decent mics

[Darth Sidious]

Hi guys, I've got a few questions regarding mics.

What's a price to expect for a decent mic? By decent mic I mean a mic that's good for recording - it can pick up a decent amount of bass and not have a lot of buzzing in the background.

Also, for gigging, what kind of mic would you recommend? I'm looking for some brand names and model names. I know Shure are generally quite highly regarded but I've also ahd the impression that they're quite expensive. Can anyone clarify?

[The Chemist]

expect to pay about $95-$150 for a good mic. If you want a good all use mic, go for a Shure SM-57. They cost about $100 and are great fo no-buzz recording and are grat for low end on guitars. For gigging, and good mic will do. It all depends on what you want for tone.

check this site for prices.
http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category/170/mics

[akoaysigod]

^What he said. Shure makes excellent mics for the price. You can get better ones but they'll costs you more. Behringer make decent mics too. I don't know how good they are for live sound though, I've only used them for recording things. They're a bit prone to breaking though. So they're not really something you will want to bang around too much.

[Darth Sidious]

I guess mics in general just aren't made for banging around anyway...

Shure certainly seems like an excellent choice for recording. What about gigging? Because as much as the band tries...I guess the mics are bound to get knocked around a bit more than studio mics. Should I aim for cheaper mics for gigging or does anyone have any good suggestions?

[airborne50caliber]

Oh trust me a 57 is definitely made to be banged around.. it's so ****ing sturdy you won't believe... insane.

[moaner]

if you're in the UK, you get seriously stung for shure mics. Check out t-bone.

[himynameistweek]

$25 for a behringer xm8500
people love to say they break easily, but i've swung mine around and hit it on things such as drums, walls, band members, etc. and it still sounds great.

[Relmar]

Shure suck, I'll tell you that.

[isojoe420]

Shure suck, I'll tell you that.
:lol:

[Darth Sidious]

I travel around Hong Kong and Australia a bit, would you expect the prices to be more expensive or less than say, the US?

[airborne50caliber]

Shure suck, I'll tell you that.

Shure suck...? What microphones are good enough for you, then?

[Ned]

Neumann?

[Nicko_Shmicko]

Shure suck, I'll tell you that.

dont make me get sick into my own scorne

[Darth Sidious]

I've had a look at Shures and I've noticed they've got Beta, PG, SM, and some other. What are the differences between these models?

[10571z]

I travel around Hong Kong and Australia a bit, would you expect the prices to be more expensive or less than say, the US?

im from australia and i can tell you music equipment is way cheaper in the us.... but seeing the american dollar the aussie equipment might end up cheaper if you exchange moeny....

as for hong kong i have no idea....

[airborne50caliber]

I've had a look at Shures and I've noticed they've got Beta, PG, SM, and some other. What are the differences between these models?

beta is their best stuff, SM come after but are still very good quality, I don't know about PG, I think it;s their budget line.

[Darth Sidious]

do you think it will be spending too much money to get a Beta just for some rather casual recording?

[Moseph]

do you think it will be spending too much money to get a Beta just for some rather casual recording?

You shouldn't judge the mic by what you're trying to accomplish, you should judge the mic by how you think it sounds. If you can, goto a store and try some out on a guitar amp or whatever and see what you think. If you can't stand the sound of the mic and buy it anyway, you'll never be happy with your recordings.

Also, I've used the PG series a bit and they're pretty solid. They're designed to be used in a live setting (ie, they focused on reliability rather than on frequency response) but they sound pretty good. The Beta series has a certain level of clarity in the mids that isn't in the other series. If you're just a beginner, I'm fairly confident that you won't notice the difference or you won't care anyway.

[Darth Sidious]

that's awesome info. I'm going to a music store next weekend to actually check the mics out. Thanks!

[ozzfest05]

well shure sm58 is the way to go, for as far as shures go, step up from the pg level,
or their is the akg 880 which can convert to wireless

[himynameistweek]

do you think it will be spending too much money to get a Beta just for some rather casual recording?
yes.
xm8500 is $25, very similar in quality. for casual recording it is better than you'll ever need out of a dynamic.

[airborne50caliber]

an sm57 will do, no need for beta for 'casual recording'

[Moseph]

yes.
xm8500 is $25, very similar in quality.

I disagree, but everyone here already knows that.

Again, try stuff out in the store, and get what you like. Don't listen to a bunch of guys on the internet to make your decision. You have no idea what we like in our recording, how good our ears are, the styles we work with, or how you play.

[SwirlyBoy]

ya i use shure for everything and i think they are by far the best. 90-150$ for decent mikes. i use 57's for guitar recording and miking and then 58's for vocals.

[ljump12]

If you need a mic just for recordng, you should look for a condenser mic.