Topic: i could use a mic suggestion, i know nothing.

[foose]

hey everyone!

im new here, and new to recording.

im looking for about 4 mics for live shows. im running a tascam dx-40x and a zoom q8. both have phantom power and 2 XLR inputs. the shows i am recording are almost always going to be in crowded bars on a small stage. certainly not in the tapers section of an amphitheater, thats where this might not be the right post on the right page, but anybody on here is going to know more than me. i thought id give it a shot.

another caveat: this is more of a metal band...think of tool, mastadon, melvins, that sort of thing. i dont know if that changes anything. certainly more bass-heavy, id think. my end goal is to get each member a mic, and edit all those mics together as needed. then ive got a bunch of go-pros that ill put in over the audio track, and then it goes to youtube.

like i said, i have almost no idea what im doing, but im reading as much as i can. we did a show a week or so ago, and i used the q8 for the first time, mostly for the audio. i have no idea what condenser mics i used, but the process proved much better than any other show ive recorded. my learning curve is starting to slope a little! but i need your help. i dont know enough to make a purchase, and im basically just looking for like the AK-47 of microphones. decently priced, works well in the field, not fancy, but certainly adequate for the purposes its intended for. i hope that makes sense? probly the first time that analogy has been thrown out there.

hey, thanks for entertaining my lack of knowledge to this point! any help you can give is appreciated! i hope youre having a great day!

Foose

[beatkilla]

Can't go wrong with some Shure SM57s.

Sound great and built to last.

[jefflester]

Band lineup? Drums, bass, 1 guitar (or 2?), vocals (just lead singer?)?

For vocals it would be best to take a line out of the PA mixer. If just one guitar, an SM57 for guitar and SM57 for bass and then a Line Audio CM4 over the drums would work well. If there are two guitars then you can't really effectively give each player their own mic. Then something like a pair of stage mics + PA feed would work well.

[foose]

we have 2 guitars, bass, drums, and a vocalist. for now the guys are using some goofy lap-top based mixer. im not the sound guy, its a bit over my head at the moment. i think for as much as theyve spent on the rest of their rig, they really crapped out on that one, though. hopefully thats the next big investment, they basically have everything else. drums are already mic'd, the a/b mics should pick them up just fine i think (IF im even using the correct terminology!)

anyhow, those shure 57's look ideal! ill scoop them up right away, thank you to everyone for the help!

[morst]

Welcome to the board and to the avocation! A hobby for some, a gig for others, little bit of both for me, heh.


As goofy as the laptop-based mixers seem, don't count them out. If you can get a stereo feed from that and add a pair of room mics, you're well on your way.

Then something like a pair of stage mics + PA feed would work well.

Jeff's right.


The SM57 is a versatile dynamic-type (not a condenser, a dynamic is like a speaker wired in reverse) stage mic, and can be used to make stereo pair recordings, but it's not ideal as a recording mic, as it's limited in its bass response, and has some frequency tailoring to make it an attractive choice for vocals if needed.
Your experience with condenser mics is consistent with typical use of that type of mic as a stereo pair. (Condenser mic diaphragms are basically capacitors, which enables them to be made of much lighter materials than dynamic mics, which must move a coil of metal or a magnet in order to function)


Dig in here and start listening to shows recorded with gear you're considering.


I've posted half a dozen of my SM57 recordings on archive. *(dude of life one is not my tape)
Come to think of it, for a super bass-heavy band, they might just be great.
https://archive.org/details/@morst?query=sm57

[jefflester]

The way the stage mics + PA approach works is that what gets put through the PA is what isn't amplified enough on stage. The vocalist obviously, but if the guitarists and bassist have their amps loud on stage they are going to be low (if at all) in the PA. And even if the drums are miced, depending again on how loud the guitars and bass are, there might not be a lot going through the PA. So the PA mix is going to be mostly vocals with varying level of drums and possibly guitar/bass. So then add to that two mics on stage to pick up the drums and the stage volume of the guitars/bass. Mix as you see fit. You can experiment with the mic placement on stage depending on the volume of the drums vs the guitars/bass.

I drum Grateful Dead music and but even though I'm not a loud drummer, on a small stage having an on-stage stereo mic pair (say DIN or ORTF) centered the drums are too loud compared to the guitars/bass. So I tend to split the mics out to the sides of the stage, away from the drums. You can do this kind of recording with any condensers, but I really like the budget-friendly Line Audio CM4 as they are wider-angle than just a straight cardioid and small an unobtrusive.

Here's an example:
https://archive.org/details/GMB2024-06-15/10+Feel+Like+a+Stranger.wav
5-piece with 3 guitars (the heavy phaser guitar far right was a late sit-in), very small stage. A single feed from the PA for the vocals and then mics about 10 feet part, the width of the small stage.