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Subject:Mic / Pre-Amp Advice
Posted by: butterball
Date:7/25/2003 4:09:14 PM

Sorry if this is a little off-topic; I didn't know where else to post.

Anybody have any ideas on a good mic for recording acoustic guitar? The one I have now is junk -- am trying to spend less than 200-250, in possible. Looking at Shure sm-57, AKG 535, maybe even Behringer ECM8000...

Oh, and PRE-AMPS... Can someone recommend one that's not too expensive?

Subject:RE: Mic / Pre-Amp Advice
Reply by: snicholshms
Date:7/25/2003 5:13:43 PM

The Rode NT1A makes good recordings with acoutic guitars.

You might also look at Antares Mic Modeler...it allows you to use a good mic and emulate the tonal/sound qualities of many other very high end mics.
It also has adjustable "tube amp" warmth settings that sound great.
You can buy "Tube" by itself if you want but the Mic Modeler seems to me to be the better deal. That's what I bought.

Check out there stuff at: http://www.antarestech.com/

Subject:RE: Mic / Pre-Amp Advice
Reply by: Geoff_Wood
Date:7/25/2003 6:05:12 PM

Mic Modeler cannot turn a crap mic into a good one though.

Of the mics originally mentioned, the SM57 is insufficiently sensitive, and the C535 is and excellent choice at any price . Get 2.

geoff

Subject:the 535 Mic
Reply by: butterball
Date:7/26/2003 1:01:22 AM

I really like the sound of the 535, but some people say it's more of a "vocal" mic and will be wispy and thin on an acoustic guitar.

Have you the results when it's used for things other than vocals -- for guitar and other acoustic instruments?

Subject:RE: the 535 Mic
Reply by: snicholshms
Date:7/26/2003 11:58:21 PM

You're not going to buy a crappy mic. Mic modeler from Antares was not developed to turn crappy into cool. When used with a qualitu mic it does offer some great sounds that you can tailor to individual vocalists and instruments. The Tube Pre-Amp feature is very cool. Try the demo and see for your self.

Subject:RE: Mic / Pre-Amp Advice
Reply by: wgbeatty
Date:7/27/2003 10:56:25 AM

A mic that I've found works on vocals and guitar (I know few and far between) is the Studio Projects B1 (Studio condenser). This mic can be had for $80 USD roughly, and it's been a good multi-purpose mic for me. I bought it on recommendations from the HomeRecording.com BBS. There was a guy there that recorded a few tracks using this mic (vocals and acoustic guitar) and I thought the quality was great. Studio Projects also has many other models including tube mics - lot of good press on these.

As a decent pre-amp, you might try the m-audio Audio Buddy ($80 USD), or their next model up (which I think is a dual-pre). I would stay away from the low cost Behringer and ART pre-amps - they've proved kinda noisy.

Good Luck.

Warren

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