whats are good mics for vocals and acoutic guitar
 

Im trying to get a little personal home studio thing going, recommend me some mics for vocals and some mics for acoustic guitar. nothing crazy expensive,

something less than 3 bills each .

thanks.

joe

On the low end, I got the MXL 990/991 combo for only $100.

The 990 is a large diaphragm condenser and the 991 is a small diaphragm condenser. I use them together to record my acoustics and I use the 990 to record vocals.

When used together, I position the 990 around the soundhole/bridge area and the 991 is around the 14th fret.

Check out the latest 3-4 videos on my YouTube channel to get an idea of the sound. The link is in my sig.

I know these aren't the best mics, but if you're just starting out and have limited funds, I have found them to be more than adequate for the job. Personally, I am quite happy with them, but I'm sure someone will poo-poo them because they're MXL or they were only $100. Ultimately, the choice will be yours.

Aloha Joe
 

Aloha Joe,

For recording vocals, you REALLY NEED to go to a store & try out a bunch of mic's - BEFORE YOU BUY! Vocal mic's are completely voice-specific. Let yours make the final choice.

Condenser mics are preferred for recording. A matched pair of S/D's is preferred for stereo miking of acoustic guitar. But there are really no rules.

If it's one mic you need for both vocals & guitar, then I'd recommend the AKG 535, used, around $150. Great vocals & acoustic clarity. You really should try that one out. And it has a four-position, on-board low-cut switch on it as well - more flexibility.

A very decent inexpensive pair of S/D condenser mic's for guitar (better than most of the cheap Chinese mic's, but check out the $49 MXL SP model as well) would be a couple of S/D Oktava MK-012's Look for used & be careful to get the Russian-made ones, not the counterfeit Chinese knockoffs. Used: a pair costs around $250.

A versatile L/D condenser mic with variable patterns is the CAD M179 ($150 new). You could even mix/match that with a single S/D condenser on guitar in addition to recording voice or guitar alone with it.

From there, it only goes up.

Much depends on what your budget is & if you plan to record voice & guitar separately.

I have several pairs for guitar & L/D condenser mic's for voice. My current favorite is the Schoeps CMC641 hyper on guitar & my voice loves the Mojave MA-200. My voice chose the AKG 535 for live, but it's also great in the studio.

Go to a store, try many kinds, brands & price ranges so you can hear the differences. Then let your voice decide on "the" mic.

Finally, you need to think about matching the mic's up to a great preamp within a compatible & complementary signal chain. So do the legwork & tell us what you come up with.

No matter what you use, you'll need Room Treatment to maximize your signal chain. It's the most important & dynamic variable in home recording:

http://www.homebrewedmusic.com/2009/...-on-the-cheap/

Good Luck

Do you want the recordings to reproduce your voice as accurately as possible or do you want the recording to make your voice sound different?

For recording acoustic guitar I would recommend a Shure SM81.

I picked up one on ebay for less than 3 bills.

Fantastic mic.

For Vocals you really do have to try and see what suits your voice.

My advice is you always get more for your money when buying used.

Neil

I put a small studio together and You can do it inexpensively and get great results.
Mine is Audio Technica 2035 Condenser Mic and a vocal pop screen
Shure SM57

Also I have Ableton Live software and an Echo Gina 2 channel interface. I also bought EZ Drummer and a Bass Guitar plugin from Studio Devil .

With this setup I can produce guitar, bass, vocal and drum recordings,

I spent about $1000 total.

The SM58 is a pretty industry standard live vocal mic.
I've seen it used very nicely as an amateur studio mic on youtube too.
If I was on your budget I'd go for that.

Unless you're willing to go close to $1000 (for a single mic) I'd stay with the tried and true Shure line of 57, 58, beta, etc...
I've found the quality difference is not that big of a deal unless you're making the jump to $1k.

That is, of course, unless you find killer deals in the used market. Than $400-$600 can fetch some real nice mics.

What store lets you do this? Not to mention that the only way 'I' could begin to know if a mic suits my taste/needs is to record it and study it on playback. What store lets you do that there? If they had a generous return policy... maybe.

Good Better Best. There are many many Good mics on the market. All styles.

For $300, and knowing what little I know about all the mics I've borrowed and bought, I would consider spending it on a nice 'used' large condensor that originally cost $500+. I'm not a mic snob but nothing I've tried comes close to 'Better' mics for recording vocals. Most every inexpensive mic I've used sounded fine until I tried something better($$). At about the $450 - $600 range the differences slow down to where you will need a bit of studio time to decern the fine points. As far as 'Best' mics go, I truly feel you need these only if you are recording prolevel talent. So for myself, I won't be needing a $1000+ mic anytime soon.

Stores Worth Their Salt, K-Vegas
 

Aloha K-Vegas,

While it's true that some music stores don't allow returns on higher end vocal mic's, most stores that I use, allow me to listen to a mic briefly in-store. Many stores catering to a pro level clientele also offer demo models for comparison. But I always bring along a couple of sizes of windscreens to protect the capsule at least somewhat. I don't linger long. I can tell in a very short time whether a mic works with my voice or not.

Now, Honolulu's few music stores are not very well-stocked with pro equipment, especially higher end mic's. Often I rent mic's from Mainland West Coast stores for a weekend to do my own shoot-out on my rig at home. I cover r/t shipping. It's worth it to me.

Sometimes, I try out mic's at friends' pro studio's.

I also go to the Mainland - specifically LA - to try out equipment every year, & have no trouble trying out vocal mic's at all.

So I'd have to respond, the stores that allow you to try out their products & mic's in advance are stores worth their salt, K-Vegas.

It also helps if you build a lasting relationship with your local stores. Out here, I've known some of these guys for 35 years. When they see me coming, they know I'm a pro who's not there to waste their time, ask dumb questions about spec's I can get online, need a lot of attention, play my hottest riff, or screw around with their products. So most are very helpful to me. Guess I've earned it.

How else could a customer know?

alohachris

As usual great advice from Aloha Chris. Just keep spending lots of money at your local stores for the next 35 years and you can do just about anything. Be sure to let them know you are a "Pro".

Around these parts it seems to be illegal for a store to accept returns on new mics so there is no chance for a return policy. I've seen the same for online "new" purchases when it comes to mics. So many say to try out all these mics at stores where they most likely will not have the pa system or the signal chain that you use so it's almost impossible to determine what will work best for your situation. And besides a mic will sound different in a "live" pa setting than through a set of headphones during recording. (But of course I don't have the same level of expertise as others here)

Chris gave some low cost options to satrt with. Even though I don't always agree with some of what Chris says I know that he has put a lot of effort in choosing the things he uses and his suggestions are worth looking into. Buying used will not only be a better deal but will afford you the luxury of trying things out in YOUR situation and re-selling without a loss if it doesn't work well.

Not to be disrespectful, Chris, but this is where your advice can sometimes go astray from the ordinary.

I'm not knocking your advice, on it's own. It all makes sense. But the opportunities for the rest of us to do things, like trying out mics, are few and far between.

You, yourself, said you're a pro and when you walk into your local store they know your reputation and they give you top drawer service. Most of us aren't at that point. Most only have Guitar Center or Sam Ash to go to, and then we may have to drive an hour to get to one. We're not going to get "pro" service at those stores. Maybe on a good day, you might get a salesperson who goes the extra mile for you. Usually, you'd have to be the only customer in the store for that to happen.

For us common folk, we need advice we can legitimately put to use. Many of us can't relate to your world. When you can understand that and tailor your advice appropriately, your experience will shine through.

Gee, that sounded soooooooooooooo much better than what I said. I need some help!!! (Sorry Chris! Another character defect of mine shining through!)

Just Trying To Help
 

Aloha,

As always, I am just trying to provide help & insight here based on my own playbook, experiences and strategies that I've found help me to understand these processes/signal chains called "live amplification and recording" - after almost half a century of playing acoustic music & singing professionally. I'm just an acoustic guitar player & singer at heart.

That's always the spirit with me - to help & share. If some wish to read something else into my words, that's fine with me. It's a free country. If making the criticism personal makes some feel better, that's fine too.

But, no one else here made the suggestion to the OP for trying out many vocal mic's or to think about planning the whole signal chain, or looking at room treatment before you buy. Pro or beginner, wouldn't it just be common sense to take those steps first, no matter what you're buying or what kind of store you're shopping?

I mean, I used to put room treatment on the back burner until I tried to put together my own little DAW-based studio & found it to be so important to the process of recording. If recommending that it not be forgotten in the race towards more & more equipment seems like a recommendation to spend more money - then you're ignoring the DIY links I always provide.

And Bob, what did you bring to the table here besides more personal, derisive & ongoing criticism of someone who's only trying to help? What "help" did you bring to this discussion tonight? Are you into recording? Is it sport for you, or are you just bored always being the personal thread critic of those who actually have something to share? Let's be a little more respectful of one another, OK?

Rhancox, what I was trying to point out is that creating a relationship - no matter what you're trying to achieve in life - is the best way to achieve positive results. And in the music world, that takes time & trust, be you beginner or pro.

I was not flaunting my status - I mean, I've been cutting way back on the regular gigs at this point. What I was suggesting is that anyone can build that trust over time - and to receive privileges like being able to try mic's out in the back room of the music store as I have. It has nothing to do with spending money or the level at which you're willing to spend both money & time in understanding how to put together signal chains. That's just how one player - a gigging pro - does it. That's it. An opinion.

I'm am a pro. Many tools are available & I've re-learned plenty in the last five years. I relate what I learn & what I use here & it's always changing. It doesn't mean that others shouldn't disagree & pursue their own preferences. Afterall, most here are hobbyists who simply share the same love of acoustic music that we all do. That's what connects us. We should disagree, but not make it personal, IMO. I simply try to share my particular playbook for getting it done. Just one man's opinion.

I value ALL opinions and never criticize anyone for expressing theirs. I AM pretty good at backing up mine with facts & experiences which may be more or less than some players. Perhaps that could be construed as telling people to spend more money than they asked for or whatever you may be thinking. I simply discuss what I like & what works together for MY signal chains. If others disagree, then PLEASE back it up with dialogue & facts, not personal critiques of my supposed intent or sometimes failing words. My intent is to help, period. The back and forth will help people here, as always.

I could criticize too, but that's not why I take the time to share or learn at AGF sites. All views provide an insight into the equipment & processes we're trying to understand here. Opposing views spur people to check out both sides & make their own informed decisions & choices. All should be/feel welcomed.

All the best to you folks tonight. Off to a fill-in gig now for a friend. I'm very tired from work right now. Hope this is a mellow crowd. Gotta run.

A Hui Hou & Mele Kalikimaka to all my friends here!
alohachris

And the same to you too, Chris!!! ;)