Microphone Recommendation?

I need a good microphone for recording a guitar amp. my budget is around $200-300. can anyone recommend a good mic for the money?

Is it worth it to get a stereo pair?

Does anyone have any experience with the M-Audio Solaris? I normally run screaming in the other direction when i see "M-Audio" but the reviews are very convincing. Sounds like a great value for a all-purpose starter mic.

http://www.microphonereviews.com/product-reviews/studio-microphone/m-audio-solaris.html

Shure SM57 is what pretty much every studio on earth uses for recording electric guitar.

If you want a mic that sounds great on guitar amps but will also work for drums, acoustic guitar, vocals, etc, try a Studio Projects C1.

I recently purchased the AKG Perception 220 for $150 after some haggling at guitar center. I'm no mic expert, but it sounds awesome from what little I recorded of my brother playing his acoustic.

yeah the AKG perception is a pretty good mic for the price. I wouldn't use it alone for recording guitars though, a bit too bright.

A 57 is a diamond idea, can't go wrong with a 57 it is a true workhorse mic and unlike cheaper condensors it is stil seen holing its own next to £4000 super mic's.

But if you are JUST recording guitar maybe a ribbon is the way to go? Ribbon mics are the classic for great guitar amp sounds, they will capture a lot more detail that a 57 as well.. combine it with a 57 and you will have all you need. At work we have a huge collection of mics but the best sounds I have heard have come from a ribbon and a 57 together, the ribbons we have at work are nice, coles 4038's, quite pricey but with ribbons the cheap ones are never that far from the expensive ones sound quality wise, just different. So a cheap ribbon and a 57 and you are completely sorted!

As someone who has actually compared mid range AKGs to other mics in the same price bracket (most of the people who big up AKG seem not to have used anything else), I'd say that they tend to go from "bright" to "harsh" to "fucking ouch" depending on what you are recording. They sound particularly nasty on cymbals and vocals. Probably OK for acoustic guitar though.

The Studio Projects B1, C1 and T3 all sound better, as do the Rode N series and my old JoeMeek JM47 (no relation to any current JoeMeek branded mic, sadly).

Ribbon mics are nice but they need either a loud sound source (ie not good for bedroom recording) or an expensive preamp. I wouldn't get one as my first or only microphone. Start off with a workhorse dynamic and a workhorse condenser.

  On 8/14/2009 at 3:42 AM, analogue wings said:

As someone who has actually compared mid range AKGs to other mics in the same price bracket (most of the people who big up AKG seem not to have used anything else), I'd say that they tend to go from "bright" to "harsh" to "fucking ouch" depending on what you are recording. They sound particularly nasty on cymbals and vocals. Probably OK for acoustic guitar though.

 

The Studio Projects B1, C1 and T3 all sound better, as do the Rode N series and my old JoeMeek JM47 (no relation to any current JoeMeek branded mic, sadly).

 

Ribbon mics are nice but they need either a loud sound source (ie not good for bedroom recording) or an expensive preamp. I wouldn't get one as my first or only microphone. Start off with a workhorse dynamic and a workhorse condenser.

Guitar amp? Shure SM 57, or if you can afford it an SM7B. Job done.

Guitar amps (generally) don't sound that good with condensers. Unless you've got a big room and you're going for that ambient kind of thing.

And SM57 will give you all the joy you want. They sound right. Also suprisingly good for male vox if used with a pop-shield. You'll also have spare change for something inspiring, such as a bag of meth.

  On 8/14/2009 at 3:42 AM, analogue wings said:

Ribbon mics are nice but they need either a loud sound source (ie not good for bedroom recording) or an expensive preamp. I wouldn't get one as my first or only microphone. Start off with a workhorse dynamic and a workhorse condenser.

I dunno, you only need 60db or so of gain for most modern ribbons and most cheap pre's will give that, also these days even cheap A/D converters are so good compared to what they used to be you don't sacrifice much quality by hitting the disk slightly lower than normal and then normalizing.

but yeah, I'd probably still choose something else as a workhorse first, a 57 for example :) an sm7 is a GREAT choice if your budget stretches to that, that is an awesome mic for very little cost.

I would avoid using a ribbon mic for a guitar amp, as it might break the mic. Ribbons don't handle extreme pressure very well. As aforementioned, I would use the SM57 or another dynamic mic.

If you can spend $400, I would suggest the Sennheiser 421. I've used that on many guitar amps, and it gets the best results. It's also pretty good for voice.

  On 8/14/2009 at 8:35 PM, Braintree said:

I would avoid using a ribbon mic for a guitar amp, as it might break the mic. Ribbons don't handle extreme pressure very well. As aforementioned, I would use the SM57 or another dynamic mic.

 

If you can spend $400, I would suggest the Sennheiser 421. I've used that on many guitar amps, and it gets the best results. It's also pretty good for voice.

Some of the most famous guitar amp mics of all time are ribbons! Its what they do best! They are great for the purpose as they calm the sometimes crazy highs of guitar cabs and capture the thick low mid warmth of a good guitar amp that the dynamics don't reproduce so well. A coles 4038 is an absolutely classic guitar cab mic and they sound incredible, royer 121's and the AEA ribbons are all staples of guitar cab micing!

Ribbons don't like gusts of air, not high SPL's, a ribbon will be damaged by a bass cab or kick drum, or a singer or trumpet player without a pop shield but they can work fine with extremely loud sound sources!

Some ribbons overload easily but you can avoid this by turning them slightly off axis from the source, this hardly effects the sound and greatly increases the SPL it will take before overload. This is only needed for some ribbons, most modern ones won't overload as easily.

421's are great for guitar cabs yeah. Coupled with a 57 is a great combo. In fact 421's are great for loads of things, toms, kicks (beater mic), bass cab's, vocals, worth getting one if your budget can stretch!

Never mind, I was thinking of the older ribbon mics. The newer ones are more durable, but the old ones had risk of the aluminum ribbon snapping due to high SPL's. I still wouldn't recommend it for a guitar amp, but I like a raw sound. A ribbon mic would sound great on an acoustic.

The 421 is one of my all time favorites. It's great for picking up stuff in the lower register. I would use an RE-20 over the 421 on voice, but if you've got nothing else, it's a great mic.

  On 8/14/2009 at 9:17 PM, Braintree said:

Never mind, I was thinking of the older ribbon mics. The newer ones are more durable, but the old ones had risk of the aluminum ribbon snapping due to high SPL's. I still wouldn't recommend it for a guitar amp, but I like a raw sound. A ribbon mic would sound great on an acoustic.

 

The 421 is one of my all time favorites. It's great for picking up stuff in the lower register. I would use an RE-20 over the 421 on voice, but if you've got nothing else, it's a great mic.

well, our coles are from the late 60's, hardly new :) you have nothing to worry about as long as you don't blow into them or put them ear something windy! You can get an amp more than loud enough to record before they are in danger, even the old ones (well, not the 30's and 40's ones when the technology was fairly new, but 50's/60's on!) . especially if you use the off axis technique.

Ribbons are great on acoustic, but you need a nice sounding room, due to almost all being figure-8 and on a sensitive source like acoustic guitar you may find it is a little indirect unless you have a large room with not many reflections hitting the back!

yeah, RE-20's are awesome as well aren't they? another true workhorse. electrovoice make an almost identical mic for a lot less money as well, I just can't remember the name... Never tried an RE-20 on guitar though, not sure if it would work that well, just a guess though!

  On 8/14/2009 at 9:36 PM, welcome to the machine said:

  On 8/14/2009 at 9:17 PM, Braintree said:

Never mind, I was thinking of the older ribbon mics. The newer ones are more durable, but the old ones had risk of the aluminum ribbon snapping due to high SPL's. I still wouldn't recommend it for a guitar amp, but I like a raw sound. A ribbon mic would sound great on an acoustic.

 

The 421 is one of my all time favorites. It's great for picking up stuff in the lower register. I would use an RE-20 over the 421 on voice, but if you've got nothing else, it's a great mic.

 

well, our coles are from the late 60's, hardly new :) you have nothing to worry about as long as you don't blow into them or put them ear something windy! You can get an amp more than loud enough to record before they are in danger, even the old ones (well, not the 30's and 40's ones when the technology was fairly new, but 50's/60's on!) . especially if you use the off axis technique.

 

Ribbons are great on acoustic, but you need a nice sounding room, due to almost all being figure-8 and on a sensitive source like acoustic guitar you may find it is a little indirect unless you have a large room with not many reflections hitting the back!

 

yeah, RE-20's are awesome as well aren't they? another true workhorse. electrovoice make an almost identical mic for a lot less money as well, I just can't remember the name... Never tried an RE-20 on guitar though, not sure if it would work that well, just a guess though!

I'm not saying it absolutely will break the mic, I'm saying you run a risk of it. They're pretty delicate compared to a dynamic. Just something to think about when using them.

An RE-20 would probably work fine for a guitar, but it might be a bit overkill, haha. I know a guy that uses the RE-20 on amps for live sound, and I never really saw the point in it, especially when you're hearing mostly the amp itself and just reinforcing it a little.

  On 8/14/2009 at 9:49 PM, Braintree said:

  On 8/14/2009 at 9:36 PM, welcome to the machine said:

  On 8/14/2009 at 9:17 PM, Braintree said:

Never mind, I was thinking of the older ribbon mics. The newer ones are more durable, but the old ones had risk of the aluminum ribbon snapping due to high SPL's. I still wouldn't recommend it for a guitar amp, but I like a raw sound. A ribbon mic would sound great on an acoustic.

 

The 421 is one of my all time favorites. It's great for picking up stuff in the lower register. I would use an RE-20 over the 421 on voice, but if you've got nothing else, it's a great mic.

 

well, our coles are from the late 60's, hardly new :) you have nothing to worry about as long as you don't blow into them or put them ear something windy! You can get an amp more than loud enough to record before they are in danger, even the old ones (well, not the 30's and 40's ones when the technology was fairly new, but 50's/60's on!) . especially if you use the off axis technique.

 

Ribbons are great on acoustic, but you need a nice sounding room, due to almost all being figure-8 and on a sensitive source like acoustic guitar you may find it is a little indirect unless you have a large room with not many reflections hitting the back!

 

yeah, RE-20's are awesome as well aren't they? another true workhorse. electrovoice make an almost identical mic for a lot less money as well, I just can't remember the name... Never tried an RE-20 on guitar though, not sure if it would work that well, just a guess though!

 

I'm not saying it absolutely will break the mic, I'm saying you run a risk of it. They're pretty delicate compared to a dynamic. Just something to think about when using them.

 

An RE-20 would probably work fine for a guitar, but it might be a bit overkill, haha. I know a guy that uses the RE-20 on amps for live sound, and I never really saw the point in it, especially when you're hearing mostly the amp itself and just reinforcing it a little.

Ok, cool, well yeah thats is true. I guess I'm just saying that the risk, though higher than a dynamic, is still very very small if you use them correctly! and the sound you get on guitar cabs is (for me) well worth it!

I'll try the RE20 on a cab next time I am in, one of the studio's I work at has a very meagre collection of mics but somehow has 3 re20's, I'm not sure where there logic came from but hey! The main studio I work at only has 1 so its normally used on a bass cab, kick, floor tom, or vocals or some such.

does anyone know much about the nt1a? is it any good?

I had one for my first mic, sounded OK, fizzy highs but I was always surprised with its bass response, though that was quite artificial sounding. Mine eventually started cutting out though (a probable dirty diapragm) but that was probably years of abuse left in damp cars after gigs etc.

A pretty OK mic for the price, sounds quite nice with a nice preamp but highs will never be that good.

At the time I bought mine it was quite a good choice in its field i think, but I'd look around a bit more these days as I'm sure there are some comparable modern microphones for the same sort of price!

damn. i was thinking of getting it too. it came in a package for like 180 bucks with a stand and a windscreen and everything.

so you think studio projects is probably the way to go?

how about behringer?

my friend just sent me a track he did with a real nice smooth pro sounding vocal (doesnt hurt that he's a trained engineer i guess).

anyway, i asked him what mic he used (he has a big colleection of wacky ones) and he said "the studio projects B1 you got me for my birthday - i love it!"

so yeah, even the cheapest studio projects can sound fucking great. they are incredible mics for the dollars. google up some reviews...

cool

I didn't meant to put you off the Nt1! for the money they sound pretty good I was just describing their faults and suggesting you shop around. Never used the studio projects stuff but lots of people seem to like them. I'd stay away from behringer...