Which mic should I get?

P

prislsl

New member
I'm interested to get a microphone just for personal recording purposes. Currently deciding between the Blue Yeti and the Shure SM58.
If I get a Shure, is it confirmed that I will have to get a mixer? I actually prefer the 'live' sound(thus the dynamic mic), but it's really quite troublesome to get a Shure, and then get the mixer, not to mention expensive as well. Is it possible for me to just connect the Shure to the computer? I might have to get another connector but I don't mind.

On the other hand, condensers are easier to set up, and in this case might be cheaper as well. However I'm afraid that it will be too sensitive, since I've read about mics recording the whirring sounds of the aircon, fan, computer or whatnots.

Dynamic:
- Prefer this sound.
- More versatile.

BUT: Might need a mixer, thus more expensive.

Condenser:
- Lesser fuss, no need for mixers, just plug and record.

BUT: My room is a little noisy.

Please give me some opinion! All help will be much appreciated :)
 
Why need mixer for dynamic mic ?

condenser mic you need phantom power .
AT2020 + interface
or AT2020 USB version just plug and play
 
prislsl :

1) welcome to soft

2) http://tinyurl.com/diyrecording

3) to answer your questions if you get a shure sm58 no you don't have to get a mixer, read 1)
if you wanna connect directly, what you can do is a "manual way of the USB mic" , Shure SM58 > XLRtoUSB > USB > PC/DAW. just like the blue yeti (mic>preamp>audio interface all in one) you can get at www.hungbros.com

you have mistaken condenser as "USB mic" as if they're easy to setup. they're all the same.

Dynamic is less sensitive but able to take high sound pressure levels. and reduce feedback (not in your case if for recording, but picks up what's infront rather than all the noises)

condenser is otherwise, and requires phantompower (again pls read tinyurl.com/diyrecording)

if your room is noisy, pls reduce everything that makes noise or standby your aircon remote to turn off before recording, if you're on a fan, it's the same. if you got a noisy cpu (fan) , mic away from the cpu. silent all handphones and outside noises like chair creaks etc.

consider other options like Zoom H2 for portability and affordability.

gd luck!
 
Last edited:
SM58 is claimed to be a vocal mic. Industry standard used on live stage for vocalist.
Rarely hear people use to mic up instruments during live sound or recording.

In this case, I prefer condenser mics (Blue Yeti) for recording purpose as it can capture wider frequency range. I think it is more versatile for recording instruments and vocals.

Cheers!
 
Ezkielkok: at2020 xlr was used in the vocals for one of my recent projects
Www.myspace.com/ingride it is pretty good for it's cost

Roze23: actually sm58 are used in recordings as well for those who prefer to capture more on the higher frequency side.I've seen it done often for hihats
 
blueprintstudios: Oh i see now. Thanks for the information.
I always have the mentality that I must use condenser mics to get the high frequency parts.
 
roze23 : there's no "must/should" or "can only" (unless basic necessities) in audio , to capture "high frequencies" , it is IDEAL to use a condenser mic because it is more responsive to capturing high frequencies. lets say for example.. acoustic guitar.

if you like the punch coming from the body , and love the natural twang/sound of changing frets (that squeak sound). which explains how the common miking preference of engineers to have one pencil condenser aiming at the fretboard , and one large diaphragm/one dynamic etc aiming at the body. possibilities and options are only limited with what you have. some people love the guitar phat/full in the mix and may even use a kickdrum mic as well for the body! but always remember to watch for phase when using more than 1 mic.

i was saying earlier some engineers use sm58 (dynamic) for hihat, it's because the hihat generates high spls and they'd prefer to capture the hihat using dynamic. but if you were to use something like a sm57 to capture a "high frequency based" source, it won't be as "clear/crisp" as using a condenser.

now from this perspective , you'll sorta get the idea why many swear by SM57 (captures high spl cranked amps + responsive mids) for rock genre/distortion guitars for amp miking.
 
Thanks for all your comments!

If I were to get a condenser I would probably get Blue Yeti over the AT2020. Understand that the latter is a great mic for its price, but it is after all a pretty old model now, and has lesser functions than the Yeti. Sound quality wise, of course I would hope the Yeti is better, but then again it really isn't that important to me.

One thing I really really like about the Yeti is that you can listen to how you sound. Can I also hear my sound if I use the Shure mic?
 
Personally, I prefer condenser to work with. Recently I done a number of guitar and vocal recording. Especially on vocal, many singer will feel easier to sing with condenser, many fine vocal technique can be heard easily on condenser. On guitar the body and macro detail is easily captured. The condenser I used(not me) is not so popular $200 cat CAD multi-pattern condenser.

This is the recent recording I done with the CAD condenser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmKNvOTpnbg&feature=player_embedded

Choose 480p for a bit better clip. Note I record on not so good environment, where I able to hear a bit noise out of the room. But the noise do not enter into the recording.
 
Yeti would be clearer cos it's a condenser.
as for "listen to how you sound" , it's called "Monitoring" , you can arm your DAW to monitor what your mic is "listening". so any mics can be done that way.

gd luck!
 
Yep i think what you are referring to is monitoring which you can get using your DAW . But the problem i had when i was using my H4n with my Cubase LE5 is that i have latency issues . Yes , you can adjust the latency accordingly but i find it tends to go out of synch again and again in the middle of recording .

I later switched my setup to the At2020 + Line 6 Ux2 . Working great for me now , no latency issues.
 
i got my ux2 at citymusic for $292 .. i saw a few second hands in the classified pages here on soft , maybe you can try looking for it .. i dont know if thats the best interface for its price .. ive seen people saying presonus is good too
 
If you are considering the Yeti as your first condenser mic please note that I have a friend who just bought the Yeti and its sound signature is not general purpose like the AT2020. If you were going for your first mic, and if it will likely be your only mic for a while, I highly recomment AT2020 over Yeti.
 
That why frequency response and pattern is important to look at. Character of a mic is shown. At2020 is more linear than Yeti. Of cos, it doesn't mean anything. Is like you know that DPA microphone is the most accurate and best respond microphone, but less popular than german mics that rulz all high end studio.
 
I personally don't look at mics, I only listen to them. I vote AT2020 together with grarr and auntmall.

so, has anyone have shit experiences with the cost + the versatility of the AT2020?
 
I bought a pair of neumann mic base on a CD that track many vintages mic. I can't buy the vintage so I buy the incarnation of that mic. But I don't use now as it is ommi pair. Used to track some orchestra work in the past.
 
ezekielkok : next time when you plan to buy a normal 1.6 car after you get your new driving license (if you haven't got one) , i hope no one tries to hard sell you a ferrari or lambo.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
I'm a drummer looking for a guitarist/vocalist to form a 2 piece band. Prefer to compose/write music
Replies
1
Views
276
emoisevil_
E
fishmusic
can i produce/co-write your songs?
Replies
5
Views
803
mimosa
M
D
WTS: Seventy Seven STK-I GO Les Paul Gold Top
Replies
0
Views
262
Duck
D
C
What should I do?
Replies
2
Views
12K
chongjasmine
C
G
Looking for guitarist to record rock songs
Replies
2
Views
697
trader_76
T

Latest posts

Share this page

Back
Top