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Recording Question

Milhouse VanHoutenMilhouse VanHouten Posts: 755
edited 2004 24 in Musicians and Gearheads
I have a questiona and I was hoping my fellow Pearl Jam fans could help. I'm in the market for a good basic mic (SM-57?) I want to start recording acoustic guitar, electric guitar and vocals. I have a Tascam Portastudio 4-track. Is the SM-57 a good choice for what I want? Would I benefit by also buying a mic preamp? Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.
"Of course it hurts. You're getting fucked by an elephant."
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • mendicant_1mendicant_1 Posts: 39
    yeah,..the sm-57 is a great choice,..it's a solid and versitle mic,...i've seen really good bands sing through them,..although they are know as an instrument mic,....quite good for recording too
    Your head will collapse if there's nothing in it -Black Francis
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    If you ahve the money, its always worth a tube mic pre-amp. You'd be amazed of how much better everything sounds.
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  • Milhouse VanHoutenMilhouse VanHouten Posts: 755
    thanks for the help. i wasn't sure about the tube preamp being worth it considering the basic 4 track setup. my deck is a tascam porta02. if a tube mic preamp wouldn't be overkill, what models do you guys recommend? thanks again.
    "Of course it hurts. You're getting fucked by an elephant."
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by Milhouse VanHouten
    thanks for the help. i wasn't sure about the tube preamp being worth it considering the basic 4 track setup. my deck is a tascam porta02. if a tube mic preamp wouldn't be overkill, what models do you guys recommend? thanks again.



    you can get an ART or low end Bellari tube pre amp for fairly cheap. Beringer makes some inexpensive models for under 100 dollars as well.

    If you want to spend a little more, presonus is nice, or the LPB2 from electro harmonix
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    i think with a dynamic microphone and a cassette 4-track. a compressor with a noise gate would be a better first purchase than a tube pre.

    or even just a noise gate.

    a noise gate will really help to cut down the hiss on your recordings.

    i've used a behringer MDX2200 composer pro compressor/noise gate for years. not very expensive but it really helps the quality of what's going to tape.
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Bumfuq, MT Posts: 6,395
    Tape already provides good compression value, it's the reason many bands still record to tape at some point in the process.

    I'd get a good clean SOLID-STATE preamp. With a multi-track tape recorder, you will experience a lot of noise... tube gear sounds great, but the econo tube stuff is a bit noisy. It's great for digital recordings, providing some analog warmth, but you'll get that from the tape medium.

    SM-57 is a GREAT mic, and every musician should have one. But worth looking into: Beta 57.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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