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Hello folks, I have a basic shure 606 such as this, http://www.djsupplies.co.uk/shure-c606-microphone-623-p.aspSome reviews have compared it favourably with the sm58. Thinking I would get a better mic I bought the AKG 120, http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-Perception-120-Diaphragm-Microphone/dp/B00160PRBUWhen I went to use the AKG (and it really looked the part) it seems it was picking up a lot of unwanted sound in the room and the basic shure was far clearer on vocals. Anways I am lucky that I bought the AKG from amazon and even though its almost a month later they will take it back no problem I realise that the AKG is probably a decent entry level condenser but beginning to realise that a condenser mic is not suitable for me atall, as I record in my living room and the condenser mic is more suited to a more studio like enviroment, with proper sound proofing in room etc. Am I right in this and just wondering if you are using a condenser mic do you have to do much sound proofing etc? (I have read online about people putting up duvets to dampen the sound but I don't want to go down that route) Or do a lot on here just prefer a dynamic mic for recording? Thanks very much, musiclover
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Condensors will be more sensitive, so it is very good you noticed the difference. If an SM58 (or similar) works for you GREAT! In my opinion, every track has different needs. I like a condensor for vocals when my daughter is singing (nice female voice with all the nuances) but prefer an SM 57 or 58 when Barry is singing (rock vocal type usually) or for my own voise on backups.. Each application is different. There's a topic around here that links to Harvey Gert's famous mic thread; a search will likely yield more info on this than you care to know 
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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It was the best of sounds, it was the worst of sounds......
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Joined: Jan 2010
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Joined: Jan 2010
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It really depends on what you want. You were comparing two totally different things: 1. A dynamic microphone with a medium sized diaphragm, 2. A condenser microphone with a large diaphragm. FWIW, in general *) large diaphragms are noisier than small diaphragms. In general condenser mics are more sensitive than dynamic mics. It really depends on what you want. An omnidirectional small diaphragm condenser mic of good quality will probably deliver a more natural sounding recording than a cardioid **) microphone of similar quality. Here is some literature that provides information delivered by microphone-pros***): http://www.microphone-data.com/media/filestore/articles/Techno-physical-10.pdfEnjoy the reading. Guido *) I do know that there is the exception to the rule, but I don't care about it here. **) I don't care which cardioid characteristic. This is just general. ***) Depending on how you want you use the site www.microphone-data.com it requires registration. No problem, no cost. Lots of information about microphones.
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Hi Musiclover, My room is too noisy for a condenser and sound proofing is not an option. I do use comforters (duvets) thrown over a couple of plastic garment racks on wheels to reduce some room reflections but I can roll them out of the way when not in use. I use my Shure SM58 for some things. I also use a Blue Encore 200 which is a dynamic mic with phantom power. For my situation, I think it's a great sounding mic for my voice. The lead vocal on my latest song on the users showcase is done with the Blue. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/blue-encore-200-dynamic-live-vocal-microphoneMy Blue is best used on a stand to avoid handling noise. If you have a hard floor put a small rug under the stand. It does use a bit of gain even with the phantom power. It has a majority of great reviews and is very inexpensive for the sound. I think it's great to learn about mics. I've read tons of stuff. But in the end it's whatever works for your voice, your room and your budget. The mic preamps on your interface also affect the sound you get.
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Thanks for replies, I'm learning something new every day on here. @Eddie, Quote:
It was the best of sounds, it was the worst of sounds......
Unfortunately the best of sounds sometimes sounds like the worst of sounds in my case
Musiclover
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Joined: Feb 2007
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Quote:
A condenser microphone with a large diaphragm.
FWIW, in general *) large diaphragms are noisier than small diaphragms.
In general condenser mics are more sensitive than dynamic mics.
Actually, the 120, despite being side-address, is a small diaphragm mike. AKG lists it at two-thirds of an inch, so I suspect it's the same Chinese-made capsule found in the ubiquitous inexpensive pencil microphones out there.
the Insolent LadEnough small empty boxes thrown into a big empty box fill it full. ~Carl Sandburg
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I have two different dynamic mics that I use when I'm not recording in my semi-treated 'studio'. One is an ElectroVoice PL80a http://www.electrovoice.com/product.php?id=769$80 at musician's friend: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio...ktid=37-3871607I won this mic in a drawing from a local music store. It's a great alternative to an SM58, sounds about the same, a little more gain in my opinion. I actually use it to mic my acoustic guitar with great success. The second dynamic mic I got at Target in Minneapolis, on the clearance shelf. It's actually both a dynamic mic and 16 bit USB mic. Has an XLR connection as well as USB. I've really only used it as a mic. Q2U is the model, and it came with a decent set of circumaural headphones as well. $39 on clearance at Target. It's also a great alternative to an SM58, but slightly bulkier. http://www.samsontech.com/samson/products/microphones/usb-microphones/q2u/Here's a link to a forum post I did at the Larrivee guitars forum showcasing a stereo micing I did with these two mics, then using the two recordings I made, to simulate a double track situation. Living room recording, no room treatment, no effects, no eq, nothing. http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=39074.msg353852#msg353852The real key here is that the recording interface has really clean pre-amps with plenty of gain. Some of the old salts on here used to say something along these lines and I can speak from personal experience that it is true: "You can make a crummy mic sound decent with a nice preamp, and you can also make an expensive mic sound crummy with a crummy preamp." -Scott
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