Microphones for home recording

[jimh]

How good are you with a soldering iron???

The MXLs make good platforms for modding, as the capsule's are really decent, it just the electronics that let them down.

http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/m/151081/0/#msg_151081
http://www.diyfactory.com/projects/royerproject/royerproject.htm
http://swan.he.net/~tapeop/viewtopic.php?t=50288&start=0&sid=f92b158fce5379de8eddf65c2b0ea1e1
http://www.crodog.org/tubemic/tubemic.htm
http://www.diyfactory.com/projects/royerproject/royermod_1.pdf

Mate of mine modded a Behringer large diaphragm condender, turned it into a tube mic.  Sounds great.  Couldnt say "it sound just like Neumann U87", but it just sounds nice.
Could be an option for you?  :dontknow:

 

[AndyG]

So how does this sound as a basic purchasing plan: I have a small diaphragm dynamic mic (SM57). Maybe I should buy a large diaphragm dynamic, small diaphragm condenser, and large diaphragm condenser. This will give me four mics, and I think a fair amount of diversity / versatility.

What do you guys think about that? Mostly I am unsure about whether I should bother with a large diaphragm dynamic mic like the Beta 58a, or just get two large diaphragm condensers. Thoughts?

You won't need a large-diaphram dynamic unless you'll be recording things like kick drums, trombones, or bass amps.  I agree with I5project in that a matched pair of small diaphram condensors is a great idea.  They'll work well on the banjo and acoustic guitars, and you'll probably want to stereo mic the piano.  If you ever record a solo acoustic, one of my favorite techniques is a large diaphram just below the bridge, and a pencil condensor pointed at the 12th fret.  It blends nicely in mono and sounds great in "stereo" (panned hard left and right).

For recordings, I almost always prefer condensor mics.  Dynamics are great for live situations, simply because of their ruggedness.  I've used both dynamics and condensors on drums with equal success, but again, the dynamic will probably survive a stray drumstick better.  It sounds like you're recording mostly acoustic instruments, so I'd go for 2 large and 2 small diaphram condensors.

 

[tfarny]

Let me present an alternative: start out with one decent large diaphragm condenser and a pre-amp. That will be a good all-around mic for lots of things but especially your vocals and your acoustic guitar. It will probably do an ok job on piano, which you mentioned. Better one good sound than two crappy ones. Later on you can get stereo small-diaphragm mics and all that fancy stuff. Also, I have always preferred my own vocals with a dynamic mic, and especially for just quick-and-dirty kinds of stuff, a good dynamic vocal mic is great to have - doesn't need a stand, windscreen, phantom power, etc. You can get an sm58 on Craigs list for probably $60 and it's good to have something like that for a lot of reasons.

 

[Rick]

I'm even cheaper than you!
Here's my recording rig (all bought used)
PG58 cost $15
Alesis 6fx Mixer $50
Tascam Portastudion 414MkII $15
Sony CD Recorder $100
Sony dual tape deck $50

As for recording with the band, just do two tracks at a time.
It's glorious lo-fi.

Get yourself a cheap condensor mic.

 

[l5project]

I'd say not to bother with the Beta 58a.  Rather than buying two large diaphragm condensers, I would strongly suggest that that you buy a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers. These are a huge asset in a home studio, as they allow you to make stereo recordings of many instruments.  I have a cheap pair of Nadys that sound surprisingly good.  The MXL 990 is a great mic for the price as well.  And Andy and Jerry are correct in saying that a good preamp is very important.

I can send you a recording I did using the MXL 990 on vocals and a Nady CM88 on acoustic guitar if you are interested in hearing how they sound.

I am not sure how often I would be making stereo recordings, my main need for more mics is I want to be able to record my little band live all at once, which would usually mean two mics doing vocal duty and two mics on instruments, like piano and banjo or whatever.

As for your recording, I would love to hear it. Tfarny sent me a great recording using the Beta 58a and AKG perception microphones - it's a nice luxury to hear before I buy.

Regardless, in my experience a pair of pencil condensers is a very useful thing to have.  I sent you the recording by email.

 

[Phrygian]

I should have read your original post a little better.  I don't think you could go wrong buying more SM57 mics.  You can, at the very least, craigslist them for a good value if you decide to upgrade latter.