Alright guys I have been slowly saving up to piece together a little home recording studio just for fun and to play around and be able to listen and edit some of my music. I wanted to know what would be the best microphone to record the whistle, a Ribbon,Dynamic , or Condenser mic??
Any particular mics you guys have a preference for?
Thanks
I find I get the best sound quality from a directional mic. I’m not nearly an expert, though, and haven’t experimented with all the different kinds.
That’s a question similar to, “What’s the best whistle?” Of course there are more microphones out there than there are whistles. Should be a simple question. What kind of recording are you interested in capturing?
In selecting a mic to record whisltes I think of it as trying to capture a good vocal performance. Any good mic will give you good results if set up properly. I generally use a large diaphragm condenser mic with a cardiod pick-up pattern. Placement is about two feet above and away from the mouthpiece of the whistle. I have a lot of mics to choose from but I get good reults with a Studio Projects C1 that’s 5-6 years old. I might use an Audio Technica 4033 if I want more sparkle. I borrow a Royer ribbon mic if I want to capture the sound my moustache hairs vibrating as I play. Stick with a mic that gets consistently good reviews for acoustic applications. Browse through http://www.recording.org for some background if you like.
The mic isn’t the end of it though. You need to match the mic’s signal to your recording device. I’ll assume you are recording to a computer. There are a host of compter interfaces out there depending on how you want to connect to your computer - line level input, USB, firewire. These generally give you a combination of preamplifier and analog-digital- analog converters. They will provide a low impedence input for your mic, provide stable phantom power to the mic, control the dynamic level of the mic and then convert the signal into something your computer can handle. A few will also provide compression or limiting and a noise gate. Those last items can be key to getting a clean recording. And you need software to capture the recording. All of the computer interfaces come with some packaged software that will get you started.
There are a lot of USB mics out there at the moment. The concept is that you can dispense with the dedicated computer interface. These can be difficult to tame without proper software controlling them. MXL does provide a software preamp for their USB mics but I have not used it myself. At least they recognize the issues.
If you don’t want to record to the computer, standalone multitrack workstations are available. Just add a mic and your on your way. These are available from Fostex, Roland, Korg, Yamaha and others. I use one of these to record off site.
I also use handheld recorder at times - to record sessions, workshops and concerts (when permitted). These are made by Zoom, Edirol, M-Audio, Sony, Olympus and others. Everything you need to capture a good stereo image is contained in these at the cost of a decent microphone.
PM me if you want more specific opinions.
Feadoggie
I am using Acid pro for my recording and editing software and an M-audio usb interface with mic and 1/4 inch jack inputs. Maybe I phased my original question poorly. I am just looking for input on which type of mics I should be looking at.
Ok then, sorry for the long post. The additional info helps bound things a bit. Look for a good large diaphragm condenser then. Make sure you get a shock mount too.
Many entry priced condensers mics can be brittle at the high end and/or boomy at the bottom end. MXL makes some useful models, though it’s personally hard to keep up with their ever changing product line. I’ve used a V67G quite a bit. I’d suggest going beyond their 900 series if you can but if you are just starting out you may very be satisfied with one of those. Look for a deal on a Studio Projects (B1 or C1) or Audio Technica (4040 or 4033). They are known quantities.
If you’d rather start more modestly, a Shure 57 is a good all-round dynamic mic. A decent entry level small diaphragm condensor is the MXL 603s. Any of these mics can be used to record vocals and other instruments too. As I said earlier any decent mic will give decent results if set up properly.
feadoggie
Of the fallowing mics which would be the best:
http://www.amazon.com/Marshall-MXLV67G-Studio-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B000JRPYGE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1212469818&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Diaphragm-Studio-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B000EXT6MQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1212469911&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/MXL-990-Condenser-Microphone-Shockmount/dp/B0002GIRP2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1212470085&sr=1-2
I have used the the MXL V67G and the 990. The V67G is a nice mic for the money. It can be brighter sounding than some people want. I’ve used one for many vocals and acoustic guitar. It’s a good choice. The V67G comes with a hard stand mount. You should consider a shock mount to isolate the mic from vibrations. These mics pick up everything. Check eBay for shock mount deals under $20. They are quite common.
I have no experience with the Behringer C1. So I won’t comment on it. I am not a Behringer basher though. I use their mixers and ADA converter almost every day.
Feadoggie
Bought the v67g with shockmount off ebay. Thanks
Let us know how it works out.
Feadoggie
I’m “shure” there are better ones out there (sorry – couldn’t resist the pun), but I love the SM57. It’s cheap, indestructible, and universally available (e.g. Amazon). I use it both for gigs and for recording. Heck, I even use it with the computer for web-cam sessions with my grandsons! It’s a great mic. My band’s MySpace link below has some examples of recording whistles with a SM57.
Condenser mike and a pop-filter. It’s what the sound guy that recorded our CD ( http://www.myspace.com/bostrombrothers ) used. There’s recordings on the page.