Microphone for recording at home?

I want to record little videos of my playing to post and track my progress as I learn, and yes, to show off a little ;) Anyone have a suggestion of a modest microphone I could use for recording? Since this isn’t for professional use or anything I don’t want to spend much, $75 max. My phone and computer mics are just a bit too scratchy. Thanks in advance.

If you're looking for something convenient and without the need for an audio interface check out the Rode ME-L. Only works for iPhone, but Rode makes some good stuff.

Hello,

I am new to playing mandolin myself, but have some experience with
microphones. So, I will give my opinion.

For recording there is a microphone, a microphone stand, a cable,
and an adapter to get to the recording device. All are necessary
to get from sound to a track.

Though there are many options, the standard for this is the Shure SM57.
The vocal version is SM58, and the differences between the two are small.
Those Shure microphones just work year after year. The price is $89,
a little over budget. However, for recording you also want a microphone
stand. I have seen retailers bundle the a Shure microphone with a stand
for $100. Maybe that helps. I would not buy a cheap Shure mic from a
random seller on ebay. There are Chinese counterfeits that are very close
visual copies. I would buy new from a dealer.

I have no direct experience, but Shure also makes similar but less
expensive microphones, PGA57 and PGA58. One of those would fit your
budget and, being from Shure, I expect to have robust performance.

Whatever your mic choice, I think a mic stand is needed to prevent
mechanical noise and also position the mic for good sound capture.

There is still a question about getting the signal into the recording
device. There are "USB" mics that handle that for you, depending
on the recording device. Maybe that is another post.


Thanks,
sounds_good

I've used a Blue Snowball USB mic to good effect. Plugs right into your computer and works well. You can hear some of the results on our website oekb.weebly.com

I generally record to my laptop via REAPER software and use a Rode NT1A most of the time, but recently, thanks to recommendation from another poster over on the Song-A-Week Social Group I have acquired a Boya BY-MM1 mic to use with my Tascam DR-05. It is a cardioid mic requiring no batteries and comes complete with a small mount for attaching to a DSLR camera hotshoe or a camera tripod, and also comes with two connecting leads, one with standard 3.5mm TRS connections and the other with the extra connections required for Android phones. It also comes with quite a good wind muff. Cost me about £21 here in the UK. You mention that you record on your phone, so using mics like the Shure mentioned would need extra adaptors, I would think.

Yes, the Shure SM57 is a good dynamic mic (I bought a pair of them nearly 40 years ago and they cost less now than they did then) but they’re intended to be plugged into a balanced input. If you’re plugging into a ‘phone or something similar, unless you know what you’re doing and you can use a soldering iron, I’d suggest you avoid them.

Gear gear gear ….. Yeah SM57's and 58's are great mics in the right application. Plugging one into a computer isn't the right application. As pointed out above you need an interface. Think about buying a camera with a built in mic that plugs directly into your computer. Whether you have an Apple product or a Microsoft based product you can purchase a plug and play device within your budget. A good quality recording may be produced in this manner. Yes you can buy more gear , better gear spend lots and lots of money ……. Rode does make good products so does AKG so does … and the list goes on… My advice is to keep it simple to start. R/

I bought a Samson Go-Mic - a mini USB mic - for £43.88 a couple of years ago, intending to "do something" with it.

It lay in a drawer until the current crisis, when I gave it a try.

You can see results of my first attempt on the Celtic thread
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...way-Grandchild

I'm not happy with my playing but I think the sound was acceptable, if less resonant than what I was hearing live.
A friend commented that he thought the sound was very powerful so I suppose it also depends on your playback equipment.

Since then I have used the mic for my work and other (social and medical) Zoom calls where it really excels.

Required no set-up at all - plug and play.

I see on *m*z*n comments that it worked fine with Android phones as an external mic, with a mini-USB or USB-C crossover cable. Mic itself comes with a standard USB cable.

Recently I picked up a Digital Reference DR 1100 on sale at Musicians Friend for $10.00; does the job.

This is not intended for the original poster, but for those with Shure SM57
and SM58 or similar microphones who think they will not work with a computer.

Many consumer level computers have a jack or two for audio connections.
Those connections were designed to work with dynamic microphones like
those found in audio headsets. The Shure SM57, SM58, and many other
options are dynamic microphones. They will work just fine with the
audio components in the computer. If you already have one or more
of those microphones you should be pleased to learn you can buy an
adapter cable for about $10. Plug one end of the cable into the
mic and the other into the computer. Just buy a cable and try it.

Now what kind of cable depends on the computer or recording device.
A "PC" typically uses two jacks, one jack for the microphone and one
jack for the headphone part. They are labeled like this.
Attachment 186087

The microphone adapter cable looks like this.
Attachment 186088

It plugs into this jack.
Attachment 186089

To reduce space some newer computers, which I call "laptops", have
only one audio jack. That takes a different kind of cable which
costs a little bit more, maybe $15. That is the price of progress.
Attachment 186090

It plugs into this jack.
Attachment 186091

Some newer phones have no audio jack but use Bluetooth. That is subject
for a different post.

So there you have it. How to plug your microphone into your computer
with no batteries, no soldering, and no interface box.


Thanks,
sounds_good

I'd also suggest a USB mic to keep things simple.

Here's a good one in your price range:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...ser-microphone

MXL has lots of decent recording mics for less than $75. Most people I know with studios, and home studios, have this particular model among the more expensive microphones in their mic locker: https://www.ebay.com/itm/MXL-V67G-Cu...93d42a4846a83b

If you can buy for $10 a mic that comes with a personal recommendation
like you got from member J Mangio, that is likely to a good choice.

A USB mic would be all right, but it only works for one channel. When
you advance to wanting to record more than one channel, for example
vocals with your mandolin you really need separate channels. Then
(to avoid multi-pass tracking) a USB mic won't work. Unless the USB
mic is cheap you might as well buy a regular analog mic as your first mic
in my opinion.

A condenser mic is fine for experienced users or for a second mic. For
beginners condenser mics are not plug and play. I would suggest an
interface box is the next step before considering a condenser mic.


Thanks,
sounds_good