250 or so to spend...what should i get?

[earth tones]

If you haven't already, you should jump onto the PPA ribbon mic dealio and save some change. May be a little wait involved.

[gregfranklin]

i really do appreciate the help and advice, please don't take me as being dismissive about any of it. i'm just trying to get started and get my hands dirty for the first time. this is my initial foray into it all. i'm interested in getting to know how certain mics work, getting different sounds, and not necessarily building a pro studio. i'd definitely like some great sounding things, but i'm also someone who believes in working within ones limitations to make things sound as good as possible.

i equate it all to when i started playing guitar; it wasn't on a les paul. it was 100 dollar les paul copy. and when i finally got a decent guitar and a nicer amp, it made me appreciate what i have now versus what i had, since i had something to compare it to. had i waited to save up for a les paul right off the bat, i'd probably STILL be saving, and guitar playing would just be frustrating (well, more frustrating than normal) for me. so, getting started recording, getting tones, figuring out techniques and the way pro tools works is important to me now. and as i start to figure out what my mics are lacking (if anything), then that's when i'll start looking into investing in more expensive, nicer mics.

anyway, i mean no disrespect on your opinions of it all, and i really appreciate your input and suggestions.

Well that is my opinion..I'm just trying to be helpful..
I dont think every "expensive mic is a one trick pony that falls flat in other aspects"..certainly there are ones that can be looked upon as such..but even then its a matter taste really..I guess I wont go into more of why I think more expensive gear is worth it since you dont want to hear that..but in my humble experience it has 99.9% of the time proved to be worth it to save for better tools if possible..

I guess I will recommend the Shure ksm27..i have a couple..they fall in your budget..they work on anything..I like them a lot..like the sm57 of LDC's..great mic and increadably well built..transformerless, smile eq curve..etc..

[NeglectedFred]

I second the Oktava's and I would pick up an MXL v67.

DO THIS!!! No matter what mic's I continue to expand my locker with, the Oktava mc-012's will always remain on my list of favorites. You could even use one of these as a vocal mic, but if you do, be sure to sing over the cap (or under), not into it, along with a pop filter.

In reality, my MXL v57m isn't bad either, I use it under the snare almost every time - really not a bad vocal mic either - used to be my only vocal mic, people still say "what mic did you use on the vocals" when I play recordings with where that mic was used.. No kidding.

You can't go wrong with the oktava's.

[I'm Painting Again]

I was feeling that you didnt think it was good advice..

Yes. I think your right..hardly anyone can really afford to buy a whole pro studio all at once or even piece by piece sometimes..A lot of expensive fancy tools really are time savers..you can make great records on anything..but the amount of time you save with "better" stuff is astronomical..for you it might give you that much more time to write music, to work a dayjob or go to school..it equates to more energy and more productivity, more money to fund your art..(this becomes very apparent when you start to work your full time job and grow old) the standard "pro" gear can be resold for nearly, the same, and sometimes more than you paid..most budget stuff you nearly always take a loss..thats why I say if you can live with out it till you have another $300 and then again when you have another $300 etc. its worth it..I make a lot of sacrafices so I can buy better tools..thats why I dont have a vintage jazzmaster and i still play my squire strat..plus plenty of others that you wouldnt even believe!! I think all in all it makes me appreciate the expense pretty well..


So what are you trying to do..what style of music are you and your friend doing?

[DoubleDownSound]

Two cases of water, a case of energy drink of choice (hansen's is tops!) MXL 2pac from GC, two quater bags of weed from different dealers. And retire. Maybe just get a gold watch and retire from whatever shitty job you've got and get hardcore about what you love...

[gregfranklin]

not sure what ppa ribbon mic deal you're talking about...care to fill me in?

If you haven't already, you should jump onto the PPA ribbon mic dealio and save some change. May be a little wait involved.

[gregfranklin]

It's cool, man. Everyone has opinions, and I'm trying to get as many of them as possible.

And I'm heading to the land of old man every day (28 already).

Style wise, it's hard to really pinpoint and just slap a genre on it (isn't it always?), but I'm guessing folk pop with some rock-er moments is the way to describe it. A lot of it is acoustic based and we're just building the songs around these skeletons that already exist. We have grandiose ideas of what we could do with full arrangements of things, vocally and instrumentally, but we haven't dug in too hard on crazy arrangement/recording issues yet. I got my Mbox a year ago for Xmas and have been messing with it here and there, but have yet to really do much aside from record and mess with a few plug ins. He just got an Mbox and we're planning on going back and forth, tossing the record between the two of us, and then probably going to a local studio to add the drum tracks in after the fact.

I'm just stoked to finally have some tools to do more with. Hopefully, if this record goes well enough, we can both afford to get better mics.

I was feeling that you didnt think it was good advice..

Yes. I think your right..hardly anyone can really afford to buy a whole pro studio all at once or even piece by piece sometimes..A lot of expensive fancy tools really are time savers..you can make great records on anything..but the amount of time you save with "better" stuff is astronomical..for you it might give you that much more time to write music, to work a dayjob or go to school..it equates to more energy and more productivity, more money to fund your art..(this becomes very apparent when you start to work your full time job and grow old) the standard "pro" gear can be resold for nearly, the same, and sometimes more than you paid..most budget stuff you nearly always take a loss..thats why I say if you can live with out it till you have another $300 and then again when you have another $300 etc. its worth it..I make a lot of sacrafices so I can buy better tools..thats why I dont have a vintage jazzmaster and i still play my squire strat..plus plenty of others that you wouldnt even believe!! I think all in all it makes me appreciate the expense pretty well..


So what are you trying to do..what style of music are you and your friend doing?

[Electro-Voice 664]

buy some LSD

Feed yr head

[exit2studios]

Saw mention of the Audio Technica MB4000. That doesn't come up much.

I bought one of those loooong ago (I think when they first came out) for $125. I've always thought it was a pretty decent sleeper mic. I added another years later and paid $40 new. Great deal. I still use that mic whenever I want to mic the shell of a snare. Something about it really shines in that application. Over the years that mic has made some surprise appearances and really impressed me.

Would love to know if anyone else has ever used this mic. Small condenscer btw...that uses phantom or a AA battery.

[I'm Painting Again]

Greg..I think a condenser mic would help out best with that style..since you have a dynamic or two already..sounds interesting..maybe you can post some of it when you come up with stuff you like..the AT mics are real popular..for build quality Shure or AT seem the best to me..

[SKEETER]

I prefer the Equitek E100 I have. It is a great mic , high sound pressure levels, flat response, and I use it for everything, I have used it on kick drum, ALWAYs on vocals, it is great on guitar cabs, does not make distortion sound fuzzy like 57s and 58s do.

[joel hamilton]

he's either channeling joel hamilton or just being plain reasonable.

Those two things are mutually exclusive..

BOB's post rules though. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO true!!!!

If you have not outgrown the shoes you have on, why would you go shopping in the larger sizes?

If you feel that you are revealing the limitations of the equipment you have now, then of course you should be shopping for something that will give you the results you are looking for.

Unfortunaltely for all of us, buying a new baseball bat will not make you hit more home runs....

[soundguy]

well, not unless you are that guy that bought a new bat with cork in the middle.

dave