MICROPHONE PURCHASING

• How can I audition a microphone before purchasing it?
• What's the best microphone I can buy for under $100? $200? $500?
• I want a single mircophone for my solo vocal/guitar recording. What one should I get?
• I can only afford a couple of mics for my rock band. What should I buy first?
• I want to record lead vocals. What kind of mics should I be looking for?
• I want to record rap. What should I buy?
• I want to record electric guitar. What mic should I use?
  • What about acoustic guitar?
  • What about classical guitar (nylon string)?
• I want to record electric bass. What mic should I buy?
• I want to record a drum set. What mics should I buy?
  • What about other percussion (latin or otherwise)?
• I want to record a piano. What mic should I be looking for?
  • What about grand piano?
  • What about keyboard?
• I want to record a saxophone. What mic should I use?
• What should I buy for harp?
• What microphone should I be using for voiceovers/narration?

How can I audition a microphone before purchasing it?

Mainly, this thread [replicated right here] is about buying budget mics (that are well known for varying degrees of quality control), but it might also help you spot the best of 3 "high dollar" mics in a more upscale store.

It's actually helps the store that sells these cheap mics, since you're going to be doing extra quality control on their behalf. And when you're finished, they'll have some mics they can sell as matched pairs, and some that need to go in for repair (rather than wait for a pissed off customer to return it).

If the salesman is interested enough, you'll actually teach him some things that will help him sell more mics. But you hafta catch them at a really slow point in the day. So the salesman knows that you're gonna be buying at least two mics from him, so he doesn't have anything to lose by playing along.

Stuff you'll need to bring with you:

One small Post-It Pad (the really small one)
One key ring, with at least 5 to 15 assorted keys on it.
Chromatic tuner with built-in speaker.
A decent set of headphones.
Small note pad.

Culling the herd

Assuming you've become friends with the mic salesman, he's dragged out every unit he has in stock of the same model, including the one on display. You'll need to get the use of a mixer that has phantom power, some kind of metering on it, and a headphone output jack. Let's say you have 12 mics to test. Take the post-it pad and number each mic, 1 thru 12.

Plug the first mic in, and turn on the mixer. Adjust the preamp gain to maximum, and bring up the channel slider till the store's background noise lights up the first 3 or 4 segments of the channel meter (or any meter on the mixer). Note the number of segments showing on the meter and put that number right on the mic's post-it paper. (It will be a number between, let's say 2 and 6.)

Go thru all the mics (without changing any settings) and write down the number of segments that show for each mic on the mic's post-it. As you do this testing, listen to each mic and listen for anything strange (lots of noise, hum, hiss, crackle, weird honking tone, etc.), and note that on your notepad. If you run across any obviously bad mics, remove the post-it paper from that mic and take that mic out of the tests.

As you test them, try to roughly pair up mics (mics that have the same segment readings and sound similar to you), and put those mics together. You should wind up with about 4 piles of mics; those with high segment readings, those with medium segment readings, those with low segment readings, and a pile of defective mics that hum, buzz, crackle, honk, or don't work at all.

Ok, congratulations. You've just completed test one. You've tested all the mics for defects, and measured the mics sensitivity. You've also done some preliminary rough matching.

So we have our three good piles of mics and one "to dump" pile. Too bad we don't have more time or we could try switching out capsules to see if that fixes any of them, or testing the weird pile by swapping their capsules with some known good ones (to find any good capsules and/or bodies in the bad pile), but we'll just work with what we have - the 3 "good" piles, sorted by output levels.

The Dreaded "Key Jangle" Test

What's so scary about this? Think of a tamborine at point blank range. Those little keys put out a ton of high frequency energy, enough to overload most mics if you get right up on the mic. And that's what we're gonna do, jangle the keys and listen for any severe distortion in the mic.

Make sure you're not clipping anything in the mixer and leave at least 6 to 10dB of headroom, so you're sure it's coming from just the mic. Start with the keys up close, and jangle.

Keep moving the keys away from the mic till any distortion is gone, and mark down how far away the keys were when the distortion disappeared. That number when converted (we'll talk about that later) tells you the Maximum SPL level for each mic you test. Pretty cool, huh?

Name That Tone

Now it's time to do some serious listening for tonal balance and smoothness in response. We'll use the chromatic tuner you brought with to set all the mics to the same level. Set the tuner to put out A440. If your tuner will play a range of notes, that's even better. Bb (one octave above A440) is around 1,000Hz - a good point to set the levels to.

Put the mic right on the speaker in the tuner and adjust the channel level slider till the signal reads 0 on the meter. Make a note of the dB number (along side the channel slider) on the post-it sheet for that mic, or in your notepad. The whole point here is to match levels as close as possible, so that you're hearing just tonal differences between mics, not volume differences.

Ok, now we're actually gonna listen to stuff. Remember in the last section, I told you to make a note of the dB number (along side the channel slider) on the post-it sheet for each mic, or in your notepad? Well, here's where we use that number.

Plug in the first mic, and set the channel fader to that number. Adjust the headphone level or the mixer's master level to a comfortable volume and listen to the sound. Listen? Listen to what?

First of all, point the mic into the room, and listen to the room noises in the store, people talking in the distance, the sounds of fans or air conditioning, the ambient room noise. Does it sound different to you than listening without the headphones? What's different about it?

Notice any hollow sounds, like you're in a tunnel? Those sounds are mid range peaks. Any rumbling? You know what that is. Anything sound overly bright and "VERY detailed"? Those are probably high frequency peaks.

Turn the mic around and talk into it from around 12" away, holding it at eye level. Again listen for the same strangeness mentioned above. As you talk bring it in closer to your eyes till it's about 3" away. Did it bring up the bass in your voice nicely or is it kinda boomy? Make notes of your impressions, and go on to the next mic. Remeber to set the channel slider to the appropriate number for each mic, to keep the levels all the same.

After you've done the same tests for each mic, you should wind up with a few mics that sounded very neutral, or pleasing to your ear.

If the dB numbers on the mics are the same on the mics that you like, you have a matched set. If the dB numbers are different, but they sound the same, it's still a matched set, but with different sensitivities - no big deal.

If there are several sets of mics, buy the two with the lowest dB markings, if possible. The lower numbers mean you had to turn those down the most because they were the most sensitive mics.

After you've sorted them into pairs, check the distance number you wrote down for the key jangle test. Chances are that on mics with the same sensitivity, the distances will be about the same. If the written distortion distance of one mic is 1/2 or 2X the written distance of the other mic, that's cool. It means the MAX SPL distortion levels are within 3dB of each other.

If the mixer has a phase reversal switch on each channel (it's a polarity switch really), plug the two mics you like into the mixer and flip the polarity switch on one of the mics. Put the mics side by side and point them at the same spot. With the gain trim control cranked all the way on each channel, turn up one slider till you hear the background noise really loud.

Now bring up the slider on the second channel. As the second slider approaches the same level as the first slider, the sound will start to disappear. If the mics are really matched well, the sound will almost completely disappear at one point. What's left is the slight frequency response differences between the two mics.

As a final check, listen to your choices against the best similar mic in the store and see how close they sound to each other. If you're testing Oktava MC012s, try your chosen set against a Neumann KM184. Listen to the differences. If the Neumann sounds more like one of the sets you passed up buying, you might wanna reconsider your choice. Remeber, you're looking for a mic pair for guitar and misc. stuff, not just voice.

So now, you've matched the mics into mic pairs, and measured them all for sensitivity, frequency response, distortion, and noise - all without any fancy test equipment, or complicated procedures. And you've got the best two of those mics for yourself.

That's about it. Was that easy enough? After a while, you can put on a pair of headphones and just listen to ambient noise and tell a lot about a mic's characteristics, but it takes a bit of practice. Try testing the mics you already own this way and see if your test conclusions match your own personal experience using these mics. The key is to try and avoid any personal biases while testing; keep an open mind and try to listen objectively. - Harvey Gerst

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What's the best microphone I can buy for under $100? $200? $500?

The short answer: there is no 'best' overall microphone at any price range. Every microphone has its own individual strengths and weaknesses, and no microphone is perfect. Concentrate more on application (what the mic is being used for, where it's being used, etc), and then determine which mike in a particular category fits your budget.

However, certain mics are lauded for their value. They aren't necessarily the best mic for any job, but they are considered better microphones than their competitors at the same pricepoint. Here's a short list, courtesy of this thread.

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I want a single mircophone for my solo vocal/guitar recording. What one should I get?

If I was in your shoes, I'd checkout the Marshall MXLV67G for vocals and the Marshall MXL603S for my acoustic guitar... but if I could only afford one cheap Chinese made budget mic, I'd get the Studio Projects B1. - DJL

For instruments AND vocals, I'd go with the B1. I own a B3 as well as two MXL 603s and the B3 still gets all the mono guitar parts. I can put it in "omni" mode, find the instrument's "sweet spot" and it just sounds great - no proximity effect to deal with or picky placement issues. One 603, on the other hand, cannot capture the sound the way a B3 can and is much more picky about where you put it.

The B1 sounds similar to the B3 in cardioid mode (not exactly the same, though) and even when used like this, the B3 would still be my pick over a single 603. The B3 is twice as expensive as a B1, but is a very versatile all-around mic if you don't need to record in stereo. - Flatpicker

...A V67G ....I use it for vocals and acoustic guitar and it does a good job. - Gidge

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I can only afford a couple of mics for my rock band. What should I buy first?

A typical rock band can get away with a rather small setup.

If possible, record each instrument separately; you'll be able to get away with buying fewer microphones, and you'll have more flexibility in post.

For drums, I like an AT PRO25 used for about $60 for kick drum, a shure sm57 on snare, and a pair of Marshall MXL603's for overheads...for piano, the 603's can do double duty...for vocals, the sm57 will work but if you wanna go the condenser route, a Studio Projects B1, or Marshall MXLv67 or v93 would be great - Gidge

For $400, I think I'd get 2 57's, 2 603's and either a B1 or a V67. You could get a lot of mileage out of that setup. - freshmattyp

First... with some dynamic microphones, like some Shure SM57’s and a Sennheiser MD421 you could record vocals, guitars, bass, horns, and all kinds of stuff. IMO, the Shure SM57 and Sennheiser MD421 are “must have” dynamic microphones.

You’ll also want some small diaphragm condenser microphones and if you’re on a low budget, try the Marshall MXL 603SPR matched stereo pair or the Oktava MC012’s.

Now, all you have to do is audition some large diaphragm condenser microphones and pick out your favorite one(s).

With a few dynamic microphones, and a pair of small diaphragm condenser microphones along with a large diaphragm condenser microphone and a DI box, you can record almost anything. - DJL

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I want to record lead vocals. What kind of mics should I be looking for?

There is NO perfect vocal microphone for everybody. It is up to a person's personal taste to find a mic that will really suit them.

If you're just starting out, here is a list of mics suitable for vocal use which usually get the 'nod' on the BBS:

When you get beyond the basics and are looking for a specific sound, there's no perfect mic for everyone; it's going to take some searching.

There are three types of mics that are usually used for vocals:

1. Large condenser mics
2. Dynamic (moving coil) mics
3. Ribbon mics (a special class of dynamic mic design)

There are two types of patterns usually used for vocals:

1. Cardioid (most typical)
2. Bi-directional (Figure 8)

All of the above mics and patterns have "proximity effect" in common (more upper bass boost as you get closer to the mic).

With these mics, you can adjust the distance and the angle between the singer and the mic to get a wide variety of tonal effects till you find the right balance for a particular singer and song. Off axis response will often vary dramatically with large condenser and dynamic mics, and when coupled with the "proximity effect", you have a wide range of tones to choose from.

The general working range for most LD condenser and ribbon mics is anywhere from 6 to 18" away. Dynamic mics are usually best under 6" away. But there is no hard and fast rule there. For intimate softer ballads, you may want the singer to "eat the mic", recording them from 2" away, or even closer. Up close, windblasts are a concern and a pop stopper, foam windscreen, or even both may be required.

Remember that "proximity effect" starts in the upper bass (around 400 Hz), and this is exactly the start of the human vocal range. It can add richness to a thinner voice, but as with most things, it can be overdone. You adjust “Proximity Effect” by adjusting the distance between the mic and the singer - Closer for more, further back for less.

Use different mic angles to adjust the “High Frequency Response” - Straight on for maximum highs, off axis for less highs.

As mentioned earlier, most singers’ breath blasts are aimed slightly downward, so try to get the mic above that blast when possible. I try to mic from about nose or forehead high, aimed slightly down towards the mouth, but if a person is more comfortable with a stage mic at mouth level, don't be afraid to give it a try.

Some condenser mics tend to have some bright high end peaks which may help a singer that doesn't have a lot of high frequency content in their voice, but it's all too easy to just end up with an overly bright vocal. You usually look for a mic with a smooth top end (like a ribbon), or a mic with a gentle high frequency rise.

With mics like the AKG C3000, some of the Rode mics, or the lower end LD ATs, watch for peaky high-end response that may result in an overly bright vocal track that high end EQ can't fix later.

Try to choose the mic that doesn't require any EQ when recording, if possible. That's where the right sound begins. Use compression sparingly when doing the tracking - you can always add more later. - Harvey Gerst

...Generally a small diaphragm condenser will respond more quickly to transients, and is often used on stringed instruments and percussion (overheads), while the large diaphragm condenser is a bit slower to respond but can sound more pleasing on vocals. - Fab4ever

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I want to record rap. What should I buy?

If you are just starting out, try a Shure SM58, a Shure Beta 58, or a Marshall MXLV67.

Most rappers prefer a hand held cardoid dynamic mic. - muttley

I've had some great results using a Beta 58 for rap/R&B. - Sir Dingo

I'd probably use the MD421 if I was recording a rocker or a rapper . . . the 57 if I had a screamer . . . and the C1 if I had a crooner. - chessrock

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I want to record electric guitar. What mic should I use?

The mike that generally gets called up again and again for miking guitar amps is the Shure SM57. If you're just getting in, this mic is probably the perfect thing to start out with.

A [sennheiser] 421 will give you a little fuller tone, 57's a little more transparent. - dafduc

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What about acoustic (steel string) guitar?

SOLO GUITAR: If it's a great sounding guitar, and you have a good room, you want to use the best mics you have and record in stereo. You can use omnis, or a pair of good cardioids in an X/Y configuration (capsules almost touching, angle of about 110 degrees between the two mics) and about two feet out from the instrument.

A dynamic or condenser mic will work fine as long as the mic has a fairly smooth response. Smaller condenser mics are usually more accurate, but if it's not a killer instrument, don't be afraid to try large diaphragm mics to get a more flattering sound. The mics should be pretty closely matched otherwise the stereo image can shift as you play different notes.

GUITAR W/ A BAND: You need a tone that's gonna cut thru the other instruments and if there's gonna be drums, bass, electric guitars going at the same time, record the guitar on the thin side (some bass cut and treble boost). Make it brighter than you normally like it, and don't worry about how it sounds soloed - it's how it sounds when it's all mixed that will count. I usually mic in close (about 6 to 8"), from slightly below, looking up directly at the bridge. Roll off the bass below 100 Hz, and boost around 2 to 4 kHz (move the frequency around to where it sounds bright, but not shrill).

Dynamics: Shure SM57, Sennheiser 421, and Beyer M201

Ribbons: Beyers, RCA, any ribbon mic.

Small Condensers: Oktava MC012, Marshall 603S, AT 4041, Neumann KM184, any small cardioid or omni condenser mic.

Large Condensers: These mics add a great deal of color to the sound, so "try" anything you happen to own. It may work great or not - you never know. - Harvey Gerst

Last night i tested about 11 mics at work...and some good mics that showed the best performance for acoustic (Taylor) guitar were the AT3035, BLUE Dragonfly (very smooth, this one is my winner), KSM44, and SM81. I've used MK 012's on classicals and they do good, real cool for overheads! - zallen25

I mic acoustic guitars with a RODE NTK and an NT-3. The results are superb. - Buck62

If you can spring a little more cash, go for the Neumann KM184s. Possibly the last SDC you'll have to buy (except for another KM184 if you only purchased one, like me!) - gordone

I just got a pair of the Oktava's and I think they're pretty darn good. They made my acoustic sound better than the overpriced LD condenser they used at a pro studio a couple years ago. - simpleblue

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What about classical (nylon string) guitar?

Classic guitar can be a bitch. I've had my best luck with a coincedent pair of matched small diaphragm condensers, backed off, as you say. As you and others have pointed out, this requires a pretty good room, and a preamp with a lot of clean gain. I've had my best results using a pair of Studio Projects C-4's into an Avalon AD2022, backed off 3-4 feet, X-Y. You have some truly excellent mics. What are you using for preamps? In my opinion, the close mic'ing techniques listed by several people work much better with steel string guitars than nylon. If I owned the pair, I'd try a near coincedent pair of C414's backed off, but too bad, I only own one, and I have found I need the whole stereo picture. I have had no luck whatsoever close mic'ing classical or Celtic lap harp, which also has nylon strings. - Richard Monroe

When it comes to nylon string guitars I've found that small diaphragm condensers are usually my best friends... the two I've had sucess with recently are the Josephson "C-42" and the T.H.E. "KP-6M"... but as mentioned in a previous post, the room will indeed play a major role in this process. - Fletcher

Try and find an old bi-directional ribbon mic. Placed about 2 feet from the guitar. One node aimed at the guitar the other picks up the room. Very natural sounding as it picks up both the room and the guitar equally. - sloop

I prefer SDC's mic's for this type of recording...If you want a tight focused sound, close mic the guitar and if you want a lose distance type sound, place the mic farther away. If your guitar sound or room sound sucks...so will the recording. More bass near the sound hole...more treble off the neck and by the bridge. Also, try miking over the shoulder, and the room and etc. - DJL

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I want to record electric bass. What mic should I buy?

A 57 will work ok, a kick drum mic is also really good to use (d112, beta52, e602) also try going direct out into a direct box and mix the two. - detuned6

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I want to record a drum set. What mics should I buy?

If you can only afford two mics, you'll have to settle for a pair of overhead mics.

Otherwise, you'll need a mic for every part of the drum set to really get the job done. Cymbals/percussion are generally covered by the overheads, and the remaining drum set components are miked independently.

Note that overheads tend to be condenser microphones, where kick/tom mics are mostly dynamics. The dynamics pick up a specific sound, and whatever the dynamics don't pick up, the overhead condensers will.

Some recommendations from the BBS:

...I run a small studio here (well, not so small anymore) and my son is a drummer as well as an engineer. We have 4 different drum sets, about 6 or so different snares, and we often have two drum sets miked up and ready to go. Each set is different: a Tama set (w/double kick, 4 rack toms and a floor tom), a Premier set (w/kick, 4 rack toms and a floor tom), a Mapex set (w/double kick, 4 rack toms and a floor tom), and a Pearl set (kick, 3 rack toms and 2 floor toms). That means we hafta have a lot of mics on hand, so I'm always looking around for mics that'll work well, and if they're cheap, even better. Right now, the "best" (if such a thing exists) mics I've found for high toms are:

Sennheiser D504/E604 (same mic), Audio Technica Kick/Tom, Radio Shack 30-3032 Kick/Tom, Shure SM-57

For the floor toms, we'll usually use: Sennheiser MD421, Audio Technica ATM25, Audio Technica AT Pro 25, Audio Technica Kick/Tom

We keep a pretty good supply of each mic around here, and usually one of the above mic types will work just fine on any drum set we own, or any set of drums that someone brings in. That's the whole point; if you're on a tight budget, the R/S or the AT kick/tom will do a good job (and sometimes a great job) on miking toms. The important thing is that at least they won't ever suck, and they won't drain your bank account.

For the record, this is the rest of our usual mic setup for drums:

Kick: Either the D112, the ATM25, or the AT Pro 25. We also have an old AKG D12e, an EV RE-20, and the Sennheiser MD41 available.

Snare: Either the Shure SM-57 or the Beyer M201. When Alex does mic the underside, he usually uses a Shure SM-7. I don't like to mic the underside of a snare

HiHat: When we do mic the high hats, my son Alex likes a Shure SM-7, coming in from underneath, pointed up. I use a Beyer 260DX Sank-modified ribbon mic, coming in from outside the set, pointed at the back of the high hats, about 3" above the hats.

O/H: This one is all over the map. On any given set, we may use a pair of the Audix TR-40, Behringer ECM8000, Oktava MC012, MXL 603S, EV C15P, Shure SM-81, Sony C-38 for the ride side, Neumann TLM103 on the crash side, or anything else we have laying around.

Room mic: We rarely use a room mic, but when we do, we both like the MXL V77, the V67G, or the Studio Projects C1, or an old Dan Kennedy modified Fairchild F-22. - Harvey Gerst

You know, I hate to say this, but if you REALLY want to get a killer kick sound all the time, every time, you might want to consider this route. If you plan on doing live work, then go the standard route, but for recording, this is crazy great.

There is a Nady Starpower1 mic on sale at musicians friend for $7.99. Get that and stick it in the kick. Its just there to grab the transient. Get Drumagog @ $149.00. You are at less than $160 at that point, cheaper than the Sennheiser. Dig up a couple kick samples from Drumkit From Hell or someplace, really good sounding samples. Purrrfect Drums, something like that. Record the kick hits with the cheap mic, use drumagog to kick its ass. There is a demo available too. Almost unbeatable, and its fast as hell. Try it. - tubedude

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What about other percussion (latin or otherwise)?

Try a small diaphragm condenser.

Often recommended are the Behringer ECM8000 or the Marshall MXL603.

For bongos, try a small tom mic, like the Sennheiser e604.

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I want to record piano. What mic should I be looking for?

Just as with most acoustic stringed instruments, the bulk of the sound is produced by the sounding board to which the strings are attached. In guitars and violins, it's the top of the instrument; in pianos, it's the sounding board. You don't mic the picks, the bows, or the hammers - they produce very little sound.

There are several considerations when placing mics for piano recording. Foremost, will the instrument be recorded by itself, or with other instruments playing at the same time? Those two situations require different mic techniques. Is it a grand piano or an upright piano? Each requires different mic techniques. Finally, where will the recording take place? That may also require different mic techniques.

If the purpose of the recording is accuracy, and you're micing a solo concert grand piano, then you'll need some good, small diaphragm condenser mics, placed some distance from the piano, usually around 6 to 8 feet away. You can use a x-y setup for cardioids, or a wider spaced ORTF setup with Omni’s or cardioids.

The piano lid is used to direct some of the sound towards the mics. IF the piano is part of a group of instruments, you can get better isolation by micing the underside of the instrument, using a slightly wide spacing with Omni’s or cardioids. Mics placed inside the top of the instrument can also be used, but it's harder to achieve a good balance or isolation since the piano lid will also reflect sounds from the other instruments into the mics.

Large diaphragm mics can also be used, but the response changes as the sound enters from different angles and the larger mics add coloration (which can sometimes add an unexpected richness to the sound).

Upright pianos should be miked from the back of the instrument, but try to avoid having the soundboard too close to a wall. The distance from the wall will create a standing wave which will interfere with the sound. If the piano has to be near a wall, angle the piano so that it doesn't sit parallel to the wall. Be especially attentive to a ringing sound when micing upright pianos.

This ringing is caused by Resonance’s within the piano, and usually can be solved or reduced by moving the mics around till you find a dead area, free of the ringing. Just as with a concert grand, close micing is not advised, but since an upright piano is usually part of a group, it's not possible to mic from a distance and still have isolation.

To sum it up, first choices for recording a piano would be small Omni or cardioid condenser mics, but don't be afraid to try large condensers, ribbons, or dynamic mics (if that's all you have). Mic from a distance if possible. Second choice would be under the piano, and finally, from the top of the piano, but watch out for ringing and reflections from that position. - Harvey Gerst

...What about grand pianos?

I'd probably buy a good cheap pair of condensers, like Studio Projects B-1. I haven't mic'd a grand before, but I know the B-1 works pretty good on a Wurlitzer console (a medium sized standup). They're $80 apiece. Why 2? a grand piano is huge! It's a big picture. To capture the whole piano with one mic, the (cardioid) mic has to be farther away. The signal gets weaker, you boost gain- more noise. With a coincedent (X-Y) or near-coincedent (big mics with shockmounts can only be so close together), the mics can be closer, and pick up a better stereo picture, more like your own ears. The fields overlap like the visual fields of a binocular. At a certain distance (the sweet spot), the image comes into focus.

You could also use 2 small diaphragm condensers the same way, like MXL 603's or Octava MC012, those are also about $80 each. They will make a "sharper" sound, and make a little more noise. Hard up for bucks? Yes you really can do it with 1 SM57 underneath, and 1 Behinger ECM8000 (35-40 bucks) overhead, but only if this grand is sitting in a good room, which they often are. - Richard Monroe

...What about keyboards?

Capturing a good keyboard sound is not as trivial as it sounds. If you are used to hearing your keyboard through a keyboard amp or built in speakers, the sound of a [direct input, or DI] recording is going to be VERY different. I'm not saying better or worse, just different. If the DI sounds too sterile, or "In your face", you can experiment with micing, as well as running the DI signal through different pre-amps. I sometimes run the keyboard (organ patch) into a slightly distorted guitar amp and mic the amp.

As for mics suitable for the job, any old SM57 or any other good dynamic microphone would be just fine. Play with it, and see what you can come up with. - Aren

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I want to record a saxophone. What mic should I use?

Saxophones cover a wide frequency range (65Hz-1kHz) similar to the human voice. Most of what has been said about lead vocals is therefore also true for sax recordings. Saxophones, however, have a very high sound pressure (SPL), and the mic must be able to deal with the high SPL to avoid clipping and distortion.

Saxophones project their sound both through the tone holes and the bell. The key to a good sax recording is therefore mic placement. Pointing the mic to the bell can give a crispy `pop-sound', while pointing it to the tone holes gives a smoother `jazz-sound'. A good pick up is achieved by placing the mic 5-6 feet above the ground and about 4-6 inches from the bell, aiming at the top of the bell. A common mistake is to put the mic too close or even inside the bell. A very fat sound can be achieved by using two mics, pointing one down the bell and aiming the other one at the mid key holes at the right-hand side of the player. Keep experimenting with placement and distance, such as: mic close to 3 feet from the bell, bell off-centered (suppresses breathing noise), high, mid, and low tone-holes, low Bb and B tone holes (gives very dark and full sound). More room sound will be picked up by backing away from the horn.

All sorts of different microphone types can be used for sax recordings: dynamic mics can easily handle the high SPL of the saxophone. Very good results can be achived with condenser mics (both SDC and LDC) and especially ribbon mics. Clip-on mics, which are popular for live gigs, cannot be used in the studio because they pick up too much key noise. General rule of thumb: what works well with vocals will work well with horns.

Below is a list of mics people from the BBS have used with good results:

Here are some verbatim quotes from the board:

SM-57 (or other good dynamic) a foot or two off the bell and a condenser mic a couple of yards out and head-high, pointed at the body. Mix till sweet. - TimOBrien

The KM184 captures all subtleties of the horn and gives a very full sound. - Giganova

Ribbons certainly have a larger than life sound on acoustic instruments and can be very smooth for voices. So YES ribbons are very very nice tools and can work better than a condenser when you just want smoooooooooooth. - Beezoboy

Best sax track I ever recorded was with an RCA 77-DX into a Daking mic-pre/EQ unit. - Fletcher

The (Neumann U) 47 Valve is the Male Vocal Mic Extraordinaire! And what it does for Saxophone is nothing short of amazing. A lot of Coltrane and Sonny Rollins Sax. - Larry Villella

Don't stick a mic down the bell of the sax......back off a foot and a half and aim the mic at about 6" above the bell so you pick up the resonance of the body. Also, don't make the common mistake of pumping up the highs to make it cut thru. The body of the sound is what's important and that's all in the mids for a sax.....so if it doesn't cut thru, turn it up rather than boost the highs. - Lt. Bob

I used a LD tube mic in omni about 18" from the bell and got a really nice sound. - tdukex

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What mic is best suited for harp?

If it's a full size, grand concert harp, it's gonna be a bitch to record. You need some distance to avoid all the creaking and clicking noises those pedals make. I tried every mic I owned and most of them sucked for harp. The harpist brought three concert harps too, so it wan't a problem with this particular harp.

Here's what I found: Putting her and her harp in the corner of the room helped with the room resonance problems. Putting the harp on a large piece of plywood helped direct some of the highs up towards the mics.

None of my LD condensers or ribbon mics really sounded good. And most of the small condenser mics had way too much noise. I finally settled on a pair of Shure SM81s, positioned about 6 feet back from the harp, about 7 feet in the air, and arranged in an X/Y configuration.

Now all of this is before MXL, Oktava, and SP mics were on the market, so those may just work fine.

But when you finally find the right spot, oh God, what a glorious sound. - Harvey Gerst

I've had my best luck with a pair of Oktava MC012's X-Y in front and about at the top of the harp, backed off about 3 feet pointed down at the center of the soundboard. Not the *whole* soundboard, but the mid point between the highest and lowest note in the song being played. A third darker mic (Oktava MK319 in my case) is placed over the right shoulder (assuming rt. handed harpist) to pick up the deeper bass tones. See the hole in the back of the thing? That's the sound hole, like if a guitar had its sound hole cut in the back! - Richard Monroe

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What microphone should I be using for voiceovers/narration?

AKG D770- $80 new. Excellent for voicevers. We're recording 2 books with it right here. There are a lot more expensive mics I could use, but the AKG just works for that application. - Richard Monroe

...the V67 is an outstanding voice-over mic, and that a combination of proper mic technique, distance, and -- if necessary -- a pop screen and bass cut filter would take care of the issues you mention. Mostly, try using it at a slightly greater distance to find what works best for you. The alternative is a high-quality dynamic, such as the Electro-Voice RE20 (or RE27), the Sennheiser 421, or the Shure SM7b. - Mark H.

As far a as voiceover and narration mics go...dynamics are very popular due to their durability and warmth. The two most popular and most common for that application are the Electrovoice RE-20 followed closely by the Shure SM-7 and the Senheiser MD-421. In some of the bigger-budget projects (ie - Disney films, etc.) you'll see a lot of the familiar expensive German vocal condensers. Like with anything else, there are no set rules -- whatever works best is the best choice. - chessrock

Electro-Voice RE16. It has the patented "variable-D" design that makes it a very easy microphone to use because it minimizes the proximity effect, unlike other brands. Staple of professional studios, VO, and radio broadcasting for many years. - Chessparov

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