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'Recording mic'


DSA

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Sorry for such a vague query....

 

...however someone has just asked me to recommend a mic for recording vocals and his electric guitar.

 

Thought I would just ask for your thoughts.

 

His budget is seriously limited...but he wants a quality sound, naturally.

 

There are so many possibilities I need some assistance in selecting!

 

Thanks,

David

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On a budget you can't go much wrong with a AKG-C3000 (about £189), use it the guitar, then multitrack in the vocals also.

 

If the budget is a little higher, the AKG 414 is the industry standerd for guitar amps... and it is fantastic for vocals. (but the price reflects this...)

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err, normally I'd use 57's or 421's on Guitar amps. 414 don't really like being subjected to the usual SPL's that arrive from guitar amps.

 

From the original question, you probably couldn't go wrong with an SM57 (about £120 list) although its not the best for recording vocals

 

Edit: Having thought about it a bit more, in a recording enviroment a 414 would be good for a guitar......just depends on how deaf the guitarist is

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err, normally I'd use 57's or 421's on Guitar amps. 414 don't really like being subjected to the usual SPL's that arrive from guitar amps.

 

I would use a 57 for a live situation anyday, but the 414 and C3000 have a much nicer and clearer sound for studio work.

 

If your guitarist is that deff, both mikes have a -10/-20 pad on them.

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scrape together all of you pennies and buy a 414, very good all round microphones for live,guitars,overheads,stereo pairs, vocals. They can cope with very high spl's, are often used on snare drums in the studio.

 

Electric guitars and vocals tend to need quite different forms of microphones, many great recordings have been made with a SM57 on a guitar amp, but they sound terrible on vocals.

 

In general terms to get any sort of acceptable result on vocals you want a condensor microphone which start off at about £110

 

my recommendations for price range

 

£100 - £200 Akg C1000, Rode NT3

£200 - £300 Akg C3000 or AT4033 (The 4033 is on special offer at studio spares at the moment, £144 +VAT)

£300 - £400 Rode NT2000/NTK

£400 + Akg 414, sony C48, Neumann u87!

 

The 414 comes in two forms, the only difference is how they are balanced (one with a transformer, one with electronics.) go for the cheaper one.

 

sticks

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Electric guitars and vocals tend to need quite different forms of microphones, many great recordings have been made with a SM57 on a guitar amp, but they sound terrible on vocals.

I'd disagree - IMHO 57's sound slightly better than 58's for some vocals in a live situation, but their lack of windshield makes them harder to use.

 

Steer well clear of the AKG C1000's though - I've never been impressed with these.

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sorry, I was referring to recordings. I would never use a 58 to record vocals either.

 

I agree with you about sometimes 57's being nicer for live, I often use a beta 57 on female vocals.

 

I think the c1000s are ok, not my favourite but as a cheap microphone they are a marked improvement on dynamic equivalents.

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Thanks for replies so far...

 

I know the 414s are cracking...school has now got 2...but they will be way over his budget.

 

He was looking at more the £100-200 max

 

So not a C1000 you say... what about the Rode NT3?

 

Thanks,

David

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the original post said budget - so why not look at the huge range of cheap chinese mics that are really popular in the budget end of the recording market. I bought a load for a project recently where I wasn't really expecting to have to use them again - I have to say that they are really much better than the price you pay. They aren't neumanns or AKGs, but at less than £100 (much less for some) they're a great way to get more for your money. have a look at www.thomann.de
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