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The mic I have been using to record for years just crapped out on me and I don't see any markings on it anywhere to help me figure out who made it. Plus it was about time for something new. Can anyone suggest a good inexpensive mic for recording? I just record onto an old Yamaha 4 track, so I don't don't really do anything hi tech. I just mic my combo amp or cabinet and go from there.

I know a lot of people use the Shure SM57 but I don't want to spend that much. Is there something comparable to that but less $$$.

I use a Shure PG57, not as good at the SM, but still good. It's worked well for everything I've used it for, and I do plan to record some demo stuff with it, but havn't gotten to it yet.
It's definetly more inexpensive, so it's got that covered, if you can try one out... it may be right for ya.

Rock On

The thing about shure is... they're practically indestructable. I have two sm57's that are over three decades old and they're still work perfectly and they still sound great and they're still an industry standard. There's something to be said for that. So yeah, go for a cheaper shure or just shop around for a used sm57.


Originally Posted by badco33I know a lot of people use the Shure SM57 but I don't want to spend that much. Is there something comparable to that but less $$$.

Not really; go with a '57.

or get a SM58.

Check ebay...they frequently have used Shure mics.

Yeah, go with a 57. The band I roadie for has a bunch of 57s amp; 58s, and they're they same ones that have been in constant, twice a week use for about 15 years. They're are VERY abused, as well.

Look for something used. Not new. A Shure SM-57 or 58 maybe. Lew

Yea go used on ebay. Sennheiser makes some nice mics for slightly cheap I do believe.

The SM-57 is great, but if you don't want to spend quite that much money, you may want to look into the AKG emotion D880. I have both of these mics, as well as several others and to my ears the AKG comes closest to rivalling the performance of the SM-57.

The Behringer 58 knockoffs sound pretty good. I've compared them side to side, the Behringer even seems to have a little more bottom and is a touch hotter. I believe it's the MX 8500. I'd still go with Shure though, not that expensive and you could drive nails with 'em. Mine are close to 30 years old, and that includes over 10 years of constant touring and they've never let me down.


Originally Posted by badco33I know a lot of people use the Shure SM57 but I don't want to spend that much. Is there something comparable to that but less $$$.

Hey, I'm not trying to sound rude, but looking at your signature, you got some sweet gear, why not do it a little more justice and use a SM57? It will last forever also. And if you can find one used that great too..

even trade some stuff out for one? a good mic would make the standard of gear you have sound awesome

tom


Originally Posted by Impa good mic would make the standard of gear you have sound awesome

tom

yeah, what he said...don't skimp on the mic, a cheap mic will only make the amount of cash you spent on gear so far become worthless when it sounds bad recorded due to a cheap mic...so get yourself a used SM57 if you don't want to shell out the full price for a new one IMO.

-Mike

save up a bit and get a shure. They are the best you can get.

Save and get the Shure...it´ll last forever, and pay for itself tenfold that way....

To prove this point (back when I had my old retail shop), when I told people you can liteerally throw one against the wall and it wont´t break and they didn´t believe me, I did the following (on a pretty regular basis, about once a week this happened):

I went over to the rental box, grabbed one that looked pretty beat, plugged it in said a few lines......turned down the PA, unplugged the mike, threw it at the concrete wall with extreme prejudice, hooked it up again, and proved that it still worked......

WHile some looked at me a bit strange (which I can understand), about 85% either took one w/ them right away or came back within a week or 2, I sold about 10 shure mikes a week to vocalists alone (which is quite a bit considering we´re a 200k head burg and were a bit smaller back then)

I'm going with everybody else here; just get an SM57. There's a good reason that they are the standard - they simply sound good.

One thing I've noticed is that, although there area ton of SM57's on eBay, the prices often approach those of new mikes. So, shop around. Know your best price one new ones from the online/catalog mailorder places, then pick a price you're willing to pay for a used one. Stick to it and keep bidding until you win one; you'll get a good deal eventually.

SM57's sell about avery five minutes on eBay. Don't pay new-mike prices for used ones.

An old story about Shure durability: I used to have a friend who did concert sound at a mid-sized venue. This is the 70's we're talking about, so every band that came through had an SVT for the bass. One time, a particularly well-equipped act came to town, with a giant Anvil case that contained BOTH of the bass player's SVT 8-10quot; cabinets. As they were rolling it in, the wheels caught on something and the whole thing fell over with a crash. When the dust settled, they saw a mike cable snaking out from under the fallen bass rig. Attached to the end was a Shure SM58, slightly smooshed but still working.

If you don't like the idea of sparing some for an SM57 (that is, obviously the good solution) you might want to try the AV-JEFE N1900 mic. It is rugged, reliable and has the same neutral (e.g. good) sound, slightly below SM sound quality, for half the price.

1 for SM57 stories: a techie friend of mine mixed a band this February and when he mounted the PA stuff one of his gadgets (maybe a mic or DI box, I don't remember) slipped in a small hole on the stage. He needed his gadget back so he had to climb under the non-accessable part of the stage. The huge heavy old wooden stage segment wasn't easy to remove but he is a stubborn man so finally he could do it, climbed down with a flashlight. He said it was like as if no man had entered there before. Down below there was a nice thrashpile of different filthy things had fallen down during the years there in a small pool that was a mixture of water, out-keg beer, some heavy alcohol, vomiting, sweat, urine, perhaps gas and some battery acid and everything in between. You know, the typical below-stage club soup So, disgusted, he searched in the damp thrashpile and finally dug out his gadget and some rotten, stinking rusty bar that rested there for years, probably. He wiped off the dirt and it was a rusty SM57 that luckily fell into the pile with the membrane and grill uspide so the killer soup could not corrode the membrane. You know what? He just cleaned it, plugged in and it worked...

Maybe we should retitle this thread quot;How durable are shure mikes really?quot; and stick it in the Vault



i use mine for slide, they have a really solid sustain to them. im not joking!

tom

Get the sennheiser e609, specifically made for guitar. Much more detail than the Shure and without the hump at 4Khz. $99.