My 16-yo budding rock guitar hero son is after a microphone. He and his
mates often record themselves jamming and don't have a suitable mike. They
tend to record into PCs (or Macs) and I guess might want to bung it into
guitar amps or various bits of domestic audio kit they have around. Apart
from vocals I guess it might be used recording acoustic guitars.

It definitely needs to be robust and, having some idea what any sort of
serious mics can cost, priced at the Santa-friendly end of the range :-)

Apart from suggestions of what makes & models to go for (or avoid) can
folks guide me through the technology? I guess we're looking at 'dynamic'
(i.e. moving-coil?) with cardioid pattern and some sort of built-in or
add-on pop filters, but no doubt you can get kit with built-in preamps,
bluetooth and teasmades these days - I'm a bit out of touch ...

Oh and I guess it needs to look cool too ;-)

--
John Stumbles

What do you mean, talking about it isn't oral sex?

On 3 Dec 2009 02:18:51 GMT, John Stumbles
wrote:

My 16-yo budding rock guitar hero son is after a microphone. He and his
mates often record themselves jamming and don't have a suitable mike. They
tend to record into PCs (or Macs) and I guess might want to bung it into
guitar amps or various bits of domestic audio kit they have around. Apart
from vocals I guess it might be used recording acoustic guitars.

It definitely needs to be robust and, having some idea what any sort of
serious mics can cost, priced at the Santa-friendly end of the range :-)

Apart from suggestions of what makes & models to go for (or avoid) can
folks guide me through the technology? I guess we're looking at 'dynamic'
(i.e. moving-coil?) with cardioid pattern and some sort of built-in or
add-on pop filters, but no doubt you can get kit with built-in preamps,
bluetooth and teasmades these days - I'm a bit out of touch ...

Oh and I guess it needs to look cool too ;-)

Don't know how deep Santa's pockets are, of course, but standard fare
for rock musicians is the Shure SM58 (between £80 and £100,
typically). It isn't a mic you'd use for recording an orchestra, but
it will do a fine job of miking an electric guitar, as well as being
more properly a stage vocal mic.

If this is too steep, I can have another rethink.

d

"John Stumbles" wrote in message
...
My 16-yo budding rock guitar hero son is after a microphone. He and his
mates often record themselves jamming and don't have a suitable mike. They
tend to record into PCs (or Macs) and I guess might want to bung it into
guitar amps or various bits of domestic audio kit they have around. Apart
from vocals I guess it might be used recording acoustic guitars.

It definitely needs to be robust and, having some idea what any sort of
serious mics can cost, priced at the Santa-friendly end of the range :-)

Apart from suggestions of what makes & models to go for (or avoid) can
folks guide me through the technology? I guess we're looking at 'dynamic'
(i.e. moving-coil?) with cardioid pattern and some sort of built-in or
add-on pop filters, but no doubt you can get kit with built-in preamps,
bluetooth and teasmades these days - I'm a bit out of touch ...

Oh and I guess it needs to look cool too ;-)


If you are recording to a PC you might want to cut the crap and go straight
to a USB mic - Samson do a number of models which, if the one I have is
anything to go by, will all be very good:

http://www.samsontech.com/products/p...fm?prodID=1810

Only serious restriction to bear in mind is the relatively short max. cable
length which might be as low as 5 or 10 metres and I'm not sure (pun
avoided) about 'looking cool'....??

In article ,
Keith G wrote:
If you are recording to a PC you might want to cut the crap and go
straight to a USB mic - Samson do a number of models which, if the one
I have is anything to go by, will all be very good:

http://www.samsontech.com/products/p...fm?prodID=1810

Wonder just how well it works as a hand held vocal mic for a teenage boy...

--
*How many roads must a man travel down before he admits he is lost? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
John Stumbles wrote:
My 16-yo budding rock guitar hero son is after a microphone. He and his
mates often record themselves jamming and don't have a suitable mike.
They tend to record into PCs (or Macs) and I guess might want to bung it
into guitar amps or various bits of domestic audio kit they have around.
Apart from vocals I guess it might be used recording acoustic guitars.

Perhaps the definitive for this sort of thing is the SM58 - although it's
of more use where you're feeding a PA system of some sort as it helps
prevent feedback. Personally I don't much like them, but they are a
standard and very robust.

It definitely needs to be robust and, having some idea what any sort of
serious mics can cost, priced at the Santa-friendly end of the range :-)

You'd have to give a figure. They are close to 100 quid. Although being so
common you might find a mint boxed one on Ebay for less. And a variety of
clones.

Apart from suggestions of what makes & models to go for (or avoid) can
folks guide me through the technology? I guess we're looking at 'dynamic'
(i.e. moving-coil?) with cardioid pattern and some sort of built-in or
add-on pop filters, but no doubt you can get kit with built-in preamps,
bluetooth and teasmades these days - I'm a bit out of touch ...

There's a big variety for all sorts of uses, but a good balanced output
dynamic will satisfy most. You might need to use a balanced to unbalanced
transformer to feed a high impedance input, though.

Oh and I guess it needs to look cool too ;-)

The SM58 is perhaps the most seen vocal mic on TV and at gigs. And many of
the hand held radio mics use its capsule.

--
* I like you. You remind me of when I was young and stupid

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"John Stumbles" wrote in message
...
My 16-yo budding rock guitar hero son is after a microphone. He and his
mates often record themselves jamming and don't have a suitable mike. They
tend to record into PCs (or Macs) and I guess might want to bung it into
guitar amps or various bits of domestic audio kit they have around. Apart
from vocals I guess it might be used recording acoustic guitars.

It definitely needs to be robust and, having some idea what any sort of
serious mics can cost, priced at the Santa-friendly end of the range :-)

Apart from suggestions of what makes & models to go for (or avoid) can
folks guide me through the technology? I guess we're looking at 'dynamic'
(i.e. moving-coil?) with cardioid pattern and some sort of built-in or
add-on pop filters, but no doubt you can get kit with built-in preamps,
bluetooth and teasmades these days - I'm a bit out of touch ...

Hi John.

I would recommend the AKG C214, a large diaphram cardioid
pattern condenser mic, with a 20dB pad.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_c214.htm

I don't know what is considered the "Santa-friendly end of the range"
any more, but Thomann have the AKG C214 as a bundle offer,
to include the mic, a padded alu case, a good quality K+M boom stand,
a 6m mic cable, and a pop shield for vocals, at GBP 333.
That's pretty amazing value, but I don't know what it might to
to Santa's blood pressure :-)

http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_c214_set.htm

The mic needs a phantom supply.

Oh and I guess it needs to look cool too ;-)


Only an old valve Neumann looks cooler!

Avoid cheap Chinese copy mics, T-Bone etc.
They sound rough and are not reliable :-(

Cheers
Iain

On Thu, 3 Dec 2009 13:13:19 +0200, "Iain Churches"
wrote:

My 16-yo budding rock guitar hero son is after a microphone. He and his
mates often record themselves jamming and don't have a suitable mike. They
tend to record into PCs (or Macs) and I guess might want to bung it into
guitar amps or various bits of domestic audio kit they have around. Apart
from vocals I guess it might be used recording acoustic guitars.

It definitely needs to be robust and, having some idea what any sort of
serious mics can cost, priced at the Santa-friendly end of the range :-)

Hi John.

I would recommend the AKG C214, a large diaphram cardioid
pattern condenser mic, with a 20dB pad.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_c214.htm

I think this is a wind-up :-)

"Laurence Payne" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 3 Dec 2009 13:13:19 +0200, "Iain Churches"
wrote:

My 16-yo budding rock guitar hero son is after a microphone. He and his
mates often record themselves jamming and don't have a suitable mike.
They
tend to record into PCs (or Macs) and I guess might want to bung it into
guitar amps or various bits of domestic audio kit they have around.
Apart
from vocals I guess it might be used recording acoustic guitars.

It definitely needs to be robust and, having some idea what any sort of
serious mics can cost, priced at the Santa-friendly end of the range :-)

Hi John.

I would recommend the AKG C214, a large diaphram cardioid
pattern condenser mic, with a 20dB pad.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_c214.htm

I think this is a wind-up :-)

A clockwork microphone?

On Thu, 3 Dec 2009 14:20:37 +0200, "Iain Churches"
wrote:

I would recommend the AKG C214, a large diaphram cardioid
pattern condenser mic, with a 20dB pad.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_c214.htm

I think this is a wind-up :-)

A clockwork microphone?

About as much use as one, for the stated application :-)

"Laurence Payne" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 3 Dec 2009 14:20:37 +0200, "Iain Churches"
wrote:

I would recommend the AKG C214, a large diaphram cardioid
pattern condenser mic, with a 20dB pad.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_c214.htm

I think this is a wind-up :-)

A clockwork microphone?

About as much use as one, for the stated application :-)

This is a very popular/versatile mic see often in budget
demo/project studios.

Used with the pop shield supplied it sounds good on
vocals, and the 20dB pad makes it ideal for a use with
an guitar amp.