If you could only bring one mic

[Bacton]

I need versatility since I only want to take one mic back with me to college. I need it mainly for acoustic guitar and vocals, but it would be great if it sounded ok with an occasional amp. I was thinking about an sm57, but I hear they dont sound that great with acoustic guitars. Price range is around 100 bucks. Basically the question is: if you could only bring one mic, what would it be?

[testing1two]

Since your pricepoint is really low, let's find out a little more about your signal chain:

1. What are you plugging the mic into? Mixer/mic-pre/audio interface/portable recorder?
2. Do you have 48v phantom power available?
3. What is the purpose of your recordings? Will they be shared or posted online?
4. Are you planning to record vocals and guitar at the same time from a single mic or will you primarily do multi-track recording?

You don't have many options for $100, but answering these questions will at least help determine whether or not you can look at condenser mics vs. dynamic mics.

[testing1two]

If you have 48v Phantom power, here are some options:

1. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=270455X
2. MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION: http://proaudiotoys.com/adk-a51-mk-51-large-cardioid-condenser-microphone-p-473.html?osCsid=a4dc1accf0886dc18b09eccda45a880f
3. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/AKG-Perception-120-Condenser-Microphone?sku=271289

[Bacton]

I'm plugging it into a apogee duet.
I'm not all too familiar with condencer mics, or phantom power, so im not sure if i have that capability. I'm going to do takes of vocals and guitar separately, not in one take.

[E_A]

Heck, I recorded acoustic guitars and vocals with SM57s for years back when... I'd still choose them over noisy, overly-hyped harsh cheapo condensors.
Audix I5 is good to - a little more modern in tone.

[LSchefman]

I still occasionally use a 57 on acoustic guitars, and even vocals, for television commercial work when I'm looking for a certain vibe.

And ALL recording tools are used when you're "looking for a certain vibe." There is NO universal tool for recording, used by everyone for everything. But one thing's for sure: the SM57 is an industry staple.

Lots of people who think they know audio like to talk about things they have little personal experience with.

[Bacton]

thats a good point. It is an industry standard. How would you describe the vibe that a sm57 gives?

[testing1two]

The good news is that your Duet is a fine interface with two good sounding mic pres that both have switchable phantom power. There are advantages and disadvantages to using dynamic mics and condenser mics, but the majority of studio recordings of acoustic guitars are done with condensers...but again, depending on what you need the definition of 'good' is completely up to you.

Below are a few advantages/disadvantages of dynamic and condenser mics. Not an exhaustive list by any means, but hopefully it will help you figure out what will work best for you.

Advantages of Dynamic Mics
1. Rugged - 57's have been used for everything from hammers to weapons of self defense and they keep on truckin
2. Less susceptible to background noise
3. Does not require phantom power

Advantages of Condenser Mics
1. Greater sensitivity - picks up quiet sound sources and can be placed at greater distances from the sound source for different creative applications.
2. Extended frequency response - condenser mics have faster transient response time (due to a lower mass element) which means deeper bass extension and extended upper frequency content.

Disadvantages of dynamic mics
1. Lower output, which means they need to be closer to the sound source and require more input gain from the mic pre
2. Susceptible to magnetic interference-dynamic mics can be influenced by electromagentic interference from things like fluorescent light ballasts, high power lines, and even CRT monitors.

Disadvantages of Condenser Mics:
1. Greater sensitivity-the same thing that makes these mics great also make them difficult. Greater sensitivity means that you hear more background noise like ceiling fans, breathing, the fan on your computer, and flies crawling across the wall.
2. Structural noise-condenser mics are also prone to picking up low frequency vibration through the floor from things like central a/c units or footsteps from down the hall. For this reason, most condenser mics (especially LDC's) should be used with a suspension mount.
3. Requires phantom power-without it condenser mics are very expensive paper weights.

[Bassomatic]

I'd go with a KSM 32, but that's me.

[Bacton]

for my application a condenser mic would probably be best. Any other suggestions for condenser mics? And can you tell me about that adk a51 you recomended?

[jcground]

Yeah, you could definitely use a condenser with your Duet. It has switchable phantom power.

That said, when I was poor and in college my only decent mic for years was an SM-58. Even though its a vocal mic, I used it on a number of occasions to record acoustic guitar into a 4-track with good results. Not professional mind you, but people liked the tone.

The advantage of a good condenser compared to a dynamic mic is the condensers typically have flatter response, preserving more high end. If you really want your acoustic tracks to sizzle, condenser is the way to go. I'd just advocate saving your money and getting the best mic you can afford.

[Ulysses]

I still occasionally use a 57 on acoustic guitars, and even vocals, for television commercial work when I'm looking for a certain vibe.




I think they can sound awesome on an acoustic. I have lots of vintage "holy grail" mics Telefunkens/Neumanns/AKG's, etc. but still use a 57 in many situations for acoustic guitar. My personal pet mic for an all purpose cheapie condenser is the Equitek 100 (version 1). YMMV.

[MichaelK]

In that price range, a SM-57. You can absolutely use it for acoustic guitar, no reason not to.

[moody07747]

condensers like the MXL 990/991 set are nice for the money and should work well for your instruments however they pick up a lot of noises from around the room and so if you are in a noisy location you may want to go with a nice dynamic mic such as the Shure SM57...
It's a little harsh on vocals and needs a lot of gain for that and acoustic guitar but it does work...

[E-Rock]

I love 57s on acoustics!
One of the best a-gtr sounds I've gotten was a 57 about a foot back from the 12th fret, into a Great River pre. :)
The Duet can give a lot of gain ( I think ), so I say 57!!!

[jeffplaisance]

I have a cascade fathead. Its $160, pretty good on guitar cabs, I've never used it on anything else. I bet it would work well though with your apogee. Its a ribbon mic so its delicate and very sensitive to wind so you'd need to use a pop filter always if you're singing into it.

DISCLAIMER: I've never used the next mic I'm about to recommend, but it gets really good reviews at gearslutz, and those guys usually know what they're talking about when it comes to recording.

A lot of the guys over at gearslutz REALLY like the CAD M179. I think the best price is at http://www.frontendaudio.com/CAD_M179_Dual_Diaphragm_Multi_Pattern_Condenser_Mi _p/1637.htm you get a free shockmount and pop filter with them too. Its a condenser, its chinese, and it DOES NOT have the "chinese bump" in the high end. They compare it to an AKG 414 but for significantly less money. CAD is one of those companies that is really good at designing quality affordable mics, but really bad at advertising, so you get a good product for cheap. Its gonna be my next mic.

[pbradt]

Shure SM57.

[mark norwine]

another vote for a 57

[KillerV]

+1 for the SM57, especially with a good pre

BTW, anybody seen this: http://www.shurenotes.com/issue30/article2.htm?

[shawntp]

for $100 SM57 is a go

[LSchefman]

>>How would you describe the vibe that a sm57 gives?<<

Good midrange, bass not tubby, nice chunk and thickness, surprisingly good high end with the right preamp and placed well.

Useful on vocals, acoustic guitar, drums of all kinds, even bass. Good with horns, too. Absolutely the most useful general purpose mic I've ever owned.

And I've owned a TON of very expensive mics.

Even if you eventually get more mics, you will still need the 57 and find it useful.

[Bacton]

will the duet have enough gain for the sm57?

[shawntp]

A duet has tons of gain comparred to all the other (under 1G) interfaces. I think its something like 90db of gain.

Ive been around the block in the 500-1000 interface (Motu 828MK2, MBox, Presonus firepod, M-Audio whatever) and the pres in the Duet have more gain and are really quiet.

I think the SM57 really needs a good pre to shine - you can plug it into a $25 pre in a mixer board and it works fine but you can plug it into a $2000+ pre in the studio and its a whole different animal.

Anyways - the Duet is awesome and will get great results out of a SM57 - its much better than all the above ive tried with a 57 and everything else.

I use the Duet now with a ribbon mic (ribbons are known to need high clean gain from a pre) and it works flawlessly.

[lespaulreedsmith]

A lot of the guys over at gearslutz REALLY like the CAD M179. I think the best price is at http://www.frontendaudio.com/CAD_M179_Dual_Diaphragm_Multi_Pattern_Condenser_Mi _p/1637.htm you get a free shockmount and pop filter with them too. Its a condenser, its chinese, and it DOES NOT have the "chinese bump" in the high end. They compare it to an AKG 414 but for significantly less money. CAD is one of those companies that is really good at designing quality affordable mics, but really bad at advertising, so you get a good product for cheap. Its gonna be my next mic.

got mine for $129 and free shipping (had the shock mount but it didn't come with a pop filter though)... smokin' deal, smoooth mic for the cash:band

[bilbal]

I'm gonna go with the crowd and say a 57 is perfect for what you described. However, I recently switched (vocals) from a 58 to a Sennheiser E835 and I will never go back. It's a great vocal mic. I haven't tried in any other setting so I can't comment to that.

[BluesForDan]

no matter how much $$ you have in your mic closet, you always need to have at least a couple of SM57s.

I'm a little partial to being able to record 'in the room' as opposed to 'in the grill' so I tend to prefer condensers. If I had to have only one mic, I'd keep my Rode NT2. Clarity of sound personified. Yep, every floor creak, chair squeak and sneaker chirp gets captured loud and clear :crazy But boy, does the guitar sound good.

[CJDM]

take one mic back with me to college

Are you going to be in a dorm or a shared house at College? Finding a really quiet and isolated place to record in that environment may be tough to say the least. I can't imagine using - for example - a large diaphragm condenser mike back in my college days. Although the "extra" noises might add something to the atmosphere I suppose if you go for that sort of thing.

For this as much as anything I'd go with the SM57 in your price range. It is very directional and good at not picking up extraneous noise which you will possibly have a lot of. You could plausibly back into a corner in your bed with a SM57 pointed at your guitar and put out a decent recording even with all of the typical dorm/student house craziness.

Plus, you can use it it a bar fight if needed as a truncheon.

[GuitarsFromMars]

consider a studio projects b1...

[Jan Folkson]

I'd certainly go with a condensor, and probably a large diaphragm one at that. Try looking around for an old audio technica 4033. If you're stuck on a dynamic, look into a used shure sm7b.