KVR Audio

cdysthe · Post by **cdysthe** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:55 pm

Hi,

I have a little home studio and have completed some songs. I haven't yet gotten a microphone for vocals. I thought I should ask here which microphone to get. I do not want to spend a lot, so something that offers good value for money around 100 bucks would be perfect.

Thank you in advance for advice.

pough · Post by **pough** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:53 pm

Well, my fave is the KEL Audio HM-1, but in the interests of not sounding like a broken record I'll also add links for...

Audio Technica AT2020
MXL Marshall V67G (on sale!)
Studio Projects B1

The good news is that these days there are a lot of mics in your price range. My list is far from definitive. Samson, Behringer and many more are also out there...

cdysthe · Post by **cdysthe** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 2:26 pm

Hi,

Thank you for good advice. I friend of mine brought me a Shure SM48 he had laying around. He says "it's okay". Could I use it for now, or is it simply too cheap and low quality so that I will be wasting my time? Since I will have to order the KEL on-line it will take a week before I have it.

danbroad · Post by **danbroad** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 9:54 pm

I'm no vocalist, but for a little more than $100, you could have a Shure SM57/58. Now, they may be pants, I just don't know, but I do know they're an 'industry standard', whatever that may be...

Worth a try at your local store?

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:23 pm

true, the sm57 & 58s are industry standards. The 57 is commonly an instrument mic and the 58 is typically a hand held vocal mic (note typically and commonly, not are ) For a general purpose vocal studio mic you might want a condensor (large diaphram), the Marshall/MXL is not bad. I have an original V67 I like and a newer MXL909 that's cheap but adequate. They're no Neumann, but then I'm no Freddie Mercury so they're good enough for me

C00kie · Post by **C00kie** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:06 am

cdysthe wrote:I friend of mine brought me a Shure SM48 he had laying around. He says "it's okay". Could I use it for now, or is it simply too cheap and low quality so that I will be wasting my time?

If this indeed a SM48 and not an SM58: it's a performance vocal handheld mic with a bit too much treble. Work with what you have for now, build up some experience with it. You can always buy a better vocal condenser mic later on, and then truely appreciate it's quality.

khanyz · Post by **khanyz** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:23 am

I use an SM57 since it sounds good and doesn't pick up much (if any) background noise.

I also have a cheap Behringer condenser (C1) but I couldn't use it until I did some soundproofing. It now sounds clean but I wouldn't recommend the mic for anything but instruments.

Cheers,
Nigel

Chuck E. Jesus · Post by **Chuck E. Jesus** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:09 pm

i recently found an Octava MK-319 for $70 at a pawn shop and it seems pretty good...it's a Russian made large condenser, and they can be modded to perform like a mic costing much more (from what i understand), here's some info...

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:20 pm

Shure SM-58 will handle vocals, and pretty much anything else you want to record. I've had mine for about 15 years ... used it for everything from field recordings to drum sessions. They are solid and reliable, and cheaper than ever these days.

cdysthe · Post by **cdysthe** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:22 pm

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to use the Shure for a while before spending any money on a mic. It may be all I need, at least for now.

horselesspaul · Post by **horselesspaul** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:26 pm

Chuck E. Jesus wrote:i recently found an Octava MK-319 for $70 at a pawn shop and it seems pretty good...it's a Russian made large condenser, and they can be modded to perform like a mic costing much more (from what i understand), here's some info...

This is good advice. If you can test them out then some Oktava's are amazing for the money. Their build quality varies, however. I have 4 MK O12s which are excellent, particularly as drum OH's and a stereo piano setup. Not suitable for your vocals but you get my point.

cron · Post by **cron** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:44 pm

danbroad wrote:I'm no vocalist, but for a little more than $100, you could have a Shure SM57/58. Now, they may be pants, I just don't know, but I do know they're an 'industry standard', whatever that may be...

Worth a try at your local store?

Bear in mind that I'm just regurgitating someone else's opinion here but...

A friend of mine who works in the industry tells me that the SM57/58 isn't the industry standard for live performance because of its sound. He thinks they sound pretty rubbish if anything.

He claims it's more about them being cheap to replace when peacock lead singers wrap themselves up in the wire or swing them around their heads.

... Again, someone else's opinion.

I need a microphone.