Background: New to recording. Using a computer, M-Audio MobilePre
(because it accepts XLR and outputs USB), and a Symetrix 528e voice
processor.

Need: A microphone for recording the male voice.

Questions:

1. Is there a "you can't go wrong" brand? I have seen a lot of
references to Audio Technica, and the reviews online for their various
mics seem good, and their selling price on Ebay seems to be pretty
good. (I take the Ebay sale price as a barometer of "street value.")

2. I am assuming that a condenser mic is what I need, not a dynamic. If
this is not the case, please let me know. Also, what about the "tube"
mic (the AT3060)?

3. I am under the impression, probably from TV or movies, that the
"side-address" style is the best one to get, if I'm going to be
recording sitting still in a room talking or reading. Is this true? I
look at specs and reviews, but the specs tell me all the thresholds,
which I don't really understand, and most reviewers are using them for
musical needs -- I haven't been able to find any equipment reviews for
people using them strictly for speech.

4. Where should I position the mic and myself? Do I put it right in
front of my face, or a foot away, or at an angle, or something else
entirely? I have a desktop mic stand and a 6" pop filter for it.

5. I "get" that buying a cheaper mic is doing myself a disservice, and
that I should buy quality if I want quality sound. But I can get an AT
mic for anywhere from $99 to $1,099. Along the way, there are mics at
$100 intervals from $99 to $599, then the jump to the $1,099. If I just
dismiss the top one, how seriously should I take the others? I mean, if
it's worth spending that much, then is the $99 mic garbage, relatively?
If the $299 is good, but the $399 is better, I'd rather wait and get
the $399 instead. But if the $199 is plenty good for me, and the
superior qualities of the $299 wouldn't bring an appreciable
difference, then I'd rather get the $199. I'm not looking to just sink
as many dollars as possible into a mic so I can feel good about it. I
really just want to create the best sound possible in my humble
"studio."

6. Are there any websites or books that will help me adjust my
microphone placement and voice processor? I have tried "trial and
error," and can definitely hear that some things sound lousy, but I
just don't have the know-how to "tweak" it into something that shines.
What I'm going for, I think, is to have the playback sound just like my
actual voice, without any deadening of the sound and brightness, but
also trying a little de-essing and, if possible, boosting the
intelligability of the actual words to make my recordings very easy to
listen to.

I know I'm asking a lot here, of pros who have put in their own time
and effort to learn this stuff. I do wish that this was something I can
"figure out" on my own, if I put enough time into it, which I'm willing
to do. But I think I need some direction to prevent me from spinning my
wheels.

Thanks all,
Shawn

wrote:

I know I'm asking a lot here, of pros who have put in their own time
and effort to learn this stuff. I do wish that this was something I can
"figure out" on my own, if I put enough time into it, which I'm willing
to do. But I think I need some direction to prevent me from spinning my
wheels.

Shawn,

Have you read the RAp FAQ?

http://www.recaudiopro.net

--
ha

"hank alrich" wrote in message
.. .
wrote:

I know I'm asking a lot here, of pros who have put in their own time
and effort to learn this stuff. I do wish that this was something I can
"figure out" on my own, if I put enough time into it, which I'm willing
to do. But I think I need some direction to prevent me from spinning my
wheels.

A surprising number of times, an excellent choice for spoken word is not a
condenser mic, but the Electro-Voice RE-20. I believe it's the most widely
used microphone at radio stations, and with good reason.

Peace,
Paul

"Paul Stamler" wrote in message
...

"hank alrich" wrote in message
.. .
wrote:

I know I'm asking a lot here, of pros who have put in their own time
and effort to learn this stuff. I do wish that this was something I
can
"figure out" on my own, if I put enough time into it, which I'm
willing
to do. But I think I need some direction to prevent me from spinning
my
wheels.

A surprising number of times, an excellent choice for spoken word is not a
condenser mic, but the Electro-Voice RE-20. I believe it's the most widely
used microphone at radio stations, and with good reason.

Peace,
Paul


With 26 RE-20 mics spread through 10 studios and booths i'd say the good
reason is that they sound fine on almost any voice and almost any resonable
mic tecnique.

A few of the deep voiced male anouncers prefer the shure SM-7 because they
can use "proximity effect" to make themselves sound even deeper.

The senheiser md 421 and sometimes the senheiser md 441 mic are other
classic choices