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Professional Microphone for Recording?

S

swchoi89

Senior member
Hey guys,

I have NO IDEA on what is a good brand, and I don't even know where to begin..

Basically, my girlfriend thinks that I should start some recording covers, songs, etc... So yes, the main purpose is to record songs.

Does anyone know good microphones I can find in Canada??

My budget is I guess up to $400, or can be flexible.

Thanks in advance!
 
If you get a recording microphone, you'll need to hook it up the PC... You may want to consider spending some money on a sound capturing interface for the PC.

As for the microphone, anything from 60 bucks upwards will get you a decent enough sound for the internet and even for recording, you should be set for a while.

As for brands, I'd recommend you go with vintage mics, if you can get them used and tested, but that's only if you're willing to spend serious money (and time) on the mic. I have heard a mic that was going for 1000€ that sounded better than serious 4k mics. If you want new and really top of the line, go for Shure or Neumann. Senheiser is also good.
 
Morbus said:
If you get a recording microphone, you'll need to hook it up the PC... You may want to consider spending some money on a sound capturing interface for the PC.

As for the microphone, anything from 60 bucks upwards will get you a decent enough sound for the internet and even for recording, you should be set for a while.

As for brands, I'd recommend you go with vintage mics, if you can get them used and tested, but that's only if you're willing to spend serious money (and time) on the mic. I have heard a mic that was going for 1000€ that sounded better than serious 4k mics. If you want new and really top of the line, go for Shure or Neumann. Senheiser is also good.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response! I'll look into those brands you named there!

What is a "sound capturing interface"? Is it one of those round things?
 
He means stuff like this:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Audio-Interfaces-Recording.gc

A microphone is only as good as the device doing the analog-digital conversion of the sound stream. Integrated sound on most motherboards do terrible capture. Often a decent sound card is good enough. Professionals, however, can go into the $1000's of dollars on this stuff, especially if you start mixing different instruments and doing multiple effects.
 
Can you give us just a little more information? What instruments are we recording? Just vocals? Or do you play guitar too or something?
 
Shure is a pretty well known brand when it comes to pro mics, the SM58 is pretty much an industry standard for signers and what not. They go for about 100 bucks, so you're not really spending an arm and a leg either to consider it's probably what most rock stars or public speakers are using.

http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/sm

You will need an adapter to use it on a PC though, or even better, a capture device/audio card that takes that kind of plug. External sound cards are also apparently better as they wont have as much interference. (I can't verify that as I never tried, but it does make sense).
 
swchoi89 said:
@giantpandaman2
@Red Squirrel
@sdifox
@moonbogg

Thank you all!

*I am located in Toronto.
Click to expand...

Steve's music store on Queen and Long & McQuade at Bloor and Concord are decent. The reason I recommended a stand alone recorder is that would isolate your recording from all the noise in the computer.
 
sdifox said:
Steve's music store on Queen and Long & McQuade at Bloor and Concord are decent. The reason I recommended a stand alone recorder is that would isolate your recording from all the noise in the computer.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information!


And thanks to Railgun also!
 
Sure sells an SM58 with a USB adapter for digital applications if you want to go that route. It has an integrated pre-amp and gain control. Just plug it into your computer and go. It also has a 1/8" jack for monitoring via headphones, has monitor mix control for blending playback audio with recorded voice, and supports 16bit/48khz audio.

This might come out cheaper than buying an external recording box and a mic, but the external box would offer more control over the sound and if you want to hook up a keyboard or something you'd need the external box anyway.
 
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Red Squirrel said:
Shure is a pretty well known brand when it comes to pro mics, the SM58 is pretty much an industry standard for signers and what not. They go for about 100 bucks, so you're not really spending an arm and a leg either to consider it's probably what most rock stars or public speakers are using.

http://www.shure.com/americas/products/microphones/sm

You will need an adapter to use it on a PC though, or even better, a capture device/audio card that takes that kind of plug. External sound cards are also apparently better as they wont have as much interference. (I can't verify that as I never tried, but it does make sense).
Click to expand...

Definitely agree. I use 57s and 58s for live sound as well. They are very rugged and reliable. I've dropped them, smashed them and crushed them and they always come out working. Personally, if you are willing to go way over your budget, my favorites are either Rode or Blue. On the Bottle mic from Blue you can switch the capsule, and I have found this to be a useful feature. But this is a $5000 mic, so I wouldn't recommend getting it unless you are very serious about your recording.

As for connecting it to a computer, I would recommend a small, four channel mixer. My favorite would be the Behringer Xenyx series. If you don't want to go down that road I would recommend a good sound card and a USB mic.
 
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