Microphones

**DonVitoJr** · 11-24-10, 08:43 PM

Im doing a personal movie project, and to make it i need to have Voice. But i dont know whats the best mic out there. Im looking for a stand along mic, not a headset or a bob barker mic. I want a professional mic for a good price. Does anybody know of a good company, model or distributor that sells good quality microphones? Im looking for one with out a lot of static background noise and under $300 if you can help it. If you dont know what type of mic im looking for, heres a pic of an example.

http://www.geniusdv.com/news_and_tut...microphone.jpg

**DonVitoJr** · 11-24-10, 08:46 PM

Heres a good example of what i want. Is this mic any good? I like the fact its USB, and the price is within my limits.

Newegg.com - Audio-Technica - USB Cardioid Condenser Microphone

**HeavyG** · 11-24-10, 10:46 PM

Trust me when I say don't get a USB mic. You will forever be restricted to having that mic hooked up to your PC, which means no big mixers and real studio quality equipment. I have a few different mics, but I found the best bang for your buck were from the Electro Voice Raven/Cardinal mics.

Electro-Voice Cardinal-Raven Series Microphones

The Cardinal was the better mic for vocals in a studio settings as it provided a more realistic/unrestricted sound. I still use the Raven to mic my guitar amp at larger venues when running through the house PA system.

Of course these are NOT USB mics. You would need some sort of mixer that has USB hookup. Tascam has a few options available.

Buy TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface | Audio Interfaces | Musician's Friend

I had an older Tascam US144, but it didn't have support for newer operating systems. These newer units are cheap and great! You can also hook up lots of different mics and instruments.

Sure, the Audio-Technica USB mic is only $129, but you can pickup the Cardinal mic for $99 (check Amazon.com or Samash.com) and the Tascam for around $80. So for $50 more, you will get a better mic, and a good USB interface to hook up many different instruments and mics.

Hell, even the Raven, which is not a condenser mic has the same frequency range of that Audio-Technica. The Cardinal just blows them both away.

**HeavyG** · 11-24-10, 10:49 PM

I forgot to ask... what exactly are you going to be doing with this mic?

**DonVitoJr** · 11-25-10, 12:50 AM

I will be doing voice over work with the mic.

**HeavyG** · 11-26-10, 11:47 AM

If you aren't planning on doing anything else with the mic, then you will probably be happy with that mic. I get concerned with the sound processor being in the microphone. The mic is taking your voice from an analog level, converting it to a digital signal, and transmitting this over USB to your computer. This probably isn't the "best" way to process the sound, but it might work.

Again, when dealing with sound studio/live sound quality, you get what you pay for. Asking the mic to do everything is asking for a lot. Obviously paying more for higher end equipment will get you better sound quality.