Topic: Low Cost Mics- Behringer C2s

[gkatz]

Are these decent mics for a low budget? Im a college student just looking to record. Have and ART tube mic preamp, soundforge 9.
I can get a pair of C2's for 60 USD

[TNJazz]

Probably good enough for the time being.  It depends on what kind of results you want to achieve of course.

[jnorman34]

many cheaper cardioid condensers in that price range can be quite thin in the low end - that doesnt mean you cant use them effectively though, just be prepared to deal with problems of acheiveing a balanced frequency response during post processing.  other mics you might consider include the karma K10, naiant small omnis, church audio, and a few others - take a look in the signature lines of the people who post here and see what they are using, there is an enormous variety of system setups for almost any price.  keep in mind that it is easier to build a good cheap omni mic than a good cheap cardioid, so think about  whether you might be able to effectively use omnis for your type of recording, or whether you really need cardioids instead (ie, read about ORTF vs spaced omnis, if you are not familiar with stereo micing techniques).

[Roger Gustavsson]

Behringer C-2, http://tinyurl.com/dfhkls


Roger

[John Willett]

This is money you'll be throwing away.

Microphones are the most important part of the recording chain as they are right at the front end.

Something extremely cheap may be adequate for a short while, but will soon be in the bin as you realise their deficiencies and upgrade later.

For cheapies I would normally start looking at something like a matched pair of Rode NT5.  These give a reasonable performance for inexpensive mics and will be good enough to keep when you upgrade at a later date.

When I started recording many years ago and a pair of inexpensive mics was equivalent to a month's wages at the time I always went for the best mics I could afford.  I still have virtually al the mics I have ever bought and would still be happy to use any of them today (though my main mics are now, obviously, much better).

[gkatz]

I have a question, what are these "measurement condenser" mics? Is Nady a decent brand? what about MXL? How about AKG perception? I know there is a huge market for mics out there, I wanna keep it under 100$. im a college student after all.

[Walstib62]

Under $100 won't get you good quality. Your best bet would be to keep your eyes on the yard sale here for a used pair of Church Audio mics.

[gkatz]

yea I probably will end up buying used, I see lots of them on ebay/amazon

[gkatz]

I dink around on the drum set with my friends, some acoustic guitar...multitracking. we're not a "real" band, just looking to have some decent recordings for our own kicks. I also may want to record some live shows in local clubs, smaller venues in general, but probably not to upload on etree, LL, etc.

[rastasean]

yea I probably will end up buying used, I see lots of them on ebay/amazon

Quite honestly, there have been some GREAT deals in the yard sale section here so I would look here before going to ebay and especially amazon.

Figure out what you're trying to record and then we can advise on different mics but I agree with John Willett, don't buy cheap unless you just want to throw money into a red hot fire.

[rastasean]

I dink around on the drum set with my friends, some acoustic guitar...multitracking. we're not a "real" band, just looking to have some decent recordings for our own kicks. I also may want to record some live shows in local clubs, smaller venues in general, but probably not to upload on etree, LL, etc.

What are you recording into? you mentioned the software and pre-amp but what is your recorder?

[gkatz]

I have a cheap little behringer UCA 202, im pretty sure its 24 bit. after looking around here though I think I might look into a Tascam DR-1 or an Edirol of similar price

[fmaderjr]

This is money you'll be throwing away.

Microphones are the most important part of the recording chain as they are right at the front end.

Something extremely cheap may be adequate for a short while, but will soon be in the bin as you realise their deficiencies and upgrade later.

For cheapies I would normally start looking at something like a matched pair of Rode NT5.  These give a reasonable performance for inexpensive mics and will be good enough to keep when you upgrade at a later date. The regular prices of the Church Audio gear is over $400 alone.

I agree with John for the most part, but if you're OK with mini-mics and want to save money, I would get the Church Audio $249.99 package listed here:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=129878.0
and maybe a Tascam DR-07, and you'll have a versatile, easily portable outfit capable of making great recordings for around $400. Later, if you did want to get a system built around full sized phantom powered mics and didn't want to keep this set up for stealth recording, you'll be able to sell it here without taking too much of a loss.

[goodcooker]

I would go with Studio Project C4s or MAudio Pulsars for budget mics. I remember hearing a NMAS show recorded with the Pulsars and I'm really surprised they haven't taken over as the new budget mic choice for tapers.

There is a pair of ADK 51s for sale in the Yard right now for 130. They're heavy big LD monsters but close to your price range and they sound really good.