getting started help, which mic(s) to use?

[MaggotSkull]

Sorry if this isn’t the right forum, but any help or opinions would be great
(1) I’m thinking about purchasing an MBOX 2 with Digidesign's Pro Tools LE for x-mas. I haven’t seen many reviews on the new mbox 2, only mbox 1. So how is it, is it worth the cash? I will be using win XP
(2) ok, if I buy this thing, what "better" features does the "Mbox 2 Factory" have over just the regular mbox 2 ? Does it have extra sound samples? midi? can you do stuff like create drum tracks without a drum machine, is there sound samples? what is it exactly?
(3) …And my main reason for posting: What type of mic would I use to get the best sound out of my mbox 2 ? I do not know a lot about mics, I can tell you I will probably be laying down one track at a time, but I will be recording electric guitar, vocals, bass, and possibly a drum machine. Not only do I need to know what type of mic to get for my mbox 2, I also need to know what type of mic to get for my vocals (without braking the bank too much!) For example: do I need a condenser mic? Or a dynamic mic? Which brands are good? AKG? Shure? I just want to get the best possible recording with the mbox 2 (yes I am aware that the room I am playing in must have certain dynamics as well, but I will worry about that later, just need to know what equipment to use and any other helpful tips for someone just getting into recording their stuff onto a computer.)

[Mike Glenn]

If you are going to get one mic for everything then you should probably get a good all purpose condenser mic. Some people like the Sudio Projects C1 or the Rode mics. I have a CAD E-100 that was cheap and works in many different applications.

[Sunzate]

I think it's fair to say that the Shure SM57 is the most widely used dynamic microphone for all types of recording applications. It's a must-have for any type of instrumental recording - guitars, drums, etc. They're cheap, they will last forever, and work on anything. GET ONE!

For your vocals, though the SM57 can work sometimes, it will be lacklustre in most situations. Condenser mics are most common for vocals. They tend to have a more "sparkly" hi-fi sound. There are lots of good entry level condensers on the market made my the companies you mentioned - AKG, Shure, Neumann, Sennheiser, Rode etc.

Have a search on www.gearslutz.com, and you'll find hundreds of discussions on microphone choices. It might be overwhelming, so I might suggest going to the store, picking one that suits your budget, try it, and if you don't like the sound, return it!

Piece of cake.

ciao

[Matt Whritenour]

we'll how much money are u willing to spend on mic's? i would say that you should get 2 mic's.
one for vox and the other for guitars,ect...

[Sunzate]

zzzz! See above

[bb_aus]

welcome to Pro Tools and the DUC
mics to get started
1) a Shure dynamic, most common is the SM57 or a beta57a if you want to step up
2) a good large condenser that suits you

[CME]

Aside from mics I would seriously recommend the Factory Bundle. It will give you several programs and plugins that are great for beginners who are just starting out. And since you mentioned a drum machine it has some programs that are great for creating drum tracks. And the programs included alone are worth way more than the extra $100, not counting the extra plug-ins.

[MaggotSkull]

Thank you all who responded…
To answer of your questions: I do have some cash, but I also don’t want to go into debt either, I’d like to try and keep the stuff I am buying under a grand (if possible). I just want a better than average sound recording setup. So based on some of what I have read, it sound like I might want to get the mbox 2 and plug a Shure SM57 into it to record everything? If I do get a condenser mic, how do I throw that into the mix? Like I said, I am more of a guitar guy, I can sing, but never messed with upgrading my sound system in terms of vocals. As a matter of fact, I took the generic route. I have been singing through a cheap mic I got at a guitar store for about 50 bucks (actually I own 2 of them, they are the samson dynamic S+1 mics). I just ran one of them through an old guitar processor (to give me some nice sound and reverb), and then put it through a Marshall stack....Anyway, so I buy these two mics, one dynamic, and one condenser, then what? Should I run the condenser mic through an amp, PA, preamp? and then should I record from the dynamic mic? or should I record from the condenser mic directly for vocals?

[proverb18]

i am kind of in the same boat as you are with mics so I'll share some of the options I am looking at....I have the original Mbox and right now I use a Rode NT1 for some vocals and accoustic guitar(works great on the latter!) and an AKG Solidtube for lead vocals. I just use the preamps that are on the Mbox, they work great compared to the8 track Boss recorder I was using before..lol...but I am looking to get a better external pre or channel to use so I can compress some going in and get a better sound, esp on vocals. I haven't heard anything on the pre's with Mbox 2 but the original were made by Focusrite. So yeah, you would just plug both mics you get into the Mbox and use it's preamps unless you have a better one laying around or have another 500+ to get an external one. Phantom power won't be an issue cuz it's built in. For mics here are a few I am looking at getting, check out sweetwater.com or your favorite online store to get more details. Neumann TLM103, AKG C414BXLII, AKG Project pack C1000s/C3000B(a friend of mine uses these and gets decent results), I've heard good things about the Audio Technica AT4040, and the list goes on....hope that ives you a few decent mics to look at. Hope that helps a little bit.....good luck!