General Music Chat

I don't know much about the other mics mentioned, other than the 57, but if home recording is the only need for this mic you're looking for, I'm really happy with my MXL 990. It's cheap, sounds better than any mic i've been using to date, and it gets the job done.

I got mine with a shock-mount and a case for about 60 bucks. All you need after that is an AI or soundboard with powered jacks for the mic.

My room is filled with artifacts I never knew existed before plugging it in - kitchen dishes being washed, creaking chairs, neighbors car pulling in... really sensitive.

http://www.amazon.com/MXL-990-991-Recor ... B0002GJI3C

p.s. there's a picture of it on my profile of me recording my accoustic - 57 below, 990 with the pop screen

All my vocals posted (apart from Desire) were done on a £2.50 desk top mic and its ok for demo's. I have got a AKG condensor to use though when I sort out my studio!

All my vocals posted (apart from Desire) were done on a £2.50 desk top mic and its ok for demo's. I have got a AKG condensor to use though when I sort out my studio!

Hello.

Hello Mike. You still being a bad bitch or are you behaving yourself now

Hello Mike. You still being a bad bitch or are you behaving yourself now

I'm trying to remember my medication.

Yeah medication is a bitch innit but I guess it's better than alienation

How is the Sennheiser MD421 MKII U4? Does age matter? I don't think they're manufactured anymore. But, eBay has plenty of old ones. I read Joey Ramone used Shure SM57's, SM58's, and the Sennheiser MD421 MKII U4 mic's. Not sure if that is relevant to my needs. But, maybe a comparison of my vocals in the Mongoloid video to his would give anyone an idea. Just spitballing here.

952 Cormran Megatone. Nothin like it!

Huh?

Never heard of em?

ok, I made it up

How is the Sennheiser MD421 MKII U4? Does age matter? I don't think they're manufactured anymore. But, eBay has plenty of old ones. I read Joey Ramone used Shure SM57's, SM58's, and the Sennheiser MD421 MKII U4 mic's. Not sure if that is relevant to my needs. But, maybe a comparison of my vocals in the Mongoloid video to his would give anyone an idea. Just spitballing here.

I dont think Ive ever seen a pic of Joey using a Sennheiser for vocals. When I saw them Live, he used the 57. Sennheisers are generally used on drums, whether on stage or the studio. Besides, they arent cheap, so you may as well go with a studio-grade mic for home recording. I know a lot of people go ahead and post their music on the web using sub-grade gear.....and they wonder why no one has taken an interest.

We recorded several Punk bands back in my studio days, we used high quality gear. The bands still sounded raw, but there was transparency in the recordings. The best part of Punk music is actually being there when it happens. Pro gear makes it sound like the band it right there in the living room with you. That's why I cant get behind this MP3 crap.

How is the Sennheiser MD421 MKII U4? Does age matter? I don't think they're manufactured anymore. But, eBay has plenty of old ones. I read Joey Ramone used Shure SM57's, SM58's, and the Sennheiser MD421 MKII U4 mic's. Not sure if that is relevant to my needs. But, maybe a comparison of my vocals in the Mongoloid video to his would give anyone an idea. Just spitballing here.

I dont think Ive ever seen a pic of Joey using a Sennheiser for vocals. When I saw them Live, he used the 57. Sennheisers are generally used on drums, whether on stage or the studio. Besides, they arent cheap, so you may as well go with a studio-grade mic for home recording. I know a lot of people go ahead and post their music on the web using sub-grade gear.....and they wonder why no one has taken an interest.

We recorded several Punk bands back in my studio days, we used high quality gear. The bands still sounded raw, but there was transparency in the recordings. The best part of Punk music is actually being there when it happens. Pro gear makes it sound like the band it right there in the living room with you. That's why I cant get behind this MP3 crap.

The odd camouflaging windscreen sold separately for the Sennheiser kinda makes the mic LOOK like an SM58 from a distance.

Yeah, mp3's suck ass. But, they're convenient.

A lot of the old punk albums were recorded like sh*t. But, the songs stood out. Nowadays the songs suck but are recorded pristinely.

Hey, since you have some studio experience maybe you could help me attain the kind of studio sound I'm aiming for. My general strategy is to record all the electrical gear directly, at home. Then, I'll take those tracks somewhere with decent mics and outboard gear to finish the rest. Jimmy seems to know the guy who runs the studio he went to. Maybe something could be worked out with them later. I dunno. Just a thought. I'm redoing everything from scratch anyway. So, it isn't like I'm ready yet.

How is the Sennheiser MD421 MKII U4? Does age matter? I don't think they're manufactured anymore. But, eBay has plenty of old ones. I read Joey Ramone used Shure SM57's, SM58's, and the Sennheiser MD421 MKII U4 mic's. Not sure if that is relevant to my needs. But, maybe a comparison of my vocals in the Mongoloid video to his would give anyone an idea. Just spitballing here.

I dont think Ive ever seen a pic of Joey using a Sennheiser for vocals. When I saw them Live, he used the 57. Sennheisers are generally used on drums, whether on stage or the studio. Besides, they arent cheap, so you may as well go with a studio-grade mic for home recording. I know a lot of people go ahead and post their music on the web using sub-grade gear.....and they wonder why no one has taken an interest.

We recorded several Punk bands back in my studio days, we used high quality gear. The bands still sounded raw, but there was transparency in the recordings. The best part of Punk music is actually being there when it happens. Pro gear makes it sound like the band it right there in the living room with you. That's why I cant get behind this MP3 crap.

The odd camouflaging windscreen sold separately for the Sennheiser kinda makes the mic LOOK like an SM58 from a distance.

Yeah, mp3's suck ass. But, they're convenient.

A lot of the old punk albums were recorded like sh*t. But, the songs stood out. Nowadays the songs suck but are recorded pristinely.

Hey, since you have some studio experience maybe you could help me attain the kind of studio sound I'm aiming for. My general strategy is to record all the electrical gear directly, at home. Then, I'll take those tracks somewhere with decent mics and outboard gear to finish the rest. Jimmy seems to know the guy who runs the studio he went to. Maybe something could be worked out with them later. I dunno. Just a thought. I'm redoing everything from scratch anyway. So, it isn't like I'm ready yet.

That's great. It's sorta like putting the Vox AC30's electronics into an empty Marshall JCM head. You get the tone you want, and impress the teen-boppers at the same time.

A few Mics I like that won't break the bank:

Studio condenser, very smooth and natural for low dough... $150 used. Just don't use it for live vocals:
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-ROD-NT1A-LIST

Great all around live mic for male vocals, ok for recording... $50 used:
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-SHU-SM58LC-LIST

A vintage dynamic mic that holds up today and can sometimes be found really cheap... $25 used. I still have 3 of these from back in the day and they sound great. In 1967 everybody used this one... Janis, Jimi, The Beatles, Morrison, Grace, The Kinks, Paul Butterfield and on and on:
http://www.coutant.org/shure545sd/index.html

I wonder how it would sound if I just started collecting various microphones and used 'em all at once, press conference-style.

Would there be a lot of phase cancellation? Delay? Echo?

It would probably sound worse than my Realistic mic.

I like Shure's Beta58 better than the SM58 for stage work. Less feedback. Good response. Road-worthy as the SM. Excellent mic. I prefer the SM58 to the SM57, though the 57 is actually better for micing your amp or for instruments, cuz it doesn't have as wide a range.

I've used the Senheisers & they are very good too.

See if you can find a Telefunken U47...it looks like a sex toy, but it's a great mic.

Overall, though, if you don't like your voice, you won't like it any better even with a good mic. I have that problem. Every time I've ever recorded, I've had to stop myself at some point (somewhere around the 100th take) from saying, "I KNOW I could do that better!" Sometimes you just can't be objective with yourself, & chances are, unless you really suck, what you're doing is perfectly alright, as long as it's in pitch & on time. Your tone is your tone. You can tweak it a bit with some practice, but don't expect to ever sound like Peter Gabriel if you have the tonal quality of Mick Jagger to start with. Use what you have, & choose or write material that suits you.