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December 28, 2013 11:22 AM Subscribe
Please advise me on the best microphone to buy in order to record vocals at home.
I would like to be able to record myself singing using my laptop in order to possibly share the files with others for remote collaboration. This would basically be for a very small-scale audience, but I would still like the recordings to be of the best quality possible relative to my budget. Having done a little reading I'm planning on downloading Reaper but I'm not sure what mic to get. Is it better to get one that connects directly to my laptop? If not, what additional cables, equipment etc do I need in order to record it on computer? It's mostly folky-type stuff so it doesn't need to be able to handle a lot of volume. My budget is small - around £30-60 max ($50-$100ish) although if that seems totally unrealistic I could consider revising it. Personal recommendations appreciated, I've no frame of reference for the different brand names. Thanks!
I would like to be able to record myself singing using my laptop in order to possibly share the files with others for remote collaboration. This would basically be for a very small-scale audience, but I would still like the recordings to be of the best quality possible relative to my budget. Having done a little reading I'm planning on downloading Reaper but I'm not sure what mic to get. Is it better to get one that connects directly to my laptop? If not, what additional cables, equipment etc do I need in order to record it on computer? It's mostly folky-type stuff so it doesn't need to be able to handle a lot of volume. My budget is small - around £30-60 max ($50-$100ish) although if that seems totally unrealistic I could consider revising it. Personal recommendations appreciated, I've no frame of reference for the different brand names. Thanks!
I have a Yeti mic (made by the same folks as the Snowball, mentioned above), and I'm pretty happy with the quality.
I'd imagine that once you get above bargain-basement mics, your quality gains will be largely accomplished by controlling your recording environment, rather than paying $50 or $100 more for a mic.
posted by brentajones at 12:06 PM on December 28, 2013
I'd imagine that once you get above bargain-basement mics, your quality gains will be largely accomplished by controlling your recording environment, rather than paying $50 or $100 more for a mic.
posted by brentajones at 12:06 PM on December 28, 2013
The Wirecutter likes the Blue Yeti, too.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:16 PM on December 28, 2013
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:16 PM on December 28, 2013
Thirding the Yeti! I love the hell out of it and used it for podcast recordings. I sounded awesome! :) IIRC, it's right around the upper part of your budget, but worth every penny. (IMHO)
posted by juliebug at 7:35 PM on December 28, 2013
posted by juliebug at 7:35 PM on December 28, 2013
Best answer: While there are well-reviewed clear winners near your price range, there are also tons of usable quasi-generic mics out there. I would make the USB/analog connection decision based on what your machine has. AFAIK USB doesn't offer any inherent benefit.
As long as it doesn't sound like a tin can, or have an abysmal signal to noise ratio, I think you're best off getting it in your hands, and climbing the recording learning curve asap. That said, a lot of cheap mics *do* sound like tin cans. I had a ~$50 Audio Technica desktop USB mic that made everything sound like a WWII re-broadcast. Look for a good return policy.
Main considerations: Environmental noise - fans, computers, sirens, neighbors, dogs, creaky chairs.
Appropriate post-processing: Become familiar with your EQ and dynamics options (compression, et al)
Reaper and Ardour are both perfectly adequate, but I find them to be distractingly complex for simple work. Audacity can be annoying but also does what it says on the tin. My personal favorite for just a few tracks is Adobe Audition.
Transom is a good place to start for learning about the basics.
Oh, and save a couple bucks for a pair of pantyhose.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 12:40 AM on December 29, 2013
As long as it doesn't sound like a tin can, or have an abysmal signal to noise ratio, I think you're best off getting it in your hands, and climbing the recording learning curve asap. That said, a lot of cheap mics *do* sound like tin cans. I had a ~$50 Audio Technica desktop USB mic that made everything sound like a WWII re-broadcast. Look for a good return policy.
Main considerations: Environmental noise - fans, computers, sirens, neighbors, dogs, creaky chairs.
Appropriate post-processing: Become familiar with your EQ and dynamics options (compression, et al)
Reaper and Ardour are both perfectly adequate, but I find them to be distractingly complex for simple work. Audacity can be annoying but also does what it says on the tin. My personal favorite for just a few tracks is Adobe Audition.
Transom is a good place to start for learning about the basics.
Oh, and save a couple bucks for a pair of pantyhose.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 12:40 AM on December 29, 2013
I have a Blue Snowball, mentioned above, for podcasting and I like it a lot. The Yeti is technically better, but I think also probably out of your budget.
posted by jess at 7:14 PM on December 29, 2013
posted by jess at 7:14 PM on December 29, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately the Yeti is out of my price range - it's 90 in the UK. But it turns out that I can borrow a non-USB one, so I'll figure out how to connect that instead and, as suggested, learn more about the actual recording aspect of things first.
posted by billiebee at 3:21 AM on January 7, 2014
posted by billiebee at 3:21 AM on January 7, 2014
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posted by foxfirefey at 11:48 AM on December 28, 2013