

 

[Rukas]

PALE in comparison is a little strong. The SM7 is a great microphone, it is my go to workhorse and I use it daily.

The CO1U (and any USB mic) is a piece of shit.

Apex make good kick drum mics, I own one. Im not sold on the JJ audio mods, and Id certainly never mod the Apex. Something to do with the old saying you cant polish a turd. I prefer the BeezNees and Peluso mics and mods. I was actually going to get a Peluso U47 clone but decided on the Neumann u87 simply because the Neumann name will get people into the studio more than a Peluso (even though the Peluso sounds better).

Anyway, Chronic, my advice is spend about 300 euro and get an RE20 or a SM7b with a good preamp... and DEF stay away from USB mics.

Im out for the night.

 

[Duke]

All those U-numbers make me think about U-boats.

Now I wanna watch Das Boot.