So i'm planning on buying a condenser mic in a week or two. My budget is exactly 400. I'm pretty much new to actual recording compared to producing in a box. I have my eyes set on two mics atm, the Audio Technica AT3035 or a Rode NT1A. I'm also getting a small USB interface so i could connect the mic and my acoustic guitars into it. So far i'm looking into getting a M-Audio MobilePre USB.

was wondering, if anyone could give me some help on the topic?

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Rode NT1A or Studio Projects B1 are probably the best two budget mics on the market. The NT1A is better for most things though.

You will want a decent preamp though. I suggest getting something cheap for now. ART Tube MP is "the" budget preamp. I know a guy at Sony who used one of these for many years, on commercial songs! You might like to consider the MP Studio V3 too.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TubeMP/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TubeMPSTV3/

Generally it is good to have a hardware compressor too, so that you can get a level signal going into your A/D converter. If you don't mind losing a bit of scalability, the ART Tube Pac isn't bad... It's basically just a Tube MP with a compressor, in one box.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TubePac/

Studio Projects VTB-1 preamp is probably the best match for the B1 mic.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VTB1/

Personally, I would probably get the Tube MP and a separate compressor, rather than the Tube Pac. It's more scalable this way, because you could use the same preamp with many different compressors and vice versa. These cheap single preamps perform well and you have to spend alot more to get something significantly better. However, cheap compressors just completely suck, so it would be good to be able to buy a new compressor later on and patch it in.

At some stage you can add in an EQ and have your own custom channel strip. The benefit of adding an EQ is that you can cut out unwanted shit and maximize the signal level going into your interface. This is a "nice to have" feature, rather than a "must have". Of course, there is no point in buying a digital EQ... this only applies if you're keeping your entire chain analog.

I would rig all this gear up with an Echo AudioFire 2 or 4. They have (by far) the best converters for the price.

Don't forget to buy a reasonably solid mic stand and make sure you use the shock mount! If you're recording vocals, a pop filter is mandatory. If your recording environment is less than optimal, you might also like to look into something like the RealTraps Portable Vocal Booth.

http://www.realtraps.com/products.htm#PVB

Don't get an SE Reflexion Filter, they are shit.

Last edited by echosystm on Feb-20-2009 at 04:08

I'd record in 24 bit and not use a compressor. Its more expensive and you'll probably stuff it up anyway. Just my 2 cents.

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quote:

Originally posted by echosystm Rode NT1A or Studio Projects B1 are probably the best two budget mics on the market. The NT1A is better for most things though. You will want a decent preamp though. I suggest getting something cheap for now. ART Tube MP is "the" budget preamp. I know a guy at Sony who used one of these for many years, on commercial songs! You might like to consider the MP Studio V3 too. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TubeMP/ http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TubeMPSTV3/ Generally it is good to have a hardware compressor too, so that you can get a level signal going into your A/D converter. If you don't mind losing a bit of scalability, the ART Tube Pac isn't bad... It's basically just a Tube MP with a compressor, in one box. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TubePac/ Studio Projects VTB-1 preamp is probably the best match for the B1 mic. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VTB1/ Personally, I would probably get the Tube MP and a separate compressor, rather than the Tube Pac. It's more scalable this way, because you could use the same preamp with many different compressors and vice versa. These cheap single preamps perform well and you have to spend alot more to get something significantly better. However, cheap compressors just completely suck, so it would be good to be able to buy a new compressor later on and patch it in. At some stage you can add in an EQ and have your own custom channel strip. The benefit of adding an EQ is that you can cut out unwanted shit and maximize the signal level going into your interface. This is a "nice to have" feature, rather than a "must have". Of course, there is no point in buying a digital EQ... this only applies if you're keeping your entire chain analog. I would rig all this gear up with an Echo AudioFire 2 or 4. They have (by far) the best converters for the price. Don't forget to buy a reasonably solid mic stand and make sure you use the shock mount! If you're recording vocals, a pop filter is mandatory. If your recording environment is less than optimal, you might also like to look into something like the RealTraps Portable Vocal Booth. http://www.realtraps.com/products.htm#PVB Don't get an SE Reflexion Filter, they are shit.

+1. Great advice here.

Another thing I forgot to mention... If you are ONLY recording vocals, then a good condenser is probably ideal (get the NT1A). However, if you want to record instruments at any stage, you would be better off getting a cheaper condenser (B1) and a dynamic (SM57 or SM58).

Some people would argue that you're actually better off having one condenser and one dynamic, regardless of what you would use them for. The SM57/58 have been used on vocals a lot in the past (not just live use) and may be better suited to some singers than a condenser. Personally, I don't know which philosophy I like better, so I'll leave that up to others haha.

quote:

Originally posted by kitphillips I'd record in 24 bit and not use a compressor. Its more expensive and you'll probably stuff it up anyway. Just my 2 cents.

Agreed. I've recorded very loud singers and have yet to have any clipping when recording in 24-bit. Decent hardware compressors aren't cheap anyways.

quote:

Originally posted by echosystm Another thing I forgot to mention... If you are ONLY recording vocals, then a good condenser is probably ideal (get the NT1A). However, if you want to record instruments at any stage, you would be better off getting a cheaper condenser (B1) and a dynamic (SM57 or SM58). Some people would argue that you're actually better off having one condenser and one dynamic, regardless of what you would use them for. The SM57/58 have been used on vocals a lot in the past (not just live use) and may be better suited to some singers than a condenser. Personally, I don't know which philosophy I like better, so I'll leave that up to others haha.

It really depends on who and what you are recording. The condenser is going to be better of course but if your singer is used to moving around a lot and not really classically trained then sometimes a dynamic is the best way to go. That said definitely get at least one dynamic mic.

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