Which Microphone?

[Chris S]

I want to record someone playing a piano - preferably by piping it straight into a PC running (say) Audacity (the sound, not the piano).

Headset mikes are crap and unsuitable - no bass.

What would be the best to get? I like the idea of USB mikes like the Samson but have no idea whatsoever about quality of sound I can expect for my £45.

This is destined for a CD, but doesn't need to be BBC Concert Hall quality; I'm just looking for the best we can do for a reasonable cost.

Any ideas anyone?

[hubner]

I think for instruments, condenser mics are better:

Microphones/Mikes for Computer Music

[Rhys W]

A USB mike is probably a good bet, but you can get a condensor (rather than a dynamic) mike for that kind of money, which will give much better results on a piano. Samson make a few, or Behringer. Cheap Chinese condensors are great.

[Kim]

A friend of mine records a regular podcast, and against my advice of getting a proper microphone and a small mixer with USB connectivity, has invested in one of these for less than half the cost:

http://www.bluemic.com/snowball/

The sound quality is surprisingly good, at least for her fairly silibant speech (which cheap 'computer' microphones always make a mess of).  I believe there are driver issues with Vista, though.

[Greenbank]

silibant

Did you mean sibilant? (Such a cruel word given its meaning...)

[microphonie]

There's only one of m...oh...as you were 

 

[Kim]

Did you mean sibilant? (Such a cruel word given its meaning...)

Yes.  My phingers were typing fonetically all day yesterday, and now they've progressed to random substitutions.  It'll be full-on spoonerisms by the end of the week, assuming I survive the apostrofail stage without getting lynched 

[mrcharly-YHT]

hmm. This gets me thinking.

What about mikes to pick up Harp?

[Rhys W]

Condensor again. Dynamics are more robust but lack finesse. So they're good for miking loud sources like drums, guitar cabs or live vocals (not so loud, but prone to being dropped, covered in spit etc.)

[hairyhippy]

Won't a condensor mic require phantom power?

[Rhys W]

Normally yes, but these USB ones have a built-in audio interface that outputs to USB.
 
I doubt the mike sees 48V though!

[nmcgann]

Define "reasonable cost"?

Any mic you can buy for £40-ish is going to be a cheap toy that sounds rubbish compared to a pro-quality mic. Decent condensor mics start at £100-ish, but for something really good you'd need to be paying £200+. You can't really fix the sound of a poor mic in post-record editing, so capturing your sound source with the best mic you can is always the way to go.

What I'd recommend for a recording that you are planning to keep and want to be as good as you can manage is firstly to get a good usb audio interface that does 48V phantom power (the Edirol/Cakewalk UA25EX is top-notch, there are cheaper options that are good too). Audio inputs and outputs built in to laptop and desktop PCs are all poor quality and noisy (unless you have a proper sound card designed for recording).

Then hire a couple of good large-diaphragm condenser mics (+stand) from your local pro audio hire company. You should be able to get something like an Audio Technica AT 4033 or an AKG C414 for around £10/day (£30/week). One would do, but with 2 you can place them at different points near the piano and get more of a sense of space in the sound.

That kind of setup will give you a very good recording.

[Valiant]

^^ Very good advice.

It's worth noting that the Behringer C1/2/3 and B series are actually very good sounding condensor mics for very little money.

[PaulR]

I hope folks don't mind me reviving this thread from a couple of months back, but I'm facing almost the same question as Chris S.  Only this time it's for son number 1 who wants a mile to record voice, horn (french) and acoustic guitar (separately) onto Sonar.  He's asked me to get a T Bone SC440 but it doesn't seem to be available in this country, and the people I've asked in shops have either pointed me towards things that are several times the price of the T Bone or towards the Samson CO1U which I can buy over a real counter up the road for £67.

I'm slightly hesitant, and as son in question is off on a three day hike at the moment I'm unable to ask him quite why he wanted the T-Bone.  The T Bone comes with a case and a shockmount, which sounds handy, but otherwise seems like an unknown quantity.  The Samson, on the other hand, seems to be well established and would come with all the back-up that a real shop offers, but presumably I'd need to buy a shockmount for it as well.

Does anyone have any experience of either, or any advice generally?

Oh, and by the way, I have been looking on other websites but kind of suspected that there'd be some wisdom on here, knowing there are musicians, recording engineers, film-makers etc on board.

[nicknack]

T Bone available from here.

[Biggsy]

I've had good service from Thomann, and remember there's no extra VAT or Duty payable for EU suppliers.

[PaulR]

Thanks nicknack and biggsy, sounds encouraging about the T Bone mike after all - and Thomann do cheap mike stands as well.

[Rhys W]

I doubt there's much between these entry-level "me too" Chinese mikes, so the included extras (shockmount, cable, hard case) are probably the decider.

If he's recording vocals with a condenser, he'll need a pop shield - cheap enough, or you can make your own from a coathanger and a pair of tights!