Advice on choosing a microphone

[kanuck]

I'm not asking for a specific mic recommendation. I was wondering how you guys find if a mic is good or not? I'll be scouring over craigslist but how could i select a mic from looking through the ads? At the moment my only idea is to scour the internet for reviews but i'd like some more tips. Thanks.

[nuxnamon]

the best bet is to go to the store and try out mics with your vocalist.. you can kinda get a general characteristics of the mic from reviews but everyone's vocals are different.. so if possible, try the mic out yourself.. or better yet, see if you can rent mics and try them because you can take them home and see how they sound with "your" preamp.. preamps can change how a mic sounds and if the store is using a manley mic pre and you take it home and plug it into a m-audio mic pre,chances are it won't sound the same..

other than that, just read up on the different mics.. maybe i assumed your using it for vocals but you might be using it for something else like overheads or something.. see what patterns you need, solid state or tube, etc..

[Pyro Z]

Well you don't want a specific Mic. recommendation, but I'm going to give you one anyway: M-Audio's Sputnik, hands down....if you can afford it.

Otherwise, here's how you do it...

Step 1 is to identify what you will be recording most often, or what thing you will be recording is most important to you, or what thing you have been recording that has given you the most trouble. In other words, get your priorities in order.

Step 2, take the things at the top of your list from Step 1 and figure out what Mic. type handles it better. Loud drums = dynamic microphones....delicate acoustic guitar and all but screaming vocals = condensor microphones, etc.

Step 3 figure out the most you're willing to spend on a Mic. and then go to sites like Guitar Center and zZounds and use the search filters to locate only the Mic. types you've narrowed it down to. Sort by price, high to low...find your upper limit and then choose some mics based on their star review ratings and things that say Top Seller and the like, etc.

Step 4 type their model numbers into Google, find some more reviews and use Amazon, eBay zZounds or Google Shopper to see if you can find it cheaper somewhere below the MSRP.

Step 5, once you've chosen which site to buy a Mic. from, don't forget to try to find coupons for that site on the net. It's usually very easy. It's hit or miss, but sometimes you'll get a great deal.


Rules of thumb:

Condensor mics are better, but more expensive. They are fragile and can't do loud noises as well, generally speaking. Not really meant for stage work. If a condensor Mic. were a guitar, it would be an acoustic, not an electric. (Silly analogy, but hopefully useful.)

Microphones with multiple "polar patterns" (like the Sputnik) are very versatile. Not nearly as confusing or hard to use as it will sound at first. Get one if you can, you will be thankful later on.

Don't be fooled by marketing, especially things having to do with tubes (not worth it on the low-end). Stick to low-noise, versatile microphones.

If you need help understanding anything, check out this site...

http://www.tweakheadz.com/

[3phase]

I'm not asking for a specific mic recommendation. I was wondering how you guys find if a mic is good or not? I'll be scouring over craigslist but how could i select a mic from looking through the ads? At the moment my only idea is to scour the internet for reviews but i'd like some more tips. Thanks.

thats a stupid question.. you cant buy anything by looking at the adds.. evertything is just perfect than..recomendations or own testing is the way to go.. so what advice should one give without mentioning the names of good mikes?

There are studio standards.. you can bet that the majority of pro sound engineers has reasons to rely on schoeps , neumann , sennheiser , shure and with a few very good models in the outsider positions electro voice, akg and sony..

thats the most used manufactors of mikes..

so if something else is printed on the mic it might be well not good enough to send audio thru it


never go to a shop and buy the xyz chineese mic everybody is raving about since last week.. better go for the one everybody is raving about 2 years later...
the main choice you have to made is condenser or dynamic..
When you go for a dynamic you need a good external preamp. or you have a decend sound card. my fireface pres are not too bad.. but actually ... a real pre helps.. with transformer coupling for additional beef...

advantage with dynamics on good preamps is that they are more versatile to use.. a condenser has more detail and less noise on bad preamps..on good preamps dynamics have only the preampnoise..are virtual noise free but you need higher gain..and therfore you hear more of the preamps noise and muffeling. on a good pre good dynamic mics are chrstall clear nad certainly have enough highs...
Many pres out there are really sad on microphone levels..

So a condensor runs on not as good preamps thats the main advantage..but needs phantom power and good room acoustics.. dynamics are much more focused and especially for people that dont have good rooms but know where to find good pres the key to a professional sound...
Condensors get evrything around you.. good ones even what is going on on the street..so best time to record with condensors is the night. Its not true that condensors are better thats a myth that gets contradicted by many hit recordings that are done on dynamics.. i think michal jacksons thriller was dynamic only..but io might be wrong there...

for a condenser get a neumann.. cant be really wrong there.. in ideal a valve version.. from the 60´s-.east or west neumann dont matters when they are serviced wright... but we are in 2K-6k domain here... the neumann east valves are a bargain.. but need to get refurbished.. but still a better deal than wasting 10k on a u47

for a dynamic shure sm-7 or sennheiser md 421

its actually pretty useless to look for other dynamic mics because theese two have been prooven to be the most versatile and universal to use good sounding ones on the globe.. they are good on voice..and they are good inside the kickdrum..
ah... the electrovoice RE 20..also great..maybe even better than the others..i persally prefer the 421 for its gentle tone..so better for guitars and voice... but its more boring on the kick and bassheavy signals.. Sm-7 is probably the winner..but has the lowest output and therfore biggest demand for the preamp... but its the preamp that makes a dynamic mic shine..so without a good pre you dont really get that theese mikes are a serious competion for condensors...



on the condenser side there are lots of secret tips for bargain devices.. and lots of really expensiv ones...some of the expensiv ones especially us brands and remakes of german mics are actually all rubish...dont waste money on them...
except the sony 800 i am not aware of any good condensor mike that is not from german or austrian orgin.
but probably there are some..just..when i pay a few thousend for a mic i wouldnt go for fashion products...

the cheapos are allmost all chinese or rusian..while older russian models was astonishgly good but turned really crap over the years we have the opposite development with the chineese versions..there you might find something that works surprisingly good on the recent models out there while older ones was scary ( before 2007?)...

but dont ask me which of the 300 models out there are the apples and which are the onions..

actually i would recomend you one of the 2 dynamics i mentioned.. than you have at least one good mike..
all theese fake companys know why they dont even try to do dynamic mikes..with a condensor its much easier to sell crap that appears shiny.. a dynamic one only can shine with its sound...
of cause theese mics are not the cheapest.. but they are studiostandard with a big second hand market and defently better to buy highend second hand than brand new crap..so in case you get a good dynamic..

you can start to experiment with the cheap condensers... than you have a refference.. when the condenser you check dont gives much more detail AND a sweet sound or nicely adds to a SM-7 or mD 421..its not worth to have it
this way you find a condensor that works good with your dynamic one.. and you are set... one dynamic one condensor


mikes are not so much the point to safe money on... sometimes better to lend one than to spend on rubish..

for standard gig situations the good ol shure sm-58 is ok..and derivates form electrovoice are very good too and somtimes surprisingly cheap...

for a dynamic you never should go for an no name brand... for a condensor you probably have too...
good luck

[LeifonMars]

Oh I so love this forum: first there comes a poster who recommends an usb mic, only to be followed by a fellow who raves about Neumanns and preamps. Anything from in between?

[gjm]

I use a Rode NT2000 for vocals. Adjustable Polar patterns, Adjustable PAD control and High Pass filter. Also just got an Rode NT-5 for acoustic guitar.

[kanuck]

i was simply asking to cut down the huge field of mics. And usually "what's the best mic" never really works out well as a thread. So i was asking "what do you look for in a mic". I have an sm57 for all my high output needs such as snares or guitar amps but I'm looking for my swiss army condenser that i'll be using for everything I can. The blue bluebird looked promising. Any other advices? or thoughts on the bluebird? Thanks.

[nuxnamon]

i was simply asking to cut down the huge field of mics. And usually "what's the best mic" never really works out well as a thread. So i was asking "what do you look for in a mic". I have an sm57 for all my high output needs such as snares or guitar amps but I'm looking for my swiss army condenser that i'll be using for everything I can. The blue bluebird looked promising. Any other advices? or thoughts on the bluebird? Thanks.

if you want a swiss army, then i don't think the bluebird might not the mic just because it has only one polar pattern.. I have a blue mic also (KIWI) but it has multi-patterns so it can be very versatile and sounds great(only tried on vocals and guitars so far). if your set on blue mics, maybe research the blue reactor as it has more patterns, a rotatable capsule, and is priced closer to the bluebird.

[hacktheplanet]

While you're deciding which condensor to buy, grab an SM58.

[3phase]

Blue? looks promissing? with talent you have picked yourself one of the worst mics on the market.. its like a behringer in a fancy housing... probably it is a behringer in a fancy housing...

a condensor for less than 1000 euro? only second hand...
A second hand Neumann TLM 103 or akg c414...around 500.. the second with differnt patterns...but in the 300 range?


the rode are less gritty than the blue..but still gritty.. for the price one cant really call it bad... if you really think you need different polar patterns...
rode is actualy one of theese better chinese mics of today i was reffering too...

But

there are new cheap condensors from shure, sennheiser and akg...
havent heard them yet.. but probaly worth a look

but only single pattern..what is good enough for everything actualy.. its sometimes nice to have another pattern... but in general there is no studio situation you cant do with a kidney..
other patterns are the option to achive other sounds or do tricks but not really mandatory .. the kindney is the mandatory pattern..all others extra


The new senheiser is called mk4
I never have heard a bad sennheiser mic, probaly worth a try..
...

[gjm]

rode is actualy one of theese better chinese mics of today i was reffering too...

Rode Microphones are made in Australia.

[H20nly]

i was simply asking to cut down the huge field of mics. And usually "what's the best mic" never really works out well as a thread. So i was asking "what do you look for in a mic". I have an sm57 for all my high output needs such as snares or guitar amps but I'm looking for my swiss army condenser that i'll be using for everything I can. The blue bluebird looked promising. Any other advices? or thoughts on the bluebird? Thanks.

don't forget to take into consideration the space in which you'll be using it. 1000 dollar mics that are going to be used in your living room (for example) will be picking up things that you don't need in your mix. you don't want a mic that is so sensitive you can hear the beetle under the floor board rolling a dung ball to his nest.

for some spaces, the right cheaper model will get you a nice warm sound without exposing the fact that the space you're recording in isn't at Sky Walker Ranch.

i didn't read all the other posts, they're too long and i'm not posting to convince you what the best mic on the planet is, but to suggest that you probably don't need it. so forgive me if this was covered.

[3phase]

rode is actualy one of theese better chinese mics of today i was reffering too...

Rode Microphones are made in Australia.

packed in australia or made in australia?

[kanuck]

While you're deciding which condensor to buy, grab an SM58.

I just said, I had an sm57

[gjm]

rode is actualy one of theese better chinese mics of today i was reffering too...

Rode Microphones are made in Australia.

packed in australia or made in australia?

The documentation for both of my Rode Mic's say "Designed and Manufactured in Australia."