Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
OT: Microphones (all varieties) What do you use and why? Biggest bang-for-the-buck?
What mic(s) do you use? Why that one? What else have you tried? What’s your ideal mic? Best deals and value you’ve found? All varieties, any situation: USB mic recording a podcast, dynamic mic for amps, condenser mic for vocals, ribbon mics for whatever they are used for, lol.
The mic is now yours... 🎤
Comments
SE 2200a II multi pattern (cond) and SM7B (dynamic) currently. Tried AT2020 and AT30something.
ATs were ok, sold mine because to me they seemed too 'clean' and a bit harsh, but it's not too bad first all rounder mic. Also imo this harshness, cold characterless freq response is pretty common with cheap (up to around £400-500) condenser mics.
Quite happy with the current combo. I mostly record acc gtr, and percussive instruments.
SM7B imo is very good value for money, also quite versatile (broadcast, vocal, amp, drum, perc).
Usually recording m/s where SM7B is the mid and SE2200 in figure 8 pattern capturing sides.
Hard pass on usb mics, but I guess it's down to the budget.
It's hard to recommend without budget and intended use.
@recccp
Thanks! Good stuff. Not looking to buy any mic necessarily. Just wanted to hear mic stories. I figured everyone probably has a mic. (Breaks into hammy Zero Mostel version of “Everybody Ought to Have a Mic (Maid)” lol... )
Planning to get a pair of Sennheiser Ambeo headphones for stealthy binaural recording.
Anyone tried these out?
Noticed the price has fallen quite a bit since I last checked.
Apogee Mic+ 96k along w mic swap. Delighted w the results.
For live sound and recording, some fun ones I've been using are :
12 gauge microphones black 212 stereo mic, on overheads and on piano (along with an audio technica boundary mic on piano)
Avantone mondo on kick
Blue encore 100i on hi hat
Nos audio active ribbon mic on percussion overhead
Beyerdynamic boundary mic on shaker played by percussionist's foot
Akg d3600 sometimes on floor Tom, sometimes on sax
Naiant omni mic, sometimes on drum kit as a center of kit mic (I love that live when it's a balanced drummer)
Going to be using a different naiant omni laying inside a harmonium on an upcoming Live sound gig later in September and October
For live sound only:
Depending on the vocalist :
Blue encore 300 on vocals
Isk icdm on vocals
Kam rt-1 on vocals
For recording only - isk 2b beauty into apollo x8
I'm looking at the neat microphones king bee and worker bee, which are at a crazy discount right now. My common sense is saying a don't NEED either one...my thirst for cool bargain mics is fighting that...ha!
I’m mainly using an Oktava MK319 which is a cheap Russian mic which sounds really good for the money:
I also own an Aston Stealth, which is a super versatile dynamic mic with a Cloudlifter type preamp built-in, and a Shure MV51 which I use for practicing.
I’ve previously owned an AT3035 and a Violet Atomic.
One day I’d like to get a U87
It's worth to 1st have a listen to the recording place's acoustic character.
Any mic will capture a lot of it and melt this with the voice/instrument signal. Always.
No need to invest into a full acoustic treatment of the room, but some diffusion and damping of resonances improves things significantly.
Cheapo DIYs are book shelves and heavy clothes on mobile stands. Have something behind you because that's the direction from which the mic captures most.
I'm a big fan of dynamic microphones (moving coil and ribbon).
These devices are often supposed to deliver a 'muddy' sound, but that's a myth originated from inferior preamp stages of cheap mixing consoles and interface input stages.
A condensor mic is a capacity load, while a dynamic mic is an inductive load.
This doesn't matter much for the fairly high level signal of a condensor mic, but can be a problem for the very low signal of a dyamic mic. It depend's on the preamp design.
Hint: when condensor mics became affordable and popular, most manufacturers of budget gear adjusted their designs for that input type because it cuts down costs significantly.
This trend is reversing in recent years, though.
My own decision (according to personal taste) was to invest a bit more into a quality preamp stage and save greatly on mics by using dynamic types (due to their unpopularity).
Quality (new) dynamic mics are expensive as ever, but there's a treasure of vintage types in great condition, some for bargain.
Best bang for the buck - my iPhone 6 mic. I’ve matched voice recordings from it into recordings from “professional” mics with no one the wiser and it’s always great to have in the field.
Preferred mics:
The Shure Unidyn design is a classic - SM57, SM58 with it's specific mid response (a mild kind of 'boxy' with transformers inside.
The SM7b is the fidelity version without transformer (hence the low output), extended distance to the capsule and a very special resonance design.
Any AKG dynamic from pre 1980 - examples:
The D1000 was an SM57/58 competitor, (today) cheap in silver, famous in (real) gold plated as used on Bowies Ziggy Stardust tour. This mic has a very effective 3 way filter-switch and delivers a stunning amount of detail, can even be piercing.
D224 a double capsule construction with a frequency response from 20-19khz, outstanding directional linearity (sound from angles doesn't alter the mic's response).
It's the vocal stage mic one may consider a small diaphragm condensor in videos from the 70s. Was used a lot by the BBC and seems very common in Britain.
Philips EL6033, basically an AKG D190 in disguise with a bizarre feature: can switch from cardioid to omni by an aperture mechanic. The Philips OEM is the cheapest way to get a D190 (commonly known as 'the Beatles mic' for a studio pic with Ringo in front of one) which propelled prices up.
The D190 is a sensitive thing as coil wires aren't positioned very safe and can break off. Those wires are thinner than hair and almost impossible to be fixed again.
AKG D20 (don't have one myself), developed as a vocal mic, but today a legend in front of the kick drum. Great mic, but generally way too expensive for my taste.
Sennheiser MD21, an omnidirectional universal mic, massive cutie, give it a shot for vocals - ou may be surprised. Exists also as the Grundig OEM version GDM21, usually for half the price of the original brand. It's the same quality mic, just a different connector.
Sennheiser MD402 LM aka Telefunken TD26, a hypercardioid dynamic that excels on acoustic guitar, delivers about 50% more level than a SM57.
Not as sophisticated as the Beyer M201 (lacks hum suppression coil), but a very similiar design featuring an ultra-thin diaphragm - can be found for as low as 2€
Fits my Martin OMCX guitar just perfectly and is my preferred mic on that guitar.
MD441 (sold mine) a classic top quality mic with wide frequency response, Stevie Nick's favourite stage mic in the 70s. Can be applied on anything with great results.
Good point @anickt
One of the top rated albums of 2015 contains vocals that were recorded in a hotel room using the iPhone Voice Memos app!
Good Old Shure beta 58. I use it live and recording. I am sure I could get something better but these mics sound pretty darn good and are (nearly) indestructable. SM57 to mic guitar cabs.
Yes, the iPhone/iPad mics are deceptively good. I was testing it running through the Mic Swap app, and it actually had a really good sound.
What was the album recorded in a hotel? Prizes for correct guess? Adele? 😄
Great comments everyone! (And no one has dropped the mic. 😝)
@haulin_notes I’m listening to that album now, it’s quite heavy subject matter so didn’t put a link.
I will give you a clue, it rhymes with “Barry and Coal”
@Telefunky
👍 thanks. I am one who until recently was a little biased against dynamic mics. Thought they were just for live use and mic-ing amps and such. But some research and experimenting is suggesting otherwise. This video gives an example:
I have a behringer c 1 condenser but its pretty meh. I end up using the iPhone mic most times and just doctoring up the audio after it’s recorded
My Mic selection is pretty sparse at the moment, Shure SM57 & 58 and iRig Mic HD...
Some day I'll probably get a Røde NT1...
sorry for being harsh, but the dude is talking plain rubbish, repeating an infamous myth over and over again.
If you set a condensor mic and a dynamic mic of comparable quality both to the exact same level of sound output, their only difference regarding unwanted noise from the environment depends on each microphone's directional sensitivity (pictured by a polar diagram).
This response will be quite different, a proper polar duagram is a very detailed characterization of a mic, telling much more than those frequency response graphs.
That 'same level' of loudness just isn't dialed in usuallly.
An SM7b delivers 1.12 mV/Pa while a Neumann TLM 103 delivers 23 mV/Pa - a figure of 20 times more output.
Btw most high quality dynamic mics have such low output rates, and require a good preamp to fully live up to their specs.
If you want to boost your existing interface without buying an expensive device by Neve (or a Neve clone), the Cloudlifter is probably the best option. It's more expensive that the Triton Audio FetHead, but I haven't heard a convincing example by the latter yet.
Cloud uses the same preamp in their active ribbon mics and I must admit their examples were totally convincing (I'm not a fan of active ribbons at all).
Not shure if that was the 'best' take of the session (they have a lot online), but check it out:
The ribbon excels with not even the slightest amount of harshness, which you'd likely observe with condensor mics. Even expensive ones... but budget types always fail in this domain. Ok, that's a $2.5 k mic - but such gear usually is a once in a lifetime purchase.
While her voice us certainly worth the effort, noone needs to spend that amount to make (and record) great music.
And the more you post-process a track, the less important the mic becomes.
Given you adress it properly a current iPhone will deliver enough substance... the problem is that 'proper adressing' part.
The iPhone/iPad mic isn't directional and lacks an acoustically designed housing anyway.
For what it is technically, the clean output is amazing. You may color it by mic modelling or whatever processing comes to mind, as long as it fit's the track
I prefer dynamic mics because they have a lot of individual character - or respond different to different sources, but I have no trust in modern ones.
Unless it's a classic like SM57, SM7b, MD441, etc.
(owning a Samson myself (curiosity) and my 1st mic was the Behringer SM58 clone)
The Samson was ok for 20 bucks, but I paid 99 for the Behringer ages ago... rubbish.
There's a statement about '... the condensor will sound better...' in video.
It may sound better, but that depends on the mic itself and how the mic fits the voice.
If you look for great, yet 'affordable' condensor mics, the Gefell M930 goes for roughly $1k.
Admittedly a steep jump from all the eastern budget things, but that's the minimum expense for such a device if it's gonna be a keeper - and the 2nd reason why I prefer dynamic mics
A wealth of information about mics, their application, history and sound examples
https://martinmitchellsmicrophones.wordpress.com
@Telefunky I’ve been looking into something like the cloudlifter for the SM7B for a while now. Something that is more mobile. However, with the Shure mVi I only get +12V from iOS. I may need to just get something like the iRig pre HD. Idk. Thoughts?
@mjcouche The cloudlifter is almost mandatory with that mic. Very few interfaces/mixers have preamps that will play nice with that signal level.
@BlueGreenSpiral yes my traditional setup is SM7B -> ART preamp -> Akai EIE. Works very well. Just looking for a more mobile solution. The Shure MVi does get +48v phantom power (for powering something like a cloudlifter) when using a USB cable, but I’m not sure if I did that into the CCK if it would draw enough power, unless I power with a power bank...kind of gets clunky pretty quickly
Oops I’ve been looking at the screen for too long. Didn’t read your post properly.
Yeah the usb power banks and connection kits, hubs etc are great to be free from the wall socket but things can get messy!
Only have a Zoom thing and the iTrack pocket here. Cheap and cheerful collection but gets the job done.
The Shure sounds great, almost got one until I found out about the extra kit needed to use it with my preamps.
No, have not heard of those. Sounds interesting! What are they?
Very nice. Been casually looking at a zoom. But I think I’m set for a while.
I have an sm57b (amps, backing vocals) SM7B (everything, but main vocals and acoustic guitars mostly) sterling audio st55 (vocals, but has been cast aside since the sm7b), Blue snowball, Shure MV51.
I haven’t had a chance to try out the blue or the mv51 too much yet. But I think I will mostly use the mv51 with iOS. Along with the MVi I think it is the most versatile and closest to plug and play.
I also found some very old dynamic and lavalier type microphones “new in box” in my great uncles house, but I haven’t had a chance to try those out yet. I forget the brand off the top of my head.
Took me a while to find a video that wasn’t talking about the noise canceling or drenched in background music. Lots of complaints that they only work with iOS but that’s probably not an issue here.
Seems like a lot of ‘influencers’ were given these things to demo!
Sounds like you have quite the collection already! @mjcouche
the Shure interface provides 12V phantom power in IOS connection, but full 48V if powered via USB. A small powered Hub may solve this, depends on Shure's control software.
(the CL will most likely operate at 12V, it's an analog circuit)
On the other hand I wouldn't even think to connect a SM7b to something that has:
5 DSP Preset Modes (Speech, Singing, Flat, Acoustic Instrument, Loud)
Automatically adjusts EQ, Compression and Limiting for optimal results
and doesn't list any relevant details in it's tech specs.
Imho it's a cute lifestyle device to toy around, not an interface, writing this as a big fan of Shure mics.
Btw my D224 delivers only slightly more level (1.3 versus 1.12 mV) than a SM7b.
I use an Audient ID22 set to about 57dB of gain, which is 1 tick below maximum and I have no problems with that mic.
In 24bit tracks I can add up to 18dB of digital gain to a track, which is equivalent to shift 3 bits to the left, making it a 21bit source effectively.
It works because the ID interfaces have a very low noise floor.
This one gave my SM57&58 a well deserved boost when sound levels are not too high to begin with...
https://www.seelectronics.com/dm1-dynamite-active-inline-preamp
@Telefunky I’m actually very happy with MVi. I use the flat response almost exclusively, and with their free app you can see what each preset is doing and tweak accordingly, or turn it all off. What’s also nice with the app is that you can add +20db of gain if you use any of the Shure MV series devices.