A Mic For Recording Vocals At Home

[Shane]

Hey

I'm just a bedroom singer at the moment and in my opinion i guess i can sing fairly ok, and i want to start experimenting with lyrics i've written etc and maybe put backing tracks to it so i need something for recording. Problem is i'm only a teenager so i don't have too much money too often and with me only being a bedroom singer i don't want to splash out too much money. So i'm wondering does anyone know anything that is good for recording and is also cheap, i only have my mobile phone and my webcam/mic so anything at all is probably an improvement

[Retrosaurus Rex]

I'll refer you to another recent thread on this topic, most of the same advice applies... check it out and come back with more ?s...

Basically, there are a lot of fairly low-cost options... you're better off spending a little more (just a little...) and getting something that will serve you for a long time, rather than just the cheapest option available now...

[Shane]

Im really just want something that will record my voice and maybe even my guitar accurately

Not really looking for anything that's insanely techincally good. Also how would i go about recording onto my computer? Would there be leads that work using usb or something?

[Retrosaurus Rex]

There are a couple of people making USB mics which are supposed to be pretty good, but I don't personally have any experience with them. Some dynamic mics have 1/4" plug (better ones have an XLR-type plug), while most consumer level computer sound cards have a mini-input jack, so either way you'll have to get an adapter, easily found at Radio Shack... also, you'd need a program to record into, a well-regarded freebie is Audacity...

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Our young friend Rohan among others use this program, you'll be up and running quickly, I think...

Back to the mics, a dynamic mic is probably the choice for you, the difference between a $20.00 mic from a department store and an SM-57, for instance, is partly sound quality, but also build quality. Look around for a deal on a high quality mic and spend the extra money if you can at all afford it, you'll be glad in the long run...

[Shane]

Looking on amazon etc the ones you're recommending are amazingly over pricey for me £95 is definately a nono at the moment. Any you'd suggest for a 1/3 or 1/2 the price?

[Retrosaurus Rex]

Looking on amazon etc the ones you're recommending are amazingly over pricey for me £95 is definately a nono at the moment. Any you'd suggest for a 1/3 or 1/2 the price?

That does seem high, unless $ = £, in which case they're about the same... you might do a general search on AKG, Audio-Technica, Behringer, Nady and/or Shure. Any of these might have something more in your price range. Shop around and read the reviews. I know that Behringer, for example, as of a few years ago, was best known for spotty quality, but that seems to have turned around since, and they seem to be turning out solid if not spectacular products at a reasonable price.

Good hunting!

[Shane]

thankyou

Whats your take on podcast mics? They pretty much made to be suitable for computers and home use, and seem rather cheap

[Retrosaurus Rex]

I don't have any personal experience with them... Look at the frequency response, if a chart is available... a mic suitable for music will be more or less flat thru-out the audible spectrum, at least from about 60Hz to 16KHz (maybe even down to 12KHz is OK...). A lot of mics intended primarily for spoken word have a bump from about 5KHz to 10KHz, which can result in some undesirable effects when recording a guitar, for example... if I understood, you said you're just looking for a cheap way to get your songs down, and you'll use it mainly for vocals, so even this type of mic might be OK...

[IKObi]

If you have an iOS device like an iPhone or an iPod you can get VocaLive and our iRig mic and get great recordings!

[Shane]

still havn't gotten round to getting one and remembered this post...so glad i looked at it as this ipod thing looks quite promising for my price range, thankyou

[AlexOConnor]

I would get something like a zoom h2 microphone - The quality is great and it's an all in one studio, you just record then take out the SD card then transfer it to your computer for editing... Job done.

Alex

[FinnArild]

If you get into some more money I would suggest a large diaphragm like Røde NT1000, which you should be able to get for around $300 new ...