# Recommend a good recording mic



## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Looking for a good mic for recording live music in my basement. Nothing too fancy but will get the job done.
Much appreciated


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## isoneedacoffee (Oct 31, 2014)

SM57, SM58, or other similar type mic if acoustics are bad (pretty typical in home recordings). Spring for the large condensers only if you're confident about your room's acoustics.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

dynamic - SM57 or 58
condenser - AT2020


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Recording live music is a pretty broad description.

Are you mic'ing an amp? An acoustic guitar? Bagpipes? Accordian? Shamisen?

If so, a 57 will work.

For anything weird you may need something more exotic.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Agree with @Milkman. Do you need one for vocals, for guitar amps or a stereo overhead to record all. 
Let me know. I probably have some spare around LOL


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Chito said:


> Agree with @Milkman. Do you need one for vocals, for guitar amps or a stereo overhead to record all.
> Let me know. I probably have some spare around LOL


Yes buddy, i do need something for vocals, acoustic guitar, amp etc...Send me a private message. Thanks


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

marcos said:


> Yes buddy, i do need something for overhead, vocals, acoustic guitar, amp etc...Send me a private message. Thanks


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

This is maybe a little on the spartan side of things, but to record an entire band, I could _get by_ with one large diaphragm (kick drum) mic, a few nice DI's and a box full of 57's.

Yes, add a few Sennheisers and a few condensers and you can improve things, but it's pretty impressive what just a few simple old school mics can achieve in the right hands.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Milkman said:


> This is maybe a little on the spartan side of things, but to record an entire band, I could _get by_ with one large diaphragm (kick drum) mic, a few nice DI's and a box full of 57's.
> 
> Yes, add a few Sennheisers and a few condensers and you can improve things, but it's pretty impressive what just a few simple old school mics can achieve in the right hands.


Thanks my friend. This is just for fun to get an idea of what the music with acoustic guitars, bass and Beat Buddy will sound when i record. I was thinking some type of condenser overhead mic to capture it all. Much appreciate the input as usual.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

Two SM 57's, a Tascam 4 track cassette, a river soaked and muddy ghetto blaster is all you need for a top 3 album. Oh....and talent....._LOTS_ of talent.





__





Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" - A PortaStudio, two SM57's, and Inspiration | News Details | TASCAM - United States


Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" - A PortaStudio, two SM57's, and Inspiration




tascam.com


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Paul M said:


> Two SM 57's, a Tascam 4 track cassette, a river soaked and muddy ghetto blaster is all you need for a top 3 album. Oh....and talent....._LOTS_ of talent.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Do you still have that nice Tascam device? That thing was the Portastudio from hell, LOL.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

I am gonna try recording for the first time with a reel to reel I have a TEAC, a Sony a Realistic reel to reel. 
Wish me luck


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Paul M said:


> Two SM 57's, a Tascam 4 track cassette, a river soaked and muddy ghetto blaster is all you need for a top 3 album. Oh....and talent....._LOTS_ of talent.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have this album, I just can't appreciate Bornsteen's music? I have tried, my problem not his.


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## slag banal (May 4, 2020)

And because of thieves among us, read/watch a few like this: 
A Guide to Spotting Fake SM57s and SM58s – Sine-Post Audio
Nov. 10, 2017 — The waveform for the fake SM58 seems similar to that of the real version in the lower frequencies, slightly less responsive in the low mids and then generally unbalanced after a large spike at 3.5 kHz, ...


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

slag banal said:


> And because of thieves among us, read/watch a few like this:
> A Guide to Spotting Fake SM57s and SM58s – Sine-Post Audio
> Nov. 10, 2017 — The waveform for the fake SM58 seems similar to that of the real version in the lower frequencies, slightly less responsive in the low mids and then generally unbalanced after a large spike at 3.5 kHz, ...





slag banal said:


> And because of thieves among us, read/watch a few like this:
> A Guide to Spotting Fake SM57s and SM58s – Sine-Post Audio
> Nov. 10, 2017 — The waveform for the fake SM58 seems similar to that of the real version in the lower frequencies, slightly less responsive in the low mids and then generally unbalanced after a large spike at 3.5 kHz, ...



Sad but true. These were faked a lot. I came across one fake 57 that somehow ended up in my mic box.

I only discovered it because it stopped working, something that rarely....(never?) happened to me with the real deal.

It was pretty clearly fake so I finished it off and trashed it.


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