First off, what mic are you currently using? Before you buy something else, you might need to just check your gain settings, etc.

If you're going to buy one, though, I highly recommend the Shure SM58. It's an industry standard mic for live applications and sounds great, but more importantly it's pretty much a tank.

33-3018 Optimus Dynamic Mic

I got it for free when I bought my techs off eGay

i use a Shure SM58. It sounds great and like stated above it IS a tank. I've thrown it at people, dropped it, spilt stuff on it, etc and it still works just as good as ever. It gets my approval.

Cool, thanks guys. I'll def. look into it. Hope it sounds clear for the streaming.

SM-58 for sure........no need to get some crazy studio condenser mic. After all, you are streaming and the quality is already limited.

i'm thinking if he's sitting at a desk and not performing on stage (feedback concerns, etc), he should probably look into a mic that's more sensitive and has a wider pickup pattern.

a stage performance mic is really designed to be used with the lips VERY close to the mesh. obviously he wouldn't want to do that sitting at a desk.

i'd go with something more sensitive and a wider pickup pattern so you're not dealing with off-axis falloff, etc.

^ yeah, I don't want my mouth to be all up on the mic (no homo)

So what kinda mics would fall under that category, a-swift?

Another SM58 vote. You can use it for your streaming and at parties too. And like a few peeps said, it's built like a tank. I saw a rapper beat somebody with one of these and continue the show.

Senheisser for me! Hehehe My Mic is freakin' Awesome! But for studio work, I agree with A-Swift.

I'm only familiar with live performance mics, like the fine SM58. There is a really good reason they don't use these things in the studio though.

I don't know studio and broadcast type mics well enough to suggest one or the other. For some reason though, I think it's going to come down to a condenser mic, which won't plug into a 56 (needs phantom power).

Since dude only has a 56 to work with, I think he's gonna be stuck with only what mics work best AND are dynamic mics.

But, the threadstarter wants sth not too expensive. Not sure what he's idea of affordable is, but if you want to get a decent mic aimed at studio/broadcasting use, it's gonna cost sth. Shure sm58 seems ok. Should you decide to use it outdoor someday, it's perfect. With studio/broadcast mics, you're limited to your room.

SHURE 58 is a stage mic, it's not really made for what you're doing. But just to co-sign everyone else, that thing is the best stage mic there is hands down. I wish I had my spare that I just loaned to my brother so I could take a pic and show you how mangled this thing is, screen all smashed in looking like it was used for batting practice yet still works like it did the day I got it.


Now I don't know how much the Audio Technica studio mics (AT-30 & 40 Series) go for down there but they're amazing mics for the price and would suit your needs just fine. You will need phantom power though so you'll have to look into a pre (nothing too spectacular, just enough to turn the thing on)


www.audio-technica.com

I happily missed the whole "streaming from home" part of the thread. =-) I still might recommend the SM58, though, because of the "inexpensive" requirement. I think the SM57 and SM58 are two of the best bang-for-the-buck mics around.

For an inexpensive condenser, you might want to look at the Røde line of mics. As others have pointed out, be careful of a mic that needs phantom power. Since your mixer doesn't provide it, you'll need an external power source. Røde does make a large-format dynamic that might be useful, but it's more expensive than an SM-58.

www.sweetwater.com

(Note: I like Sweetwater because I have a good relationship with my sales guy, but you can probably find a better price elsewhere).

For my own work, I use either an AKG-C3000 or a Neumann TLM-103, but I wouldn't put those in what most people consider the "budget" price range. If you're going to spend the money, though, the 103 is a killer microphone.

And it's incorrect to say that SM58s aren't used in studios... both the SM57 and SM58 are readily found in pro studios around the world. (I'd actually be suspicious of a studio that didn't have any). They aren't typically used for vocals when there's a $4,000 Neumann condenser available, but it really depends on what sound you're going for.

I've worked with a few bands that passed on the condensers because they were trying to recreate their concert sound on the record... the end results were great. It normally comes down to the engineer behind the mixer - I'll pick a great engineer with an SM58 over a bad engineer with a U87 any day of the week. =-)

For sure, I have 3 (which is probably obvious after my co-sign) but that's not what I meant when I said the 58 isn't really made for what he's doing. If he's sitting back with a 58 on a desktop stand, he's just not going to get the results he would would with a mic made specifically for those purposes.

Although I just realized I may have assumed wrong in regards to the style of mic work he'd be doing....is he going to be talking, or is he going to be yelling into the thing like he was at a club? Because then the 58 might just be what he's after


BTW I was looking for a link to the Rodes NT-1 because I'd heard it mentioned before in terms of broadcast style mics...and found this which might be of interest to you Sheeds..


www.bhphotovideo.com







LOL the fourth song "Malt Liquor Funk" was done on a 58 years back while smashed in the studio late one night (I'm not a rapper by trade BTW).

myspace.com <-- Link

(please excuse the 96k quality, it was a rip of a burn of a rip...I found it one day and upped it for a joke after getting a few requests for my "beer rap")

Fuck this no edit thing...by "yelling into it" I meant is he going to be MCing like he would at a club...I didn't necessarily mean "is he going to be auditioning for the newest member of M.O.P."

I don't really mind yelling into it, I just want something that I can plug into my 56 and have ppl hear me shouting em out and stuff. Well maybe I will shout I am trying to be the next Funkmaster Flex

but goood looking out so far, you guys been really helpful!

You'll get no argument from me there... my response probably didn't convey the same tone that was in my head (and was probably crafted with a less than complete reading of your post =-). A 58 (or almost any dynamic) is never going to give the same results as a good V/O condenser for radio-style work.

BTW, Shamann... I am anxiously awaiting Malt Liquor Funk Pt. 2.

Sheeds, re-reading your original post, I note that you only mention that people couldn't hear you very well. Does this mean that your voice was faint? Distorted? Not audible over the music, but ok if nothing else was playing? Also, what level and EQ settings did you have in the mic section of the mixer?

I notice from the drawing on the Rane site that the TTM 56 doesn't appear to have any sort of talk-over button that reduces the volume of the music while you talk on the mic (also known as "ducking" if you want to look that up (if you don't already know what that is (here's one more set of parentheses for good measure))).

If you want, PM me and we can set up a time for me to listen to a stream from you while we chat via IM... it may not be your mic, it may simply be getting some optimal level and EQ settings or needing to reduce program volume when you talk.

Audix OM5 is for me!

hey guys check out my live stream mix I recorded.

I'm GUESSING this is what the listeners are hearing, my voice is kind of faint. my mic EQs on the 56: 12 o'clock on all 3 dials, I pretty much scream into the mic, and I even turn down the master output volume to around 10 o'clock when I talk on it.

oops, forgot the link, here ya go. www.zshare.net

Some time reference points would be helpful, Sheeds. :-)

I think I heard you around 13:13 - 14:20 or so. Based on what I heard and what you posted above, I can make the following suggestions.

1. you don't want to be turning down the master output volume, you want to be turning down the fader for the track that is currently playing. Leave the master volume alone. A typical auto-duck normally reduces the program volume by anywhere from 40-80%.

2. Be sure that you pick relatively sparse spaces in the music to talk... if you talk over a vocal, it's never going to sound clear unless you duck the audio to about 10%

3. In your Mic section, set your dials to the following:

Level
should be as high as you can get it without the OL light coming on. You should probably have the mic about 1-6 inches away from your mouth. The louder you get, the farther away from the mic you should be. It may be that you won't need to duck the audio at all if you get this set appropriately. By the way, you don't have a monitor playing when you get on the mic do you?

High Set this to about 2:00 - 3:00
Low Set this to about 9:00 - 10:00

The reason for those EQ settings are to boost the part of your voice that provides clarity and take away the muddiness. When you get close to a microphone, you introduce a bass effect that can make things hard to understand, especially if there's not enough treble.

Try those settings out on a short mix and send another link. I bet the results will be better.

haha, sorry if you had to sit thru that mix. but yeah thanks I'll try those settings out and will let you know.

Did you get better results with those settings?