What are some good microphones that you guys use?

Another way you could go is look at some of the affordable 'broadcast' dynamics that have come out in the last few years from Rode, sE, Heil, and a few others; they're all modelled on industry-standard mics like the SM7B and RE20. I've started to see a lot of those popping up on guitar cabs, especially for heavier sounds. I think Shure and EV have even responded with scaled down/less-expensive versions of their own classics.
 
mdc said:
I guess all I would really suggest is that you steer clear of buying "cheap" mics and look for great mics that don't cost very much.
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This is exactly what I’m hoping for with everybody’s suggestions. I know none of you guys are going to lead me bad!
 
This is pretty common lore at this point, but the lead vocals on Beck's loser and SDRE's diary LP were both recorded through the radio shack version of those PZMs (which were also made by crown), they are wonderful mics. The radio shack version are still bewilderingly inexpensive and can be easily upgraded by using higher voltage camera batteries instead of AAs.
 
mdc said:
This is pretty common lore at this point, but the lead vocals on Beck's loser and SDRE's diary LP were both recorded through the radio shack version of those PZMs (which were also made by crown), they are wonderful mics. The radio shack version are still bewilderingly inexpensive and can be easily upgraded by using higher voltage camera batteries instead of AAs.
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Yep, I had a pair of the RS version which was licensed by Crown but reputedly not actually built there; I did the battery mod and they worked very well. My PZM-6Ds were about $100 ea. used and since I got very penny back on the price I paid for the RS ones ($50-ish) it was a pretty painless upgrade.

I've seen DIY plate mics somewhere on the Interwebz, didn't look like too tough a build at all.
 
Passinwind said:
You have to be working with a good sounding room for starters, in my case it's my living room and I have to move various bits around so they won't rattle. ;)
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I record in the garage the tools and soldering equipment likes to rattle in the background some times 😆
 
I think the SM 57 is calling my name. I love the ruggedness and the fact that it’s been proven for so many years. Even in live situations. I’m just going to put this in front of my amp and go from there in the future.
 
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Passinwind said:
Yep, I had a pair of the RS version which was licensed by Crown but reputedly not actually built there; I did the battery mod and they worked very well. My PZM-6Ds were about $100 ea. used and since I got very penny back on the price I paid for the RS ones ($50-ish) it was a pretty painless upgrade.

I've seen DIY plate mics somewhere on the Interwebz, didn't look like too tough a build at all.
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The panasonic capsules that were the basis for a lot of those projects aren't around anymore, but I think you can find similar ones. Even Tayda has some!
 
It's one thing to have a decent mic, but these days you need a decent mic pre and sound card as well if you are recording onto a computer.

I really miss the days when I use to record onto a Tascam 234 4-track cassette deck. No mixer to speak of, no EQ, but great sound. I could stick a 57 or 58 in front of my amp and pull very good tones. I was shocked when I first got into digital recording at how harsh everything sounded. You just seem to need so much more gear to get a sound these days. I had to get a Seventh Circle Neve style pre and an Apogee Duet just to get something half-decent when recording onto my Mac. I even bought a Royer 121 in an effort to get something better recorded and it helped but not by as much as I had hoped. I have used the Royer on the speaker with the 57, being careful not to get too much out-of-phase-ness, and actually found using the Royer as a room mic with the Shure on the speaker sounded better.

I can't be bothered now because its so much hassle. When I had the Tascam it was so much easier.
 
I know there was a lot of fake Shures getting around so buy from a reputable dealer.
The SM57 is legendary for Live work for the indestuctable qualities also, hope they are not cutting corners on quality these days!.
 
The behringer sm57 clone - sl75c - is surprisingly good and only $20. I bought one in a pinch for an appearance on a podcast just needing something better than a built in laptop mic. The build quality is on par with shure.
 
For electric guitar a Sm57 and a Sennheiser 421 together on the amp make for a really solid sound. Just make sure you play around with distance cause you can run into some phase issues using two mics.

The akg 414 is also tits for recording guitars, well anything really.

R0DE makes some very good condensers as well.
 
HamishR said:
It's one thing to have a decent mic, but these days you need a decent mic pre and sound card as well if you are recording onto a computer.

I really miss the days when I use to record onto a Tascam 234 4-track cassette deck. No mixer to speak of, no EQ, but great sound. I could stick a 57 or 58 in front of my amp and pull very good tones. I was shocked when I first got into digital recording at how harsh everything sounded. You just seem to need so much more gear to get a sound these days. I had to get a Seventh Circle Neve style pre and an Apogee Duet just to get something half-decent when recording onto my Mac. I even bought a Royer 121 in an effort to get something better recorded and it helped but not by as much as I had hoped. I have used the Royer on the speaker with the 57, being careful not to get too much out-of-phase-ness, and actually found using the Royer as a room mic with the Shure on the speaker sounded better.

I can't be bothered now because its so much hassle. When I had the Tascam it was so much easier.
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To be fair, a Tascam 234 retailed for around $2500USD in today's money.
 
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