Need a low priced Mic, advice welcome!

[Nav]

Any advice on cheap 'all-round' Mics? I need something I can use for acoustic guitars and vocals on a shoe-string.

Well OK not that cheap, just not expensive!

[3dot...]

SHURE SM-57...(btw there's no such thing as all-around mic...you can ditch that concept)

[3dot...]

for condencers ..I'd go for AKG535/ SHURE KSM44/ RODE NT2

[SubFunk]

SHURE SM-57...(btw there's no such thing as all-around mic...you can ditch that concept)

+1

the cheapest good mic and sort of 'allrounder' a must have in any mic collection.

and also plus one on rode mics for relatively little money.

[4.33]

depends on your vocal style
choose a dynamic mic for an overly, errm, dynamic vocals
otherwise a handheld condenser would be a better bet
the're designed primarily for vocals but will also pick up much more details on acoustic than sm57

[leedsquietman]

My recommendation would be a Rode M3 condenser and a Shure SM57 dynamic. The Audio Technica 2020 is not the worst budget mic around either. If you are solely working on vocals and acoustic guitar, the Rode M3 is really great - so long as your room isn't terrible sounding. Condensers are more sensitive than dynamics (so long as they have their phantom power) and pick up more room ambiences and reflections. In a reasonable sounding room, this is a good thing but if your room acoustics suck and you live half a kilometre under the main flightpath of a major airport, with highway bridges and trains rattling through, or very noisy neighbourhood, and your building doesn't repel this, a dynamic may be a better choice.

The Rode is great for vocals and acoustic guitars, the Shure is great for micing amps, can do duty as a vocal mic if necessary, is a standard for micing snare drums etc. I'm assuming you have XLR inputs and 48v phantom power somewhere in your audio chain, either via your audio interface, or a mixer or preamp.

If you play drums you can use 2 Rode M3s as overheads too, they work well because they're point and shoot microphones, so don't pick up too many room reflections. This is not optimal, but Led Zeppelin recorded much of their famous Led Zeppelin album with just 2 overhead mics (Neumann U-47s) hanging down from a balcony in a country house while the drums were placed just below in a hallway for the ambient micing effect. John Bonham hit the kick drum so hard, it didn't require any individual micing.

[Nav]

Thanks guys

Yes I have XLR and 48v phantom power in my audio interface

[skullNbones]

you might want to look into Studio Projects mics. i have the B3 and really love the clean warm sound. it's a large diaphragm condenser. i use it for vocals, room-mic-ing my drum kit and also recording a bass amp. they are supposedly similar quality to much more expensive mics, but are made in China, so are dirt cheap. my 2¢

[leedsquietman]

many, many mics are made in China. The studio projects mics are good, I've used C1s many times in the studio, as a stereo pair on piano, drums and x-ying acoustic guitar. MXL mics are also decent for cheap. I just have a bit of a Rode fetish, the M3 is a hell of a versatile cheap mic, is built like a tank, comes with a great carrying case and foam wind/pop shield, has a switchable lo pass filter etc and is made in Australia. Not that this in itself makes it superior, although I suppose it records jews harp, washboard and any vocals with kookaburras and billabongs better !! You have to reverse mount it as it comes from the land Down Under The NT-1A is an awesome vocal mic too, and the higher end Rode mics compete really well with the competition. No, they don't endorse me !! (but if they were offering....)

[BlackMath]

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SM7B/

[leedsquietman]

Yes, good suggestion - however, the OP was requesting budget end mics.

Although the sm7b is well priced at $349, I got the impression he was looking more at the $100 - $150 dollar range.

[BlackMath]

Yes, good suggestion - however, the OP was requesting budget end mics.

Although the sm7b is well priced at $349, I got the impression he was looking more at the $100 - $150 dollar range.

If you're serious about recording get this mic and buy a bunch of "budget end" mics on ebay or clist.
This is one of the most versatile mics going and $349 is fairly cheap and since "budget end" is a subjective turn that wasn't specified I thought I'd let the OP decide.

[McQ714]

Blue Encore 100 or Encore 200.

[Nav]

All prices and opinions welcome. I am looking for about £100 ($100-150) although opento suggestions. Honestly at this stage it is more about learning the recording process than anything.

[pepezabala]

We use one of those:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/the_tbone_sc450.htm
for recording (both voice and acoustic guitars) and are very happy with it.

We also have sm58s for live-singing.