Robson,
The Shure SM57/58 series (the latest descendants of the venerable Shure Unidyne III and Unisphere II models which were in production fifty years ago) are optimised as reasonable quality and relatively cheap vocal microphones, mainly for live performance.
£100 or so? Yes, it looks like a lot of money, but it really isn't; not for a professional item that will last a whole career if looked after. It's actually a
budget mike.
Your main problem is that (as I say above) they are not really recording mikes. The sheer large number of people doing home recording nowadays - all requiring microphones at prices that don't cause wallet hernia - means that many
do use a Shure or similar live performance mike. After all, if you need a microphone for live performance anyway (and most players do), it makes sense.
But are they the best type of microphone for recording? You'd never see one in use for recording at the BBC or Abbey Road. In professional studios, the descendants of the Neumann condenser mikes rule the roost. Those German microphones were the sensation of the late 1940s, and the item which, along with the Ampex tape-recorder (itself another German invention), ushered in the modern recording age. There are other brands, but Neumann was always the brand leader.
Around ten years ago, I bought my son a Russian-made Oktava condenser mike (around £140, if I recall correctly). This was a Neumann-alike and my interest in the Oktavas had been caused by the announcement that Hank was using one to record his guitar amp in his Perth studio.
The Oktava (which like all those high quality studio mikes, needs phantom power off the mixer) was SENSATIONAL. Forget all about Shure / Beyer / Sennheiser vocal mikes for recording - this Russian beauty was so sensitive that you could record the conversations of your next door neighbours if you wanted to.
I checked out the current prices of the Oktava range, but there seems to be nothing under about £250. But all is not lost. Counting the Oktava as a copy of a Neumann (which it arguably is), there are now copies of the Oktava.
Consider the
Behringer C-1 for about £30.
Yes... £30 (plus the cost of a cable - £6-ish).
As long as you have a mixer (for the phantom power and EQ), this'll be better than any live-performance mike pressed into service as a studio mike. And did I mention the £30 + £6 price?
Heck, you could buy a small mixer (with phantom power) for another £30 or so and still have £35 change out of the price of a new SM57...
http://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Behringer-C-1-Condenser-Microphone/1OT
Posted: 04 Nov 2012, 13:41
