I am interested to know what microphones people are using to record your vocals and/or instrumentals. Does anyone know what kind of mics are being used for The Ukulele Site (HMS) recordings?
The Blue Snowball USB mic works quite well for not much money.
I am interested to know what microphones people are using to record your vocals and/or instrumentals. Does anyone know what kind of mics are being used for The Ukulele Site (HMS) recordings?
First question is budget??? Next is what kind of equipment do you have already. If you have a computer or laptop then a USB mic is the way to go. There are many depending on how much you want to spend. A condenser Mic will pick up both your vocals and your instrument at the same time wnile 12"-24" or farther away. The Shure 58 recommended above is really only for singing into. Those are dynamic mics and you pretty much have to get your lips right on top of it.
First question is budget??? Next is what kind of equipment do you have already. If you have a computer or laptop then a USB mic is the way to go. There are many depending on how much you want to spend. A condenser Mic will pick up both your vocals and your instrument at the same time wnile 12"-24" or farther away. The Shure 58 recommended above is really only for singing into. Those are dynamic mics and you pretty much have to get your lips right on top of it.
I see some really expensive small and large condenser mics in the HMS videos—like 5 grand per stereo pair! I like recording with a matched pair of Neumann KM-184. The ain't cheap but are a dad burn bargain compared to what I see dangling on the HMS videos. And the KM-184 sound wonderful for ukulele and guitar. However, any decent set of pencil or small diaphragm mics are good for ukulele. You might want to check out a set of the Rode NT5—Neumann like tone at 1/3 the price. The Shure SM81 is another really good small diaphragm mic for guitar and ukulele tracking.
Ditto on the Neumann KM-184. Used one on my album along with an SM7B for vocals.
An SM57 can be great for uke, but you've really got to have a decent preamp (or at least, a Cloudlifter) to make it work.
Re: HMS - FWIW, Andrew has stupid expensive mics AND stupid expensive preamps. The pairing makes for his super-duper sounds.
I'd want a separate mic for the ukulele—small diaphragm—and a large diaphragm mic for vocals. I'd record the backing tracks first and add the lead instrument and/or vocals afterwards. If you have only one flavor of mic—and we've all been there—you can diddle the mic position and EQ to optimize the sound. The Shure SM58 stage mic is optimized for live vocals and has a huge contour bump in the lower highs that make ukuleles and guitars sound a bit bright 'n twangy, so lots of PP work to make it sound decent. If you want a good do everything mic, spring for a large diaphragm condenser mic, rather than a small diaphragm model. Rode has a series of somewhat affordable large diaphragm condenser mic that sound nice. if you have a little more bread to burn, the Neumann TLM 102 MT (their budget diaphragm condenser) sounds wonderful for both instruments and voice. I love using it on classical guitar tracks.
Thanks for the feedback. My problem has been that I don’t know the technical terms are for what I want. I have some USB mics that are pretty good. And I already have the Shure 58. I am looking for a mic that I don’t have to be on top of and you’ve given me the keywords to start my search: condenser mic.