Home Studio Mic Recommendations

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by doctone

When a $ 150 mic beats a Schoeps, it is the operator's fault.

We live in amazing times when technology is improving by the second. Yet, we are not quite there yet. There is still a difference that the quality of materials can make on the outcome.
It can even be the case that we will pay 1000 % more price wise, for a 10% difference in quality.

But that 10% can make all the difference between winning and loosing. Between capturing the true soul of your guitar or not. Playing style, also makes a big difference. In the end car races are usually won by milliseconds. Shooting competitions are won by millimeters.

For some, that small difference in sound quality is worth. Others not.
For me it is worth it.

Don't forget to add a used AT4050 to the list. They can easily be had for $400. It is a staple among many top engineers.

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

My son has a couple of Audio Technica AT2020 mics and he also has an AT4033. The difference in sound between these mics is huge: the AT4033 is a huge improvement at a cost of $400. I think the AT4033 is a very good value for a vocal mic.

- Glenn

The 40 series Audio-Technicas are generally very nice mics, punching well above their weight class IMO.

I have 3 4050s I use as utility mics. They work pretty much anywhere.

[Yeah]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. The

I appreciate the advice on room treatment, though the truth is that there is not much more I can do on that particular aspect of how my room affects the sound. I use the clothing, I sometimes put the matress standing out against a wall behind me, or behind the mic, and I have a pop filter.

I just bought an SE Electronics Acoustic Treatment Filter I found really cheap online and will see if that helps a little.


Other than that, as I am not going to move, nor I am authorized by my wife to further remodel the room I play guitar in, the only aspect I can improve is the Mic, so I will research the options and recommendations you gave me.

Anyways, I am not looking to sound 100% professional, I know that for that I would have to rent a studio.

I will continue to experiment and deffinetly will thoroughly check the resources and tutorials on this forum.

Thanks a lot.

[DupleMeter]

I don't know what you're budget is, but the Roswell Pro Audio mini k67x is a great all a-rounder. I routinely use it at the studio alongside mics costing 4-10x what it costs & it holds it's own. I mention these every time someone asks for a mic recommendation, because I think they are seriously the best in the low budget options. I have no affiliation with the company...I just like what they're doing

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Yeah

I appreciate the advice on room treatment, though the truth is that there is not much more I can do on that particular aspect of how my room affects the sound. I use the clothing, I sometimes put the matress standing out against a wall behind me, or behind the mic, and I have a pop filter.

You don't need a lot to make a difference. Standing up a mattress seems silly Listen to what just a couple of bass traps do in a small room, and when you're done, you can easily slide them under a bed or stick them in a closet.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by jim1960

You don't need a lot to make a difference. Standing up a mattress seems silly Listen to what just a couple of bass traps do in a small room, and when you're done, you can easily slide them under a bed or stick them in a closet.

For me, this kind of solution, and others from Fran, make soooo much more sense than thinking that throwing a fist full of money towards a new mic is somehow gonna mitigate a problematic room. My strong suspicion is a new mic is gonna sound just as bad as the first mic, with no net sonic gain. I kinda think that sometimes these lessons must be learned the hard way.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

For me, this kind of solution, and others from Fran, make soooo much more sense than thinking that throwing a fist full of money towards a new mic is somehow gonna mitigate a problematic room. My strong suspicion is a new mic is gonna sound just as bad as the first mic, with no net sonic gain. I kinda think that sometimes these lessons must be learned the hard way.

It's a lesson all but the most stubborn of us learn... but first we have to overcome the "new mics are sexy and treatment is not" mindset.

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by doctone

When a $ 150 mic beats a Schoeps, it is the operator's fault.

I will back up the CM4, as I have a pair I use regularly. No, they're not *quite* Schoeps. But they get darn close for 1/10th the price. And for most of us home recordists, where our room and our technique/experience are also limiters, that final few percent you'd get from the Schoeps may well be swamped by those other factors.

[DupleMeter]

People don't seem to realize how important the room is to the recording. After 30+ years of recording I've come to the conclusion that, given the choice of a great room & a mediocre mic or a great mic and a mediocre room...I'll take the great room/mediocre mic every day of the week.

It's just not nearly as fun to buy room treatment as it is to buy new gear...so it's a lesson often learned the hard way.

[b1j]

Steve and Jim, you may not know this, but you’ve managed to get through to me over the past year. I qualify as among the most stubborn where room treatment is concerned. But suddenly it just clicked a few months ago. I’m pleased to report that I’m on one of the final steps in making my eight 2’ x 4’ Rockwool panels — attaching the thin hardboard sides to the inner frames. Next comes dropping in the batts and wrapping with muslin. Behind that, the parts for the outer frames are all milled and drilled and will go together fast. A week or two to go as I dash into the workshop in between all the other stuff life has in store.

If I can get the panels into an effective configuration, I’ll be one of those with a “good” room (probably not “great” but I’m hoping much better than the echoey mess I’ve endured so far) — and midrange mics (2 sE8s and 2 NT-1As). I wouldn’t call them mediocre mics, just not high-end. I’m excited to see what I can achieve.

[Doug Young]

To be fair, aside from any budget issues, it's hard to imagine that over the long run anyone would regret buying a better mic than the 2020. That's a perfectly fine $100 mic, but it is certainly easy to improve on. The only question is whether other factors will prevent the benefits of a higher cost/quality mic from being realized. I'd do both - get a mic (or 2) that's likely to satisfy for the long haul, and deal with any room acoustic issues.

Back when I first got started, I struggled with some of this stuff. My recordings were boomy, etc. I got better mics, things were still boomy. I researched, learned about room modes. After solving that, I had better acoustics and better mics!

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

To be fair, aside from any budget issues, it's hard to imagine that over the long run anyone would regret buying a better mic than the 2020. That's a perfectly fine $100 mic, but it is easy to improve. The only question is whether other factors will prevent the benefits of a higher cost/quality mic from being realized. I'd do both - get a mic (or 2) that's likely to satisfy for the long haul, and deal with any room acoustic issues.

When I first started, I struggled with some of this stuff. My recordings were boomy, etc. I got better mics, things were still boomy. I researched, learned about room modes. After solving that, I had better acoustics and better mics!

For clarity's sake, I want to make an emphatic point. I am decidedly not against better equipment. I've spent enough money on gear over the 30 years to fund a home in Malibu. As you have mentioned in the past, and of which I'm 100% invested in, in any studio situation, be it Oceanway or Johhny Rocket's basement project studio, one's very best foot forward is the weakest link. That is especially so when mics and acoustic instruments are involved.

Sequentially, if one recognized problematic issues in a room and knew that sooner or later, they would need to be addressed and was willing to do so, yet was itching to get a better mic first, by all means, go for it. As you mentioned, there's not likely to be any regret going down the road in the future. On the other hand, if one is convinced room treatment has little merit and the solution rests solely in spending more money on better equipment, the sonic outcome is almost universally disappointing.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

For clarity's sake, I want to make an emphatic point. I am decidedly not against better equipment. I've spent enough money on gear over the 30 years to fund a home in Malibu. .

Yep, I think we're on the same page :-) I just always feel a tad hypocritical telling people gear doesn't matter when I've vastly overspent on gear! As long as people understand the whole picture, and what they will and won't get out of it, I think "buy once, buy right", getting good solid gear is something they probably won't regret.

At the same time, it's all but guaranteed that the limiting factor for people getting started with home recording is room acoustics, and gear is unlikely to solve issues until that's addressed one way or the other. It's too bad it's often so hard to convince the people how important it is. We often don't understand the impact until we've spent lots of money on other things that have failed to fix the real problem.

in this case, although we haven't heard any recorded examples, given the description, and knowing that it's possible to make perfectly decent home recordings with AT2020s (I own 2), it seems like a very safe bet that room acoustics is the overriding problem here.

If someone simply can't address their room acoustics issues, for whatever reason, it's probably more effective to just rent studio time, where you can get good acoustics and good gear and recording expertise all at the same time.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Yep, I think we're on the same page :-) I just always feel a tad hypocritical telling people gear doesn't matter when I've vastly overspent on gear!

Anyone know what Doug is talking about?

[kurth]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Yep, I think we're on the same page :-) I just always feel a tad hypocritical telling people gear doesn't matter when I've vastly overspent on gear! As long as people understand the whole picture, and what they will and won't get out of it, I think "buy once, buy right", getting good solid gear is something they probably won't regret.

At the same time, it's all but guaranteed that the limiting factor for people getting started with home recording is room acoustics, and gear is unlikely to solve issues until that's addressed one way or the other. It's too bad it's often so hard to convince the people how important it is. We often don't understand the impact until we've spent lots of money on other things that have failed to fix the real problem.

in this case, although we haven't heard any recorded examples, given the description, and knowing that it's possible to make perfectly decent home recordings with AT2020s (I own 2), it seems like a very safe bet that room acoustics is the overriding problem here.

If someone simply can't address their room acoustics issues, for whatever reason, it's probably more effective to just rent studio time, where you can get good acoustics and good gear and recording expertise all at the same time.

Doug...couldn't part of the problem most face be construction techniques of housing esp in North America? It's one of the few places that uses hollowed walls with highly reflective surfaces. As well, the size of most rooms being used are small and surfaces easily reflect with each other. thanks