What microphone should I buy?

[GrahamNG]

Alright, I used to have a blue snowball, but because I'm limited to a small bedroom and a noisy computer when recording it was less than ideal. I have been through many cheap microphones and decided to invest in an audio interface. I bought the steinberg UR22 (has phantom power support) and hooked it up with a 10 pound dynamic microphone I had lying around, and wow, yes, moar.

Unfortunately a few days ago that microphone broke. Because I'm in a noisy environment I'm thinking to purchase a dynamic? My budget is £65, so I ask, whats a microphone that has good ambient-noise cancellation, creates minimal static, that can be purchased online in the UK?

Keep in mind im looking for xlr connections. All answers are very much appreciated in advance.

[GrahamNG]

At 4/2/15 02:04 PM, Lich wrote: If you don't mind filtering out static manually or you have a gate VST to help you on the software-side: Grab a Shure SM78 or SM58 second hand on ebay, they are both excellent microphones sub-£100 and there are usually like 5 or 6 of them up for bid or buy all the time. Either one should go for under £65 used, I picked up my SM58 from a seller who dropped the price down to £40 because of some cosmetic damage (still runs flawlessly to this day). If ambient noise is an issue and you want to stick to hardware for it all, just DIY dampen the area with clutter and hanging blankets to help filter it out or run the mic through a noise Suppressor pedal like a Boss NS-2 (which are like £20-30 used).

If you are really adamant about ambient noise cancellation on that price range of £65 though the only Mic I can immediately think of would the the Shure 562 and even then that would exceed your price range unless you grab it second-hand (they are also harder to find used and brand new you are looking at around £75-90).

Thanks for the reply. Do you have any experience with the AT2020? It's 60 pounds pre-owned and apparently is a really nice condenser. I actually have a microphone boom arm and I was wondering if I slapped my pop filter on it and put it about 1/2 foot away from my face would I get favourable results. Other than that, I'm leaning towards the sm58.

[GrahamNG]

Yaaaa, you would have a more comfortable ride going with the SM57 or SM58. With your Boom arm and Pop Filter aiding it, you should get the result you want.

Thanks. It's nice to have some confirmation.

[SoulSecure]

At 4/2/15 03:12 PM, GrahamNG wrote:

Yaaaa, you would have a more comfortable ride going with the SM57 or SM58. With your Boom arm and Pop Filter aiding it, you should get the result you want.

Thanks. It's nice to have some confirmation.

I have a condenser. I use it to record my instruments. Ever since I bought my new house that's next to a road (used to live in the middle of the woods) it picks up cars and (of course those noisy) motorcycles and birds and ground critters and my kids downstairs and my wife on the phone and my neighbor working on his truck and the people down the road shooting off guns in the distance etc.

You M-U-S-T use noise cancellation software with a condenser if you don't build your own sound room at home. We use some Shures at my church congregation for worship and they work great. Just waitin' for if I ever get enough money to get one and a preamp.

[bwmusic]

At 4/2/15 02:34 PM, GrahamNG wrote:

At 4/2/15 02:04 PM, Lich wrote: If you don't mind filtering out static manually or you have a gate VST to help you on the software-side: Grab a Shure SM78 or SM58 second hand on ebay, they are both excellent microphones sub-£100 and there are usually like 5 or 6 of them up for bid or buy all the time. Either one should go for under £65 used, I picked up my SM58 from a seller who dropped the price down to £40 because of some cosmetic damage (still runs flawlessly to this day). If ambient noise is an issue and you want to stick to hardware for it all, just DIY dampen the area with clutter and hanging blankets to help filter it out or run the mic through a noise Suppressor pedal like a Boss NS-2 (which are like £20-30 used).

If you are really adamant about ambient noise cancellation on that price range of £65 though the only Mic I can immediately think of would the the Shure 562 and even then that would exceed your price range unless you grab it second-hand (they are also harder to find used and brand new you are looking at around £75-90).

Thanks for the reply. Do you have any experience with the AT2020? It's 60 pounds pre-owned and apparently is a really nice condenser. I actually have a microphone boom arm and I was wondering if I slapped my pop filter on it and put it about 1/2 foot away from my face would I get favourable results. Other than that, I'm leaning towards the sm58.

I've got an AT2020. For vocals, I hate them. They are really bright, brittle, harsh, and thin. At least I find from what I remember. Oddly enough, the freq response graph on them looks pretty nice, but I've never enjoyed using mine. Probably why it just sits there.

The pop filter (depending how good it is) is to take away plosives that would overload your mic. P/D/B/T noises. If its a crappy one (like the Blue Spark comes with) its more a spit filter than pop (read, useless). Placement is key, but it also depends on the polar pattern and response; if you, say, 45 degrees off of center, some mics may roll down like 3 or so dB.

I recall buying a second hand NT1A off ebay for about 150 USD (about 100 pounds). Thats a little out of your budget, but honestly, I'd say save up for a little bit. I enjoy the NT1A a lot, especially for the dirty cheap price I got it at. Bundles are usually more in cost however and naturally. That, and Michael Joly of Oktavamod has a modification for relatively cheap to get you a pretty damn convincing emulator of a U87 (400 USD/270 pounds), versus what, 3k plus USD for a U87; not bad at all from an investment standpoint.

[dadark1ord]

Neumann u87 is very affordable right now than it was 20 years ago. It is almost a steal at the price!

[GrahamNG]

I was also wondering, is it worth getting a shock mount?

[bwmusic]

At 4/3/15 10:16 AM, GrahamNG wrote: I was also wondering, is it worth getting a shock mount?

Well, mics usually come with them, as its required to screw them into a mic stand. So absolutely. If you second hand purchase a mic without a shock mount, you'd have to find a compatible basket for it, since not all mics are the same size, and therefore don't fit every type of basket.

Some just use mic clips, like sm57s or nt5s. But LDCs (large diaphragm condensers) usually need a heavy shock mount to support their weight.

[pit80]

Blue Microphones Baby Bottle Cardioid Condenser Microphone - Good one ;) Maybe a little bit expensive. But my recommendation - don't buy cheap mic ..

[GrahamNG]

At 4/3/15 03:28 PM, pit80 wrote: Blue Microphones Baby Bottle Cardioid Condenser Microphone - Good one ;) Maybe a little bit expensive. But my recommendation - don't buy cheap mic ..

Blugh, I hate blue condensers, they just don't bide well with me.

[bigbadron]

for the price, i can tell you 12 Gauge Microphones are pretty great. if you're recording acoustic, i'd suggest getting both the Red12 and the Green12, Green for the hole and Red for the neck. the Green picks up lower frequencies better than the Red, and the Red gets better highs. record both at the same time and mix them together for an amazing sound. they are great vocal mics too. those both work well for amps, but aren't built for high pressure. if you're micing an amp, get the Blue12. we just got one recently and are still trying to find it's sweet spot, but so far it's pretty great.

listen to the audio samples on the site to get an idea. my band recorded almost everything on our album using a Red and Green. with a good mix down, they can sound pretty amazing.

[Ceevro]

I use a Samsung Meteor USB mic. It's great for picking up EVERYTHING in the room, so you do have to be careful with your studio space. I recommend looking into building a mic-box for your recording. At the moment, I record by 'corner-loading' the mic, but I have to be very careful to run my macbook at minimal workload to keep the fan from kicking in. When I have to run it hotter, I use a makeshift acoustic box, by duct-taping some foam inside a cooler, and putting the mic inside that with the open side facing away from the computer.

The mic is rarely actually that much of an issue in recordings. Controlling your acoustic space and mic placement will get you much better results than just buying an expensive mic. I like the Meteor because it has the USB interface, and just plugs directly into my computer. It's also got a very flat graph, so it picks up everything equally, and it only costs about $100. If I'm performing live, I use the industry-standard PG58 and SM58 for instruments. Other than that, one doesn't need much...it's not the mic that counts, it's how you use it!