This must be an active forum and with lots of people REALLY into this craft...Christmas Eve and all....anyway....
The size of the RODE is no longer an issue. The ebay seller emailed me, apologizing that the auction was for one, not two mics. (When it seems too good to be true, it almost always is) So I have been "saved" and can focus on pencil mics (really don't need any studio mics---the only person I can imagine recording in my studio (living room) has a Neumann U87 and other high-end mics. Guess this has to move from the RODE NT1-A thread....but until then....
The advice to do it (record) over and over again is good--my first effort that was successful beyond my wildest dreams was beginners luck (except for layering a couple songs right on top of the previous ones (in Audacity--suspect I won't be using that for long as my software--not that the software was responsible for that mistake!) and I know it. I KNOW, when in a live setting with all kinds of crowd noise and limited mic location choices, it is going to be a LOT different than the living room with me and the wife not even MOVING during each song. The only noise was the furnace kicking on, and that only was allowed to happen ONCE. The "joy" comment sums it up nicely--this is the most excited and enthusiastic about a new undertaking I have had in YEARS. And I figured, as boojum said, the mic placement is KEY to success in this venture. (I started off planning to get a Zoom H4 and strapping it to that cheap mic stand or a tripod and just hitting the bars to record--you experienced tapers would certainly get a LOT better results than I will with an R-44 and fancy mics for a LONG time...if I EVER catch up....) Which leads into the "you get what you pay for" comment...
I suspect, in recording as in audio playback, computers, and any "gadgets", there is a sweet spot. IF one is an experienced and skillful recorder, the equipment will be more important. I suspect. I realized early on that the Zoom H4 was not the sweet spot when there are some quality recorders out there for not THAT much more. That Edirol R-44 I'm drooling over is really compelling for the 4-channel world it opens, but I wonder if a 2-channel like the Fostex FR2-LE (that was my choice until joining the forum) would keep me from getting into trouble with 2 extra mic inputs begging to be used. That recurring ""check your wallet at the door" comment is oh so true....back to the mics.....
This has gone way off-topic, and I apologize for that, but what do I get now that the RODE fell through? I'll spend what I need to (within reason, whatever THAT is), but I have to ask, at this point on the learning curve and in a noisy bar setting, will there be much if any audible difference beyond a decent budget mic? I was thinking a couple hundred bucks for a used pair would do just fine. Until I found the RODE NT1-A that appeared to be in that price range, I was looking at, from low to high:
BEHRINGER C-2 matched pair (
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHC2) $65 delivered, but a new matched pair went for $53 recently on ebay
NEW SAMSON C02 Condenser Mic Pair FREE UPS+XLR CABLES $120 delivered (ebay)
Studio Projects C4 (
http://www.zzounds.com/item--STUC4) $280 delivered
AKG C 1000 about $250/pair used--many move through ebay (was considering this more when looking at recorders without powered mic inputs)
Audio Technica 4041's (pair) $300 used (from the Forum Yard Sale section) also saw a new pair go for $350 on ebay recently
That Behringers seems too good to be true (good reviews though), but will any of the others be good "starter" mics for a newbie in a noisy bar setting? I'd like to keep this under $300, but would not choke on $400 if somebody thinks that is the threshold to get a quality mic.