Microphone, for vocals, acoustic etc. Options

[ElHombre]

Hello

Im looking for a solid microphone to record primary vocals, but its good that it can do piano and acoustic guitar as well.
So it will be used at home in my "home studio".

Anyone have anything good to recommend?
I dont have a midi or a soundcard..

Can I record it through my Axe FX?, of course depends on the mic, but to use it in the instrument plugin.
It would be cool cause I could add effect to the voice directly, mess with the EQ etc.

So price range. Well, wouldnt not go over 350 $ I think.

So do you have anything to reccomend?

Cheers

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[Saoirse O'Shea]

For vocals it really depends on what your voice is like and how you sing. A mic that is great on one person's voice can be a bit 'so what' on another. If you can demo a few.

You can narrow down your choice if you think a bit about your desire to also use it for piano and acoustic. If you intend to record a solo singer/giutar with a single mic then you should look at a hypercardiod type pattern mic. The vast majroty of dynamic mics don't record piano particularly well as they just don't track the higher frequencies well. Also, pianos extend well down in to the low frequency range and so an omni is often better than a unidirectional pattern. So you need a mic that can cover a wide spectrum and has an omni pattern here.
All in all for a single mic that is ok for recording acoustic/vocals and a piano you need to be looking at a multi pattern mic that is not a dynamic. One that is used on a lot of piano recordings is an AKG C414 so that or something comparable is a good place to start.

A new C414 is outside your budget but a used one in good condition may just squeak in to your price range if you're lucky but you may need to look around.

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This post has been edited by tonymiro: Jul 24 2014, 10:42 AM

[Cosmin Lupu]

For vocals it really depends on what your voice is like and how you sing. A mic that is great on one person's voice can be a bit 'so what' on another. If you can demo a few.

Great input from Tony I have recorded with a Shure S7 for all the vocals on the Days of Confusion EP and some of the guitars are recorded with it as well, while 2 Sundays ago I have again used it for a PRS review.

It's one of the greatest mics out there and I recommend you to try it out alongside with other mics, because as Tony very well suggested, each voice reacts differently to a certain mic. The S7 is a bit pricier than 350$ out of what I know, but it's worth to try - you know, usually, it's better to up the budget if you find something you really like, as long as it's a long term investment.

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